Metal Detecting discussions and finds

Lol

 

Nah it was a few inches below ground..

 

Been working on my truck lately.

Also been trying to finish my HAM radio box... well, trying to get as much of it done as possible before "Field Day" as well as my antenna tripod setup.

But yeah, I've been waiting for DST for a while now as well... a FEW months ago I've been waiting!!! HAHAHAHA,

 

There is always something that needs doing.
I have been studying off and on over the last year to prep for the Technician Radio license test. I'm having a difficult time staying with it.

 

I tried studying on my own. Granted, the answers are there, but it was still overwhelming for me.

Anyways, finally decided to attend a free class, most of them are btw. But yeah, I learned it really quick and it was easy to remember certain things because our HAM instructor would use graphical examples and what not.

It was a 3x day class, every Saturday, with the 3rd day being a morning class and the afternoon was the test.

After each class, the first one for example, we would go over 5+ chapters in a day. I would have that WHOLE week until the next class, so I simply ONLY, I MEAN ONLY go over the chapters we did in class and do this M-F. I wanted to ACE the test was my goal. I've always been a bad test taker.

Annnyways, the 2nd class, the same thing after. I would come home and study those chapters only on to of the first set... M-F.

Come test day, I just had to hope I would remember things.

During the test, there were about 3x questions I was sure I had gotten wrong, but NOPE!!! Received 100% on my test and out of about 25x people, only about 6x of us or so aced the test.

So, if you can, try to sign up for a class. IF, and I say IF, you study on-line tests as well, make DAMN SURE it is the "question pool year"!!! I canNOT stress that enough!!!

I did an on-line HAM test and came across some "odd questions" and it turned out that it was an old question pool. YES, there was THAT MUCH of a difference!!!

Hope this helps?

Btw, another plus is you could ask questions face to face, which is what helped me!!!

 

Stay with it! I love having one for APRS in the backcountry. Also like conversing with friends that way too.

Hey @WileECoyote - What type of radio box are you putting together? Will it jist hold a radio, or radio + batteries?

 

These are older pictures, but not much has changed. Long story short, no money and not working at the time delayed this for quite some time. Now that I have a job, I've been building up on it.

So, to answer your question:
radio + batteries

Along with able to input power from an external power source and a "power port" that I can tap into the batteries if I need to for whatever reason that may be.

I'm trying to make my radio box a very versatile box. There was one guy on a different forum that was criticizing my box left and right, which I don't mind, but it got to the point of annoying as it isn't his box and for all I care, he could do whatever he wants to his build... just annoying as hell when some people think their ideas are just pure gold? Not saying my box is the best, but I'm building it to how "I" want it built. I mean, right??? LOL!!!

Anyways, I made it this way so that it sits right next to me and I'm going to have a separate feed line to another antenna I will eventually mount up, but likely not until the end of this year. It has a CB "Cobra 18 WX ST ii" as well as a 4-band HAM "Yaesu FT-8900R". The batteries should last pretty decently. A bit heavy, but it will change as time goes on. It's going to be a WIP for sure as things get added/deleted. Right now, this is how it is going to be setup for starters. KINNNNNND OF already "preeeee-tested" it and I like how it is turning out for sure.








That 2ft or so CB antenna in the background is just there as a "place holder". At the time of these pics taken, I was living where the damn car port was getting annoying. I could put quick disconnects, but don't really care much for those setups, personally. Just a preference thing really. Normally, I run a 4ft Hot Rod CB whip, especially when off roading.

The antenna directly behind passenger is my HAM connected to my dedicated 2m Yaesu FT-1900R mobile.

Finally, the antenna on the far left is a "special" port I call a pigtail port. During the time this picture was taken, a handheld scanner antenna was connected. It's a BNC mount that routes to a BNC on the inside of the cab and gives all kinds of options.

Then there is my current 2m antenna build. I'm working on finalizing my tripod that I was able to acquire from a friend of mine along with an antenna mast that I put together from various pipe setups and what not.

So anyways, that's the radio box. Pretty much hasn't changed much, but I have been acquiring parts for it since and getting ready to put some of it together. Like I said, a WIP for now.

 

Looks like a great self contained radio box to me! What are the specs on the battery running in there?

I keep a mobile 2m in my center console box, it has power from a spare 12v truck battery under the hood. I ran a power cord from that battery back to my bed to power accessories like my shell mounted ditch and reverse lights, a refrigerator
and my battery box described here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...table-power-battery-for-less-than-100.631427/

It’s just a DIY HF toolbox holding a seconds 35ah gel cell I bought from a mobility scooter/wheelchair shop.

I also mounted a 2m and a 2m/440 dual band antenna on top of my cab top rack. The 2m runs the AM/FM radio for daily drives, and then I can unplug that coax and plug it into my 2m APRS beacon when I’m off roading, and the other antenna runs to my dual-band rig and HT. - That’s a photo of wifey behind the truck, and coyote chow is in front

 

Went swinging today and found a clay marble (surface find) at an old gold camp. We are pulling out a lot of non ferrous targets from the trash with small coils, just nothing worth keeping (yet!).

 

Is it a game marble or a industrial use one? Interesting...

 

I think that it's a game marble. I have found glass marbles or portions of marbles.

 

Glass marbles are mostly what we found at the orphanage archaeological dig at Manzanar, too.

We also found little iron submarines from cracker jacks boxes, kid’s combs and broken ceramic toys also.

 

Got my new digging tool fixed up with proper magnets for hitting those trashy tailings and maybe even poking around for meteorites!

 

Very cool! Those are serious magnets!

 

I found some cool stuff today, but I don't know what most of it is. I love the old lock and am trying to get a date range on it. The other stuff, I have no clue.

 

cool! Well we got first leg of our move done...

 

That lock is cool. I have found similar from ~1860s sites... could be earlier than that though not sure.

Stuff like that I love doing electrolysis on, never know what's under that rust and it comes out with an awesome blackish patina after.

Also the brass keyhole cover will usually have brand name or some sort of design

 

Wow! That lock is really cool! Nice find!

 

Good deal! How many more legs??

 

Is there any way to get a electrolysis machine cheaply? I hear of folks doing it, but I know nothing about it.