A Study in Progress since 1997
Gentlemen, whether you're a Bush Pilot, a Black Lodge Member, or just wish that you were man enough to join one of those fine fraternities, the enclosed information may change your life!
Through years of careful planning, my life has unerringly lead me toward this end, to bring this Idea to the masses... The Solar Powered Ultra-Sonic Sub-Surface Aquatic Navigational Interface.
Initially I thought that a basic Fish Finder would be all I needed to increase my productivity on the water, or at least divert my attention from the fish I wasn't catching to an electronic gadget that would afford hours of mindless entertainment. The enclosed story is this man's journey into the obtuse world of Puttering in the Work Shop (a haven for Sunday afternoon Drinking).
As a Birthday/Christmas present (the benefit of having a Dec 21st D.O.B., Take Note all who missed it) my lovely wife offered to foot the bill for a Fish Finder that was to my liking. Upon careful consideration, I settled on the Entry Level Humming Bird Wide 100, as I quickly realized that I'm usually on the water in such a stupor that I often have trouble dealing with my Walkman. For the Technically inclined and my personal inclination toward data in Chart Form, browse the enclosed
Specifications:
The Unit as described above pleased me verily, I spent hours marvelling over it's sleek water-proof design, gently pushing it's rubber membrane controls (though they didn't respond to my carresses as I had no power connected).
Power, getting it & replacing it:
The unit is powered by a sealed 12VDC Gel Cell with a rated Storage Capacity of 6.5 Amp Hours. This unit is identical to those found in U.P.S. (Uninteruptible Power Supply) Units, Mine was recoverd from an APC Back-UPS 200. The Gel Cell is constantly being recharged by a Photo-Voltaic Solar Panel, readily available through Canadian Tire or WalMart stores.
As a point of interest, I've run the Humming Bird Wide 100 in Demo Mode for 24 hours non-stop with top-mounted solar panel facing a window, that's 12hrs of Canadian February daylight and 12hrs of dark, with the back-lit display on high. It should be noted that the XHS 6-24 transducer was not connected during this test phase, and may dramatically effect the run-time under normal operating conditions.
Thermal Aqua-Spheric Processor
This innovation was borne of a Thermal curiosity that I've harboured for many years and have a battalion of Temperature Sensing devices mounted in all the places I frequent (my Truck, Camper, the Black Lodge itself, and now finally my boat). The Thermal Aqua-Spheric Processor or TASP for short has a digital gauge with remote sensor tethered on an eight foot line. The remote sensor has been epoxied atop the XHS 6-24 Transducer, thereby allowing both air and water thermal tracking. It should be noted that the TASP also has a highly accurate chronometer and back-lit display control for low light conditions, purchased from Canadian Tire.
Global Positioning System
As we all know, a Bush Pilot or Lodge
Man without a navigational device is like a rudderless ship cast
adrift in the sea of life aimlessly falling under whim of air and
water currents, no longer the master of his own destiny. This
being a truth we hold as self evident, I procurred a GPS that
didn't rely on the technology of others that may well be my
inferiors.
It is a little known fact that the earth has a peculiar magnetic property that manifests a directional vector on ferrous materials that are themselves magnetic. Armed with this arcane theorm I, and others like me shall be the architects of our own disaster.
Disclaimer
(an unfortunate necessity)
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Rights Reserved theworkshop.ca © February 18, 2003.