Send me a plan of your BH and surroundings that you want to protect and maybe I can think of something to prevent break ins.

Electric fencing is a good deterrent, which I use but it is easy to defeat to the knowledgable thief. I use 15Kv from a neon transformer, non lethal to humans with a strong heart but the fall could be. It also keeps the owls away. BTW it is also run from a UPS as the thief usually switches off the mains power at the meter.

I also have a small house for a caretaker but then these people can also be bought or defeated.

Currently the offer is a cash reward for any thief caught.

I am toying with the idea of a chemical spray that is activated by the intruder, the spray can be a dye that lasts for about 2 weeks or maybe pepper spray. It is easy to deploy outside the dog kennel or around the perimeter.

Razor wire is also a good deterrent but they are unsightly and cheaper types rust very quickly. Makes the BH look like Alcatraz.

I feel the same way as you but unfortunately the law does not see it the same way.

500watt inverter is too low as they usually over specify and may provide only 300watts ie 250v at 1.2amps approx. A computer UPS will deliver about 800watts but the battery is usually good for about 10 minutes.

A high voltage neon transformer does not draw that much current when it is not connected to any thief but will draw much more when shorting through a person so we want to make sure that it is enough to keep going.

Commercially available electric fencer chargers only give a shock about one every second whereas using a neon transformer, it is continuous !

I use a 1200 watt UPS with a 120AH lead acid cell to provide the power. It gives me about 2 hours of swiftlet sound or at least 1 hour of shocking power, nobody willing to test out how long it'll last.

Neon transformers are very simple and properly used are not particularly dangerous to humans, just extremely uncomfortable.

First there are several types of neon transformers and in this case those made in hongkong are the best. They are the simplest and do not contain electronic boosters that will easily burn out. They are also sealed with tar and therefore weather proof but very heavy. Electronic neon trans are very light and compact.

Neon transformer is basically a step up transformer converting 240 volts ac to 15000v ac. The input is current limited so the output is also current limited. Only difference between a normal step up trans and the neon trans is that it is centre tapped to earth so either output wire gives 7500v to earth but 15000v between the output wires.

So touching one wire will give a 7500v shock and both wires will give 15000v ac.

The output wires must be connected using special high tension wires as in motor ignition spark plug wires. These are kept about 12 inches apart to prevent shorting. The live wires are of course uninsulated wires, I use stainless steel wires, similar to that used for fishing tackle.

Routing the live wire is as you prefer but these must be insulated from post and fittings. I use empty coke bottles as insulating posts. The steel support post goes inside the bottle and the live wire is looped round the outside of the bottle.

The earth of the transformer must go to a steel or copper earth pole embedded into the ground about 10 ft deep and about 30ft apart all around or you can run a separate earth wire together with the live wires.

If the earth is not embedded into the ground, anyone touching one live wire will only get a very mild shock. Touching both live wires will of course give a full 15kv shock.

Little neon lamps can be connected all along the fence to give some visual warning. ( same as those in test pens)

The electric fence must be placed in an area where it is not easily shorted out with the use of a chain or wire. That is why electric fences are primarily used for animals !

I have my padlocks installed on the inside so it is nearly impossible to cut from the outside. Only problem is that you have to put your hand through a small hatch and if you drop the key, you better have the spare available. The hatch also has a padlock on the outside and a non key type lock which requires a tool to open, not difficult but just somethings to make life a little more difficult for the would be burglar. Making it too difficult will only make them break in with a cari makan. BTW the hatch only allows one hand to get through but with this I can easily install a booby trap that will trap the hand so the burglar can either remove the hand himself or wait for us to do it for him

The best idea is to prevent them from even getting close to the BH. Invisible Infra red fences, electric fences, CCTV, etc.

So SAD

Yes. Many cicaks, insects fried but the owls have had hot feet and not returned again.

Please email details to tuckfook@gmail.com

Thanks.

If the above is true then we as West Malaysians do not have any rights to the property.

Without legal rights, the caveat will be frivolous.

If the invest is to work out safe for West Malaysians, perhaps a company has to be incorporated with investors from West Malaysia as shareholders. The paid up capital has to reflect the whole development. Just thinking aloud !

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Added on May 26, 2011, 4:48 pm
Yes, all purchaser have to put their name in my company and caveat the name, for caveat of land" west Malaysian " are legal to do it.

Cheers...good questions

[/quote]


So investors become shareholders in your company and you remain CEO. Presumably shareholders have voting rights but legally the CEO owns the properties 100% as West Malaysians do not have the right of ownership of land(in Sarawak) and therefore property.

So, therefore any buyback guarantee that you offer may encounter legal problems unless the guarantee is made good in West Malaysia by some other means.

I'm not a corporate lawyer but I can see a long drawn and complicated legal mess.

btw anyone can put a caveat on any property but will the claim hold in court is another matter.

I'm not implying that this is a scam but that the legal aspect presents many problems for us in West Malaysia. In the event that the holding company fails, the shareholder will have no legal assets to fall back on, being West Malaysians.

Just my simple thoughts, no offence meant.

I say it's not the opening but the flight path.....

2 types of flight paths,

1 : external where the birds fly to and from their feeding grounds from their original homes.

2 : internal where the birds fly into and out of the BH, to and from their nesting areas.

Initial attraction of the birds require that we call them from as near as possible to their external flight paths as otherwise they might not be attracted by the caller. This criteria is getting less critical in areas where there is already a large population of birds from existing BHs.

Then when they circle the new BH, the internal flight path has to be conducive to the way the birds fly so that they will feel safe and secure. Bad flight paths within the BH will stop the birds from entering, eg. too many partitions or small turning radius. Later when there are young birds they might not be able to leave the BH being unable to navigate the BH.

That's what I was told and thought logical but have found that it makes no difference. We are about 5 deg, N

They go in the direction that the in/out hole leads them into.

Birds will fly against the direction of each other without colliding into each.

Big roving rooms allow them to fly in any direction comfortable but the small roving rooms will cause them discomfort, observing from their flight via cctv.

When they are used to the place, they zoom in and out without any hesitation but in complete darkness they will slow down considerably.

Before the birds get used to a new BH, conditions must be conducive for them to explore the BH. Believe it or not, they are actually afraid of very dark places. They will initially rest in areas where it is fairly bright but later on move to the darker areas to build their nest.

I used to have birds stay overnight clinging on to my external tweeters.



This post has been edited by tuckfook: Jun 1 2011, 09:07 PM

I have tried, and tried and tried again..........................same story. If I found the miracle potion I would charge 10% of your harvest, no need to sell for cash up front......I'll be waiting at harvest time and you'll be very happy to give me my commission too.

The problem is that so many people want things for free. They want to be spoon fed and have little to offer.

What is worse is that some even use other peoples' experiences and ideas and then call it their own.

I am all for the exchange of ideas and knowledge in this forum, to improve our industry but sometimes it gets very boring when so many ask to be fed.

To put an end to this aroma, mating potion, miracle attraction liquid,.........hopefully, the one and only best is so very easily available that it will make no sifu any extra cash. The birds make it all the time, the right conditions brews the aroma and it keeps the birds happily building nests in your BH. Of course with the best aroma if the birds have to tunnel through a US Navy Seal training course, then perhaps you are expecting too much.

Greed makes people blind, as said before many many times. There is no miracle product. Fortunately for some, there is a greedy sucker born every minute.

The same sounds have been circulating for many years and have been edited and re edited over and over again. Some of us know which passage of sound attracts the birds so how it is repeated or edited to fool the humans, it still attracts the birds. Granted that some sounds attract better than others but then again it is subjective, ie not universal, may not work in some areas. So it is better to try it out before parting with cash.

An experience from many years ago, I tried a sound from a renowned Sifu and it was fantastic at attracting birds. It made the birds dive towards the tweeters. So with great expectations, I used the sound in my BH and a month later I lost about 50% of the already small number of birds staying in my BH. On closer observation with the help of an experienced friend, the birds were indeed diving towards the external tweeters but turning away at the last moment. Fortunately I did not have to pay for the noise even though it was being sold for Rm300 but I unfortunately lost 6 months of progress in my BH.

So, be very careful with changing sounds, it can turn a successful BH into a bad statistic.

For any newby, trust your own observations. Look carefully at how the birds react to any sound. It takes time to observe but observe you must for there is none you can trust more then yourself.

For all those in Pulau Pinang, Seberang Perai, there is a meeting called by ASNI on Sunday, 12th. of June at Pearl View Hotel to discus about the 1 GP.

Yes, plastering should be done with a mix or portland cement and lime, lime at least 30%. This leaves the plaster porous and allows the wall to breathe. Some people plaster with 100% portland cement and that is certainly not porous except for the fine cracks that will develop.

Painting the walls with acrylic paints or most of the modern paints will effectively seal the wall and it will be dead.

Do not forget, plastering rough allows baby birds that have fallen off a chance to survive by climbing up.

What one does to the walls greatly depends on your situation. Insulation is required if your wall is constantly affected by heat. Breathable wall for areas with good ambient Rh% and cooler surroundings.

Of course if your wall is double layered with foam in between then it is already well insulated and does not breathe.

Marble is very similar to limestone, except it is highly compressed. Seemingly solid, it is relatively porous. That is why it will stain. Though highly polished, it is gradually dissolved by water and in time will become rough. I think a cicak will climb a sheet of marble quite easily, rats cannot.


This post has been edited by tuckfook: Jun 11 2011, 09:32 PM

See, Ayah Embong has done his own research.

A very Long time ago, builders used lime to beautify their walls as well as help maintain/preserve it's structure.

Modern construction using concrete does not require lime plaster and is often sealed with modern sealing paints.( or smoothened with acrylic plaster)

Ventilation holes are required as ventilation for the air inside, when necessary.

Semi porous walls allow the wall to transpire moisture and this process cools the wall.

Exactly my observation ! Mostly takers, hardly any givers.

Similarly with their participation in the Associations. Many want the benefit the associations give them but without having to fork out membership fees.

I hope that VET dept. will be able to enforce their requirement that each licensee will have to be a member of an existing association.

One consolation for me, I got to try several 'Aromas' for free, which has given me a greater understanding about the scent in a BH.

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Added on June 16, 2011, 1:29 pmHARVEST AFTER THE BROOD HAS FLOWN !


Join your local Association, don't let others do the work, spend the money and you reap the benefits. Support your local association and the members in return will help you in time of need.

I have been informed that Malacca local council is charging Rm 8 per sq. ft. as license fee for BHs in Heritage areas. Anyone, please confirm.

This post has been edited by tuckfook: Jun 16 2011, 01:38 PM

The Rm8 psf is for Malacca Heritage zones, I do not have the exact details. Anyone from Malacca please confirm.

Penang has not adopted the 1GP yet, proposed amount is not known.

Kedah is Rm0.50 psf first 3 years free?

Can anyone please fill in the blanks. ie all the other states.

Heard from the grapevine that the Chinese buyers are simply not out in force. Some Malaysian associations were in talks with their Chinese counterparts but nothing has been divulged, probably to their own advantage.