pigeons

[tanner0441]

Hi,

I only have three 400W panels, so I need every watt I can produce, they are on the roof of my workshop and only about twelve foot off the ground. I am having to wash them on an almost daily basis because the local pigeon and blackbird population like setling on them and it seems neither spiecis suffer in any way with constipation, in fact they all seem remarkably healthy.

Has anyone any idea how to deter birds from landing on solar panels or at least facing the other way round with their tails hanging over the space behind the panels..

Brian

[Mary B]

Make strips of spikes that stick up, use some 3m VHB tape and tape them tot eh top edge of the panels.

Like used on my Davis Weather Station rain collector bucket

[Flavio93Zena]

Big issue in my city everywhere... Mary got it right, spikes are the only viable solution.
... Or a rifle

[Mary B]

Big issue in my city everywhere... Mary got it right, spikes are the only viable solution.
... Or a rifle

Rural too, pigeons love just harvested fields... I had close to 2,000 out back last fall...

[XeonPony]

CCI Fragmenting quiets.

As loud as an air rifle, won't penetrate the fender of a car, but removes magpies and crows and pigeons very effectively!

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/quiet-22-segmented-hp/6-970.html

[XeonPony]

Big issue in my city everywhere... Mary got it right, spikes are the only viable solution.
... Or a rifle

Bagged 50 for some one once, I got tired before I could get them all!

[tanner0441]

Hi

Those hollow points look interesting and a decent price, but.... I could imagine how quickly i would be removed from my comfortable chair to a less comfortable police cell. In the UK the powers that be would go incandecent over anything that goes bang while pushing bits of lead down pipes. I used to be a member of a full bore rifle club and some of the guns we had access to would make you drool.

It was a shared military range and letting the army play with some of the civy weapons gave us in turn access to fully auto weapons. I remember one armourer very impressed with a Ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum revolver with a 6 in barrel and nickel clad full metal and a car when he put one through the radiator into the engine.

Unfortunatly the anal retentive authorities in the UK have screwed any form of gun ownership even shot guns can't have a magazine that hold more than two rounds. That would wright my Browning M5 and Fabarm special 12 bores off completly, and where I used to drill the end of the case and add a few drops of wax, or take the shot out and replace it with split fishing shot on a guitar string for removing crows nests out of trees. I'd never see the light of day again. 

No gun ownership in the UK has been wiped out..

Brian

[Mary B]

Hi

Those hollow points look interesting and a decent price, but.... I could imagine how quickly i would be removed from my comfortable chair to a less comfortable police cell. In the UK the powers that be would go incandecent over anything that goes bang while pushing bits of lead down pipes. I used to be a member of a full bore rifle club and some of the guns we had access to would make you drool.

It was a shared military range and letting the army play with some of the civy weapons gave us in turn access to fully auto weapons. I remember one armourer very impressed with a Ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum revolver with a 6 in barrel and nickel clad full metal and a car when he put one through the radiator into the engine.

Unfortunatly the anal retentive authorities in the UK have screwed any form of gun ownership even shot guns can't have a magazine that hold more than two rounds. That would wright my Browning M5 and Fabarm special 12 bores off completly, and where I used to drill the end of the case and add a few drops of wax, or take the shot out and replace it with split fishing shot on a guitar string for removing crows nests out of trees. I'd never see the light of day again. 

No gun ownership in the UK has been wiped out..

Brian

how about bows? Lightweight bow with a blunt arrow will take a pigeon down...

[Bruce S]

Hi

Those hollow points look interesting and a decent price, but.... I could imagine how quickly i would be removed from my comfortable chair to a less comfortable police cell. In the UK the powers that be would go incandecent over anything that goes bang while pushing bits of lead down pipes. I used to be a member of a full bore rifle club and some of the guns we had access to would make you drool.

It was a shared military range and letting the army play with some of the civy weapons gave us in turn access to fully auto weapons. I remember one armourer very impressed with a Ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum revolver with a 6 in barrel and nickel clad full metal and a car when he put one through the radiator into the engine.

Unfortunatly the anal retentive authorities in the UK have screwed any form of gun ownership even shot guns can't have a magazine that hold more than two rounds. That would wright my Browning M5 and Fabarm special 12 bores off completly, and where I used to drill the end of the case and add a few drops of wax, or take the shot out and replace it with split fishing shot on a guitar string for removing crows nests out of trees. I'd never see the light of day again. 

No gun ownership in the UK has been wiped out..

Brian

how about bows? Lightweight bow with a blunt arrow will take a pigeon down...

Crossbow with blunt or point does a pretty good job too 
 

[tanner0441]

Hi

So does a catapault (sling shot) with an 8mm ball bearing or so im told... YouTube is full of plans for catapault rifles, very interesting, and it seems they fire arrows with enthusiasm...

Brian

[XeonPony]

Hi

Those hollow points look interesting and a decent price, but.... I could imagine how quickly i would be removed from my comfortable chair to a less comfortable police cell. In the UK the powers that be would go incandecent over anything that goes bang while pushing bits of lead down pipes. I used to be a member of a full bore rifle club and some of the guns we had access to would make you drool.

It was a shared military range and letting the army play with some of the civy weapons gave us in turn access to fully auto weapons. I remember one armourer very impressed with a Ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum revolver with a 6 in barrel and nickel clad full metal and a car when he put one through the radiator into the engine.

Unfortunatly the anal retentive authorities in the UK have screwed any form of gun ownership even shot guns can't have a magazine that hold more than two rounds. That would wright my Browning M5 and Fabarm special 12 bores off completly, and where I used to drill the end of the case and add a few drops of wax, or take the shot out and replace it with split fishing shot on a guitar string for removing crows nests out of trees. I'd never see the light of day again. 

No gun ownership in the UK has been wiped out..

Brian

how about bows? Lightweight bow with a blunt arrow will take a pigeon down...

Crossbow with blunt or point does a pretty good job too 

Dash of tetracene, a pinch of Lead azide, a sprinkle of lead styphnate, a bit of barium nitrate and antimony sulfide

a smidge of Cyclonite

add a glop of pentaerythritol tetra nitrate and some Isobutylene rubber to the arrow tip!

you'll have a blast

[Mary B]

Don't drop it on a foot!!!! LOL

[tanner0441]

Hi

Youre talking to someone who was nearly expelled from school for spreading amonium iodide round the chem lab door. dried nicely overnight so when the cleaning staff opened the door in the morning...... It  also left a big purple smear up the wall. I was removed from a maths class and hauled before the principle. how do you know it was me there are 2000 kids in this school? You are the only one with the knowledge, it didn't help having taken nitroglycerin into a chemistry class.

Plus exam results for the previous 3 years of over 95% for chemistry.  My maths on the other haqnd was abysmal I was happy when the UK went decimal I had the right number of fingers and toes.

Brian.

[Mary B]

Hi

Youre talking to someone who was nearly expelled from school for spreading amonium iodide round the chem lab door. dried nicely overnight so when the cleaning staff opened the door in the morning...... It  also left a big purple smear up the wall. I was removed from a maths class and hauled before the principle. how do you know it was me there are 2000 kids in this school? You are the only one with the knowledge, it didn't help having taken nitroglycerin into a chemistry class.

Plus exam results for the previous 3 years of over 95% for chemistry.  My maths on the other haqnd was abysmal I was happy when the UK went decimal I had the right number of fingers and toes.

Brian.

I coated little squares of paper in it and spread them down the hallway... never got caught LOL

[XeonPony]

Hi

Youre talking to someone who was nearly expelled from school for spreading amonium iodide round the chem lab door. dried nicely overnight so when the cleaning staff opened the door in the morning...... It  also left a big purple smear up the wall. I was removed from a maths class and hauled before the principle. how do you know it was me there are 2000 kids in this school? You are the only one with the knowledge, it didn't help having taken nitroglycerin into a chemistry class.

Plus exam results for the previous 3 years of over 95% for chemistry.  My maths on the other haqnd was abysmal I was happy when the UK went decimal I had the right number of fingers and toes.

Brian.

Ah good ol glycerin, such a pleasant smooth sweet taste, such a throbbing deep head ache! good thing I keep very strong coffee on the pot, was a very unpleasant evening.

but those other goodies require a rather more advanced skill to make, and that I won't give the rest of the details!

Sodium azide is Cyanide's evil cousin.

I really need to get some projects completed in my lab! After the car welding is done, power shed is cinched up, sheep sheered, lawn tractor fixed up, flat deck trailer fixed, yard cleaned,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

My 200 proof ethanol is probably back to 195 by now.

[XeonPony]

Hi

Youre talking to someone who was nearly expelled from school for spreading amonium iodide round the chem lab door. dried nicely overnight so when the cleaning staff opened the door in the morning...... It  also left a big purple smear up the wall. I was removed from a maths class and hauled before the principle. how do you know it was me there are 2000 kids in this school? You are the only one with the knowledge, it didn't help having taken nitroglycerin into a chemistry class.

Plus exam results for the previous 3 years of over 95% for chemistry.  My maths on the other haqnd was abysmal I was happy when the UK went decimal I had the right number of fingers and toes.

Brian.

I coated little squares of paper in it and spread them down the hallway... never got caught LOL

Tiny drab on all the drawers, close while wet, slightly larger drab on one drawer left open.

by habit they close one, for the rest to open in a purple fog

[tanner0441]

Hi

I wonder what would be said now with a 15/16 year old lad on a bus with a winchester of concentrated sulfuric acid in a brown paper bag on his lap and 5 pounds of potasium nitrate in two other paper bags in his pocket. couldnt get concentrated nitric acid we had to make it. Muich more fun than games on an ipad... The neighbours could join in as well..

Im going to shut up before I get jumped on..

Brian

[Bruce S]

My 200 proof ethanol is probably back to 195 by now.

I keep mine the the deep freeze.
It's interesting to watch the outside frost up when pulled out.

I couldn't get enough through the molecular sieve to warrant the extra work, I only aim for the 195P
Solar batts and heat of the day now enough that I turned the still back on.


Cheers
Bruce S

[tanner0441]

Hi

Yes when IPA went silly priced I made several ltrs of ethanol I only distilled it 2 or 3 times I couldn't be bothered with dehydrators or molecular sieves. I accepted it's aziotropic and I'm stuck with a small water content. Still burned with an invisible flame though, Plus I don't drink so a few impurities didn't matter. I still have some but it doesn't work as well as IPA in an ultrasonic cleaner on PCBs for cleaning solder flux off.

Brian

[XeonPony]

My 200 proof ethanol is probably back to 195 by now.

I keep mine the the deep freeze.
It's interesting to watch the outside frost up when pulled out.

I couldn't get enough through the molecular sieve to warrant the extra work, I only aim for the 195P
Solar batts and heat of the day now enough that I turned the still back on.


Cheers
Bruce S

For certain reactions I need ultra pure, so it is chemically purified then dried to a bone desiccating 200% absolute ethanol, I warn any friends that dare think of drinking it, I tell them if it doesn't kill them I will!

about a days work to get 1L to the required purity.

[JW]

Ya drinking wood grain alcohol is a real bad thing to do. Even drinking rubbing alcohol will make you go blind. It doesn't take that much, you drink 6 fl oz will make you go blind. The irony is that you will go blind before getting drunk.

[Bruce S]

My 200 proof ethanol is probably back to 195 by now.

I keep mine the the deep freeze.
It's interesting to watch the outside frost up when pulled out.

I couldn't get enough through the molecular sieve to warrant the extra work, I only aim for the 195P
Solar batts and heat of the day now enough that I turned the still back on.


Cheers
Bruce S

For certain reactions I need ultra pure, so it is chemically purified then dried to a bone desiccating 200% absolute ethanol, I warn any friends that dare think of drinking it, I tell them if it doesn't kill them I will!

about a days work to get 1L to the required purity.

I'd sure like see what you're using 200P for!!
I should get a new pic of my set up, the last one was a whole bunch of years ago :-).

Even the sources of light syrup has started to dry up. Even my solar setup has changed, tho I still have my GHURD diversion controller.

Bruce S
JW: I don't mess with wood grain! way to easy to mess with a person's health!! Ethanol is just fine, even the 160P will mix with Dino-fuel when I need to.
I sold my rebuilt V-Twin 4-cycle motor to a guy who just had to have it and offered me 3x what I paid for it in cash!!
I do want to find another and try a tri-fuel set up.

NOTE::: To the OP, sorry for dragging this post in too many directions.
I'll reign myself back in now.

[Mary B]

My 200 proof ethanol is probably back to 195 by now.

I keep mine the the deep freeze.
It's interesting to watch the outside frost up when pulled out.

I couldn't get enough through the molecular sieve to warrant the extra work, I only aim for the 195P
Solar batts and heat of the day now enough that I turned the still back on.


Cheers
Bruce S

For certain reactions I need ultra pure, so it is chemically purified then dried to a bone desiccating 200% absolute ethanol, I warn any friends that dare think of drinking it, I tell them if it doesn't kill them I will!

about a days work to get 1L to the required purity.

I'd sure like see what you're using 200P for!!
I should get a new pic of my set up, the last one was a whole bunch of years ago :-).

Even the sources of light syrup has started to dry up. Even my solar setup has changed, tho I still have my GHURD diversion controller.

Bruce S
JW: I don't mess with wood grain! way to easy to mess with a person's health!! Ethanol is just fine, even the 160P will mix with Dino-fuel when I need to.
I sold my rebuilt V-Twin 4-cycle motor to a guy who just had to have it and offered me 3x what I paid for it in cash!!
I do want to find another and try a tri-fuel set up.

NOTE::: To the OP, sorry for dragging this post in too many directions.
I'll reign myself back in now.

Memories of guys drinking double Tvarski vodka and getting so drunk they lost bowel control(2 went to the hospital!). I tried it, BLECH, like drinking gasoline at that point. Plus it was NOT a high quality vodka. One drink with a shot in it gave me a headache from hades!

[tanner0441]

Hi

I've never drunk, tried everything but never found anything I liked, I spent a month in South Africa when I went to comission a piece of plant I designed the electronics and control circuits for, some of the stuff I was offered there was wierd. Seems Corn poridge and yeast is the basis for several concoctions. One of my friends mother had an Irish boy friend he used to aquire stuff called puchene or something like it. that was desribed as being like paint stripper. Talking of freezers I did show a friend how to use a freezer to distill his Barley Wine that he made.

I'm happy cleaning cuts and scratches with it, removing the residue from sticky labels or cleaning PCBs.

Brian

[Bruce S]

Hi

I've never drunk, tried everything but never found anything I liked, I spent a month in South Africa when I went to comission a piece of plant I designed the electronics and control circuits for, some of the stuff I was offered there was wierd. Seems Corn poridge and yeast is the basis for several concoctions. One of my friends mother had an Irish boy friend he used to aquire stuff called puchene or something like it. that was desribed as being like paint stripper. Talking of freezers I did show a friend how to use a freezer to distill his Barley Wine that he made.

I'm happy cleaning cuts and scratches with it, removing the residue from sticky labels or cleaning PCBs.

Brian

My colleagues are now wondering why I all but snorted my afternoon coffee  while reading this post

Corn & yeast of any kind are certainly the roots of all things evil.

[Mary B]

Cooking corn converts the starch to a fermentable sugar... add yeast and you have beer(not very tasty! Bitter yech). Take that beer and distill it and you have the basis for American moonshine... before adding loads of sugar came into vogue to boost the alcohol content at the expense of flavor. Sugar wash  is not very tasty... basically alcohol minus good flavors...

Distilling is illegal in the USA and I would never do it.... LOL
 

[Bruce S]

Distilling is illegal in the USA and I would never do it.... LOL

Unless you have one of those rarified licenses where the ATF has the right to come visit unannounced  .
Bond was $750USD when I got mine.

The older ATF guys used to bring newbies around to see if they actually read their manuals.

B~

[tanner0441]

Hi

I find that wierd you can have most type of gun, not sure about fully auto,  hoard amo, buy chemicals that you could blow trees into orbit but you can't distil a bit of alchohol to improve its quality.

Never tried running engines on ethanol but I did run a mini on methonal, lots of power and a compression ratio that would take the crank out on petrol, sorry gas, and ridiculosly uneconomical fuel consumption wise.

The conversation has turned much more interesting than pigeons crapping on my solar panels and anyway I'm having fun with the hose pipe when they have their backs to me and I don't incure the wrath of she who would like to be obeyed which I would making holes in them.

Brian.

[Bruce S]

Hi

I find that wierd you can have most type of gun, not sure about fully auto,  hoard amo, buy chemicals that you could blow trees into orbit but you can't distil a bit of alchohol to improve its quality.

Never tried running engines on ethanol but I did run a mini on methonal, lots of power and a compression ratio that would take the crank out on petrol, sorry gas, and ridiculosly uneconomical fuel consumption wise.

The conversation has turned much more interesting than pigeons crapping on my solar panels and anyway I'm having fun with the hose pipe when they have their backs to me and I don't incure the wrath of she who would like to be obeyed which I would making holes in them.

Brian.

Agreed that this post certainly has gone down a strange but very interesting path(s)
The distill part comes from way way back during prohibition, and very dangerous bathtub GIN. Even I'm loathe to teach someone if they aren't careful enough to build a safe one.
There's tons of high-grade ones that can be bought for lots of very pretty pennies, and stuff out there for sale that can kill.
 
I used to shave V8-heads to up the compressions (Pro-stock race days)
Older FORD F4N tractor inline engines compression with updraft carbs were easy to "upgrade" to higher compressions and a 50/50 mix with farm fuel help keep them purring.

Fully auto -- not legal for home owners in most states.
Have you given thoughts to Mary B's idea of spikes? OR Razor wire?

Cheers
Bruce S






 

[Mary B]

Hi

I find that wierd you can have most type of gun, not sure about fully auto,  hoard amo, buy chemicals that you could blow trees into orbit but you can't distil a bit of alchohol to improve its quality.

Never tried running engines on ethanol but I did run a mini on methonal, lots of power and a compression ratio that would take the crank out on petrol, sorry gas, and ridiculosly uneconomical fuel consumption wise.

The conversation has turned much more interesting than pigeons crapping on my solar panels and anyway I'm having fun with the hose pipe when they have their backs to me and I don't incure the wrath of she who would like to be obeyed which I would making holes in them.

Brian.

Agreed that this post certainly has gone down a strange but very interesting path(s)
The distill part comes from way way back during prohibition, and very dangerous bathtub GIN. Even I'm loathe to teach someone if they aren't careful enough to build a safe one.
There's tons of high-grade ones that can be bought for lots of very pretty pennies, and stuff out there for sale that can kill.
 
I used to shave V8-heads to up the compressions (Pro-stock race days)
Older FORD F4N tractor inline engines compression with updraft carbs were easy to "upgrade" to higher compressions and a 50/50 mix with farm fuel help keep them purring.

Fully auto -- not legal for home owners in most states.
Have you given thoughts to Mary B's idea of spikes? OR Razor wire?

Cheers
Bruce S

Most states allow full auto. $200 tax stamp, wait 6+ months, get your $30,000 toy that costs $1,000 a range trip to shoot... to rich for most people!

[Bruce S]

Mary B;
Thanks for the update!!
Agreed way too rich for my blood!!

Bruce S

[tanner0441]

Hi

Briefly back to the original post. A single wire above the panel with a corona driver, has to be insulated well with the insulators covered to keep rain off if there isn't enough mass in a pigeon to make it effective simply add a ground wire. should work I haven't seen any pigeons wearing rubber boots.

I remebered many years ago I took my kids round a UK safari park, a group of us went in several cars all linked on 70cms hand helds, the following car informed me a monkey was puling on my 2mtr antena, grounded half wave, a quick click on the 2mtr mic and said monkey suddenly had just over 100W of VHF RF..... Poor SWR cleared.. Monkey unharmed but no longer on the roof of my car.

Brian

Now where were we? I am so envious of your gun laws, in the UK only bad guys have guns and any mix of things that can go bang or even burn too vigorously can result in a stay at his majesties summer camp, for several summers...

[Mary B]

Hi

Briefly back to the original post. A single wire above the panel with a corona driver, has to be insulated well with the insulators covered to keep rain off if there isn't enough mass in a pigeon to make it effective simply add a ground wire. should work I haven't seen any pigeons wearing rubber boots.

I remebered many years ago I took my kids round a UK safari park, a group of us went in several cars all linked on 70cms hand helds, the following car informed me a monkey was puling on my 2mtr antena, grounded half wave, a quick click on the 2mtr mic and said monkey suddenly had just over 100W of VHF RF..... Poor SWR cleared.. Monkey unharmed but no longer on the roof of my car.

Brian

Now where were we? I am so envious of your gun laws, in the UK only bad guys have guns and any mix of things that can go bang or even burn too vigorously can result in a stay at his majesties summer camp, for several summers...

Monkey got RF burn to remember LOL They suck too! Burn a pinhole that hurts!