Venting!

[abell]

(Before reading know that I have six houses synced up to the show. So its 180 degree angle etc...)

Okay so I know I am supposed to have all this good holiday Christmassy cheer, BUT its so frustrating when I explain what this is. How it all works... and that its synced to music, then I see a few people who I talked to just drive through the cul-de-sac and not stop to watch or listen.

I had one guy say, "Its cool how all the lights shift from one to the other."
I replied, "Yeah, did you like how the lit to the beat of the song?"
"There's music?"
Yes, I have a sign that says listen to the lights...

There's a very large crowd out there still that doesn't know lights go beyond the static display we've had for the past 50 years.

Its frustrating just needed a place to vent.

[RJ]

Man I've been there. We had a truck come three nights in a row. One night while handing out candy canes they were going on about how they liked the lights and brought new people with them each night. so of course the next thing they asked was how long it takes to do it. I said it takes many hours per minute of music due to having over 400 channels.


you guessed it ....   "What Music" was the comment.

Now picture this....    in front of them about 80 ft is a giant led sign called a ledtriks "another one of my stupidier ideas!" and scrolling across it in 2 foot high words is "Welcome Tune to 86.3 FM to hear the music."  This had been on the total time all three nights.

Thats just one of the stories we have. Another good one was the lady that came every night and after a week or so asked how we redid the show every night? When mom told her it was the same show run by computer everynight she started gitting into it with mom that it was different every night she had come. so mom politely let it be and left.  LOL


RJ

[abell]

Thanks for sharing that, I am now smiling, knowing that I am not the only one.

[memphislights]

Friend doesn't have that problem.  Everyone kept on asking what station he was broadcasting on.  He has a sign though.  People just haven't figured out that if the sign is off, then the real program isn't running.

We had several people sit there while we were testing, running a simple fade sequence.

Apparently he also got a group of drunk sorority girls singing at his garage last night.  Go figure.

[Tigman009]

I had my good friends over the other night and we were sitting in the car watching my show.  After the third song his wife says "That's pretty weird, your lights are dancing to the radio station."  I kid you not.  Her husband looks at her and says, "you just now figured that out?" We all had a good laugh.

[wbuehler]

I have a sign as well. Lighted up with a flood light and when I am outside doing tests people will slow down and stare.
After a bit they drive on.  I would have thought that with the sign not being on that meant the show was not running.
I guess I need a new voice over for next year that I can run while we are doing tests.

But I am still glad that I am getting some visitors, it makes things worth it when you look out the window and see waiting cars. 

Bill

[kylec]

  I had one lady who could not grasp the concept of having my own FM transmitter.  She kept asking if I worked at the radio station, and "How do you know what song they are about to play so you can make the light synchronize to it?".

  I have also had a couple people tell me that they have pulled up and sat there for a few minutes and not heard anything on the radio.  I would say "thats weird, I haven't noticed any problems with it, when were you hear?"........."Oh, earlier this afternoon, probably around 11.".......

Kyle   

[Made2Rock]

The first thing I put up around Nov 1 was the megatree. All that was done was a vertical pole and ring around it near the ground. Both in PVC. My neighbors pulled out of there driveway and stopped and asked if I was builing a megatree. So now that it is all up and running I asked them what they thought of it and you know they made the comment how surprised they were that is went to the music.

Go figure

[rokkett]

Yeah, my people aren't really getting the radio/music connection either.  My son brought by a girl (to show off) and she said "cool"  Then I turned on the radio, she realized that the lights were synchronized to the music, she upgraded her comment to "really cool".

I had my brother in-law in the house, I was moving things around and unplugged the transmitter, so the radio went silent.  He wanted to go out to the car to see if it was still working out there.  I plugged it back in and unplugged it several times - he still didn't get that the transmitter was in my hands.  He still wants to know what how I know what the radio station is going to be playing and if they are mad that I am controlling the radio station.  I think he thinks I hacked in...

[blearning]

I have no complaints,

All my visitors are loving, caring, courteous, kind and generous all the time.  It is really like this all year long.  Almost too much to behold sometimes. 

One day a year we have it all out .. and get rid of all the anxiety and pent up emotions but the rest of the year.  Like a fairytale ...

[zwiller]

I am running into this as well.  My "tune to sign" is just a word doc taped to my front door, so I guess I deserve it (even though I can easily see it from the street).

I would really like to build a simple static LED sign but I am not finding much on the subject.  Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[bisquit476]

Quick how to on the sign I made;

Went to Home Depot, got a metal sign holder (kind used for 18x24 for sale signs, it's basically angle iron), got a piece of 18x24 plexiglass, an 18x24 piece of coroplast (white unlettered), a 10 foot piece of 1x2 firing strip, some sheetmetal screw's (3/4" long and 11/2" long), a can of spray paint made for plastic (in the color you want), and a roll of double sided tape. Printed on the computer the words and numbers you see in the sign (I used the font showcard gothic), cut them out, added the double sided tape (to the front side of the letters and numbers), cut out the letters and numbers again. Measured for even placement on the plexiglass, peeled of the backing from the double sided tape on the letters and numbers, and added them to the plexiglass. Spray painted over the plexiglass and letters (in my case it was red). Take the firing strip, cut four pieces (2 will be across the long side, drill pilot holes and install the short sheetmetal screw's through the metal frame. measure and cut for the 2 side pieces, I drilled a pilot down through the top pieces and up through the bottom pieces into the side pieces and then added the long sheetmetal screws). The short side of the 1x2 will be mounted to the frame.  I them drilled pilot holes in the 18x24 coroplast (9 rows by 11 rows, plus one extra) and added a 100ct mini light set. Then screwed  (with flat washers for added support) the coroplast into the back side of the firing strips at the corners and centers. Done. I don't recall exactly the cost as I purchased some of the items at different times for other projects.

[BryanV]

to help with this problem I also ran outdoor speakers which I hung in the tree closest to the road.  That way the "challenged" people should be able to hear the music.

[cmorda]

I was also very surprised that so few understood what I was doing.  I put up a sign made from rope light but it's just the frequency. 98.9 nothing else. My wife said people would not know what it meant. I disagreed... I was wrong as usual. My mother in law thought it was a bible verse. A friend thought it was our address then when I told her it was the radio frequency she needed to listen to she still thought it was for a local radio station. Then I explained the basics to her and she understood and really thought it was nice.

But not everybody doesn't get it. I was adding some items last night while the show was going when all of a sudden I noticed that I could hear the music. There was somebody in the street with their radio on. No explanation needed.

I guess I will have to make a better sign. But I was pretty proud of the one I made. It reminds me of Nixie tubes.

Picture is attached.

Chris

[zwiller]

Thanks for ideas.  "My mother in law thought it was a bible verse." LOL!

Really like the sign too.  Reminds me of neon. Which is kinda what I want to do.  Actually I want to a combo of yours and bisquit's.  I want a for sale sign with plywood insert painted with some rope lights/LEDs on it that say:
Tune in!
92.9

I am real thankful to all here who helped me put a show together this year as I started for 1st time in Nov. 

I am already of thinking of ideas for next year but I need a better sign this year, it will just have to be temporary as I have no time to the great projects you guys did.  Time to get busy.  I got for sale sign maybe add some vinyl letters and throw a couple for strands of minis around it for now.  Just hope nobody PARKS IN FRONT OF IT as I am in the city...  :-)