adason:
I've had the same experience, also in Banff. In Alaska, we were advised to wear small bells or mumble "hey bear" when we hiked in the wilderness to alert whatever critters were within earshot of our presence. That proved particularly meaningless in Denali when we came face-to-face with an adult elk, which seemed pissed at our presence notwithstanding the mumbling.
But I stand by what I previously posted. Clengman seems inclined to take offense at my earlier post, which was something I had hoped to avoid. We don't always have the luxury of being in a truly isolated wilderness and sound carries. There have been plenty of times when I've found a location with no one else in sight but others within earshot. The fact that you can't see someone doesn't mean you aren't making noise that annoys them. And sometimes there simply aren't "better woods".
All I'm suggesting is consideration for others.
Regards,
Scott
I've had the same experience, also in Banff. In Alaska, we were advised to wear small bells or mumble "hey bear" when we hiked in the wilderness to alert whatever critters were within earshot of our presence. That proved particularly meaningless in Denali when we came face-to-face with an adult elk, which seemed pissed at our presence notwithstanding the mumbling.
But I stand by what I previously posted. Clengman seems inclined to take offense at my earlier post, which was something I had hoped to avoid. We don't always have the luxury of being in a truly isolated wilderness and sound carries. There have been plenty of times when I've found a location with no one else in sight but others within earshot. The fact that you can't see someone doesn't mean you aren't making noise that annoys them. And sometimes there simply aren't "better woods".
All I'm suggesting is consideration for others.
Regards,
Scott
No offense taken. Nonetheless, I think your advice is misplaced. Very often when I'm camping, I will engage in conversation. I may play a game with my daughter, or play fetch with my dog. I may even laugh out loud on occasion. Is that also out of bounds?
clengman:
You are of the opinion that an argument reductio ad absurdum makes your point while I believe it makes mine. This has become pointless.
Good luck with your project.
Regards,
Scott
You are of the opinion that an argument reductio ad absurdum makes your point while I believe it makes mine. This has become pointless.
Good luck with your project.
Regards,
Scott
What if I'm asking in earnest? Would you similarly admonish someone asking on a folk music forum about which ukulele or concertina might be preferred for a short backpacking trip? Maybe you would. Playing music or singing songs or telling jokes around a campfire (as well as the things I mentioned in my last post) would be equally as likely to disturb your peace as a small speaker playing light music at low volume. But to suggeset that any of these things is an inappropriate or inconsiderate way for me to enjoy my time is the suggestion of a humbug and a busybody.
clengman, yer being baited! Personal opinions only mean something to the person(s) making them. It's yer option to react or ignore, and it's all off subject anyway..
Let's build a portable speaker.. 😉
Let's build a portable speaker.. 😉
It's fine. I may be new around here, but I'm not new when it comes to forum banter. I don't mind a little back and forth. No skin off my nose.
clengman, here is what I would do about small portable speakers...
when I needed to travel a lot with my tablet, I purchased small lightweight usb powered computer speakers (for like $15), with ~ 3-4" small fullrange drivers inside, including power amp, probably only good for 1-2 watts, with just small phono connector and USB cable. They could play loud enough in small room, depending how much distortion you can tolerate.
Now if you take something like this, take it apart, and put it in one enclosure, with power amp in, and you put 9v battery with switch on it, you are all set. Granted, it will not be anything special, but it should fit the purpose, and it should not take much to built it.
when I needed to travel a lot with my tablet, I purchased small lightweight usb powered computer speakers (for like $15), with ~ 3-4" small fullrange drivers inside, including power amp, probably only good for 1-2 watts, with just small phono connector and USB cable. They could play loud enough in small room, depending how much distortion you can tolerate.
Now if you take something like this, take it apart, and put it in one enclosure, with power amp in, and you put 9v battery with switch on it, you are all set. Granted, it will not be anything special, but it should fit the purpose, and it should not take much to built it.
I did think about this approach. I have a pair of small powered speakers that would be a good parts donor, but I decided I wanted to try to put a little more thought into it and make something that might be a little special. Thought it would also be a good learning experience and some practice thinking about the design considerations involved so I can apply to future projects.
Don't get discouraged. It will definitely be a learning experience. If you share it, it can be a learning experience for us, too. A few things come to mind here.
Amplifier power is limited by supply voltage so look around for step-up converters or simply wire your cells in series. Look at the datasheet for the amp you'll be using to get an idea.
If you want to use a ported design, consider a passive radiator. It will save cabinet space. Just be careful with the ones on ebay. I bought some that were already too heavy and couldn't be tuned. I noticed some were surplus from a specified manufacturer so you might find out some info by looking up the original product. On the other hand, a port may radiate better than a PR because the suspension can damp the resonance when things get this small.
Regardless of what you come up with, keep us updated.
Amplifier power is limited by supply voltage so look around for step-up converters or simply wire your cells in series. Look at the datasheet for the amp you'll be using to get an idea.
If you want to use a ported design, consider a passive radiator. It will save cabinet space. Just be careful with the ones on ebay. I bought some that were already too heavy and couldn't be tuned. I noticed some were surplus from a specified manufacturer so you might find out some info by looking up the original product. On the other hand, a port may radiate better than a PR because the suspension can damp the resonance when things get this small.
Regardless of what you come up with, keep us updated.
Thanks. I'm not discouraged. Not in the least. I've been posting around in a few forums where I thought my questions would be best addressed.
Re: necessary voltage - I've ordered a big pack of cheapo AA battery holders and I plan to test the amp and driver with 3, 6, and 9 1.2v AA NiMH cells that I have around the house before I drop more money on a Li ion pack. I'll see what kind of voltage I need and how much current I'm using for at the max volume I want to achieve. (Won't be too awful loud.)
I'm looking into passive radiators. I haven't seen a lot of choices in the size that I would need. I still don't have a very good grasp on how to get them tuned properly, either. I have a lot more reading to do on that.
I'll keep posting as I move along.
Re: necessary voltage - I've ordered a big pack of cheapo AA battery holders and I plan to test the amp and driver with 3, 6, and 9 1.2v AA NiMH cells that I have around the house before I drop more money on a Li ion pack. I'll see what kind of voltage I need and how much current I'm using for at the max volume I want to achieve. (Won't be too awful loud.)
I'm looking into passive radiators. I haven't seen a lot of choices in the size that I would need. I still don't have a very good grasp on how to get them tuned properly, either. I have a lot more reading to do on that.
I'll keep posting as I move along.
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