On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:04:02 -0400, Peter Hendra
wrote:

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:14:18 +0000, Larry wrote:


Oh, and what is an optimum length and diameter - covered in plastic or
bare? - I know, only a project manager would want precision such as
this.

Thanks for all of this Larry. I shall follow your advice.

By the way, I have been dutifully hoarding my softdrink/soda/pop
plastic bottles. I even have a large hanging laundry bag to store them
in after rinsing them. However, my favourite drinks here in Trinidad
are Lemon, Lime and Bitters sold by the Angostura company in small
glass bottles and cans of coconut and pineapple fizzy drink. Are you
aware of any techiques whereby I can put out "message in a can" or
"message in a small glass green bottle"? I have been drinking Coca
Cola but no longer wish to support that icon of American Imperialism
(openly at least). We called in to Assab a few years back, the large
and empty Eritrean port that had been captured back from the invading
Ethiopians. At the time, Eritrea was the second poorest nation and had
just won a war of independence against colonising Ethiopia with no
external aid despite both the US and Ruissians suppling their foes
with weapons at different times. The town had nothing but a single
main unpaved street, and apart from the port wharves and cranes was
largely unchanged since the Italians colonised it after the Great War.
There were a lot of little cafes making great, strong and flavoursome
(eat your heart out Vic) espresso coffee with beautifully maintained
polished brass and copper machines dating back to the 1920's. The only
other non-alcoholic drink was good old Coca-Cola kept cool with ice.
Expectedly, both tasted divine.

I only ask about the cans as I recognise the spirit of a lateral
thinking mind and you are wholely responsible for my collection
fetish/mania. I almost ate a half eaten hamburger from a rubbish bin
the other day - it looked delicious but some people I knew were
looking. Still, as my Zoology professor said - "The good germs fight
the bad germs and the good germs usually win".

Waiting for it...............
cheers
Peter the dumpster man


Larry,
A few questions from a dummy in this area.

What diameter should I make the floating ground for the aerial (4mm ?)

I did try trailing a chain and weight on the end of a cable from the
base of the port shroud as alightning ground but the damn thing was
bumping annoyingly against the hull. My back stay is split at the
masthead - one is the aerial for SSB and the other is entire. Could I
attach a cable to that and throwm it ovewr the stern? - or would two
attached to the capshrouds give better protection? I unashamdely admit
to being terrified of being struck again - not a personal fear but one
of having to shell out all those dollars again to replace it all.

I got sick of pulling all the plugs out from the instruments when
lightning hove in the distance - in our path, so I put the 13 wires to
the radar unit for example to a 15 pin plug that just pulls apart -
other instruments likewise. N o more hiolding a colured Visio
schematic and trying to figure colours in the dark.

I should have shaved my arms before antifouling - I am still picking
it off despite cleaning up and showering.

cheers
Peter
Don W wrote in news:vMwXh.19209
:

Also, it'd sure be great if lightning grounds were
this simple... But unfortunately...



Actually, they ARE that simple. Trail two more ground cables, during the
storms, attached to the port and starboard shrouds to trail off electrons
to the sea, right where it's SO easy to attach them at the
deck/chainplates. Don't be neat...use hefty stainless winch cable,
stranded gets the best ground. Find something to stow them in at the
base of the shrouds when not in lightning storms. Great grounds are easy
in the ocean....that don't HAVE to be through a hole in that leaky hull!

Just let the cable trail back on either side in the wake. It only
matters that they are submerged, not skipping along the surface. On our
ketch, at 6 knots, skipping along the surface would be a miracle...(c;

Larry