KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

humor

Random stuff: a little ham humor, handheld EMF meter, repeat customer

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A little—and I do mean little—ham humor

I got this from /r/amateurradio:

What do you call an apology written in dots and dashes?
Re-Morse Code.

HF-B3G Triple Axis HF RF Analyzer

Handheld EMF meter

On the Tech test, question T0C06 reads:

Which of the following is an acceptable method to determine whether your station complies with FCC RF exposure regulations?
A. By calculation based on FCC OET Bulletin 65
B. By calculation based on computer modeling
C. By measurement of field strength using calibrated equipment
D. All these choices are correct

The correct answer is D. All these choices are correct.

When I teach classes, after giving the students the answer, I quickly qualify it by saying that calculation based on computer modeling is usually impractical because the software is generally pretty expensive and requires some expertise to use effectively. The same is true of measuring the field strength using calibrated equipment.

But, maybe it isn’t. I recently came across the HF-BG3 Triple-Axis HF RF Analyzer on Amazon. The product description says that is has a frequency range 50 MHz to 3.5 GHz and a measurement range of 38 mV/m to 20 V/m. If this meter cost $30, I would have bought one to play with, but  at $165, it’s a little outside my “what the heck” range.

It’s still an interesting possibility, though. Have any of you ever purchased or used a similar instrument?

I love repeat customers!

I love getting feedback from readers and repeat customers. This message appeared in my inbox a couple of hours ago:

Hi Dan –

Last year we purchased 15 of your Tech guides to teach a class. We had three instructors, and did a 1-day tech license class. Of our 13 students, 12 are now licensed and have radios… and a good number of those are planning to operate during Winter Field Day with our club!

This year we’d like to help a few of those new hams move up to General by teaching a more extensive course.

How can we place an order for [15] of your No-Nonsense General Class License Study Guide?

First of all, it’s great that they had 12 of 13 pass the test, second that many of them want to get Generals, and third, they’re going to use my study guide to take the course! I replied that the deal is the same for the General Class study guide as it is for the Tech study guide. And that deal is that they can order as many copies as they’d like for $10 per copy, shipping included. If you have a class coming up, consider taking advantage of this deal yourself.

Who says CW ops don’t have a sense of humor?

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Enzo, M0KTZ, recently posted a series of CW jokes to his website. He writes:

You find below a collection of ham/CW-themed Christmas-Cracker jokes. They come from a challenge put up by Steve G4OCP at Essex CW ARC, who wanted to celebrate the festive season in style: sending to each other jokes in CW! I mentioned the challenge to my son Giorgio, and we ended up spitting out the jokes you find below, one after the other, more or less in the same order as they are listed. Just one of them is not genuinely ours (can you spot it?), and the blame for the worst ones is obviously on me HI HI.

Here’s a sample:

For those of you that are CW-challenged, here’s the joke, “VVV – Why was Samuel Morse bad at canoeing?      He did not have a dual paddle. HI.” OK, so you’re not going to be hearing these jokes on a Netflix comedy special anytime soon, but they’re still amusing—if you’re a CW operator, anyway. You’ll find 27 more at https://m0ktz.katolaz.net/jokes.html.

 

 

From the trade magazines: signal generators, refurbishing ICs?

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This edition of “From the trade magazines” includes items from RF&Microwaves, Radio World, and EE Times………Dan

The Fundamentals Of Signal Generation. Signal generators have become indispensable tools for producing the test signals required by today’s engineers to successfully develop and test their devices and systems.

 

Jim Charlong operates the amateur radio station at the Marconi National Historic Site of Canade.

Dedicated Ham Keeping Morse Code Alive. Operated by Parks Canada, the Marconi National Historic Site of Canada  features a museum with a model of the original transmission structure, a historical multimedia display and tour — and Jim Charlong, who keeps the site’s Morse code broadcast legacy alive and on the air. Charlong is a dedicated Morse code operator with 50 years’ experience under his “fist” — fist being a ham radio term that describes the signature speed and style of an operator’s key-tapping skills. Since the Marconi museum opened in July 1989, he has volunteered as its resident Morse code radio operator. From his “radio shack” inside the museum, Charlong regularly communicates with other Morse code operators around the world.

Smoke re-concentrator refurbishes blown electronic components. I think that perhaps they jumped the gun with this article. I’m thinking that an April 1 publication date would have been more appropriate.

Contest S-Meter Does it All

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If you’ve ever unsure about what report to send during a contest, then the Digital Wonder Do-It-All S-Meter is for you.

According to the press release by the Idaho Potato Contest Group, this device is the “first of it’s [sic] kind. Simplifies the modern Ham Shack! It will improve your operation skills. Compatible with most radios , Collins, Drake, Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Ten-Tec.”

I love that wood-tone case, too. Don’t you?

You Know You’re a Radio Geezer When…

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Reprinted with permission from the Feb 2010 newlsetter of the San Bernardino Microwave Society:

You know you are a radio Geezer when:

  • you have more tools than you’ll ever need, but can’t find them.
  • you need to keep your radio’s user manual on the desk.
  • your antennas are getting smaller and closer to the ground.
  • it’s been 40 years since you’ve had the snot shocked out of you.
  • you forget the band plans.
  • you check into the weather net, the noontime net, the Bell Telephone net, and some other net just because they are there.
  • you still have a phone patch and Q multiplier in the cabinet.
  • your radio warms up faster than you do .
  • RF gets into your hearing aid.
  • you have to find your teeth to have a QSO.
  • you can no longer see the parts used to make radios.
  • you know how to properly tie a wire bundle using waxed string.
  • some of your test gear is older than your adult children.
  • you have to add light in front of your radio so you can read the dials.
  • you buy a piece of gear only to find out you already had one in the garage you forgot about.
  • you can no longer log, make QSO’s and drive at the same time.
  • you realize a Life Membership in the ARRL is no longer a good value.

Some of these are funnier than others, but I think the last one is probably the most telling. Can you think of any others?