ER Not The Mag It Was

[Knightt150]

I have been on the AM FORUM for a year now and enjoy it very much, I have never read so many comments on a subject as this ER MAG subject. What other mode has its own magazine, not ssb or cw or fm. If there out there I have not seen them. All of this AM FORUM groupe should subscribe to ER and be glad that we have it.

John W9BFO

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I have been on the AM FORUM for a year now and enjoy it very much, I have never read so many comments on a subject as this ER MAG subject. What other mode has its own magazine, not ssb or cw or fm. If there out there I have not seen them. All of this AM FORUM groupe should subscribe to ER and be glad that we have it.

John W9BFO

Actually, as per the Electric Radio web site:
"Electric Radio magazine which is published primarily for those who appreciate vintage radio gear and those who are interested in the history of radio." and further, "We depend on our readers to supply material for Electric Radio. Our interest is in articles that pertain to vintage amateur or shortwave equipment and operating with an emphasis on AM, but articles on CW and SSB are also needed."

"AM" is not exclusive to Electric Radio Magazine. There are tons of vintage SSB rigs that have yet to be covered or highlighted with an article in the magazine. There's still lots that members here, and many other forums, to write about for the magazine. A little initiative is all that is required.

[Fred k2dx]

I think I will suggest ER include a new feature called "The Old Buzzard Is In".

After all, maybe just a little dumbing down the content couldn't hurt. Oh, maybe several pages of MFJ advertising wouldn't hurt either. How about a few pages of filler crap and useless columns? A few pages advertising ER publications and paraphanalia? Then maybe the publication of a sister magazine devoted to old radios and construction/restoration...
it could be called QER (Q Electric Radio) and have some meat and potatos articles... 

[kc2ifr]

Interesting topic..........
I for one enjoy sitting in a comfy chair or in bed reading ER or any other book. Setting in front of a computer gets a little old after a while. I could print out the data and have done that.......but the real book is much more enjoyable. Books going away................I dont think that will ever happen.

JMHO..............Bill

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

To quote the old saying, "You're either part of the solution or part of the problem". So, what articles have you sent or will you be sending to address the areas of AM you feel need covering, Fred?

Or to put it another way, if you don't like it, don't subscribe.

[Opcom]

Or like the difference between smelling, holding and reading hands-on a 1930's vintage paper copy of QST,  versus sticking into the computer one of those CD's they were selling.

there is alot to be said for the smell of old books and old radios.

[W3RSW]

Ah, the ruggedness of the printed page, homely and dumb but perfect in application.

...so I got out my Imax portable, latest and greatest, only 3/4" thick, finally found the PDF schematic download I wanted, threw it on the bench to refer to the schematic for the latest, still red hot (literally) project, -damn heat sink.  Well only a couple of melt marks, no sweat....  Ooops, the imax fell off the bench, but T.G. the rug's on the floor, just received a slightly cockeyed screen.  No prob. back to the project.; took a magic marker and marked it up the screen with red for the wires I think I soldered, crossed out some of the mistakes with green marker, spilled some coffee on it, ground in one of 'JN's cigar ashes, called it a day.  The Imax looks a little peaked.  But, hey, I've got commercial paint thinner, bet that'll clean up the plastic real fine. None of this wimpy DeWrite for me. Hmm, White-out (tm) might work easier.  You get a little build-up that way, but sandpaper once a week takes care of that.

So when an Imax future model, one page thick, flexible as a wisp of paper, survives the bench and rewrites, and is as cheap or cheaper than a piece of paper... (gasp, think of all those trees... oh, the biomanty!) - then I think an electronic page will almost cross the printed page threshold.  Until then I'm bound with Hewlitt Packard's trusty printer, more programming, more updating, reams of real paper and, of course, the bulky computer itself. Oh yes, rechargable batteries good for only a finite no. of cycles before expensive replacement. And those USB driveless 'hard drives' can't have come on the market any to soon.  What a kill-joy; where's my imagination?

I'm pretty sure when the day comes, the paper thin computer will be called something else, "magic-slate"  perhaps, will use very little power, will be very flexible, hopefully last for several centuries or be able to duplicate itself, not take a whole industry to service, program and maintain it for itself's sake.

It may have a stylus, to easily make edits or might graphically complete what you think almost before you think it, you name it.  Since all directions will be in icons it will perfectly match the inverse learning curve of today's schooled.  

To repeat the famous old line...   somewhat redirected, but you get the picture.

" .. .and then they invented Pencil Lab!"

This one really off point but applicable in an archaic way,

"And so ladies and gentlemen, once the Apple was built, modified by a couple of home brew boards in the slots, programmed, debugged and fired up in only two days, it lit a lamp.  Congratulations, we've just built a $3000 switch."  
T.G. for progress, a Rabbit(t.m.) can now do it for $30.

While your reading this I'll add another thought.  Yeah, all the above steps are already superceeded by total automation whereby a program directs robots to completely 'write' six in. dia. silicon wafers, cut, apply leads, package, insert in the application and test. .
    Somehow I miss the amateurism in all that.  Maybe we'll have complete production labs in our basements, sneak some remote programming in on our lunch breaks

[k4kyv]

Since all directions will be in icons it will perfectly match the inverse learning curve of today's schooled.

Nothing new.  The Chinese have been doing that for nearly 5000 years.  They have become pretty good at it. Isn't this supposed to be their century?

[WB2YGF]

While I still like books, I also like the fact that I can read the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, etc. any time I want on my Palm cell phone.  It's like having a truck full of newspapers and magazines with me at all times.

[K5MO]

Started subscribing after meeting Barry at the Albuquerque Fest about the time of issue #9 . I've been a subscriber ever since.... there's always something fun to read in there.

John K5MO

[K3ZS]

I still like real books, magazines and newspapers.     Getting up in the morning, having a cup of coffee, and reading the local paper is relaxing and enjoyable.   What I don't understand is why my local paper has all of its content on the web for free, and has been trimming down the actual newspaper.   Then they complain that business is bad.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

So do I (minus newpaper which I find largely to contain garbage). I have a collection of QSTs dating to the early 30's and numerous old 73, CQ and Radio mags too. The smell, the tactile input, the portability are all things not currently possible on the computer.

[k4kyv]

I pretty much have a complete collection of QST from the beginning to present.  My 1915-1921 issues are all on the low-quality but readable ARRL CD's which run through 1929; I have some paper ones from 1922-25, and almost a solid collection of paper issues from 1925 on up.

But since sometime between about 1995 and 2000, I am seeing less and less in an issue that is worth the archive space, and besides, all the articles are now available on-line.  So I have decided to start a "data compressing" program, by pulling the latter-day issues apart and saving only the few pages that might possibly be of interest in the future. 

The way they are bound now, the individual sheets are stacked and glued together at one edge with some kind of rubber like substance and no staple, so they pull apart very easily without tearing.

Does anyone know what kind of glue that might be, and where one might find some? It seems to hold the edges of the sheets together reasonable securely. If I start pulling out pages, I would like to find something to bind them together in bundles about the same thickness as a single current issue, which might include 5 years or even more, at the rate they are going these days.  It's a real PITA to try to keep those loose pages together in file folders, and the paper used for magazine pages is too fragile for hole-punch binding.

[KD3CN]

WOW, it's amazing...
What does this thread have to do with the original "ER Not The Mag It Was" ?

Or is that a dumb question?

I guess a thread may "morph"...

73, Karl
 

[W3RSW]

like swishing across the strong carrier of an AM qso...
  you never know what you'll hear.
     All good,
       doncha' know.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Nothing. Like most threads in the QSO section, they veer and wander rather randomly at times.

Calling the ADD Net, calling the ADD net......

WOW, it's amazing...
What does this thread have to do with the original "ER Not The Mag It Was" ?

Or is that a dumb question?

I guess a thread may "morph"...

73, Karl
 

[ka3zlr]

Welp,.. I'm Jack From "Morph"... ..Kaa Maan...LOL........