Motasyco

Generally speaking, the length of the elements has to do with the wavelength of the signal. Longer elements = lower frequencies. Shorter elements = higher frequencies. You need various lengths of elements to pick up multiple frequencies. A wide band roof top antenna will have multiple elements of varying lengths to pick up a wide band of frequencies. In other words, it's made to pick up all the different channels that may be broadcast in any particular area. Look for the gain of the antenna. More elements = more gain. More gain = more distant channels. More gain also means more money. Often antenna specs will just give a "range". More "range" is more "gain". A good antenna will cost over $100. Get a "VHF/UHF" antenna. Be careful with an amplified antenna. If the antenna is only picking up crap, the amplifier will just amplify crap. I'm not much of a fan of Radio Shack but they can probably fix you up with what you need and there's one just about everywhere.

Here's a link to see what is available in your area and the expected signal strength. As mentioned above, there's no guarantees but this is pretty handy. If you live in the bottom of a hollow you'll need a real high antenna. Enter your location in the "Enter Location" block. http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

If I told you how much coverage I got, well you know the rest.....

This. The old antenna on your roof that was used to pick up the analog broadcasts will work fine for today's digital broadcasts. The antenna is about the frequency of the broadcast signal, not the format. You must have a digital tuner, whether in your TV, or a "converter", in order to get today's digital broadcasts. All off air broadcasts switched to digital in 2009. With analog, if you had a weak signal, you would get a snowy picture but you would still have a picture. With digital, if the signal is not strong enough for your tuner to make out the bits or 1s and 0s, you will have no picture. If it can make out the 1s and 0s, your picture will be as broadcast. There's very little margin in between. The days of ghosts and snowy pictures are gone. Yes. I am an engineer and I have recently stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.

This was brought up a while back in a different thread. Perhaps a mod can do the merge magic. In the other thread this company was mentioned: http://www.collectinsure.com/. I have since insured my guns through them. In summary, as I recall from reading the policy, unless I lose my guns in a nuclear explosion, an act of war, or terrorist attack, they're covered for replacement value. At what I considered a very reasonable price. I hope I never have to collect.

I'm not supposed to shoot my .22 in the basement?

It just dawned on me when I saw the title of this thread pop up again. "Modest" and "1911" don't go together very well. There's not much modest about a 1911. Perhaps the thread title should be something more like "My awesome entry into the 1911 club". Awesome is still at the low end for a 1911. Other possibilities may include intimidating, astonishing, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, exalted, fearsome, formidable, overwhelming, mind-blowing, stunning, magnificent, wondrous, impressive, majestic, beautiful, wonderful, incredible, and amazing.

License? With all of the boats I've owned, in several different states, in lengths up to 36', I've never had to get a license. Registration, yes. License, no. I know Tennessee requires a safety course if you're a youngster born after 1989. I'd owned several boats by 1989. I guess I'm "grandfathered" in. With as many grandkids as I have, I ought to be grandfathered into anything.

More evidence to explain this recent feeling I've had that I'm living in a cartoon. Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right....

I finally got to break in the new Shield yesterday. I met a local at Mikes Gun Shop in Morristown. We got talking, I mentioned I had bought a Shield but hadn't had a chance to shoot it and he said he'd like to try it out. He invited me over to his place, about 10 minutes from my home, and we had a blast, both figuratively and literally. I met some great people and we all swapped guns around so it was also a great chance to try some different weapons. The Shield a hit. We collectively put about 125 rounds through it, mixed brands, FMJ and JHP, including Wolf, Federal, and WWB. It ate it all flawlessly. As a bonus, I let a couple of Glock guys shoot my M&P .40 and I believe they've seen the light. They both felt the aim with the M&P was more natural than with the Glocks and the grip more comfortable. Exactly why I prefer the M&P. I also got to try out a used High Point 995 I just bought. It had some feed issues when the mag was full. The front end of the bullet wants to point down in the mag for some reason. With less than a full mag, no problems and the front end was pointed up where it should be. Any High Point experts experienced this? I'm thinking a new mag is in order. All in all, a great time. Dan, if you see this, thanks again!

Yikes! Is that the top of an outboard barely sticking out of the water? Forget to put the plug in? I did that once. As long as I was moving I didn't take on water. If I slowed down, it would start filling up. Made it back to the ramp. Yanked it out of the water, let it drain, and put the plug in. Lucky day.

And the beat goes on....

I think the issue with an apartment is that you sign an agreement. If you agree to not have a weapon on the premises, then you shouldn't have a weapon on the premises. If you don't agree, you don't sign the agreement and you rent somewhere else. If it's not written in the agreement, then you say nothing and keep it concealed. It's really your choice. You're not forced to live anyplace you don't agree with the rules.

Thanks. That's my boating buddy. He loves to go. You're right. You have to love the water to justify the expense. I love the water. I also love to ride motorcycles. I also love to shoot. Are there any cheap hobbies?

Boats are not for all. The motto of "prepare for the worst and hope for the best" definitely applies. I may jinx myself but I've had many boats over the years and only one of them ever really caused me any trouble. Since the mid 80s, I've almost always had a boat, sometimes two. I guess I've been luckier than most. I just got mine prepped and ready for the water last weekend. Looking forward to hitting the lake soon.

I have a RIA Tactical. It looks very much like your picture although the logo and wording on the slide are not colored white. It's been 100% reliable with anything I feed it and it's more accurate than I am. I think you're going to become quite fond of it. And for what you have invested, some may argue that you stole it. Welcome to the club.

I know this is a bit off topic from what you were looking for but it conjured up memories from my youth. When I was a kid, I remember my dad taking me to the dump fairly often. To dump trash? Nope. Target practice with his .22. The targets? Rats, and plenty of them. Apparently this was not only acceptable behavior but was considered a service to the community. I wonder where this would get you today?

I might could buy some of that but constitutional grounds? It seems the Constitution has become a doormat for the politicians in DC wipe their feet on. Scoundrels I say.

I've been thinking about ordering some of those. Did you get that from the myloudfamily. com site? They look larger than I thought they would.

I went back again with no issues. Avast was silent. This interweb is a place of great mystery.

Avast claims to have blocked a trojan when I hit this link.

You need new buddies.

I will admit, I am not a lawyer and it has been a while since I last stayed in Holiday Inn Express. I did read the rules when I received the book. I understood it to reference licensed transactions. I could be wrong as it is written in legalese, in which, I am not fluent. The rules do state that a C&R purchase must be recorded in the bound book within 7 days of the receipt of the firearm. If I bought the firearm three years before I got the license, I would then be in violation the moment I received the license if I were required to log firearms purchased legally prior to receiving the license. Logically, that makes no sense but we are dealing with the government. I believe that would meet the definition of a "catch 22". Additionally, from the ATF online FAQ section, a licensed collector has the same status under the Gun Control Act as a non-licensee except for transactions in curio or relic firearms. It also states that the collectors license permits a collector to acquire C&R firearms in interstate commerce. And that, of course is why we get the license. So we can buy a C&R firearm shipped directly to us, which would be shipped through a FFL, therefore must be logged. I would argue that this would mean that if I buy a SKS from Billy Bob, legally, face to face, within my state, through a classified ad, I have the same status as a non-licensee and a non-licensee has no requirement to maintain a record. In my case, every C&R eligible firearm I have purchased since receiving the license has been from an FFL, shipped to me directly as a C&R licensed transaction. Therefore all have been properly recorded. We do have a couple of attorneys on TGO. Perhaps one may weigh in.

Dolomite, I sure would like to hear your process for polishing of the bolt and carrier. I'd like to do the same to mine. Although I've not had any problems, I'm always interested in making it better. This sounds like reliability insurance.

The initial reaction to the idea of going to the range is almost always positive. We love to shoot. Once the reality of the drive and the wait for a lane sets in, one begins to have second thoughts. Then you remember the unsafe behavior of the people that were at the range the last time you were there and you suddenly remember you have a better way to spend the day. Don't take it personally. I've attended several TGO shoot fests and have always had a really great time. Good people and usually a variety of weapons to try out. Absolutely no regrets there. Still, for me, the best visits to a range are when I have the range to myself. It allows me greater focus on improving my skills. And that is what I really need. I will admit, my wife and also the people I work with consider me a loner. There's probably some truth to that.