u/AztecPilot1MY

I was gifted an AE-1 Program, and it appears to be in excellent shape overall, but when it was handed to me, the guy moved the film advance lever. It was pretty stiff, so I didn't force it to move back to its stowed position. I figured the shutter needed to fire before it would return to its retracted position, but there was no battery installed (kudos to the owner for storing it with the battery removed).

Anyway, I installed a new battery, and no luck.

The battery check beeps as it should.

The green P indicator and aperture appear properly.

The red M and aperture appear properly.

The film advance lever is still still to move, and it doesn't feel like it's engaging anything.

The shutter doesn't fire.

I tried using the self timer in case the shutter release button was faulty, but that didn't fire the shutter either.

Any advice? It was free, so if none of the "usual" tricks work, is it worth looking for a repair shop? Where is a good repair shop for film gear?

This is a bit of a nostalgic piece for me. It's the model camera I learned on way back in middle school when I was in the yearbook club. The 50mm 1.8 is in great shape too.

Since I'm still using my 20D and R6, this will be fun to see if my film skills are still there.

I got into geocaching decades ago with my middle school students. We used eTrex Legend GPS receivers. I got away from the fun for a long time, but now I'm interested in starting again.

Is there an app (Android would be preferable) that mimics the old eTrex devices? What I liked were things like breadcrumbs, total distance walked, direct distance to target with compass heading, and the ability to record "trips."

If you use an app like this, please share the name of what you like!

I remember watching the series a long time ago, and there was a woman with two kids in Vermont who converted the second story of a horse barn into an apartment. The horses were in their stalls on the ground floor, and she lived in a really nice space upstairs.

Does anyone remember this episode, and is there any way I can get at least that segment? I have a kid who wants to do the same thing, and it would be super to show her that.

I saw a video where a guy was using one of those big circular sanders (drywall sander?) with a vacuum attachment to remove/smooth a textured ceiling.

Is that a good idea, or is wetting/scraping the preferred method? I'm looking at a project that could involve removing ceiling texture from a long open plan space (15' x 40').

Is the textured ceiling is painted or not? Well, It's a bit glossy, and there's some variation in color in a few paint roller size streaks, so my gut feeling is that it's painted.

This post does come from an owner, BUT maybe what I'm asking will help GCs also? If not, I'd love a suggestion about where else to post.

I know this is a practically unanswerable question, but I need some direction. I'm a future client of yours. I'm looking for a house, but I'm aimlessly looking at what's for sale and nothing appealing is popping up.

I want to pursue new construction. Honestly, the first question is, "How do I figure out how much new construction will cost?" Maybe the better question is, "Here's how much I can spend, how much of what I want in a house can I get for that much money?"

My goal is to be an informed and prepared customer, so (having only purchased and sold one existing house-no experience with new construction) what do you as a general contractor want from me?

I'm at the starting line. I've got ideas and appointments with a few architects to discuss my ideas. I figure that advice from this group will help me go through the whole new construction process a little more smoothly.

I have been asked to shoot the interior of a house that a friend redecorated. She would like to use the photos in marketing her new business. Sounds like a fun challenge, but I want to avoid the ridiculous look of ultra wide angle shots on real estate listings.

I have an old Tamron SP AF 11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD that I used for fun ages ago with a Canon 20D (which I still have and is going strong), and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L. Oh, yeah, my kid's 18-55 kit lens.

Bodies I can use are all Canon: R6, Rebel T5i, and 20D. There are two Canon flash units too: 420ex and 580ex.

If you can help me with lens choices or editing tips to avoid distorted images, I would appreciate advice. If I don't have something, I don't mind renting it.

I have been asked to shoot the interior of a house that a friend redecorated. She would like to use the photos in marketing her new business. Sounds like a fun challenge, but I want to avoid the ridiculous look of ultra wide angle shots on real estate listings.

I have an old Tamron SP AF 11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD that I used for fun ages ago with a Canon 20D (which I still have and is going strong), and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L. Oh, yeah, my kid's 18-55 kit lens.

Bodies I can use are all Canon: R6, Rebel T5i, and 20D. There are two Canon flash units too: 420ex and 580ex.

If you can help me with lens choices or editing tips to avoid distorted images, I would appreciate advice. If I don't have something, I don't mind renting it.

It's a hazy, hot, and humid summer, and I want to use my air conditioner to stay comfortable not cold. Is it possible to have dry indoor air in the summer without setting the temperature too low? Basically, I need to set the temperature on the thermostat to 70°F or less to keep the indoor air comfortably dry.

I live in a 1990s development house with a whole house heat pump. A single basic Honeywell programmable digital thermostat controls the system. There's just one zone for the entire house, and my settings are heat, cool, fan, and emergency heat (a big electric heating element in the handler in the basement).

Because of this arrangement, the system can put out some chilling temperatures as it tries to satisfy the sole thermostat located in a short hallway between the front door and the kitchen.

Is it possible, with the system I have, to obtain an indoor temperature of around 75-76°F and a low relative humidity (low enough to not feel sticky)?

I'm in the USA, and I thought I found the right company to design/build our home (a seemingly well-regarded passive house company), but they don't work in my area, and ghosted me when I asked for recommendations in my area.

How can I find a company or team that matches what I was looking for? Is there a place where I can post a "want ad" of sorts, or do I need to pore over images of houses I like, find the company that designed/built them, and reach out to them myself?

It's frustrating that a lot of the design principles and building techniques I like are either in the Pacific Northwest or New England. The mid-Atlantic region I'm in seems to be the exclusive territory of Ryan Homes.

When the company I like informed me that we're too far from their center of operations, I was simply told that I might check the Passive House Alliance, PHIUS, but their search tool is woefully inadequate for any serious research or vetting.

My mother's friend just told me that she has a 1986 560 SL in her garage. It was last driven two years ago, and it has been sitting with less than one-quarter tank of fuel. She says it has been attached to a battery tender.

I have not seen the car yet, but my mother has, and apparently, the car has been sitting with the top down, and it has become a "storage" area with all manner of things piled on it.

I was asked to revive it so she could enjoy a few last rides in it (not sure if she was kidding or not since she's over 70). I'm relatively handy around cars, but not a mechanic.

Can you all help me develop a checklist of things to do in order to bring it back to life for her? We can go from basic items like air in the tires (yes, this is in eastern USA, so not "tyres"), clear off all the junk piled on it to checking 560 SL specific items.

That's where I need the most help. I grew up with Audis, BMWs, and Jaguars. MB is new to me. Any and all advice is welcome. I just joined this group, so I will also be reading as many previous posts as I can.

Fingers crossed that we can get it running again!

I'm planning a new-build, and wondering which of these options is likely to be a better choice (Mid-Atlantic region of USA).

House (about 1600 sgft of living space) on slab with a detached garage (or maybe connected to the house) that is large enough for the usual garage stuff plus the usual basement stuff.

Or

House on basement with "normal" size garage.

This is likely where I will be living into old age, so thinking fewer stairs is better, but maybe the cost of a basement is more than a larger (or even detached) garage.

Happy to hear advice.

I'm studying for my Technician license, and I wanted to listen to communications in the background while I studied, so I picked up the ol' Baofeng UV-5R.

Not knowing what frequencies to use, I Googled something like "most active ham frequencies in my area." I got a handful, but, even with squelch at 1, I'm not getting anything on any of them. Are people really not talking? I'm not in a remote area.

I tried the FM feature, and I can hear stations on that, and I can pick up a NOAA broadcast, but no other traffic. Any suggestions? Does my radio know I don't have a license yet and won't let me listen until I pass my test? /s 😄

EDIT: Thanks, everyone, for the hints and kind words. A few things I've learned from the responses:

1. Activity isn't like when I was a kid in the 1970s and had a shortwave receiver that I slowly turned the dial on to hear all kinds of chatter.

2. Activity isn't like it was when I was a kid and we had CB radios.

3. My radio is indoors with the OEM antenna, and the whole house is between me and the nearest repeaters.

4. My house is covered in aluminum siding.

Looking forward to getting the license, an outdoor antenna, and finding you on the air someday!

Did Alexander from S3 E10, Plato's Stepchildren, ever reappear in any other Star Trek production? Kirk was kind enough to grant his wish to leave Platonius, but did we ever hear about him again?

Is it my imagination or is the air here actually hazy and golden from those Canadian wildfires?

How on Earth do you get every hair out of the bathroom? It seems like every time I think the shower stall or tub is clean, another hair appears. Kind of the same issue around the toilet and baseboards.

As a brand-new member of jetphotos, I am apparently limited to a maximum width of 1280 pixels. Of course, my images are much wider. What tool is best for reducing image size without losing quality that would cause a rejection for lack of sharpness or something like that?

Related question: What tool allows submitting photographers to make edits that would be acceptable to the reviewers?

A related related question: how much editing is too much editing, and how do I know?

Finally, should I even bother sending in a photo even if it seems to meet all the guidelines, but the weather was broken clouds (almost overcast), and the light was flat? I want to submit a photo of a taxiing business jet after a thunderstorm had passed by.