Gadgetopia

I’ll let you in on a little secret behind-the-scenes process that generates about 20% of my Gadgetopia posts. Here’s how it goes, step by step:

1. Deane calls me up and says, “Hey Joe, how would you go about accomplishing <insane, impossible task X>.

2. I respond with something to the effect of, “That sounds insane and impossible! Why on earth would any human being even think of doing something that way?!”

3. Several weeks later I’ll come across a web page entitled “How I Did <insane, impossible task X> Using Common Household Items With Only The Loss Of Hours Of Time, My Spouse, and a Toe”.

4. Bam, Gadgetopia post. It also comes with some risk that at some point in the next few weeks, I’ll be talked into trying <insane, impossible task X>.

A couple of weeks ago he mentioned that he had a need to temporarily get wireless access into the courthouse across the street. This week? “Using an Old PrimeStar Dish and a Juice Can As a Wireless Antenna”.

Using a punch or whatever other tools you deem necessary, mount the N connector so that it is about 1.2 inches from the closed end of the juice can as shown below. It is also a good idea to put a drip hole at the lowest point of the can to insure that water doesn’t build up inside. After having this up a for a few months, I think it would be nice to put a plastic lid on the open end of the can so that the inside doesn’t rust. During the time mine has been up, it has rusted and I have lost a couple of db on the signal strength. These two things may be correlated.

When I’m detained in a couple of weeks for pointing an odd, makeshift radio transceiver at the courthouse, will someone please vouch for my sanity?