Microwave Oven vs Engineer

[WU2D]

I had lunch with my buddy Dan this week who has a sailboat with a problem. In the center of the boat, a big block of wood is kept in a glass box (fiberglass of course). This block of wood is what the mast and keel attach to and pretty much represents the hearty center of the boat. Large aluminum anchor plates are typically screwed into the block.

Problem: The oak was wet - not rotted, but wet. He removed the top the box to reveal the wet mess. The basic fix for such a problem is to suck out what you can and put a couple of lightbulbs in there and dry it out suzy homemaker style. This operation is normally done in the winter when it is dry. It did not work at all this time of year. 

Being a closet ham and an engineer of the software persuasion, he came up with a "brilliant" idea.

Why not dry it out with big old a microwave oven? 

He removed the door and defeated the interlock. Then Dan made a timer based on a PIC processor (OH BOY) and a relay and rigged a lightbulb to it. This he could trigger from a 100 Ft distance. He attached the microwave to the timer (leaving the bulb as a safety device). After experimentation, he found that a duty cycle of 5 minutes on and 30 minutes off produced a good drying effect. 

He let the infernal machine work for 1 whole evening. It worked! And he had not set the boatyard on fire either. Next, he moved the oven around a little. He repeated the cycle for three more evenings. The result was a completely dry block of wood. After adding epoxy and reglassing - everything is back on line and he launched the boat in Casco Bay ME last week.

Oh the things that could have gone wrong.. Mike WU2D

 

[WA1GFZ]

I might be nuts but I don't own a microwave......but then I worked on radar and remember my buddy geting a wicked headache after a morning of tuning 4 KW finals
8866 tube looked like a conduction cooled 8877.
We have an amp that do over 500 v/m running lower power........

[WBear2GCR]

This, in part is why I worry about "boats"... the whole boat's integrity depends on what? A block of wood?? I dunno... the other thing that bothers me is that the rest of the thing is fiberglass - ever see what happens when you whack fiberglass really hard?

I used to install "maritime electronics" (past life experience...) and one of the places was Robert E. Director, in Mammynarrowneck, they built exact copies of America's Cup racers from scratch out of Tig welded Aluminininium, outfitted for the hoypaloy... the place was inhabited by mostly Portugese and Brazillians doing all the actual work... now that's a boat! [\i] 

But, anyhow the whole point of this story is rather different... some time after that, a few years, I found myself doing some tech work in a TV studio, and the guy who was the "stupidvisor", had worked on Radar for the Navy. You could see that at one time he probably actually was pretty sharp, and knew something. But he was literally fried through and through, slightly "paranoid" and with a very limited thought process. He was actually a reasonably nice fellow, but due to the "character traits" virtually impossible to work with or hold a linear conversation with... anyhow he was able to tell stories of his past, and in the course of doing this with him, he told me that he used to work up on the masts of Navy ships when the Radar was on and running! Well, this explained a lot...

So, stay away from operating microwave devices, especially of the high power type...

              _-_-bear

[flintstone mop]

I knew someone who wanted to funnel the power of a microwave oven through the front grill of his car to knock out the electronics in the car ahead of him that was driving too slow. Agressive driving 101 in Washington DC. I'm so glad we moved from there.
Love our little New Castle Pa.
Fred

[Ed/KB1HYS]

I knew someone who wanted to funnel the power of a microwave oven through the front grill of his car to knock out the electronics in the car ahead of him that was driving too slow.

I've love something like that, but for the folks who blast the music, if you can call it that...
I live on a fairly busy road, sometimes there's some traffic built up in front of the house, Once in a while there is some young and soon to be deaf person with a BASS THUMPER that shakes my picture window with the Ultra Bass THUMP.. I'd love to be able to remote detonate their audio amps, to save their hearing  of course

[W2JBL]

   if that was my boat i'd sure like to know where the water that soaked the mast step came from in the first place. how about the leaking keel joint and bolts -remember hitting that BIG rock a few seasons ago? i have cut into 30 year old fiberglass hulls and found bone dry wood. i have also cut into many and found nothing but ROT.

     Derecktor builds art in 356 T6 and 6061 T6. i worked there for years. those were not copies of Cup Contenders, they WERE the Cup Contenders. i bet that open microwave "dryer" Qrm'ed the snot out of something or somebody. were there any unexplained palne crashes in the area while it was on? oh yeah, Ed- the solution for those nasty 'boomin car stereos is called GRENADES...

[Ed/KB1HYS]

    oh yeah, Ed- the solution for those nasty 'boomin car stereos is called GRENADES...

A little hard on the house.  I'd hate to have to repaint due to Fragments & blast damage.

Too bad i just couldn't generate some selective interference...

On a more related note, I used to work in a lab with a large S-Band (around 2 ghz) transmitter, output was about 1KW.  I would get headaches around that thing at high power levels when I was tuning it up.  (ThinK big klystron)  Those tuber were neat, and so were the brass and (bronze?) tools for working next to them.  80 lb magnets would latch onto any metal and just hang on. Though they were more worried about a steel tool hitting hard enough to crack the magnet I think. 

[W2JBL]

 i'm thinking a SWAT team "flash bang" grenade lobbed into the offending vehicle would do it without the colateral damage. sometimes the muffler on the "gansta" car is as loud as the radio too. OK- we can't kill the driver but i have been tempted to put a  7.62mm 173 gr API into the engine block and kill the CAR... big microwave fields have allways scared me. i used to do commercial ship radar repair on some really high power stuff in NY harbor, and that S#$T gave me headaches too. 
 

[WA1GFZ]

Wouldn't it be very cool if that rocket in N Korea was taken down with a ba sbe rig.
Strap you kommie

[WBear2GCR]

   if that was my boat i'd sure like to know where the water that soaked the mast step came from in the first place. how about the leaking keel joint and bolts -remember hitting that BIG rock a few seasons ago? i have cut into 30 year old fiberglass hulls and found bone dry wood. i have also cut into many and found nothing but ROT.

     Derecktor builds art in 356 T6 and 6061 T6. i worked there for years. those were not copies of Cup Contenders, they WERE the Cup Contenders. i bet that open microwave "dryer" Qrm'ed the snot out of something or somebody. were there any unexplained palne crashes in the area while it was on? oh yeah, Ed- the solution for those nasty 'boomin car stereos is called GRENADES...

Chris,

The one I recall in particular was a copy of the hull of that year's contender, but outfitted for muy muy luxury... they were doing a harbor tug at the same time... all aluminum...

I worked for a Marine Electronics outfit just to the south, and then take a right a few blocks... this was back in the foggy foggy 70s... surely wish I had taken photos of that crew at work. The guy I remember best was Mauro Leone. Bald, very Italian with the accent. He had built a huge "lamp", floor standing, from bronze waveguide pulls... he'd cut and weld without any goggles or helmet... we pulled the old and slammed new ships radars and HF gear into container ships in NY Harbor while they were in port being loaded, like three days max. Wild stuff. Many Mooremac ships.  Bayonne and Brooklyn. Kamakazie installs, 24 hr shifts. Oh the insanity! Completely nutz. Wonder where the warehouse is that they put all the old stuff... they didn't chuck it at the install.

                _-_-WBear2GCR

[W2JBL]

    the outfit i worked for was on Library lane in Mamaroneck. i worked there off and on for quite a few years, as well as doing it feelance,worked for Derecktor, and worked for another guy up in Stamford. seemed like a good way to make a living at 18-19 until years later i realized i could double my money for half the work in two way, so i went to work for GE. i don't remember that 12 meter clone built as a cruiser, but did work on many actual contenders as well as the "retreads" that did not make the race, etc. most of them got converted to ocean racers or charter yachts over the years. there's a guy up in Newport who has a big charter biz and owns most of them now. man i hated that job! but i learned a ton, including some pretty fancy welding and metalworking skills. having grown up on the water there and sailing with all those folks i could write a book about it! Bob Derecktor was a madman...

[WU2D]

Well I don't know much about boats but Dan apparently did not drown last weekend. The boat floated and I hear he had a couple of nurses onboard - perhaps that was the motivation to launch her.

Mike WU2D

PS - Frank - how do you eat your Sassy Salsa or Easy Mac? - raw?

[WA1GFZ]

Mike I don't eat that stuff and you don't need no stinkin microwave to eat pickled egg plant.

[The Slab Bacon]

Mike I don't eat that stuff and you don't need no stinkin microwave to eat pickled egg plant.

and thats a fact Jack!!

[WA1GFZ]

Frank,
Last Hostraders we were feasting on steaks and pickled egg plant and Mike didn't want to hang around. He don't know what is good!

[WU2D]

I know Frank - I missed out. So did Mark QHQ.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Last Hostraders we were feasting on steaks and pickled egg plant and Mike didn't want to hang around. He don't know what is good!

I'd say he was smart. Got out before the gas bombs began!

[The Slab Bacon]

Frank,
Last Hostraders we were feasting on steaks and pickled egg plant and Mike didn't want to hang around. He don't know what is good!

MAN, steaks and pickled eggplant, it just doesnt get much better than that!!

Last Hostraders we were feasting on steaks and pickled egg plant and Mike didn't want to hang around. He don't know what is good!

Now, that is a definate side effect, but sometimes "you just gotta do what you gotta do!!"

                                                        The Slab Bacon

I'd say he was smart. Got out before the gas bombs began!

[WA1GFZ]

You know HUZ my buddy Gary gave me 2 jars to take home. I put them in the truck and hit the sack. During the night I released some toxic waste. When I woke up I had to check the jars to see if one wasn't broken because all I could smell was egg plant. Eat that stuff a couple days and it is like roto rooter

[Glenn NY4NC]

I've been dreaming about this for years!.... I was thinking some sort of high power RF amplifier coupled to a multiple turn loop mounted under the car. If close enough, may be enough to couple into 50 cent's sound system....Key the transmitter a few times.... "whap whap whap" goodbye Mr subwoofer!.... unfortunately the steel carbody would probably prevent any coupling......just a dream, a nice dream 

I've love something like that, but for the folks who blast the music, if you can call it that...
I live on a fairly busy road, sometimes there's some traffic built up in front of the house, Once in a while there is some young and soon to be deaf person with a BASS THUMPER that shakes my picture window with the Ultra Bass THUMP.. I'd love to be able to remote detonate their audio amps, to save their hearing  of course

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

You know HUZ my buddy Gary gave me 2 jars to take home. I put them in the truck and hit the sack. During the night I released some toxic waste. When I woke up I had to check the jars to see if one wasn't broken because all I could smell was egg plant. Eat that stuff a couple days and it is like roto rooter

Yikes!

[WA1GFZ]

I dream of a couple AIM 9s on the hood but they might burn the paint during launch.
But then two a day would limit one for the drive to work and one for the ride home.
50 cal would make too much litter.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

n dreaming about this for years!.... I was thinking some sort of high power RF amplifier coupled to a multiple turn loop mounted under the car. If close enough, may be enough to couple into 50 cent's sound system....Key the transmitter a few times.... "whap whap whap" goodbye Mr subwoofer!.... unfortunately the steel carbody would probably prevent any coupling......just a dream, a nice dream 

The steel in cars these days is mighty thin. And there's lots of plastic too. A low frequency mag field should make it into the interior with little problem. The real roadblock will be overcoming the r^3 loss. Might be easier to use a high powered microwave pulse to take out the ignition.

[WU2D]

Steve,

Just thinkin...I think you have the right idea, but why not go down in frequency and use a powerful magnetic field? What about a loose coupled transformer operating directly at the audio frequency. Let's call it the BOOMBOMB.

Wind several hundred turns of wire around the car somewhere around the rear window-trunk interface so you can still open the trunk. Excite the coil with a simple 12 VDC square wave chopper operating at an audio frequency like 400 Hz. More fun will occur if you can manage to resonate the coil. The vehicle becomes a giant electromagnetic primary. All magnetic devices speakers within 100 feet become the secondary.

When triggered, the vehicle will emit a signal that will couple to any nearby systems becoming louder when the vehicle gets closer until the target system fails.

It might be good to test the system while at rest since the infernal device may in fact destroy the electronics in ones own vehicle or disrupt its normal operation.

Mike WU2D
 

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Yea, you probably want an old car, or even better a pickup to mount the system in. Otherwise, you'd probably kill your own car. It low frequencies, mag fields go through thin steel like as if it weren't there. The lower the freq, the better. Could be fun!