No Show Today
Well we had the power go out. No problem plug in the Steven Harris battery bank in the truck and roll on. Power company changes the update and we are going to be out a lot longer, no problem roll out the Generator and power up everything.
Well one more domino fell, the internet. I am guessing the folks at Spectrum ran out of their feild back up power because just before I was supposed to call today’s guest, the internet went down.
I am typing this post tethered to my phone, it is fine for basic browsing but not sufficient for an interview. TSP will return tomorrow, hopefully our power will as well.
I read somewhere that the army invests a lot into Ham Radio because in a war scenario satellites can get blown out of the sky, the Internet can go down but the ionosphere which bounces HF sinnals around the world will always br there although it’s effectiveness may vary depending on solar cycles.
Will you be investing in Ham Radio Jack ?
No I won’t. It isn’t my thing and honestly the over zealous nature of many HAMs put me off of it. Some of those guys are worse than door to door “Have You Found Jesus” types knocking on your door during a football game.
Also HAM radio serves no purpose in putting out a podcast. Such use would be illegal.
I had been thinking of buying a Ham Radio, maybe I’l buy a generator instead.
If it’s a choice between those two there is no question get the generator. Then or now start buying a few 5 gallon gas cans at a time and eventually get up to Jack’s 12 can cycle. A generator, 60 gallons of gas, and some starting fluid spray (because my stupid generator gets gunked up if I don’t start it every 43 seconds) will be more than enough to get you through a multi-week power outage without losing any food, and staying quite comfortable.
We had a late ice storm that took out our power for a week when I got my first baby chickens a few years ago. Baby chicks need to be kept at 95 degrees with a heat lamp. I also had two freezers of food, and a house that would have got too cold without power. A $500 generator and a few gallons of gas a day kept my chicks alive, my food frozen, and my house (and kids) at 70 degrees. All resistance to, “why do you need a generator? Why are you building a plug outside to plug the generator into? Why do you need so much gas?” disappeared that week.
@EricM, I agree fully. During our years in Arkansas we existed at the end of a power leg. Only 20ish families were on that leg. Power went out frequently. Say 4-6 times a year randomly usually for a few hours to a full day.
During ice storms we could be down for 2 days to 2 weeks. Our inexpensive Troy Built worked like a champ and starts with one pull. I had gotten lazy here and had not started it for over two years.
I pulled it out and it started lightly choked on the FIRST pull. I filled it and ran it for an hour longer than the outage just to blow it out. This fall I will do an oil change.
The one I own is now discontinued and slightly up graded, this is the new model https://www.lowes.com/pd/Troy-Bilt-6250-Running-Watt-Portable-Generator-with-Briggs-Stratton-Engine/4732731
Mine is 6000 vs 6250 running watts of the new model. I have run TV, fridge, two window units, a christmas, a Dish TV box and lights all at the same time for DAYS with it. I know Harris makes sweet nasty love to his EU2000 and they are great, but they can’t hold a candle to the power and bang for the buck of something like a TroyBilt.
If I was buying one today I would spend a bit more for this one, https://www.troybilt.com/equipment/troybilt/xp-series-7000-watt-portable-generator-030478
Any views on petrol verses diesel ?
In general I love diesel but in generators I don’t find it worth the cost differential.