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Forum Index : Other Stuff : rant
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| windlight Guru  Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
A bit off topic maybe but after a 6 week break because Telstra would not admit they had a problem with their tower........... 
I am now on satalight, but my point is looking back on other sights it is hard to get over how US they are, it's all about them, I believe my enforced break has cleared my vision. Same old here in FNQ, sea temp is getting close to cyclone temps and in my waters I feel one this season, will be interesting. I note trees here bend a lot in a breeze (and fall over), not what I am used too, so bring it on so I can get some pics. allan "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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| Georgen Guru Joined: 13/09/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 462 |
Sometimes forced breaks allow us to take step back, sometimes we can be so wound up that this doesn't come at all. If you are talking about Internet, I had my share of bad run. If phone, I was lucky there and phone line that played up after rain, where Telstra would not agree that rain was a problem is not my problem any more (moved to another place) Suppose with this beautiful view moving somewhere else is out of question, also why move because of that? In my case it was time to move and this unsolved problem was added bonus. George |
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sPuDd Senior Member  Joined: 10/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 251 |
G'day Allan, Helstra are about as clueless as any other group these days. I fear the day I have a line fault in my precious 14M/s ADSL.... can't live without it. Looks like you're in my neck of the woods (pun intended). I'm in Cairns, where are you? sPuDd.. It should work ...in theory |
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| windlight Guru Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
Hi Spud, I'm north of the river, Cow Bay, that's the Alexandra Range look out to the right of that coms tower in my pic. I guess their tecks are as good as ever but I hate talking to overseas technical support they did try but failed. Most of this area did not have mobile / next G reception but there is nothing wrong with the tower, I now have a brand new 4G modem they lost track of how many they sent me, but I am happy with satalight. Allan "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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| windlight Guru Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
I may as well continue here, last week and this were hydro weeks, went to two last week but did not take my camera, went out again to one today so here it is. It will never be a world beating hydro instal but for the lady concerned it will make a big difference, it is a small Amp Air unit Info on Amp Air Not trying to plug anything just to show the product. It is installed in one of our fastest flowing creeks here in Far North Queensland (FNQ), a view downstream from the road crossing. 
and up stream, showing some of the difficulties anybody with a creek experiences. 
Where the turbine is installed is actually a very tranquil place to sit and contemplate ones navel. 
Yes that is a ram pump that supplies their water. 
OK the Amp Air. 
The velocity of the water flow in most of our creeks is something to be in awe of so I am not sure what it's survival rate is going to be. Frequently big boulders are swept downstream in the wet season, but we do our best to anchor it, clipping cable behind boulders. 
The water source is off Thornton Peak Queensland's forth highest peak at 1374 meters, most of us here live in the lee of this majestic rock. 
Yes nearly always shrouded in mist. Anyway the install is ongoing the unit is two phase, we will install a switch that will parallel or series these two phases so she can get some power during the low times (now). Oh and did I tell you I have a still to play with at work, there is no end to the things they give me to play with. 
Ignore the numbers, I am writing an instruction on how to use it, you know, fermented corn mash in here etc, also used to make distilled water for batteries, a secondary task non the least. Allan in paradise "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
It can be surprising just how much energy you can extract from a little creek. Not kilowatts, or even hundreds of watts, but a few watts 24 hours a day adds up. I've been playing around with a home made hydralic ram in my creek, and its looks promising. I'm using a section of the creek with about 600mm drop, and the leadin pipe is about 9m long, and it pumping water up 4m, trickling into a bucket that fills up in about 20 minutes. Very encouraging and lots of room for improvement, but thats for another post on another day. I was inspired to build a ram when I visited a national park up near Cairns a few years ago. The ram was fed by a fast flowing stream about 50 meters below the camp, and it was pumping water up to the tanks to supply the public toilets. Be interesting to see how the Amp Air survives the wet season. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| windlight Guru Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
Hi Glenn, yes the survival of the little Amp Air is debatable but we should not loose it completely, hopefully the cable will hang on to it. We discussed inserting a joiner into the 25MM rural B poly that leads away from the ram pump so it could be removed in the wet season, but decided to tie the pump to a tree. If the PVC pipe gets smashed then it's no big problem but the pump washing out to the great barrier reef would be. Here is no different from most places in OZ and I am sure the world, creeks in flood are something to behold. I can't help feeling that we who live off grid are going to be left smiling, the constant rise of grid power prices, and we are used to economizing on power, living off grid well................ Says me running two air conditioners ATM, then the sun is shining, batteries full 2.5 Kw coming in, OK I will shut them down around 1600 hrs to conserve O/N battery power. 26C days cool nights, just got to love FNQ. Is it time for me to walk to the pub yet? Allan "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
[quote]Is it time for me to walk to the pub yet? [/quote] I thought in FNQ the pub came to you  Sometimes it just works |
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| windlight Guru Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
It does but occasionally one must move out among the great unwashed. Did I tell you the bar at the Cow Bay pub is from one tree, sh*tty pic but. 
OK time to lay a few dollars on the bar. Allan "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Hi Allan,, Nice post ,, the creek , the mountains, the still . Best of all that long bar ,gee, I can just imagine the cane cutters years ago when that would have been full . Been busy on the tracker and all the gear that goes with it --batteries, control panels, inverter , breaker box ,,gee,I'd luv a bar like that . stay safe Ol mate , Bruce Bushboy |
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| windlight Guru Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
The other hydro install I alluded to was a new Stream Engine, long story but the climb up to water source was epic. Once I have pics I will post about it as it has to be seen to be believed, and I am not sure why this stupid old fart would do it again, but there were ropes installed on the critical climbs. It is an interesting story about mini hydro and how dollars are spent for no reason. And then said fig jam said to me that he could not run the diesel generator because it was in he same room as the inverter and the fumes (exhaust is to the outside) caused inverters to fail in the past, er say what, actually inverter is mounted above battery's, inverter dies, oh I wonder why? OK another day, it is an interesting story mostly for how not to spend money. Allan the jungle rat "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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