This ICE is driving me crazy.

DFB · Jan 1, 2001

Hey Ernie. That guy is probably giving good advice if your ashes come from burning household trash. I would have to believe those type of ashes could contain toxic by- products. My source for those interested is DOWN TO EARTH VEGATABLE GARDENING KNOW-HOW written by Dick Raymond printed by GARDEN WAY PUBLISHING in Pownal VT.
Just for grins /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif here's a photo of a moose taken at the Maine state game farm.
And Bird, I think that's great your wife making that wild game chile for you. Mine won't even cook it, forget about her eating it.

Bird · Jan 1, 2001

DFB, that picture wasn't taken right recently was it? I wouldn't expect to see that felt still on the antlers this time of year.

Bird

DFB · Jan 1, 2001

No, it was taken in late summer. Labor Day weekend I think. I'll tell ya the critter that impressed me the most was a mountain lion. Awesome size for a cat. Its no wonder people near killed them off. I sure wouldn't want to run across one of them in the wild.

Bird · Jan 1, 2001

DFB, I guess you know the mountain lion is making a comeback in some parts of the country, and becoming a dangerous nuisance again. There were even some reports of sightings in Dallas County this past year and a professional hunter was even hired to set traps, etc. but no results. I wonder whether one was actually seen. And a couple of years ago, some folks who live about 10 miles from me told me they think that's what killed their 250# ram and took him over a 4' fence without damaging the fence. Personally, I have some doubts, but who knows?

Bird

DFB · Jan 1, 2001

Bird, They've been having those types of sightings western MA and southern VT too. The state officials say there no proof but people claim to have seen tracks and scat. The one I saw at the wildlife park was a male. About 9 ft long from nose to tail. It was holding a deer leg in its mouth. Couldn't get a photo before it took off into its den./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

EddieW · Jan 1, 2001

Thanks DFB, I wrote the information down and stuck in my wallet so I can get some tomorrow. I finally got the ice off by using my front end loader and pointing it down, setting it down until the front tires alomost rose off the ground then backing up. I could take about a 6" bite each time but it finally came loose. It took a while to do 150' driveway but since I couldn't get out I didn't have much else to do. It was nice to drive the tractor again. I will get some of the stuff and keep it in the garage.

ERNIEB · Jan 1, 2001

Bird and DFB, Some of the people on here from California may know more about this, but I heard in someplaces where homes are being built in mountain areas, there have been attacks on people by mountain lions.

Ernie
"Do not be uneasy about me, I am among friends"
David Crockett 1836 (in a letter to his family)

Harv · Jan 1, 2001

Ernie -

I haven't heard anything about mountain lions in recent years, but just last month several bears ransacked some summer cabins (including ours) in the Kirkwood area here in California. That's at about 7,700 feet, altitude-wise.

No humans were attacked, but the area is lightly populated, and the bears were oblivious to people shouting at them. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

TWINKLE_TOES · Jan 1, 2001

Tom,

My two cents on surge protectors. Modern surge protectors are semiconductor devices which are intstalled across the lines. They come in a variety of technologies from Metal Oxide Varistors MOV's to Transorbs (registered tradmark of General Instruments). The Transorb is effectively a special Zener diode. Both of these devices are only lightly conductive at voltages experienced in normal household environments. At voltages above normal they become conductive and dissipate the energy during the abnormal condition. There is nothing inherent about these devices that limit their life. A well designed unit should last a lifetime.
The key word is "well designed". Most of the less expensive units in service today that have experienced a transient overvoltage of any consequence are probably dead and offer no protection at all. As far as self testing, I have never seen one that actually tests it's ability to withstand a voltage transient.

I think the best way to assure you are adequately protected is buy a device that is design compliant to the requirements of IEC 61000-4-2 (Electro Static Discharge) IEC 6100-4-4 (Fast Transients) and IEC 6100-4-5 (Electrical Surge Voltage)

Harv · Jan 2, 2001

Bird -

I guess it takes a Texan to tell me what's going on here in California. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Come to think of it, I haven't read the paper much during these holidays. I've got some catching up to do...

Thomas · Jan 2, 2001

DFB,
One thing about a moose,they have the best 4wd of anything around /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif and like soft maples&evergreens. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Snowing here half inch so far,but the stars are out. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas · Jan 2, 2001

DFB,
The last sighting of a Mtn Loin was this pass summer by a lady in Barnard,VT,and even our local paper did a story.
VT F&G said it wasn't sure,and In Plymouth,NH one was sighted by 6 people and NH F&G said they weren't sure,loggers and hunters have claim they cats are back but the stated refuse to say yes I guess bad PR. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif Hope someone video one and not shoot one to prove there back.

First of December NH ran a story about bring back the wolf,now there we could have trouble..big time,for the state can't even control the coy dogs.

I look at it this way there were here first,and all we did was to push them off or....
Maybe man could learn once again from the wildlife,only take what you need and replace what you take.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

TomG · Jan 2, 2001

I think we're saying the same thing. The important point is that having a protector may provide false security. Typical ones sold in hardware stores may not be working, and there's not a good way of telling without test equipment. The question of life span really is whether a unit that withstood a substantial surge has the same capacity to withstand subsequent surges. As you note, semi-conductors don't wear-out.

The protectors I bought for my PA equipment do have a test circuit, but I believe it only detects continuity through the surge circuit rather than the ability of the unit to handle surges. However, a continuity monitor is better than nothing.

I bought the protectors for their ability to handle surges as well as voltage spikes and dirty AC in general. The units also have pretty good filters in them. Dirty AC can play havoc with PA systems as well as computers. The availability of protectors that have AC 'power conditioning' capability in addition to surge protection might be a good thing for folks to know that live in areas subject to AC power problems.

Hope the information you supplied, and maybe mine too, is of some general interest. After all, if peoples' computers get zapped through dead protectors, then nobody can read what they've got to say. However, I do have a question that is probably of limited general interest. I've seen protectors with high and low voltage LED's on them. I imagine that the clamping circuit is active if the high voltage indicator is lit. A simple zenor diode circuit is just going to square off the top of the AC wave above a set voltage. I believe that operating some equipment for sustained periods on what amounts to a square wave would damage the equipment. What I don't know is if zenor diode type protectors have additional circuitry to reshape the output power to a sine wave form. In PA work, sustained high or low voltage problems are managed by equipment that includes an auto-transformer which doesn't alter the AC wave form.

I forgot to mention that non-clumping kitty litter also is good for ice.

Bird · Jan 2, 2001

Harv, I can't remember what TV channel ran that story about the mountain lions coming back and causing problems in Calfornia, but think it might have been the Discovery Channel, so no telling when it was actually filmed.

Bird

DaveNH · Jan 2, 2001

The coy dogs!!
Really starting to become a problem around my next of the woods. Two years ago, I shot a deer early in the AM and dragged it out to the road, while driving my truck back to pick it up, I saw two of them bastards chewing on a hindquarter! By the time I stop and chambered a round ... gone.

They are really becoming a pain. It isn't safe to let
your small dogs or cats stay out all night.

Bird · Jan 2, 2001

OK, what is a "coy dog?" Don't think I've heard that term before.

Bird

DaveNH · Jan 2, 2001

coy dogs,
Cross between regular dogs and coyotes.
The cross probably occured several generations ago
as the dogs we see now are starting to look more coyote
than the mixes we used to see.
Clever, sneaky and pretty tough for their size.

Dave

Open season all year round.
They take a few deer in the winter but take quite a few
fawns in June.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by DaveNH on 1/2/01 08:29 AM.</FONT></P>

Bird · Jan 2, 2001

Thanks, DaveNH. We have an ample supply of coyotes and stray dogs,/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif but haven't known of any wild crossbreeds in the area.

Bird

DFB · Jan 2, 2001

Now, thats a debate for sure! Is a COYDOG really a feral dog or an an EASTERN COYOTE or a MIX between the two? Wildlife officials say its a coyote but then again they say there are no mountain lions. Bird are there wild pigs in Texas?