Thieves

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by JSH

I'm still amazed to see a vehicle that old on the road let alone without huge rust holes. My first vehicle was a 1987 GMC Jimmy which was purchased used in 1991 with blown engine. By 1996 it had fist size rust holes in the rocker panels.

Salt - the enemy of vehicles.

The Oregon valley doesn't salt, so rust isn't as much an issue as other locations. My grandfathers 2003 S-10 almost looks new.

I think I've got the perp vehicle narrowed down to '91-'94. Those kids don't stand much chance of going unnoticed if they come around again. I've switched my camera to force color mode at night. I'm experimenting with placement for the other cameras to be mounted nearer to the road to make out license plates.

My daughter has been requesting certain songs while on a truck drive, and I keep explaining that's not how radio works, and that the Disc Jockey gets to pick the songs. I point to the radio tower and say that's where the music signal is coming from.

It finally occurred to me that I could get a cheapo Bluetooth to FM transmitter, so I did. Ordered yesterday on Amazon and used it today on the drive. It has 3 USB ports (2 fast charging), indicates battery voltage, and has a mic to take phone calls. Works at least as well as I expected for $19. Now I can play whatever music I want, and it sounds better than FM.

Got me to thinking the cruddy speakers need an upgrade. I might have some 6.5" laying around at my parents. The drive is at least half a musical experience; might as well maximize that experience for minimal expenditure. That said, head unit replacement is tempting too. I'll start with door speakers and see if that satisfies.

[Piotrsko]

Are you going to add a bunch of UV lighting? Part of the difficulty is only the more sensitive pixels in the camera are producing signal which is why defination is so poor. Closer does get more pixels illuminated for a given target as does lighting it up.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Are you going to add a bunch of UV lighting? Part of the difficulty is only the more sensitive pixels in the camera are producing signal which is why defination is so poor. Closer does get more pixels illuminated for a given target as does lighting it up.

I was thinking I should add some IR illumination. I need to research how best to do it, but I think using the IR built into the camera causes license plates and objects up close to get washed out. Instead I might setup an IR floodlight and try to illuminate a broader area more evenly.

[freebeard]

www.ebay.com/itm/M60-TANK-LIGHT-AN-VSS-1-V-1-INFRARED-SEARCHLIGHT-/274400255964

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

www.ebay.com/itm/M60-TANK-LIGHT-AN-VSS-1-V-1-INFRARED-SEARCHLIGHT-/274400255964

Illuminate and incinerate in 1 device, I like it.

I wonder if there are any floodlights that are completely invisible? I dislike the slightly visible red glow they all tend to put out, as my aim is to catch criminals, not push them onto neighbors.

EDIT: Looks like what I want is 940nm IR. Some cameras aren't very sensitive to that wavelength though, so I guess I'll buy a $10 unit from China and see if it'll work.

[freebeard]

The best illumination would be two light sources at 45 degrees to either side of the camera.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I have no sympathy for thieves but, living in a country where it became much more usual to have either full-perimeter fences or high walls around the lots, it does surprise me such approach is still not taken so often in the United States, seemingly in fear of making the neighborhood look "dangerous". Well, usually in "safe" boroughs in Brazil I see electric fences and other security measures more often.

Originally Posted by JSH

I'm still amazed to see a vehicle that old on the road let alone without huge rust holes.

To some extent, it does surprise me how many Americans seem to treat a car as disposable, while in countries such as mine even if a car won't be babied or turned into a trailer queen it's not so unusual to see some attempts to patch a rust hole with different degrees of either a good craftsmanship or a makeshift...

[freebeard]

....it does surprise me such approach is still not taken so often in the United States....

The suburban tact home devolved from the English manor house, all the stables and outbuildings and servant quarters gone with the wind.

Modern times brings socialist block housing.

The Tartarian (Ancient Roman/Phoenician/Babylonian) model was a four solid walls with a central atrium and a defensible entrance.

The best compromise I've seen is a house on Eugene's West side. It's an L-shaped plan (Ranch style, living area with bedroom wing) and a property-line wall on the alley.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The best compromise I've seen is a house on Eugene's West side. It's an L-shaped plan (Ranch style, living area with bedroom wing) and a property-line wall on the alley.

Seems to also make a good use of the surface where it was built, still making way for a patio which would be a nice place for barbecues

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

To some extent, it does surprise me how many Americans seem to treat a car as disposable, while in countries such as mine even if a car won't be babied or turned into a trailer queen it's not so unusual to see some attempts to patch a rust hole with different degrees of either a good craftsmanship or a makeshift...

Does Brazil spread millions of tons of rock salt on the roads each winter? Just my home state of Michigan uses 2 million tons of salt a year.

Any car can be kept on the road indefinitely if you are willing to willing to spend the money to replace it piece by piece.

Before modern rust-proofing it wasn't uncommon for cars to rust from the inside out. By the time you could see rust on the outside the entire inside structure was rusted away and you would be cutting out sections of the unibody and welding in replacements (if you could find good metal to weld to)

Then there are the economics. Body shop work in the USA is expensive. This is pretty normal pricing: https://burlscollision.com/labor-rates/

The materials are cheap but labor is expensive. You can easily spend thousands to repair rust holes only to have to repair them again a few years later.

My understanding of Brazilian economics the opposite is true. Labor is cheap but parts (and cars) are expensive. That makes something like bodywork economically viable since it is mostly labor. It is the same in Mexico. Mexican companies buy up wrecked cars in the USA that have been totaled by the insurance companies. It isn't economical to repair them in the USA but at $2 to $3 an hour for body work in Mexico they can spend the many hours to fix them.