Which aint bad for a little blog that's not updated regularly, doesn't run pr0n, and really doesn't have much to say.
Spent all day on the Iowa finishing up the three W-J 8718A receivers we have.
Next week we'll run some tests on them to determine if they all meet the sensitivity specs, and if they do, we'll call it a wrap.
*Most* of the 1051 receivers are working, but about half of them need the belts that connect the tuning mechanisms to the front panel knobs replaced.
We were able to contact the company that makes the drive belts, and they graciously provided us with enough spares to replace all the belts in all the receivers (we have something like 20 of them), along with some extra spares for the parts cabinet.
Now that we have the W-J 8718A's back on-line, my focus is going to shift to getting the original HF transmitters running again.
The first step will be to physically inspect each one to see if any parts or assemblies have been pulled, and "red tag" any we find that have had parts removed.
Then we'll pick a likely one that's easy to get at, and start running the "New Installation" guide in the back of the manual we have.
These are rated at 1000 Watts continuous (100% Duty Cycle) use, and could put out quite a bit more with a different power supply.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Busy, Busy, Busy!
Between the Honey Dew list, my time on the Iowa, and doing some "emergency" repairs on PC's for friends, I've been keeping pretty busy these days.
The last of the suspension parts came in for my Supra (new springs! I'm dropping the front 1.5" and the rear .75"), so I'm planning on getting started on her Real Soon Now.
Finished up rebuilding a PC I'll be taking down to the Iowa so we can do computer-based logging on, and that should help keep the records straight.
We're making several hundred contacts per week, and it was getting to be a chore filling out all the cards an envelopes for QSL cards.
AND........Friday was kind of a bummer for my wife and I. I gave one of her best friends a ride to and from the hospital for her colonoscopy, and she's got a major problem. She has an ulcer "the size of a nickle", and the Doctor who did the procedure is already talking chemo and radiation, so she and my wife are rather distraught.
She won't know for sure until the biopsy results come back, so we've got our fingers and toes crossed.
The last of the suspension parts came in for my Supra (new springs! I'm dropping the front 1.5" and the rear .75"), so I'm planning on getting started on her Real Soon Now.
Finished up rebuilding a PC I'll be taking down to the Iowa so we can do computer-based logging on, and that should help keep the records straight.
We're making several hundred contacts per week, and it was getting to be a chore filling out all the cards an envelopes for QSL cards.
AND........Friday was kind of a bummer for my wife and I. I gave one of her best friends a ride to and from the hospital for her colonoscopy, and she's got a major problem. She has an ulcer "the size of a nickle", and the Doctor who did the procedure is already talking chemo and radiation, so she and my wife are rather distraught.
She won't know for sure until the biopsy results come back, so we've got our fingers and toes crossed.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
"Failure To Fire" Is Going Offline
One of the more, uh...."interesting" webcomics has published it's final episode today.
Yep, "Failure To Fire" is going dark.
The author might do a few "afterword" comics, but for the most part he's decided to close up shop and get on with his other projects, and life in general.
I don't remember when I first started reading "Failure To Fire", but it sure was a fun ride while it lasted.
Yep, "Failure To Fire" is going dark.
The author might do a few "afterword" comics, but for the most part he's decided to close up shop and get on with his other projects, and life in general.
I don't remember when I first started reading "Failure To Fire", but it sure was a fun ride while it lasted.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
NRA Basic Pistol Class AAR
Well, we taught another 14 people the NRA Basic Pistol class yesterday.
We started with 15, but one young lady vanished after about an hour. She's an LPN, so we figured maybe she was called in to work or something.
As usual, we had quite a wide variety of people, from Patent Attorneys to web designers, to a retired Navy Officer who brought her son with her.
Some of the students had prior shooting experience and were taking the class to improve their skills, while others had never handled a gun before.
They were all very interested, followed directions well, and we had no safety or firearms handling issues at all.
After the classroom session was over, we headed out to the range to let the students get some hands-on practice.
The basic format of this is to fire 20 rounds at a blank sheet of 8-1/2x10 paper, then 20 rounds at a target, and then 10 rounds at a fresh target for scoring.
The blank paper is used so we can get a feel for the students handle the gun, and correct any errors they might have with stance, grip, and sighting in. I always tell them to try and hit the center of the paper, and then use you first hole as a target and try to get the rest of the rounds "in the same hole", or if you're really off, then try and get your next shot closer to the center.
We had one little Ruger Mark-II malfunction (magazine wouldn't go in), and some ammo problems, mostly failure-to-feeds. The lead instructor told me the Mark-II's are a bit finicky about what ammo works in them, and with 22LR still being a bit scarce, we just try and live with it.
We also saw a bunch of stove-pipes which I assumed was from limp wristing, but after instructing the student who was having the problem to grip the pistol tighter, the problem lessened.
The 20 rounds on a target went well, with ALL of the students shooting 100% in the black target area, and a several getting 100% in the orange bull's eye!
Te retired Navy Officer had some problems with her stance (she was shooting her own pistol, a Taurus clone of a Beretta 92), and once I corrected her, she came right on target.
The 10 rounds on target was a bit different, as the students felt some "pressure" for being in competition.
Two scored 100%, so we had a 3 round shoot-off, with one young lady getting 100%, and the guy she was up against getting two in the orange, and one on the edge.
All-in-all, it was a great day, and we trained 14 more people in the proper handling and the basics of shooting.
We started with 15, but one young lady vanished after about an hour. She's an LPN, so we figured maybe she was called in to work or something.
As usual, we had quite a wide variety of people, from Patent Attorneys to web designers, to a retired Navy Officer who brought her son with her.
Some of the students had prior shooting experience and were taking the class to improve their skills, while others had never handled a gun before.
They were all very interested, followed directions well, and we had no safety or firearms handling issues at all.
After the classroom session was over, we headed out to the range to let the students get some hands-on practice.
The basic format of this is to fire 20 rounds at a blank sheet of 8-1/2x10 paper, then 20 rounds at a target, and then 10 rounds at a fresh target for scoring.
The blank paper is used so we can get a feel for the students handle the gun, and correct any errors they might have with stance, grip, and sighting in. I always tell them to try and hit the center of the paper, and then use you first hole as a target and try to get the rest of the rounds "in the same hole", or if you're really off, then try and get your next shot closer to the center.
We had one little Ruger Mark-II malfunction (magazine wouldn't go in), and some ammo problems, mostly failure-to-feeds. The lead instructor told me the Mark-II's are a bit finicky about what ammo works in them, and with 22LR still being a bit scarce, we just try and live with it.
We also saw a bunch of stove-pipes which I assumed was from limp wristing, but after instructing the student who was having the problem to grip the pistol tighter, the problem lessened.
The 20 rounds on a target went well, with ALL of the students shooting 100% in the black target area, and a several getting 100% in the orange bull's eye!
Te retired Navy Officer had some problems with her stance (she was shooting her own pistol, a Taurus clone of a Beretta 92), and once I corrected her, she came right on target.
The 10 rounds on target was a bit different, as the students felt some "pressure" for being in competition.
Two scored 100%, so we had a 3 round shoot-off, with one young lady getting 100%, and the guy she was up against getting two in the orange, and one on the edge.
All-in-all, it was a great day, and we trained 14 more people in the proper handling and the basics of shooting.
Friday, October 3, 2014
"An OBLIGATION To Defend Ourselves"
Latest from Bill Whittle.
He says the title of this post at 3:03 into the video.
I'm going to assist with another "NRA Basic Pistol" class tomorrow.
Hopefully it goes as well as the last one I helped with.
He says the title of this post at 3:03 into the video.
I'm going to assist with another "NRA Basic Pistol" class tomorrow.
Hopefully it goes as well as the last one I helped with.
Coming Soon To A City Near YOU!
Enough said.......
When I got my flu shot yesterday I asked if it also protected against Ebola.
Half the staff busted up, and the other half didn't know what to make of it.
When I got my flu shot yesterday I asked if it also protected against Ebola.
Half the staff busted up, and the other half didn't know what to make of it.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
James May at the Edge of Space
"Top Gear" (the English one, not that poseur American version) is one of my favorite TV programs.
One of the presenters, James May, is an avid Space enthusiast.
He did a spectacular show a few years ago on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings.
He's also one of the few civilians to get a ride on the trainer version of the U2 aircraft, and did a film about it.
It's quite entertaining in a low-key sort of way, and I found it quite enjoyable to watch.
These days, 70,000 feet isn't considered the "Edge of Space", but he also explains that.
Enjoy!
One of the presenters, James May, is an avid Space enthusiast.
He did a spectacular show a few years ago on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings.
He's also one of the few civilians to get a ride on the trainer version of the U2 aircraft, and did a film about it.
It's quite entertaining in a low-key sort of way, and I found it quite enjoyable to watch.
These days, 70,000 feet isn't considered the "Edge of Space", but he also explains that.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Knives
I've almost always carried some kind of knife. I'm not a knife aficionado or anything, but in all the jobs I've worked at, having a decent knife, in your pocket, has come in handy more times than I can count.
I really like my Benchmade knives, but sadly they need to be sent back to sharpen, as I just can't seem to put a decent edge on them.
Something else I need to learn!
My second most recent purchase was a Gerber. A nice, sharp knife with a "Tanto" blade, but I just HATE that damn stupid mechanism they have on it to fold the blade back in. It takes both hands for a clumsy doofus like me to fold the blade back, and that's just unacceptable for me.
So, I recently purchased a nice little SOG knife. It has assisted opening, and a release button like my Benchmade knives, so I can easily fold it back when I finished using it.
It's one of the "Rescue" knives, with a blunt tip, perfect for sawing through seat belts and such without putting a 22 stitch wound in the person you're trying to save!
And I've also got some serious "Survival" knives that I keep "just in case", and a sweet little Cold Steel tomahawk, just in case the Zombies show up.
So what brings me to talk about knives?
This hilarious post over at Tam's place.
Genius that woman is!
I really like my Benchmade knives, but sadly they need to be sent back to sharpen, as I just can't seem to put a decent edge on them.
Something else I need to learn!
My second most recent purchase was a Gerber. A nice, sharp knife with a "Tanto" blade, but I just HATE that damn stupid mechanism they have on it to fold the blade back in. It takes both hands for a clumsy doofus like me to fold the blade back, and that's just unacceptable for me.
So, I recently purchased a nice little SOG knife. It has assisted opening, and a release button like my Benchmade knives, so I can easily fold it back when I finished using it.
It's one of the "Rescue" knives, with a blunt tip, perfect for sawing through seat belts and such without putting a 22 stitch wound in the person you're trying to save!
And I've also got some serious "Survival" knives that I keep "just in case", and a sweet little Cold Steel tomahawk, just in case the Zombies show up.
So what brings me to talk about knives?
This hilarious post over at Tam's place.
Genius that woman is!
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