I don't recall who said it, but there is a quote that goes something like "The problem with normal is it usually gets worse." Seems that has been the theme the last day or so.
I made it back to Denver. The flight was about what I expected...crammed like sardine in a little metal tube hurling through the air at 400 knots or more. Of all the airlines I've flown on in the past few years, I have to say that Delta is helping lead the pack on the "make flying as miserable an experienced as possible" front. Glad I expect to be driving back.
After landing, I try to call my wife to let her know I'm in and to figure out where she would pick me up. My phone instantly goes from 50% power to 8% and refuses to make a call or send a text. Rebooting the phone doesn't help and I search for a power plug in the terminal. After about 10 minutes or so I get the phone charged up enough to make the call. Guess my procrastination on finding a new phone will now be at an end and added to my tasks while I am in Colorado.
The next morning I find out that my wife has been having increasing problems with Internet connectivity at the house. I do all the usual troubleshooting with no luck. It seems that my 10 year old DHL modem might be a goner. I call CenturyLink tech support and the technician And I go through all the steps I just completed on my own (I wish they would just trust me when I tell them I already tried that). After 30 minutes, the technician comes to the same conclusion that I made. My replacement modem should be here Wednesday. Too bad the modem couldn't have held on for just a couple more weeks.
So, it is starting to feel a bit like Deltaville around here. If it weren't for one of my neighbors failing to secure his WiFi, you would not be reading this now. So, it might be a couple days before another post as I try to repair my technology infrastructure. So, things are pretty "normal" around here.
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Thursday, October 23, 2014
A Tale of Two Holes
In case you haven't guessed yet, I'm back on our boat in Deltaville VA. After the boat show, my wife and I came down to try and get some work done on the boat. My wife flew back to our house earlier today (can't really call it home anymore...more of our things we intend to keep are now on the boat) and I needed to take a break so I thought I would try to catch up on my blog writing.
Of course, right now even writing posts is a bit of a challenge. One of the holes I mentioned in the title is the technology black hole of Deltaville. The Stingray Point Boatyard, where Rover is currently on the hard, has internet access...but only if you are within about 2 feet of the office building. Even my Wirie, that can pick up a number of locked signals in the area, can't get a reliable connection to their access point. And forget about using my cell phone. Unless you have Verizon (the most expensive wireless carrier in my experience) you are lucky to get any voice coverage and no 2G internet access.
So, sometimes I'll go sit on the chair in front of the office with my tablet in the evenings...until the mosquitoes chase me away. Or I go to Patti's Diner, who has WiFi, to read some news, research my tasks, look for parts, and upload posts.
If atmospheric conditions are just right, I can occasionally get a local TV channel for news...but most of the time the digital TV is doing it's best Max Headroom impression. It really is a technology/information black hole around here. On the bright side, I guess I'm not getting barraged by all the political ads that are probably plaguing the country right now.
The other hole is a hole in the boat. One of the tasks I left for the boatyard was the replacement of two through hull valves that were seized or otherwise inoperative. After some other labor snafus and after reading about other Leopard boats that were having electrolysis issues with their through hulls, I decided we would take care of all the through hulls when we got back to the boat.
I ordered about a thousand dollars worth of bronze parts to replace all the through hulls such that they would arrive at the boat the same day we did. When we got to the boat, I tried disassembling one of the through hull and seized valves and, as expected, corrosion had essentially welded the parts together. So, out came the grinder and I was able to remove the entire through hull/valve assembly. In the process of grinding out the through hull, I was able to determine that my bronze fittings weren't suffering from the same issues that others had experienced so I shouldn't have to replace all the other through hulls now. So far, so good...but it is a boat so we know that will probably change.
And, it did. I ordered the shortest through hull I could find and dry-fitting the new parts revealed that they simply would not fit. The through hull itself is just too long and as a result the valve will not fit under the floor. I tried all sorts of configurations but it just wouldn't work. So, I decided we had nothing to lose and cut down one of the through hulls so it would fit.
Here is where we get into the semi-technical explanation of NPS and NPT threads. Through hulls are typically NPS (straight) threaded so they will mate with nuts or seacocks and can clamp to any thickness of hull (a nut can spin all the way down the threads). NPT is a tapered thread that only tightens so far before binding and forming a seal. Since there isn't enough clearance between the hull and the floor board, the Leopard through hull goes straight into a 90 degree elbow and then a valve is attached to it. The elbows are only available with NPT (tapered pipe) threads. Since many manufacturers are going to this configuration, some through hulls now have a combination thread so the very end of the through hull is NPT and the remaining thread is NPS.
By cutting down the through hull, I removed the NPT threaded end. I knew this would likely be an issue, but didn't really have much of an option. Now the elbow would only screw on about a turn and a half before the straight threads would bind in the NPT threaded elbow. Not a safe option for something that, if it gives way, leaves a 1.5 inch hole in the bottom of the boat. What I need is to be able to re-thread the through hull so it would again have the NPT tapered thread on the end. In theory, this should be do-able. In reality, not so much. You see, pipe threaders apparently expect a long straight pipe to be inserted in them and the now 2.25 inch long through hull with the mushroom head on one end won't fit in any reasonable pipe threader.
I spent a good couple days trying to find options to get the tapered threads cut, but had little luck. One machine shop in town said he could setup one of his machines to do it, but it would be several hours of labor to setup the machine and the cost was rather prohibitive...not to mention the hassleif when we ever need to replace the thing again and don't have access to a well equipped machine shop.
Doing a little more research, I found that most people that have had to deal with these through hulls have simply gotten rid of them. The through hull is the direct discharge for the head and the boat is designed so you can direct discharge through the holding tank so it is somewhat superfluous. And getting rid of a 1.5" hole in the bottom of the boat is generally a good thing, so I think we will be glassing over the hole and changing the plumbing. Just wish I had decided this before I bought all the parts and replaced all the hose.
Hopefully I'll get the work that needs to be done finished soon, as the chill in the night air indicates I really need to be heading south. Of course, with my wife back in Colorado, I need to see if I can find a hand with that task too.
Of course, right now even writing posts is a bit of a challenge. One of the holes I mentioned in the title is the technology black hole of Deltaville. The Stingray Point Boatyard, where Rover is currently on the hard, has internet access...but only if you are within about 2 feet of the office building. Even my Wirie, that can pick up a number of locked signals in the area, can't get a reliable connection to their access point. And forget about using my cell phone. Unless you have Verizon (the most expensive wireless carrier in my experience) you are lucky to get any voice coverage and no 2G internet access.
So, sometimes I'll go sit on the chair in front of the office with my tablet in the evenings...until the mosquitoes chase me away. Or I go to Patti's Diner, who has WiFi, to read some news, research my tasks, look for parts, and upload posts.
If atmospheric conditions are just right, I can occasionally get a local TV channel for news...but most of the time the digital TV is doing it's best Max Headroom impression. It really is a technology/information black hole around here. On the bright side, I guess I'm not getting barraged by all the political ads that are probably plaguing the country right now.
The other hole is a hole in the boat. One of the tasks I left for the boatyard was the replacement of two through hull valves that were seized or otherwise inoperative. After some other labor snafus and after reading about other Leopard boats that were having electrolysis issues with their through hulls, I decided we would take care of all the through hulls when we got back to the boat.
 |
| There's a hole in the boat dear Liza... |
 |
| Cut out through-hull and valve |
Here is where we get into the semi-technical explanation of NPS and NPT threads. Through hulls are typically NPS (straight) threaded so they will mate with nuts or seacocks and can clamp to any thickness of hull (a nut can spin all the way down the threads). NPT is a tapered thread that only tightens so far before binding and forming a seal. Since there isn't enough clearance between the hull and the floor board, the Leopard through hull goes straight into a 90 degree elbow and then a valve is attached to it. The elbows are only available with NPT (tapered pipe) threads. Since many manufacturers are going to this configuration, some through hulls now have a combination thread so the very end of the through hull is NPT and the remaining thread is NPS.
By cutting down the through hull, I removed the NPT threaded end. I knew this would likely be an issue, but didn't really have much of an option. Now the elbow would only screw on about a turn and a half before the straight threads would bind in the NPT threaded elbow. Not a safe option for something that, if it gives way, leaves a 1.5 inch hole in the bottom of the boat. What I need is to be able to re-thread the through hull so it would again have the NPT tapered thread on the end. In theory, this should be do-able. In reality, not so much. You see, pipe threaders apparently expect a long straight pipe to be inserted in them and the now 2.25 inch long through hull with the mushroom head on one end won't fit in any reasonable pipe threader.
I spent a good couple days trying to find options to get the tapered threads cut, but had little luck. One machine shop in town said he could setup one of his machines to do it, but it would be several hours of labor to setup the machine and the cost was rather prohibitive...not to mention the hassle
Doing a little more research, I found that most people that have had to deal with these through hulls have simply gotten rid of them. The through hull is the direct discharge for the head and the boat is designed so you can direct discharge through the holding tank so it is somewhat superfluous. And getting rid of a 1.5" hole in the bottom of the boat is generally a good thing, so I think we will be glassing over the hole and changing the plumbing. Just wish I had decided this before I bought all the parts and replaced all the hose.
Hopefully I'll get the work that needs to be done finished soon, as the chill in the night air indicates I really need to be heading south. Of course, with my wife back in Colorado, I need to see if I can find a hand with that task too.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Improving Internet Connectivity
Before moving aboard I knew we were going to need at least some internet access (I have a blog after all). And with all the free WiFi access points around and the fact that I know several cruisers that regularly get internet access through WiFi, it seemed like a no-brainer to get a device to pick up distant WiFi signals. After a little research, I decided on The Wirie AP.
Working in the computer industry I could have easily built something similar to this device, but since it was developed by a fellow cruiser and I believe it has one component that is superior to the other retail options on the market (the antenna), I decided it was worth a bit of a premium price.
The marina I am staying at has WiFi so this wasn't a high priority project. But the access seemed a bit unstable so I decided to temporarily setup the Wirie to see if it would improve signal reliability. I had it sitting on the settee and plugged in using a transformer and it helped quite a bit so I decided this weekend that I should go ahead and get it installed.
I wanted to tie it into the 12v "spare" circuit that otherwise only seems to run the cigarette lighter power socket on the panel. Of course, where that circuit actually goes is a bit of a mystery. The copy of the boat manual has basic wiring layouts and a schematic of the power distribution panel. Unfortunately, the manual was printed from a digital copy and the image of the panel is rather pixelated and you can't actually read most of the labels. So I had to turn off all the 12v circuits on the boat except the spare and take my multi-tester down into the engine room to see where, or if, it runs down there. After several trips climbing down into the engine room, I was able to find the circuit. Now I know where to run the power wire that is the only connection that the Wirie AP needs to operate.
I decided that while not optimal for reception, that I would mount the box on the vertical pole that is part of the davit system and supports the arch. This would keep it a bit out of the weather, make it easy to access if needed, and the wiring run shouldn't be very difficult. I started opening up access panels to run the wire. That lead to the discovery of several wasp nests inside the arch. They looked empty so I knocked them down with a screwdriver. Well, guess what, they weren't empty. Six to eight wasps started crawling around on the deck of the boat around where the nest had landed. Fortunately I had some wasp spray from when I dispatched another wasp trying to build a nest on the arch, and soon the deck of the boat looked like a wasp massacre. Not sure why wasps seem to like that arch so much, but I've removed at least 4 nests and can only imagine there might be one or two more hiding in there somewhere. Sorry, no pictures...I was more concerned with getting rid of these uninvited guests at the time.
I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in the bottom of the arch so I could feed the wire into the boat. Since the hole is on the underside of the arch, I decided not to seal it (just like the rear nav light wiring that is next to it). I ran the wiring along the same path as the nav light over to the distribution panel. I added a 2 amp inline fuse, that I picked up from Sailors Exchange the day before, to the positive lead. I then crimped on the appropriate connectors and attached the two wires to their respective locations on the panel. I powered up the unit and it was alive.
As I'm writing this, the Wirie is picking up 24 different wifi signals in the area. Most are secured, but there are 9 that are not. And I know that at least one of them is a couple miles away and not in direct line of sight. In comparison, the WiFi adapter in my laptop, that I had always thought had pretty good reception (better than my tablet or phone anyway), only picks up 7 of which 4 are unsecured and my phone only picks up 4. I'd say that should increase the ability to find internet on the boat and keep me connected.
 |
| Image from TheWirie.com |
The marina I am staying at has WiFi so this wasn't a high priority project. But the access seemed a bit unstable so I decided to temporarily setup the Wirie to see if it would improve signal reliability. I had it sitting on the settee and plugged in using a transformer and it helped quite a bit so I decided this weekend that I should go ahead and get it installed.
I wanted to tie it into the 12v "spare" circuit that otherwise only seems to run the cigarette lighter power socket on the panel. Of course, where that circuit actually goes is a bit of a mystery. The copy of the boat manual has basic wiring layouts and a schematic of the power distribution panel. Unfortunately, the manual was printed from a digital copy and the image of the panel is rather pixelated and you can't actually read most of the labels. So I had to turn off all the 12v circuits on the boat except the spare and take my multi-tester down into the engine room to see where, or if, it runs down there. After several trips climbing down into the engine room, I was able to find the circuit. Now I know where to run the power wire that is the only connection that the Wirie AP needs to operate.
 |
| Power panel with wiring complete |
I decided that while not optimal for reception, that I would mount the box on the vertical pole that is part of the davit system and supports the arch. This would keep it a bit out of the weather, make it easy to access if needed, and the wiring run shouldn't be very difficult. I started opening up access panels to run the wire. That lead to the discovery of several wasp nests inside the arch. They looked empty so I knocked them down with a screwdriver. Well, guess what, they weren't empty. Six to eight wasps started crawling around on the deck of the boat around where the nest had landed. Fortunately I had some wasp spray from when I dispatched another wasp trying to build a nest on the arch, and soon the deck of the boat looked like a wasp massacre. Not sure why wasps seem to like that arch so much, but I've removed at least 4 nests and can only imagine there might be one or two more hiding in there somewhere. Sorry, no pictures...I was more concerned with getting rid of these uninvited guests at the time.
I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in the bottom of the arch so I could feed the wire into the boat. Since the hole is on the underside of the arch, I decided not to seal it (just like the rear nav light wiring that is next to it). I ran the wiring along the same path as the nav light over to the distribution panel. I added a 2 amp inline fuse, that I picked up from Sailors Exchange the day before, to the positive lead. I then crimped on the appropriate connectors and attached the two wires to their respective locations on the panel. I powered up the unit and it was alive.
 |
| Installed and operational |
As I'm writing this, the Wirie is picking up 24 different wifi signals in the area. Most are secured, but there are 9 that are not. And I know that at least one of them is a couple miles away and not in direct line of sight. In comparison, the WiFi adapter in my laptop, that I had always thought had pretty good reception (better than my tablet or phone anyway), only picks up 7 of which 4 are unsecured and my phone only picks up 4. I'd say that should increase the ability to find internet on the boat and keep me connected.
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