From: John De Armond
Subject: Re: Last Laugh! "Telephone Fishing"
Date: 22 Jun 90 00:10:28 GMT
Organization: Radiation Systems, Inc. (a thinktank, motorcycle, car 
 and gun works facility)

0004133373@mcimail.com (Donald E. Kimberlin) writes:

>How about it?  Anyplace else where folks still fish via phone?

Well, having more of an RCC than telephone background, I -Uh, I mean,
someone I know (secret service and all, you know.) used to participate
in a variant sport known as "dynamotor fishing".  As might be apparent
from the name, this sport involves the use of a dynamotor from an old
2-way radio.  The bigger the better.  Mine, I mean, my friend's unit
produces almost 700 volts at about 400 ma.  Very nice output.

The electrodes are a couple of stainless steel rods sheathed by
plexiglass sleeves.  The sleeves are adjusted to expose more or less
of the electrodes to the water and are used to apply full load to the
dynamotor.  IN the true spirit of engineering, the fishing unit is
fully instrumented.

This unit is actually classified as a low power unit so its use takes
some skill.  What my friend does is look for fish while wearing
polarized sunglasses.  When a fish is spotted, the electrodes are
lowered into the water on the end of a long fiberglass pole to close
proximity to the fish and then the dynamotor is activated via a foot
switch.

As a side note, a few years ago, I had the opportunity to work with
some TVA marine biologists doing a fish census.  Their shock fishing
rig was in the big leagues.  The basic platform is an aluminum flat-
bottomed boat.  In this boat is a 5 kw gasoline powered generator and a
shock box that generates up to 5 kv at an amp or so.  The boat body,
equipped with a number of stainless steel dangling rods around the
periphery serves as one electrode.  The other electrode is a stainless
steel curtain suspended by a couple of lineman's fuzzsticks that
telescope on a set of rollers.

The biologists dress up like linemen with hot gloves, rubber boots and
mats.  They reel in the fish with a long handled net.  This thing
works across an area about 50 feet in diameter around the curtain in a
cylinder that extends almost to the bottom.  Dozens of fish are
typically harvested in one shock.  The fish are not harmed and are
released after being counted - except for a few unlucky specimens that
are assayed.

All in all, a fine example of applied engineering :-)


John De Armond, WD4OQC  
Radiation Systems, Inc. 
Atlanta, Ga             
{emory,uunet}!rsiatl!jgd