What is it? Set 258

[Rob H.]

A new set of photos has been posted:

[humunculus]

1459: I like EZ Peaces suggestion: a ratchet for tightening barbed wire fencing. 1460: Steering yoke off of a Buckboard?

1461: I think the purpose of this device was to cause a small 'explosion'...the powder (flour? sawdust?) was blown down the handle and up through the holes, where the candle would ingnite the cloud of dust and cause a big flameball. Maybe to start the updraft in a chimney or something?

1462: A trolly for moving rolled-up carpeting.

1463: A device to remind us 50-somethings of how old we are. Nowadays replaced with a coaxial cable to the wall...

1464: A shepherd's prod, for pushing sheep and rams through a corral gate.

I'll let you guys decide which of these were pure guesses...

--riverman

[Alexander Thesoso]

1463 Just about everyone will recognize a UHF TV antenna. What I find interesting about this one is that, unlike many UHF antennas that are artwork or frauds, this one is largely functional. Each bowtie is a dipole, with the leaf shape intended to match the impedance of the incoming waves over a limited frequency range. The background grill is a reflector creating image dipoles, for horizontally polarized signals, that narrow the horizontal antenna pattern and provide antenna gain. The stacked dipoles narrow the pattern vertically, again improving antenna gain. The vertical copper straps seem sized to be about the 300 ohm impedance needed to match to the connection. Whoever designed this knew what he was trying to do, and was probably rewarded with commercial failure.

[Ed Edelenbos]

It's not terribly different than the one I just put up on my roof. I still refuse to get cable or satellite. The OTA channels are more than enough drivel for me.

Ed

[Dwayne]

1459 I cant figure this out but the "leesburg 'O'" suggest something to do with railroads to me. so I am going to guess that its some kind of fastener that resists loosening with vibration. Maybe on the rails? 1460 Cart steering yoke? 1461 opium pipe? 1462 like a sack truck but for carrying boxes rather than sacks. 1463 some kind of ariel. Cant guess what for I'm thinking radar but i very much doubt it. 1464 could this be a kind of pitchfork? maybe for passing bundles of thatch up to a roof?

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

"Dwayne" fired this volley in news: [e-mail]:

LLoyd

[Leon Fisk]

the woods. Looks a lot like this one:

[Andrew Erickson]

1459 - Wire fence tightener; the groove on the thingy is slipped over the fence wire, and then the wire twisted around the middle using a wrench. The teeth serve to keep it from unwinding after tightening to the right degree. 1460 - Appears to be some sort of a wagon hitch, with either a cushioning spring or (more likely, in my estimation) an automatic braking feature. 1461 - Fumigator? Some chemical placed in the can could be dispersed and heated by blowing into the pipe. 1462 - Folding handcart for, ummm, maybe toting stovewood, although it looks hard to balance regardless of what is toted. 1463 - Antenna; frequency band uncertain, but possibly UHF television or the new fancy digital television. 1464 - I don't even have a faint idea what the intended use of this tool is, but I don't think I want to be on the receiving end of it.

Now to see other guesses....

[Rob H.]

1461: I think the purpose of this device was to cause a small 'explosion'...the powder (flour? sawdust?) was blown down the handle and up through the holes, where the candle would ingnite the cloud of dust and cause a big flameball. Maybe to start the updraft in a chimney or something?

I agree with this guess, though it's difficult to say how it was used, maybe a science demo,or in a theatrical production, or just for fun.

Rob

[Matthew Russotto]

It's the famed Double-Bowtie antenna. It's too small for really good UHF reception (should be 16 inches wide or perhaps slightly wider, it's actually 12 inches wide), and it tends to fall over. It is, however, one of the the best indoor UHF antennas around. It's discontinued now but it sold for years in Radio Shack and as the Channel Master 4149, so it wasn't exactly a commercial failure.

Summit Source apparently still has some under the Channel Master part number.

I've gone all-OTA myself, with a Channel Master 4221 (same idea, only considerably wider and with four "whisker-style" bowties -- it's an outdoor antenna) and a neutered Terk HDTVo for VHF.

[Ed Edelenbos]

For all the time I spent studying all that stuff, I sure don't seem to remember much. (elec. engr. background) A lot of it is easy to over think. By now, the designs are so proven, you almost have to try to make 'em fail. I have a buddy who made one out of coat hangars and a 2 by 3. It looks god-awful but dang if he don't get all the same stations I do with my $50 Antennas Direct store bought. (grin)

[Matthew Russotto]

Yes, the Double Bow is pretty poorly matched down in the lower UHF frequencies. It should still beat a loop, though.

The Silver Sensor is probably a better choice overall, especially after February when most of 52-69 will go dark.