Agreed. Warm Dew is gross. I will definitely try the NoDoz idea. Tomorrow, if the stores are still open (if we have to go to a shelter, good bet there won't be Dew there).

Good Luck to you all who happen to live in FL. I went through Isabel in the fall. If you're in the path of Frances though, you'd better keep your head down. It's looks like a very dangerous storm. Stay safe and stay prepared!!!

i used to be a huge mt. dew junkie, but this year i made a big effort to cut down on sugar and (for awhile) totally gave up soda, and what not.

i like some diet sodas but aspartamine isnt healthy, from what ive read its a renamed version of nutra-sweet, which some proved caused health problems.

a survival guide i read once said to keep caffine pills in your first aid kit incase of finding someone lost/ hurt in the woods going through caffine withdrawl.

Two storms like this in one month? Rough. Good luck!

Re: Ham Radio.
Two frequencies to listen to if you have a shortwave receiver. Both are SSB USB (Single Side Band Upper Side band).
14.325 US Weather Bureau, National Hurricane Center, in Miami. The Hurricane net (WX4NHC). This is a closed net. Meaning they will talk to only specific stations. These are stations providing measured weather data from the affected area. They give updates every 15 minutes or so. Very helpful if you want to know where the storm is and how powerful. The reports are usually from station directly in front of the hurricane or stations coming back on the air just after the hurricane passes.

14.235,SATURN. This is a net for health and welfare traffic. As Charlie hit shore, I tracked the damage reports. I heard stations just before and just after the hurricane passed thru their area. Excellent damage reports were provided. Folks outside the area that were concerned about family within the affected area could get first hand reports. In many cases I heard reports like “I am standing here with your grandfather and although his carport was blown away and the vehicle was damaged, he and his wife suffered no injury. They are being relocated to the high school for temporary shelter as there is no power or phones in this area.” For days, 24 hours a day, on this and many other nets, personalized health and welfare traffic flowed in and out of the affected area. They have a web site and will take inquiries on the web site and try to get information from the affected area. Check the frames area to the left of the page.

SATURN Health and Welfare Net.

There was much ham radio involvement during Charle and I have been trying to put together a posting about it. However my friends in Florida don't seem to have much time to chat at the moment. We have wintered in florida for the past several years and I have family and friends there. Ham Radio has really helped me keep track of the situation. More to follow..Look for a post later in the campfire section..

RE: ham radio error.
the SATURN frequency is 14.265. But as all frequencies are shared, they may move around a bit to find a clear spot.

Groo,

All excellent "disaster upgrades"

I wish I could get a window A/C unit for my computer room, but alas, I have casement windows...no place to mount the thing.

Anybody have any ideas?

Panz

Well, here's what I'd try. It's only temporary, it's less than ideal, I haven't tried it, etc...

An AC gets cold on one side, hot on the other. The cold side needs to be in the room to be cooled. The hot side just needs to be outside the room, not necessarily outside the house. I think I'd try setting the AC in the door (on a table or stool) and build a cardboard "door" around the AC unit (you could just cut an AC-sized hole in the door, but that's messy and kinda permanent). The heat the AC removes from the computer room would then be dumped into the rest of the house. If you open the windows, it's practically outside. :-) Put a bucket under the AC to catch the condensation.

Yeah, it's a hack. OTOH, "Brute force has an elegance all its own."

Note that just setting the AC in the door without blocking the rest of the room entrance won't work. The hot and cold air will mix. Instead of cardboard, you could use blankets, tarp, plastic, etc.

Groo:

Good idea, but you have to have the window A/C condensor cooling air intakes boxed so that they draw air from the outside. On standard window A/C's the condensor air intakes are on the side of the window unit. On "through the wall" mount A/C units, the air intake is usually about 1/3 of the outside face of the unit and the discharge is about 2/3 of the outside face of the unit.

They make room A/C's that have flexible duct work that can be hung out of a window or any opening, but they are expensive, obstructive to the living area, and noisy since all the working parts are inside the house.

You can buy casement window A/C's but they usually cost 2 or more times what a regular window A/C costs, and they are only available in 7,500 BTU's and larger. They are also a pain in the butt to install because they stand tall.

If you can, remove the sliding portion of the casement window, measure the opening, and place the largest standard window A/C unit you can fit in there. You could also remove the whole window and use plexiglas where the A/C ends. Because of the way you will have to mount it, be sure it has support on the outside so it doesn't tip out and fall. If you need an extension cord to plug to your outlet, buy those specifically made for heavy use and buy the shortest cord that will work. You will be suprised how hot the plug portion gets when using an extension cord. I have a 9 foot 14 gage for my bedroom A/C and it gets really warm, but not hot where the A/C is plugged into it.

I do not recommend anything smaller than 14 gage wire and nothing longer than 9 feet. If you have to go longer for a window A/C with an extension cord, go to the hardware store and have them make one up (Only as long as necessary.) for you using three-wire 12 gage and heavy duty 20 amp plug and receptacles at the ends.

Good luck!

Bountyhunter

I've seen LARGE window units mounted in a hole specifically cut for them, then trimmed in...not exactly portable any more, and I've never done it myself, but it does work, and with a little silicone and a handy trim carpenter, it doesn't look as goofy as it sounds.