3/8/26 Report - Development of Drones and Metal Detectors. Heavy Insulators. ACL Soda Bottles. Sebastian Project.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

During WWI, a daredevil pilot helped invent the first ‘drones’
Lawrence Sperry’s autopilot proved planes could fly themselves.

Although military funding diminished after the war ended, commercial interest in remote-controlled aviation continued for applications such as aerial photography and crop dusting...

In a July 1925... Popular Science shared how French engineers were developing radio-controlled aircraft that would deliver bombs and return to base, anticipating modern drone warfare by a century.

Sperry and others had shown that aircraft could stabilize themselves, respond to remote commands, and even follow simple programmed behaviors. But their autonomous machines lacked location information. Early radio-controlled aircraft had no reliable way of knowing where they were, how far they had traveled, or whether they were drifting off course. Radio signals could command movement, but the same signals could not confirm position.

That missing layer, today known as positioning systems, would take several decades to arrive...

Here is the link for that article.

During WWI, a daredevil pilot helped invent the first 'drones' | Popular Science, Bill Gourgey. Published Mar 6, 202

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One of the things that hasn't changed much while the electronics of metal detector technology changed, is the physical rod assembly.  I mentioned years ago about the possibility of using a remote controlled vehicle to carry and sweep the metal detector.  The rod assembly is still made and used very much like the old World War II era detectors.  That would take away the physical exercise benefit of the hobby but some might like it.  Like with robot lawn mowers, a similar thing could be done with metal detectors.  Perhaps the biggest challenge would be the construction device that wouldn't interfere with the operation of the metal detector.  I can think of a couple ways to do that.  One is to have an arm that maintains some distance between the coil and frame much like the current rod does.  Anyhow, it is interesting how some designs are far ahead of their time and how long it can take to make a device more practical and useable.  Same thing with AI, which was around in a much more limited form before they became widely used in recent years.

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Locke Insulator Assembly.

Here is an unusual huge insulator find for those who collect electrical insulators.  From the top to bottom of what is shown is about 26 inches.  

This is a high voltage porcelain underhung suspension insulator.  Depending upon load, they can start out with one or two and added to as the load demands increase.  

It is very heavy.  I'd guess around forty pounds.  I could only find one place to hang it for the picture and had a hard time getting it up there.  It is in the end of a heavy well pipe.

The lead units read LOCKE MADE IN USA.  The bottom one reads 10,000 LBS.  

The reason for using suspended insulators is largely a matter of cost, since it is entirely possible to build porcelain insulators of the conventional type of sufficient size to successfully operate at any voltage, but the extreme height and diameter of a pin-type insulator for 100,000 or 150,000 volts make the cost prohibitive. A suspended type of insulator has several advantages which it is well to understand before going into details of design....

Here is the link for more about that.

Oct 17, 1908 : Locke Manufacturing of High Voltage Insulators - By H. R. Noack

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Here are some bottle finds.  They aren't real old like some finds, but I like the graphics on the painted label or ACL bottles.  Too bad that found ACL bottles are usually in very poor condition.

Royal Palm, Mason's Root Beer, Frostie, and Canada Dry ACL Bottle Finds.

For example, Mason's Root Beer was begun in 1947.  That bottle would have some nice graphics if it was in better condition.

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Beach Cam View of South of Sebastian Inlet.

An excavator is down there piling up sand.  You can see a big pile of sand down there.  I don't know what they are trying to do.

Nothing exciting on the surf chart today.

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HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT

Description: * WHAT...Dangerous rip currents. * WHERE...Beaches of Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, Saint Lucie, and Martin Counties. * WHEN...Through late Sunday night. * IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net