u/gimlithepirate

Bought the PK31 from the prime day sale as my first projector.

For reference, I am big into 4k Blu-rays and have a 55” OLED tv. At one point I had a 65”, but between toddler projectiles and the challenge of getting it into our basement, bigger wasn’t happening.

Since we have a light controlled basement, I decided to give the PK31 a whirl. I’m going for minimum impact on my room, so it’s pointing at a 100” screen from a viewing distant of 10.5’. Puts it almost exactly at the THX reference size. I’m using a cheap freestanding screen off Amazon that is setup for viewings. Projector is mounted on a shelf on the wall behind the viewers. All in I’m at about 500$ for the projector setup.

But holy shit, this is a whole other viewing experience. The size with 4k detail is incredible. While you don’t have the inky blacks of an OLED, the PK31 does an excellent job with color. The other big piece on it is the 24fps mode. That really helps with panning shots and the like.

I was expecting more sacrifices to get to a projector. This was amazing, and kiddos are plotting their next movie night.

In terms of budget projectors, I really don’t think you can do better. Yes, you can get something better spending more money, but it’s going to be a good chunk more. I’m kind of disappointed that optoma seems to be discontinuing this thing.

My biggest complaint is the optics. At max size, the focus range is super narrow. The focus also shifts size, which can make dialing in the focus and such really hard. This is not a good projector if you can’t leave it setup.

Going to have some fun working my way through my library with this thing.

Was on the roof to clean gutters, and noticed this potential issue.

Roof is EPDM. Electrical service was upgraded since the las time the roof was replaced. Pipe in question is the riser for the electrical service to the home.

The rubber collar there over the joint is hanging on for dear life, and likely doing very little these days. what’s the best way to fix this? I’m tempted to just slap some caulk in there as that joint is pretty small, but usually I’d want some kind of tape or something first I think?

Main complicating factor is the pipe next to it is a hot pipe for natural gas exhaust.

Really dumb question. I’ve got a Diamond Quad Band antenna (CR8900), which is connected via a PL-259 or UHF connector. Antenna mount goes through a metal hole mount on an offroad bumper.

Do I need an insulating washer between the antenna and the metal mount? I cannot figure out if the outside base is the ground plane, or part of the radiating antenna.

I still need to get my Nano-VNA out and tune this guy, but wanted to make sure I wasn’t being completely stupid here.

Any suggestions for Dog boarding? We‘ve been using Camp Bowwow as that format works well for our goofus, but they just increased their price to 58/night. I realize that may just be the cost of care now, but figured it was worth looking.

Pic is the dog tax.