Discharged From Home Care!

 The home care Nurse was here this morning for my "Final Exam" and discharge. I'm ahead of what The Numbers say in terms of repetitions for my exercises, and in the "Timed Events", like standing/sitting so many times in 30 seconds, various balance tests, and some cognitive tests. So it's another hurdle passed, even though I still have some weakness in my right leg.

All the bits and pieces to install the drip irrigation system in the front garden arrived today, so I can get started once I figure out how to neatly plumb it in to the faucet. I bought a solar-powered timer for it, but seeing as that requires you to leave the faucet open, and considering my record of making leak-free garden hose connections, I think I'll pass on it.

And there's some more rain coming in, but as usual, I think the heavy rains will miss us.

Beautiful Day!

 78*, sunny, light breezes, what a wonderful day. The apple tree picture is from before all the rain started, which knocked all the petals off. It was already starting to drop them when I finally grabbed a picture of it.

They don't seem to be particularly fragrant, and nowhere near what the lilac and lavender are, which you can smell all over the front and side yards when they're blooming.

 And being such a beautious day, my son and I went to the NOCO Record Show at one of the local breweries to see what's out there in new and used vinyl.

Also found out we have some really good record stores here that charge fair prices, and carry re-releases along with used records.

So, I bought a few. It's a good thing I had limited ca$h with me, or I would have come home with a truckload. Ca$h was King, resulted in discounted prices and some fun haggling, and no receipts.

The Foreigner 4 and Bob Seeger albums are used, but very close to "pristine". No visible scratches or scuffs, and play great. The King Crimson album is scratched and scuffed on both sides, and one of the tracks I like has a big, nasty scratch through it. I should have pulled it out to inspect it, but it was sealed, so I didn't open it. Caveat Emptor! The two albums peeking out from behind Foreigner and KC are two new re-releases from the Eagles, pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl. One says "Made in the Netherlands", and the other just says "Made in the EU".

So vinyl has quite a strong following here, both as used items (Caveat Emptor!) and as new releases. I was talking to the young guy who was the DJ, and noticed he was using Technics SL-1200 turntables. I commented I had an SL-1210 MK5, and he about wet his pants. Yes, it's that good a turntable, and damn near unbreakable. Several people noticed the tee-shirt I was wearing and asked about Reel-To-Reel machines. Pretty soon I was talking to several of them, and while many have considered a Reel-To-Reel deck, the lack of anybody around here willing to work on them makes them a bit gun-shy. So I might hear back from one of them, I might not.

And I've gathered up all the bits and pieces to install SLW's drip irrigation system for her front garden area. Made a crude (for me) sketch of where the 1/2" Main Line will run, and how much I'll need, and counted plants. After that it gelled, I realized I'd need a whole bunch more stuff than came in the "Starter Kit" I bought last year. Took about another $175 @ Home Depot to square that away. Parts should be here (FREE Delivery!) by Wednesday. Now that I know all the bits and pieces that make up a system, it should be easy install. I ordered enough "extra" stuff so that SLW can expand it with parts-on-hand, while leaving plenty of spares. The stuff is plastic. It ages, gets brittle, and breaks. Better to have the stuff in stock to fix it immediately. I'll also have to fab a blow-out adapter so I can winterize the system, but that's easy-peasy. I even splurged and bought the solar-powered, programmable timer to control the water coming out of that spigot.

SLW has a history of turning on the water and forgetting about it.......

Discharged From PT!

 YAY! The PT gal was here today for the last time, and she said I was doing very well. Passed my "Final Exam", and she told me (again) that I was doing better than I felt I was, and to just keep doing the exercises "As Needed" to help strengthen the muscles in my right leg.

Next week the nurse will come by to check some things, and then my PT/OT In-Home Therapy is finished.

Picked up another1/2" of rain overnight and today. The new grass we planted in the backyard hasn't come up yet. I think we need some warmer weather, and then it should pop up out of the new dirt we covered it with.

The speaker project is rolling along nicely. I rebuilt the crossovers after deciding I just didn't like the circuit board I bought to build them on. Even though it's sold as a "Universal Two-Way Crossover Board" it still required some modification, and the parts weren't held down. So I rebuilt them as separate crossovers, one for the woofers, and one for the tweeters. It just looks neater, and will be easier to mount them in the speaker cabinet. I still have to "foam" the inside of the enclosures with some of this stuff to deaden any internal reflections. Then I have to wire them, mount the crossovers, check things again, and glue/screw the remaining cabinet side on. Then off to the garage to sand, fill, and paint them.

Rainy Days, Up Days, and Down Days

 Still getting some showers and sprinkles. The new rain gauge indicates a bit over 3", while the one on the weather station indicates about half that. It might be the software I'm using to log the wx data, so I'll have top address that. The little PC it's running on is running an out-of-date version of Ubuntu, my screw up as I wasn't watching for updates, and missed the chance to update it to a newer version. SO......I'll have to nuke the drive on it, and do a clean installation of a current version. This will also allow me to update the software package for the weather station to a much newer, easier to use version. I'm also going to fill the new rain gauge to a known amount, and dump it into the rain bucket on the weather station. I'll check the station's console to see if it reports the correct amount, and that will confirm if the problem is the weather station hardware, or the software I'm running. Just don't feel like dragging a ladder out in the rain, and climbing up to pour the water into the collector. I don't think SLW would want me out there in the rain, teetering on a ladder, either!

Yesterday (Mother's Day) was a Good Day. We had the kids, grandkids, and my son over for dinner, some game playing, some Lego building, and a nice, warm fire in the fireplace. Drives the chill out of the house, and when it's 45* and raining, it gets chilly here. But, after chasing kids around all day, crawling around on the floor to load the fireplace and light it, and going up and down the stairs numerous times, I'm paying for it today.

Yes, today is NOT a Good Day. It's a crummy day; rainy, overcast, and only about 50*. And my right leg is screaming at me. Well, not actually screaming, but more like "Hey, Blockhead! You're not even 7 weeks out of surgery. Knock. It. Off.....!" Two Ibuprofen should calm things down, but it was a chore to get up today, stumble around in the shower, swap out the day/night bags for the catheter, get dressed, and get down the stairs. DEFINITELY a "Plateau Day" in my healing, and hopefully tomorrow will be not so trying.

Or so we hope......

Definitely Spring!

 Grass has greened up, the trees are leafing out, and TLG put his little "Fairy garden" back together today. It's the first time he's been here since The Great Hip Incident.

Hope you have a Happy and Blessed Sunday, and remember to be thankful for the little things....like a child's laugh.,....

Rain....and Lots of It

 Heard on the radio this is the most rain in a single storm we've had in 2 years. It's been a pretty steady, but mostly light, drizzle for 24 hours now. My Davis weather station shows about 1/2" of rain, but my new rain gauge shows over an inch.....hmmmm...gotta figure out the discrepancy there!

But the yard is greening up nicely, and we had just finished scratching up, re-seeding, and putting an inch of dirt on all the bare spots in the backyard. Hopefully the new grass will come in and choke out the weeds. We used some Scott's grass seed, as it works really well here, and judging from the areas I did a couple of years ago, it seems pretty tough. These yards were originally sodded, and you'd think the local sods farms would have something especially suited for here, BUT...it's a business, and they'd probably consider that a "premium" product. I wanted to use Buffalo Grass, something native to this area and very stout, but the seed is hard to get, and I missed the window to order some from this year's crop.

The hip continues to improve, but I'm at another plateau, and it can bum me out at times. Stairs and getting down on / up from the floor are the current hurdles.

Two Months Not Smoking

 I'm still using a little "e-Cigarette" thing for a nicotine dose when I need it, but my sinuses have cleared up, my allergies are noticeably diminished, and I don't cough and hack all the time.

Yes, the jury is still out over the long-term effects of "vaping", but at least I'm not inhaling smoke, tar, and various other toxic cruddies.

The hip has quieted down quite a bit, along with the knee, and I'm pretty mobile once I'm up and moving. I was even crawling around on the floor a bit yesterday to get some cables neatened up and in place so I could roll a filing cabinet back to where it belongs. SLW was there spotting me, and it took a bit to get up off the floor, but it was doable. I'm still working on the stairs, and it's getting easier, but some of my muscles still squawk when I go up. Going down is no problem other than I still hesitate to take the first step.

The crab apple tree in the back yard exploded in bloom today, so I'll grab some pix when the light hits it right. The maple tree has leafed out, flowers are blooming, and it's time to get the deep-watering feeder spikes out so I can feed the trees and a few other plants that respond very well to a late Spring feeding. And then there's the drip system to install, some cable access holes to be drilled so I can pull a couple of cables into the basement, and I *still* have some big ash logs to cut and split. Should easily be enough wood for two more winters when that gets cut, split, and racked. They've been outside "seasoning" for a couple of years, but they're up off the ground, and they were covered. I know, watch out for nasty insects, and wear good gloves when I work on it.

The speaker project is going full-bore again after being stalled a few days waiting for some materials to arrive.  I didn't have any "Right Size" wire for inside the enclosures, and all my sound deadening foam was used up on something else, so those items had to be ordered. Finished building the cross-over networks, and might have the enclosures  ready to go back upstairs this week so I can get them out in the garage to sand, fill, and paint.

Still only running about 75~80% of what I was before the Great Hip Breakage, not to mention wearing a Foley catheter. I go in next week to get it swapped out while I await an open OR for the Cystoscopic Examination. I have a pre-op session a few days before during which we'll go over the procedure, and the various options for "While You're In There". This is listed as a more of an exploratory procedure, but I'd like to know his options if he finds anything correctable at the time.

And yes, I'm itching to get back in this thing and go CRUISE!

WHOOPIE!! Went For A Drive Today!

 It's the little things that count, like being able to get in and out of my truck and drive it comfortably.

Which I did today, and even had SLW stamp my Medical Certificate as "OK To Drive".

Had my next-to-the-last visit from the PT gal today, and she's very happy with my progress. The Visiting Nurse will make her last call later this week for her Medical Evaluation, and I expect to be released from their care in the next week.

Hey, I got stuff to do!

And while you're at it, swing by "Bustednuckles" and drop a little cheer in Phil's bucket. He's having some med issues, too, and needs a bit of cheer.

Or maybe a double bourbon.....

Something my son posted on my Fakebook page:

Keeping Busy While Healing.....

Is important, at least to me. Just getting back to my regular activities, like hanging out in the garage and listening to the radio felt good, and now that I'm mobile enough to readily get up and down the basement stairs, I've been tinkering away down there. I keep walking away from my hiking staff without missing it, so I guess that's a good sign, too. 

I'm not quite ready to start wrestling 40+ pound audio/radio gear around, but this is a great time to catch up on smaller projects, like the speaker kit I received right before The Great Hip Incident. It's also a time to look at how other customers put their kits together and get some ideas on how to do it solidly.

So let's get started!

The front baffle and one of the side panels go together first:

This first step is important, as you need to get the two panels square, and lined up:

Then the top and bottom panels go together:

Glued AND screwed together:

 Add a few more pieces, and the cabinets are almost glued together:

And I get some of the light weight items put back on the shelves:

And we just got back from my follow-up visit with the Orthopedic Surgeon. He said it was an easy surgery, and things went together in a "text book" fashion. I'm now cleared to drive, and be by myself for extended periods. And next week they might give me sharp utensils.....!

Well, That Didin't Work As Planned.....

 Wednesday was OK after the cat came out, but still no acceptable results. After moping around Thursday, and getting up every 60~90 minutes Thursday night, I called the Urology office and went in.

I was up to about 750mL, well over my "Fill Line", so they put a new catheter in, and what a difference! Since I'm in the Urology Clinic, they're much more familiar with the finer points of doing this, as in the size of the cat (one size does NOT fit all!), the different materials they're made from, and how to insert it. You'd think the Hospital and the Rehab Facility would be a bit more on top of this, but I'm sure they have their own reasons for doing things they was they do.

I also got fitted and instructed on a myriad of things like collection bags, securing the line (SAILOR! Belay That Line!), etc, but that's all too arcane to go into.

So, we're back to where we were as far as that issue goes. Meanwhile, the hip continues to improve and strengthen, and the pain is tolerable with a minimum of medication.

Battlespace Report For the Week - We're stalled on the "Retention Front" until reinforcements arrive, and we continue to make significant gains in "Operation Right Hip".

Cystoscopy Procedure A Scrub for Today

 But I did have the catheter removed, and that's a relief. After discussing the procedure with the Doctor who will perform it, we both agreed it would be better to have me completely out. They were prepared today for the "Bite-A-Bullet" version, but it'll take a week or so to get everything scheduled. This also allows things to proceed at a more relaxed pace for the Doctor, and he can collect the samples he needs, and document anything else that's abnormal. And then we'll go from there. He said he saw nothing in the Cytology report or the CT scans to cause any concern, and considering this only got "bad" in the hospital, he sees no hurry to rush. The Cytology report noted some "Atypical Cells", so this exam will help determine what they are, and where they're coming from.

And I haven't used the walker in over two days, and man, I'm feeling it. I never knew I had muscles in the some of these areas!

Boy, I Sure Left Myself A Mess.....

 I had just started a(nother) new project the day I fell and fractured my right femur, a kit to build two "better" speakers for the workshop stereo. I had to move both my equipment racks. One was also turned 90* to make better use of the floor space. That meant taking everything off the racks, and stacking it "someplace" until I got the racks moved. That was actually going to be Saturday's project until I got side-swiped by an errant extension cord, bringing all my activities to a screeching halt.

 

 And the errant extension cord was Terminated With Extreme Prejudice. It's replacement is awaiting assignment.

Today was a beautiful day, and the PT gal and I went for a stroll using just the cane. Down the driveway, across the street, and back down and around the cul-de-sac until we got back here. Almost 1800 steps per her device. I mentioned I'd been going down to the basement to see how much work it was going to need to get it back on-line, and doing a few minor things, and she said it was good to get back doing my regular routine, and she saw no problem with it as long as I was careful and had the cane with me. A few steps around the kitchen counters sans cane was also said to be a Good Thing.

SLW and I stopped at my Primary Doctor's practice and I had blood drawn to check on hemoglobin and red cell production. I keep hearing about blood-loss during hip operations, and it looks like it's more than I thought. I'll save that one for my Orthopedic follow-up.

Wednesday is the appointment with the Grand Inquisitor Urologist. I'm hoping they can figure out what's been going on, and treat it. Gets pretty irksome dragging all the plumbing around.

Carry On.........

Small Steps.....

 Overdid it a bit the other day using my Hiking Staff, and I'm paying for it today. No damage to anything, just really sore muscles in places I didn't know I had!

I'm doing stairs very well, as long as I remember to start down a flight with the bad leg, and come up a flight starting with the good leg. And take ONE step at a time. I just can't quite do it "normally" yet, and I'm working those muscles more with my exercises.

Had a great Virtual Visit with my Primary Care Provider. and she pretty much cleared me on any Bad Things that might have showed up in the various CT scans, MRI's, and X-rays I've had over the past month. NO signs of anything suspicious, strange growths, masses, or anything else. The "abnormal" things I saw mentioned are normal signs of aging. Throughout our whole conversation I kept mentioning the hip repair was "A non-issue", and "no big deal", to which her eyes popped open and said said "Well, a broken femur IS a "big deal", and can have serious complications". I agreed, and back pedaled a bit to say the pain and pain management were no big deal, and the PT was proceeding very well, and the other issues I was having weighed more on me than the femur. And it could have been much worse, requiring a total hip replacement, and not just some hardware.

The care I received at Poudre Valley Hospital was excellent. The food was pretty so-so and bland, but the staff was great, and I enjoyed talking with them. Same for the post-op care I received at the Centre Avenue Health and Rehab Facility. The food was much better, though, and the daily specials for lunch and dinner were outta-the-park. And they had ice cream! The staff was great, and the PT/OT people I worked with were a hoot. We were always cracking each other up, and one of the young ladies is a Monty Python fan, so we were throwing bits of dialog back and forth. She'd never heard of "Fawlty Towers", so I clued her in on it, and I'm sure she'll like it.

Next major thing is next Thursday when I have the follow-up with the urologist, and then again on the 37th when I have my follow-up with the Orthopedic Doctor. In the meantime, I'll just continue on with the Daily Slog of walker, exercise, cane, exercises, and dragging around all the plumbing hardware associated with having a Foley inserted.

Hope y'all have a Peaceful and Blessed weekend, and keep on rockin' on.

Onward, Through The Fog! (attributed to Oat Willie)

Transisition From Walker To Cane

 Or "Hiking Staff", if you prefer. The PT gal watched me do some more movement and checks for flexibility, and said "Let's try your walking stick". Had to learn a few tips, but I was up and cruising around in no time. She said I'm not limping, my balance is good, and I'm cleared for using the stick around the house for now.

My virtual (Zoom) appointment with my Primary Provider is today, and I'm sure she'll have a few things to add, and test results to go over. I seem to be making good progress, but I'll let the experts worry over what level I'm at, and where I should be headed.

Beautiful day today, so SLW and I might make the trip down the driveway to the sidewalk a few times just to get some movement out in the Real World.

Oh....and Beans....My Cystoscopy  will be done under anesthesia, similar to what they done for a colonoscopy.

Thank heaven for small favors......

He is Risen

 Interesting (or Ironic) that my recent injury happened at this time of the year. Had some time on my hands, and did some introspection. Every bit of pain I experienced was nothing compared to what He suffered. And it led me to a much more profound understanding of Christ The Man.

So what else have I been doing thee last few days? Well, I'm itching to get back in the workshop, even if SLW has to be my "Assistant". The desire to get back down there comes from what I had just started, a pair of Speaker Cabinets with all the stuffin's!

A pair of TriTrix MTM/TL speakers from Parts Express. Pix courtesy of Parts Express.

I'd been mulling over getting different speakers for the Shop Stereo since I upgraded to the Pioneer SX-980. Next step is an SX-1080, and then ultimately an SX-1280. The SX-1980 is considered the Holy Grail of the Silver SX Pioneer series, but there's NO WAY I'm paying the ask for one of those.

The first set of speakers I built were the "HitMaker" bookshelf speakers, also from Parts Express.

These were "Okay" speakers, and can get unpleasantly LOUD when driven with just 7~8 Watts. They're also sensitive to being off-axis to you, as the highs from the tweeter, already too "bright", get very harsh if you go more than 12~15* off-axis of the tweeter. Makes them very sensitive to room placement. They're best being at ear level, and no more than a few feet away. Great for listening to some Sinatra while tinkering away on some intricate little mechanism for Q-Section.

And since I want to understand these things called "Loud Speakers", I have to get a better grasp on things like "Crossovers", and "Speaker Drivers". and the merits of different "Enclosure Designs". The first set was just a "Tuned Port" or "Bass Reflex" enclosure, while these new kits are of a "Transmission Line" enclosure design.

The assembly of the knocked down enclosures is very straightforward, and the CNC cut pieces fit snugly.

Should be a nice project.

A Whirlwind of Activity Engulfs Me....

Yesterday morning I had my Urology appointment so we can get to the bottom of this Urinary Retention issue I've been having. We went through all the urology stuff, my history, etc, etc, etc. He wants to leave the catheter in place until my next follow-up in a week, at which point they'll pull the cat, do a Cystoscopy, and then a urinary retention test. Doesn't sound like fun, at all....

  Yesterday afternoon we met with the in-home nursing care "Intake Nurse", who did all the usual nurse things, talked to me for a while for "Cognitive Ability", did a an evaluation on things like balance and Range-of-Motion, and had us sign a couple of documents. The nurse will stop in once a week to check up on me and do nurse things, and report the readings to The Doctors.

This morning we met with the PT/OT coordinator who did PT/OT evaluations, watched me maneuver around the house, and other PT/OT things. Then it was back to the hospital this afternoon to have a CT scan of my "Regions Down There". That went quite well, and the results came in about 90 minutes after the procedure. The verdict? Well there's bunch of terms I had to look up and grasp, but the gist is NO suspicious masses or cysts in the bladder, prostate, kidneys, and associated plumbing. Pancreas and Adrenals were "Negative", along with Lymph nodes and other structures. SLW, who went through this with her first husband (RIP, sir), knew most of the terms, and was whooping up and down saying "No Cancer!". So I guess I might be "clear", but I'll wait until the next appointment when I can discuss this with a Doctor. I have a Virtual Visit with my Primary Care Provider next week, and I'm sure we'll be cracking jokes back and forth while we discuss all the findings so far.

So, in the mean time I'll keep doing the exercises, taking some new meds, and drinking LOTS of extra water and a 50/50 mix of H2O and Gatorade.

Oh......here's the installed hardware:

 

Hope y'all have a good weekend, and a Holy Easter Sunday.

Back Home!

 And I have almost 1000 emails to sort through.....DUH!

No problem getting in and out of SLW's car, and up the driveway into the house. The half-flight of stairs from that level to the main level is also no problem. Even made a cup of coffee unassisted.

 Getting from the lowest (Den/laundry/garage) level to the Main Level (Living, Dining/kitchen/sunroom)is easy, as it's only 5 steps. Going up to the top floor isn't bad, either. I did very well going up and down stairs, once they taught me a few things. And I have a walker up there, specifically for upstairs use.

Have not tried to go down in the basement yet, as SLW would most likely get quite nervous. Probably this weekend. Our Visiting Nurse comes by tomorrow afternoon for a meet-and-greet, and our Visiting PT gal will do the same a day or two later. If/when they clear me for basement access, I'll be quite happy.

I've already gone into the garage for a tool and some hardware, and had no problem. Yes, the Extension Cord of Doom has been removed  and banished. The cord reel goes up this weekend when my son comes by. The screws on my walker were loose, and one was missing, so I just had to fix it!

 Pebbles, as expected, turned into a Screaming Yellow Zonker for about 20 minutes, licking me everywhere she could reach, and wagging her tail so hard the back half her was a blur. It's nice to know you were missed!

Tomorrow morning is my appointment with the urologist, and we'll start looking seriously into the problems I've been on-and-off having for the last several months.

Next week is my appointment with my Primary Care Doctor, which should be fun. She's quite good, and can have a wicked sharp but subtle sense of humor.

Going Home..

 What beautiful words!

SLW will be here in about two hours, I have some paperwork to sign, and then we head home. We only live about a half mile from here, so easy-peasy drive.

I'll post later tonight after I get settled in at home.

Cleared For Release!

 YAY! 

I'm being discharged tomorrow at 1100! 

Have to use a "Foley Catheter" for a while until I see the Urologist on Thursday, and they figure out this retention problem I've been having.

Gave me a bit of a scare, as I was passing some blood, but that seems to have cleared up overnight, and now the color in the bag is normal.

We ALL gave a huge sigh of relief thlis morning.

I think I see an MRI in the near future to give us a better view on things.

Pain management is going well, and I'm taking 4~6 Tramadol per day, depending on how much I hurt. Follow-up with the Orthopedic Surgeon is the 27th, and I'll have him look at my right knee, too. I think I twisted it when I fell, but the pain from that was so far down in the noise that I didn't notice it until my hip  improved and I was off the heavy duty pain meds.

It's been a trial, but the Psalms and Proverbs helped keep my sanity and gave me comfort. I'm also very thankful for having such good medical care, and the help my wife, family, and friends provided and offered.

So I'm "Number 1 On The Runway", and we're at T-minus 26 hours and counting.

I got out of this pretty light compared to what it could have been, and for that I'm extremely grateful.

Holy Smokes....I Logged In!

 Finally found a password that works. 

First, I'd like to thank everyone for their well wishes and encouragement.

Second, posting with a cellphone SUX! I'll try and comment on your blogs, but I doubt I'll generate any content here.

I'm being discharged to home on the 5th of April,  and do a catch-up post ASAP. The hospital care was excellent, and the PT/OT people here at the rehab facility are very good. I'm about a week ahead of what's "normal" for the operation I had (a couple of plates and a half-dozen screws), and I have a PT regimen to work on at home.

And now it's nap time.

 

Fell in garage and boke hip

 No, it's not an early April Fool's joke. 

I tripped on an extension cord, went down, missed the rubber mats I stand on, and landed on the concrete.

I couldn't get up, so I hit the alarm button on the remote for the truck to get SLW's attention. She came out, and I still couldn't get up.

Called 911, got admitted last night, and had surgery this morning. Should be released tomorrow morning.

Yes, it hurts, but I didn't need a complete hip replacement, just a plate and some screws.

Pretty groggy right now, so I'll post more tomorrow.

Bread - A "Ground Rules" Home Run!

 Iffen Ida pulled it out of the oven about 6~7 minutes sooner, it'd be in the stands!

It almost looks burnt in this shot, but due due some color balance problems, it's not that dark in person. Think "dark, but still golden", and you'd be spot-on.

And yow.....does it taste great!

The last step in learning "High Altitude" baking for this recipe will be to adjust the baking time to 40~45 minutes at 410*F, and not the 45~50 minutes I used. Paper records have been updated. My white bread (can I say that?) should come out equally good.

Bon Appetit!

The Journey Continues.....

 After fighting our way through The Straights of Pioneer, we at last arrived in The Bay of Nakamichi, where they natives are indeed quite friendly and accommodating.

Total service time on the bench for this one was about 15 hours. A lot of time was spent learning the ways of the natives, but the reward was worth it. I also gave this one a complete calibration, head alignments (It has three separate, discrete heads), and verified/adjusted things to meet factory specs. It passed with flying colors, and Buffalo Springfield hasn't sounded this good in years.

This coming week we'll be visiting the nearby Village of TEAC, meeting up with some old friends, and picking up this castaway who needs a good home.

Yep....10.5" reels, ferrite heads, and really good specs. Progress reports will follow, at least until Spring arrives, and Ms. Swan comes out of hibernation......

Feeling much, much better, and today marks Ten Days without a cigarette. Felt so good I'm making rye bread. Results to follow....

Yowzir.......What Hit Me?.....

 Been out-of-the-loop for about five days now with some kind of tummy bug. Knocked me flat out for two days, and then Sweet Little Wife said I looked like this poor guy:

....All Weekend Long....

Yeah, not pleasant, but I'm back to about 90% or so. Worst part was I missed TLG's 6th birthday party. Bummed out over that one. The best part is (yes, Virginia, there is a best part) that I haven't had a cigarette in FIVE DAYS. Not quite jonesing due to some help from one of those "e-Cigarette" things, and my cough is gone, and my sinus passages seem clearer. Fingers crossed I'll keep on going like this until the little things are gone, things like lighting up after a meal.

Got The Yucks

 Flat on my back all day Thursday and Friday. Got up about 2100, had some milk, some bread, and made this post.

Back when able...

The Journey - Part The Third

 Lest you think all is smooth sailing through The Straights of Pioneer, let me assure you it isn't.

In the case of this thing:

We ran smack into Halsey's Typhoon. It fought me Every Step Of The Way. Fix one thing, something else pops up. Fix that, and then you have to fix a brittle plastic part that broke while you were fixing the first item. Or a teeny, tiny part gets away from you, and goes sailing off into oblivion. The bent chassis was straightened so all mechanical assemblies were in proper alignment and dry-fit perfectly. The tape transport mechanism was taken apart and cleaned FOUR times. New drive belts, idler wheels, and pinch rollers were fitted. The last cleaning would have done a Class 1000 clean room proud. Use of lubricants was strongly discouraged, and highly controlled.

And STILL it doesn't work with front panel attached. It plays, records, and fast forwards 100% with the panel removed. Rewind is a bit flaky, so something is still amiss in the tape transport. It might be something subtle I'm missing, but I'm all out of speed, altitude, and ideas on this one. I went 10 rounds with this thing, and I'm battered, bruised, and bloodied. I'm "ahead on points", but I just don't have another round left in me, so I'm throwing in the towel, cutting my losses, and making a strategic withdrawal.

 

Nest stop in The Journey, The Bay of Nakamichi, where I hear the natives are friendly.

We should be pulling into port Monday afternoon.....

 

The Journey - Part The Second

 The next castaway we picked up in the Journey was the SX-980. Another crusty, dirty piece of derelict flotsam we thought "salvageable".

This was also another pleasant encounter, and after delousing our new arrival, we proceeded to give them a physical, and return them to health. It required a session Under the Knife to restore it to health, having been afflicted with a failing trimmer capacitor.

The offending part is the small teardrop shaped item dead center in the picture.

The offending part was replaced with a proper air variable device, more suited to this application.

A forensic anakysis of the failed part revealed a crack through the ceramic dielectric, seen here as  a dark line at the six O'clock position.

Now that I had solid frequency setting for the Local Oscillator, I could move on to aligning the FM Multiplex section . Some of the adjustments were a bit off, and two of them, the "19kHz Notch Filter", and the Left/Right Stereo Separation controls, were way off. The Multiplex alignment was rewarded with a perfectly locked receiver to the Pilot Signal, as shown here with the Lissajous Figure.

It's not "Text Book Perfect", as one of the Sine wave components being fed to it has a prominent 76kHz sawtooth component riding on it.

Finishing the alignment resulted in a perfectly tracking dial. It's nice to tune to 88.9, and your station pops in perfectly clear, with the tuning meter dead center. I deviated slightly from the procedure when I set the FM Muting and Signal Strength Meter to be more useful in the Real World.

And this thing has a really "hot" tuner. It easily exceeds the Pioneer specs by 6~10dB, pulls in distant stations far better than the SX-780 did, and I wonder how it'll do when I get the outside FM antenna properly mounted in the Spring.

Adjusting and testing the Power Amplifier was a breeze. The DC Offset and Bias controls adjusted smoothly, and wound up being about dead center in their adjustment range. To adjust the "Power Output" meters, I fed it a specified signal, measured the voltage across the dummy load, and set the meter adjust to read what the actual power is into an 8 Ohm load. One thing I accidentally "discovered", was although this amp is rated 80 Watts per channel, it easily made 135 Watts, with no sign of clipping, when I accidentally drove the input too high. So at it's rated 80 Watts, it has a LOT of "Headroom".

In fact, the SX-980 had such good test results and "Qual Ratings", that it was promoted to Senior Chief of Operations, responsible for all audio switching and reproduction duties.

In its Quarters:

And so, The Journey continues......