Dellboy218

So the majority 63% approved, cool.

When can he come back and sort out the drugs plague and the war in the south?

I seem to remember the last time he did that a couple of thousand people lost their lives.

His involvement in the south left Tak Bai & Krue Sae as famous names. My Lai?

A couple of thousand dead drug dealers and muslim insurgents, look at the bigger picture.....How many terrorist murders and drug deaths per year in Thailand? Thaksin was working for the greater good of the Thai people.

More like for the good of his greater family you mean.

Honda may have record sales but they also seem to have a record number of breakdowns! Our local Honda dealer is full to overflowing and they have had my car now for over a week to replace the air con compressor. It was supposed to be ready today but now it seems it may be another 3 days!

I had intended buying a new Civic next month but after all this hassle I think I shall be going back to Toyota.

Yes,read this:

• 
  

Saturday, November 17th, 2012 | Posted by admin

Toyota recalls 2.7 million vehicles for steering & water pump problems.

At least Toyota own up when there is a problem. There have been at least 2 recalls in the US for my model CRV but try getting those problems fixed in Thailand under warranty.

I had a mkII CRV from new. Honda could not fix the annoying problems it suffered. They had so many people complaining that there main email address refused to work, undeliverable! That was about the time a woman in Bangkok got so fed up with her CRV and Honda not wanting to give her a refund she drove it through their front wall with the tv cameras rolling. That worked, she got an instant refund. Got rid of mine. 5 sets of front shocks later!.........

Yes, Amorn also does have (did have) amp clamps for a few hundred baht as well as brand name ones for 2-3k I think. Some also have multimeters built in today.

Sucking eggs aside and for reference for non-sparkies, always check the meter across a known source before testing and also periodically resistance test the leads (should be 0 Ohmns).

Hangond Road Big C Amorn has the Unitrends UT-233 I think, 3 phase clamp meter for a tad over 6k Baht, I think the one in town had cheaper less fancy ones. Global had a digital and a mechanical Kyoritsu clamp meter

I bought a cheapie from amorn several years ago and it has served me well.

Those Unitrends UT-xxx have come a long way and represent very good value for money. Amazing what you can get for under 1000B. Global sells

some Kyoritsu gear, which is one of the best of the Japanese makers.

WISH I WAS THERE 15 IS GREAT WITH CLEAR SHIES .

I wouldnt be too quick on the draw. Flying home into CNX yesterday the hills and mountains to the south of Chiang Mai and looking westwards from the flight track were covered in quite a thick haze. Numerous plumes heading towards the heavens from all over.

Thanks for all your comments and advice.

Special thanks to worgeordie who despite not knowing me from adam drove all the way over here just to jump start my car.

It seems I let my battery run dry of water which was causing the problem, and it seems to be solved now.

Hurrah for worgeordie for saving the day!

Remember that your car will not fully charge the battery. It needs to be put on a charger to bring it back to life, THEN test it with a meter to see that it is around 12.7 volts after being left over night. If it reads in the lower 12's it is knackered.

Sorry but testing a batteries volatge does not tell you very much. You need a hydrometer and test the specific gravity of the acid which has to be 1250+ for fully charged bateries. Below about 1220 you have problems and you may need acid to bring it back.

Actually Transam is correct, actually you are both correct in a certain sense. You can still have a failing battery even if the specific gravity is spot on and is due to the lead plating and other internal electrodes deteriorating. If just making sure the ph is correct than one would never need to buy a new battery. The standing, unloaded voltage, will give you an idea of the condition of the battery overall if the ph is correct.

Well I would query with ''Making sure the ph is correct then one would never need a new battery''. I am not sure how you maintain the correct SG in a faulty cell, been trying to do that for 40 years, usually have one duff one in the hundreds I have to test every month. If the cell is faulty you can charge the battery all you like but that cell is not going to charge and the resultant SG will be low. If it has furred up electrodes you can burp it to try and clear it, if there is debris shorting the cell out it can be washed out to try and clear it. But if that cell is faulty it is not going to charge. That SG is not going to rise. The unloaded voltage does not tell you very much, you would have to load the battery and then test the voltage before that reading became meaningful.

Thanks for all your comments and advice.

Special thanks to worgeordie who despite not knowing me from adam drove all the way over here just to jump start my car.

It seems I let my battery run dry of water which was causing the problem, and it seems to be solved now.

Hurrah for worgeordie for saving the day!

Remember that your car will not fully charge the battery. It needs to be put on a charger to bring it back to life, THEN test it with a meter to see that it is around 12.7 volts after being left over night. If it reads in the lower 12's it is knackered.

Sorry but testing a batteries volatge does not tell you very much. You need a hydrometer and test the specific gravity of the acid which has to be 1250+ for fully charged bateries. Below about 1220 you have problems and you may need acid to bring it back.

]

rubbish

not in a hot climate and with airconditiong which poses a heavy drain. Possibly in a cold climate though only top quality ones last that long. In australia a standard battery will give about 2 years though a heavier duty one at nearly three times the cost is used by people like taxis to give about 5 years.

Rubbish to you also. The battery in my car in Chiang Mai is 7 1/2 years old and still working fine.

I don't know why people have to rubbish other peoples ideas or experiences but I do side with Market Trader. I have never had a car battery last less than 4 years and at 7-1/2 years MT yours is doing well. Some batteries may not last so long if people do not top the water up with distilled in a wet battery or if the vehicle has a poor or rough charging system. Off road driving can also shorten the live of batteries as lead will fall of the plates eventually. Gel batteries are sometimes damaged by charging with a charger designed for wet batteries. I have just put a new battery in my BMW bike, not BMW's 10k Baht one but one out Amorn for 1400B. The exact same one has just come out after 5 years service. If I was only getting 1-2 years I would be trying a different type. Oh and by the way, is your aircon really powered directly from your battery, presumably you do not have to run your engine then? Odd.........

As Tywais says turning the head lamps on is not going to cut it. That will take roughly what... 10A or so. The starter will take a hundred to several hundred Amps, albeit very briefly. In a batteries spec commonly called the ''cranking current.''

Avoid Ram like the plague! Money making place! Sure procedures are carried out well for eye problems, but from my experience any other issues should well be avoided by this place. Lanna is by far cheaper and far more competent!

Any other issues? IT is a business, most of them are. I could hardly walk a couple of years ago but thanks to a local doctor well known for his spinal work and a Ram operating theatre and its team I have had only minor discomfort on the odd occasion since. What price can you put on being able to walk? What price can Gladiator put on being able to see? As Gladiator says, take it as you find it, you have a choice.

Did you check Pharmaway on the bottom floor? They sell glucose test kits (or at least they did) but maybe not the ones you want.

UV filters do work although the lamps can be very expensive and will require replacing after a set period, ususally the manufacturers recommendations work out about yearly. May I suggest a bio filter. Easy enough to make and essential for healthy water. First and foremost the filter, with the aid of bacteria, convert the fish waste into more managable nitrates. Depending on the size and quantity of fish the waste may end up killing the fish, I had that happen some time ago. The nitrates will encourage more algae but you can balance that by puttting other plants in the water that can make use of those nitrates which will then deprive the algae. It is a question of balance. Filtering out solids is purely secondary.

If you Google DIY pond bio filter you will find any number of sites detailing the subject although this one might get you started.

http://skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm

My pond is 1m deep and 11000 litres and I can just see the bottom which is clear enough for me. The filter is a bit on the small side being a 350l tank with a venturi added to increase oxygen to the filter tank but it does well enough for what I want. Tanks and media are readily available around town. No UV filter required. Any questions just PM me.

Or Home Pro 4k up.

Still have my Uk amateur and maritime license the latter totally redundant these days tho.

The BBC booms in on 6195Khz from about 4 or 5 in the afternoon otherwise 17790Khz.

I cannot remember the last time I was on a ship that used morse/Teletype/RT, there wont be any land stations left to handle Morse and I doubt many that will handle Teletype.

Commercial marine HF finished in 1999. It's all satellite now.

The move to satellite started late early 80's with Sat A and ships radio rooms were replaced with GMDSS radio equipment in the early 90's. Commercial traffic may have finished in '99, however, various countries /organisations still required ship reporting on HF teletype for some time after that. I wouldn't like to say ''all'' traffic had finished as there will bound to be one oddball somewhere to prove me wrong.

This outfit does the old Caribean at 790B a day

http://www.neu-speed.net/vehicles.html

Whip round for a new ticket machine for them?

Well, it did break down the other morning when I was in there and they had to start hand writing ticket numbers after a few minutes of operation. I guess it has not been fixed. Must be on their ''to do'' list.

Yontrakit sell Kia, Skoda, Pugs and Citroens. They are on the superhighway heading out of town on the left. 18 46 42 21N 99 01 40 49E will take you to their front door. You can see the place on Google earth Street View.

An Old friend of my wife has told me that Suan Dok hospital will take anyones old spectacles. Thanks to those that gave a credible alternative.

I'd ride it.

If they get the Chinese involved and monitor quality control carefully, it can be splendid. The one out of Shanghai was very pleasant to ride and did get up to around 250 or so.

For maglev they'll be laying all new track, though if that's what they're doing.

The one from Shanghai to Suzhou does around 320kph, very smooth and with plenty of room. The railway station as you know is more like a very good airport terminal. The Maglev from the airport into town is capable of over 400kph. Very impressive.

You wont hear much from the larger ocean going ships anymore as they went to satellite a good many years ago and increasingly they are using satellite based internet due to the costs saving as every Tom, Dick and Harry who makes coffee in the office empire wants a say in the way the ship is run. I cannot remember the last time I was on a ship that used morse/Teletype/RT, there wont be any land stations left to handle Morse and I doubt many that will handle Teletype. If you are on the coast near Sri Racha/MapTha Put you may hear some of the tankers on VHF but if they are on a regular run they are more likely to use a mobile.

I read a study that stated that these eyeglass redistribution organizations spend double what it would cost just to buy the recipients new glasses.

Thank you for taking the time out from your busy day to let me know that you do not know either.

Does anyone know if there is any charity collection points in town for old spectacles?

GPS works as well here as anywhere. Whether one in a rental car will be as useful and as easy to operate as one that you own, with your own map, only you can answer. Not too far away in Umphang is Tee Lor Su, you can google the name for details. There may be no access to the waterfall at present because of the weather, I believe it is closed off during part of the rainy season each year to traffic, otherwise its a 9km(?) hike. Just depends on when you are intending to visit.

Be aware that Umpang is an 8-9 hour drive from Chiang Mai not exactly near the temple.

Whoops, speed reading can lead you into trouble cannt it. Nope it aint anywhere near the temple is it, as you rightly say. Not 9 hours either, at least not when I last drove it unless the roads have deteriorated. My apologies Dfsbrit this one is worth it but too far away for you probably. Next best thing will be Doi Inthanon about 60km south of town, the tallest mountain in the country and that has a few waterfalls, not near the temple either but within easy reach