Dustbin Of History

No, not that one...I'm avoiding politics until after Labor Day!

While procrastinating at the DaveCave, I tried to coax my 2004 DVR to work with my 2011 Digital Cable feed. Actually, I was trying to get my 2011 LED TV to play nice with my CableCo's new (Mid-April) Digital feed. Since April, I've been getting four beautiful HDTV channels and the rest of the Basic Cable channels 16-71 in standard-def. Missing in action, channels 2-15...homes of both PBS Stations and my favorite Train Wreck News, "Good Day Sacramento"

I rescanned several times over the months, I even browbeat my ancient 2004 DVR into tuning in most of the basic cable channels and those HDTV local networks...I'm a taxpayer, how come PBS isn't one of the Must Carry Channels? I'll never understand our bureaucracies!

While the old machine would reliably tune channels when it was constantly on, it refused to play nice when making a Timer Recording...the most important DVR function for a Graveyard Groomer!

I pulled the cable from the DVR and ran it straight to the TV and voilà, we have ignition! Every channel right where it's supposed to be. Satisfied with my progress, I hooked up the ethernet cable between the TV and my router, and explored the Internet Apps, after I created an Account (on my own TV!)...

First up the TV Guide App. Verdict: Way clunky. I doesn't list every channel of my Basic Cable Service...worst of all it omits the CSNBayArea home of the SF Giants!

I tried the Showtime App...teasers only of "The Franchise" this season's sports/reality show subtitled "A Season With the San Francisco Giants"...I missed the final episode last week. (I'll catch up when I get back to the Ancestral Digs) There were a couple of dozen third-tier movies available for streaming, but I wasn't into any of them...I was on radio duty...

Today I looked everywhere for a cable splitter (Type F coax). Every darn one I own in in a Plano Box down at the Ancestral Digs along with my other DVRs and cabling. I kept hunting...I dug through every box, bucket, basket, and tool tray, the drawers of tables...everywhere. Just a bunch of dust...and a few forgotten treasures.

I found some ancient groomer swag that I forgot I even had. Manufacturer's belt buckles dating back to 1983.

DMC's 1983 4700 Groomer on a Pewter Buckle

This brushed stainless steel photo buckle was probably a 1984 model. It's the DMC 4700 again.

There's a New Sheriff in Town 1989?

I used to have an older Thiokol buckle of an original Allis Chalmers powered 3700 snowcat, but I don't know where it's hiding.

DMC's SS Buckle paid homage to the Stainless Steel body of the DeLorean luxury sedan made famous as Dr Brown's car with the Flux Capacitor that became Marty McFly's Time Traveling DeLorean in "Back to The Future" and it's sequels. I thought the buckles were kinda tacky back in the day, and now that the 25th Anniversary Blu-ray of Back to The Future is going on a year old, I still think it's tacky.

DMC's 4700 was a short lived project from DMC. DeLorean Motor Co bought the snowcat division from Thiokol in the early 80s. DMC engineers modernized the straight six 3700, dropping in a Caterpiller 3208 V8 turbo diesel, adding a muffler, and smoothing the bodywork.

The 4700 was the first shot in the High Horsepower Arms Race in grooming machines. DeLorean fell afoul of the Drug Enforcement Agency about the time the 4700 was going into full production and it never had a chance. I didn't care for the machine as a whole, but I recognized the value of horsepower to burn!

Every groomer I've ever known who's seen or driven the 4700 says the same thing: "They should have  painted it kelly green, it looked just like Kermit D Frog of Muppet fame"!