You've watched it many times> all the way home from LaRonge. The pilots normally expected me to point out where I lived.
Deep Cycle Batteries by Tab
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OHHH, OK, yes, I've watched that movie many times.
I didn't realize you were talking about THE award winning movie "Look Out the Window." Nominated for Emmy, Oscar, Pulitzer, Nobel and Academy awards. Obviously, in my mind, it is an overwhelming, clean sweep. Film of the year for the last 17.
We go to the theater twice a year to watch the movie.
I didn't realize you were talking about THE award winning movie "Look Out the Window." Nominated for Emmy, Oscar, Pulitzer, Nobel and Academy awards. Obviously, in my mind, it is an overwhelming, clean sweep. Film of the year for the last 17.
We go to the theater twice a year to watch the movie.
Bush planes are low and slow. You get to see stuff.
Start with blue sky and the engine sound track, rock her up on the step and see the horizon.
Twist off the suction and bingo! We are truely on our way (batteries or not!)
Start with blue sky and the engine sound track, rock her up on the step and see the horizon.
Twist off the suction and bingo! We are truely on our way (batteries or not!)
I didn't grow up somewhere remote as a kid, but the roads were not great, so small planes were part of many people's lives. Quite a few of early settling families had big spread farms in several locations, so they'd get a pilot license, grade out a dirt runway on the farms and own a 4 seater light plane. Now and then we'd get taken up by a neighbour for a flight. Takeoff was always incredibly bumpy and dusty, then we'd get to watch the in flight movie for a while before the very terrifying bumpy landing.
I think I'd prefer a float plane takeoff. At least there would be no risk of kangaroos on the runway.
I think I'd prefer a float plane takeoff. At least there would be no risk of kangaroos on the runway.
You need clean water for a float plane takeoff. The float tails on a loaded Norseman are nearly 4' down before there's enough speed to rock the floats up onto the steps.
All you see is sky and you just assume the pilot has a straight-line plan. 12 imperial gallons of avgas and that Norseman is in the air.
Glassy calm has enough suction to be hard to break free. Some pilots would taxi around just to mess that up.
With 'Roos on the runway, I'm thinking outback in OZ?
In any case, can you recall what those farms of the day were doing for electricity?
All you see is sky and you just assume the pilot has a straight-line plan. 12 imperial gallons of avgas and that Norseman is in the air.
Glassy calm has enough suction to be hard to break free. Some pilots would taxi around just to mess that up.
With 'Roos on the runway, I'm thinking outback in OZ?
In any case, can you recall what those farms of the day were doing for electricity?
Yes, australia.
Electricity? They either did without or had a genny in a shed. We had a genny that was rigged to come on demand, but didn't use it much. Just managed with kero lanterns, candles and no food refrigeration for a couple of years, until my parents could afford to pay the electricity board to run power to the property. We weren't really remote, so food could be bought regularly.
'coolgardie fridges' used to be common. They were a kerosene (paraffin) powered fridge. Prior to that people had a 'meat safe' which was a cabinet with flyproof mesh covered sides, you'd cover it with hessian sacking, soak the sacking and keep the cabinet in the shade where the breeze could blow on it. We never used one but there was one of those out in a barn.
Electricity? They either did without or had a genny in a shed. We had a genny that was rigged to come on demand, but didn't use it much. Just managed with kero lanterns, candles and no food refrigeration for a couple of years, until my parents could afford to pay the electricity board to run power to the property. We weren't really remote, so food could be bought regularly.
'coolgardie fridges' used to be common. They were a kerosene (paraffin) powered fridge. Prior to that people had a 'meat safe' which was a cabinet with flyproof mesh covered sides, you'd cover it with hessian sacking, soak the sacking and keep the cabinet in the shade where the breeze could blow on it. We never used one but there was one of those out in a barn.
Propane refrigerators are still very common, here. Saw adverts just yesterday!
Meat safe won't work here = rock solid in winter (-17C this AM) and the bears will rip into it in summer.
Some really old houses in the village still have an earth root cellar underneath.
My head isn't in the right place for a lifetime of no electricity.
Meat safe won't work here = rock solid in winter (-17C this AM) and the bears will rip into it in summer.
Some really old houses in the village still have an earth root cellar underneath.
My head isn't in the right place for a lifetime of no electricity.
What was possibly almost unique in Australia was the pace of change; in less than a generation areas went from no electricity, dirt roads, no telephone, to mains electric, tarmac roads, telephone that you can dial direct to the entire world. My first school is now preserved as museum to show what rural schools were like and I'm only middle-aged.
Rural electrification. Probably much the same pace in the agricultural areas of western Canada.
From kero lamps to mains and more.
The old grids were vulnerable to lightning strikes. Us city kids thought the kero lamps were wonderful.
Honestly, I don't know what size of solar system would take me off the grid, entirely.
Other than an obscene capital cost, there's no point in the actual village except to bridge
the usual and unexpected power outages. Hell, we can go 2 weeks without one.
From kero lamps to mains and more.
The old grids were vulnerable to lightning strikes. Us city kids thought the kero lamps were wonderful.
Honestly, I don't know what size of solar system would take me off the grid, entirely.
Other than an obscene capital cost, there's no point in the actual village except to bridge
the usual and unexpected power outages. Hell, we can go 2 weeks without one.
When I was an 'active' stove collector I really wanted a paraffin/kerosene fridge, popular in parts of the USA and Australia I never did find one in the UK 
Still made but quite expensive https://www.lehmans.com/product/dometic-kerosene-refrigerator/refrigerators-freezers
Still made but quite expensive https://www.lehmans.com/product/dometic-kerosene-refrigerator/refrigerators-freezersWhen I was an 'active' stove collector I really wanted a paraffin/kerosene fridge, popular in parts of the USA and Australia I never did find one in the UK
Funny, when I was living off grid in Africa a few years ago, I looked at that Dometic kerosene fridge but rejected it on grounds of initial cost and (iirc) the amount of kerosene it used. Made do with an Engel 12/240v fridge for meat and drink which lived in the Landy and the twin battery split charging system got topped up when it drove and just a traditional wire mesh "meat safe" for veggies.
Not needed now but one thing still on my to do list is to build an evaporation fridge from the design I found somewhere. Basically an insulated box, with racks, open at the bottom with a cotton "skirt" which sits in a tray of water. The top has a cowl and flue which either has a candle or solar powered fan to generate an updraft.
That 12V/240V fridge must be like te 12V/117V "Coolatron" fridge boxes that travelers use here.
Just about have a hernia in hot weather.
No substitute for bigger & better but make-do on a trip just fine.
Just about have a hernia in hot weather.
No substitute for bigger & better but make-do on a trip just fine.
Different beasts. The only things likely to have a hernia around an Engel (Waeco or similar) fridge/freezer is you or your wallet - even empty, a medium, 40 litre Engel weighs 20kg plus and by the time you add in a padded insulated case and a few accessories you won't get much change from GBP1000.
http://www.engelcoolers.com/fridge-freezers/shop-by-fridge-freezer/portable-top-loading/mt45f-u1
The cool boxes you are referring to typically claim to cool the contents to 20 degrees C below ambient and will drain you battery very quickly trying to do it. Engel claim 50 degrees C and draw comparatively little current and can be kept going indefinitely with a modest solar panel.
I still wince at the original cost but my Engel has served me well in some of the warmest pests of the world.
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That's a proper compressor job, Nomad! V impressive. We looked at getting one on our barge but went down the inverter/domestic fridge route.
I just switched to Lithium Iron (LiFe) battery on my motorcycle having had no end of cold starting issues every winter. I tried a GFM (Glass Fibre Mat) Gel battery last year which had very little improvement over a normal battery. The LiFe is half the height, a quarter the weight and you can tell straight away there's more cranking power available. I went for JMT (german company) because I wasn't going to spend a ton on a battery that might not be an improvement on the GFM. The JMT was just under £50 (from Amazon, shipped from Germany)only about £10-£15 more than the GFM. I've seen them going for around £100 from bike shops here. I suppose that'll all change once we Brexit and those discounts for being a member of the EU disappear.
Fe is the Periodic Table symbol for ( = Ferrum <Latin>) iron. Some might not know.
Parbajtor: I imagine 12VDC? How many AHr/amp-hours is the LiFe? Do they say anything about the number of charge/discharge cycles possible?
When I bought my big Discover deep-cycle batteries, the vendor said to write it on the wall = might see 50 cycles before they stuff up.
Parbajtor: I imagine 12VDC? How many AHr/amp-hours is the LiFe? Do they say anything about the number of charge/discharge cycles possible?
When I bought my big Discover deep-cycle batteries, the vendor said to write it on the wall = might see 50 cycles before they stuff up.
Hello mrcharly,
I have to set the record straight. I misspoke yesterday. This is what happens when one starts to get old.
Each battery is about 140 pounds and there are 2 cells to a plywood box. So there were only 6 battery boxes weighing roughly 280 pounds plus the weight of the box that had to be flown in and manhandled, not 12. Sorry about that. Still a brutal endeavor.
I wasn't too concerned with battery cracking since they were in a heavy plywood box with rope handles. It sounds like you have a challenge moving stuff yourself. Nothing is easy, is it? Take care! Ron
I was thinking the same thing as Mrcharly. Six boxes at 280 pounds each comes to 1740 pounds before you add the weight of the boxes. That alone is over half of a Twin Otter's payload (3031 pounds for a 400 NM trip) or a bit less of a strain for a 100 NM trip (max payload of 2061 pounds)
Well- I've looked all through those extremely interesting replies boys- I am still expecting tombear to come up with a float plane he has found in a boot sale somewhere around Accrington. Nothing yet but, i'll keep you posted.
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