When I was a kid, we lived on a rural route in Canada. You had to purchase
your Rural Mail box through the post office. It was a big heavy brute. It
was designed on a 90 degree swivel. You installed it parallel to the road
when it was empty. For the mailman to fill it he had to turn it 90 degrees
so that he could open the door, it was now at right angles to the road, as
most mail boxes are now. It was easy to see from quite a long distance if
there was mail. When you removed the mail you would turn it back to parallel
with the road. If you had mail for pick up, you would leave it at right
angles to the road so the delivery guy knew to stop even if he had no mail.

Now they are all fixed base units the same as used in the US.


"Kurt Gavin" wrote in message
nk.net...
I'm talking about those standard roadside USPS boxes.

Mine's in front of the house and I'm wondering if there's a gadget that
can tell you by sight, or maybe electric trip switch, if there's something
in the box.

Thanks