The AM Forum

I guess it has finally caught up with me


http://cgi.ebay.com/CB-Ham-Radio-Linear-Amplifier-No-Soldering-Wire-Glue_W0QQitemZ230500572231QQcategoryZ46413QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3907.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D230500565254%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6939136397812346121#ht_7703wt_955

hmmm .... now iffin I can just find that ole can of antenna wax ....

"Conducts AC & DC"    whoa, dude.

"High tech support groups suggest applying with a toothpick"   radical, man!

"Authentic Brand"   Don't say it!


What a technology head rush.  What would Mr. Zogg think of this.....

I wonder if its Oxygen FREE! :o ::)

Some Amazon testimonials: http://www.amazon.com/American-Science-Surplus-WIRE-GLUE/product-reviews/B000Z9H7ZW/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Some more electrically conductive adhesives:
http://www.resinlab.com/adhesive/electrical2.html?gclid=CJ7Elfb2_6ICFSQ65Qodz0pRcw

Actually, using it to repair carbon comp. potentiometers is an interesting idea. Somebody order some and give it a try.
     

They had a product like that when I was a kid. It came in a tube like tooth paste.

It wasn't worth a sh++. I think this is snake oil >:( >:( >:(

SIGH!! ::)

What's this world coming to.  At least they have the target customers figured out

They have conductive paint so why not conductive adhesive/glue.

I don't think I would use it to solder a spice in a dipole.

Ever heard of Able Stick. We used it to glue thick film hybrids into metal tubs. The strongest glue I ever used and loaded with silver to make it very conductive.

Obviously, I doubt the glue has great mechanical strength.  But, in a pinch, take the two loose wire ends you're going to splice; tie them into a knot leaving an inch or two of the ends extended so that you can strip the insulation, wrap them together, and add some conductive adhesive/glue to the twisted ends.

I tried to Google that product and found nothing where it could be purchased or evaluated. Sounds like a nice product.

I've had a real eye-opener on how things in ham radio have changed over 60 years.  I got the manual for my Eldico TR-1 yesterday.  This is a kit rig, 2 open chassis, 813 modulated by pair 811s.  The assembly instructions take up all of one page. They basically say just mount everything on the chassis according to the photos, use such and such gauge for h.v., such and such gauge for low v. and so on, and follow the schematic.  The operating instructions say in one place to be careful of the high voltage and to kill it before swapping output coils etc.  That's it.  It is assumed that you have a brain and only need to be told once.  Can you imagine any of this today?  First, selling such a rig would probably be illegal now to begin with.   But the whole manual would read like you are in the 2nd grade and a complete idiot.   Well, in 1949, a ham had to actually know how a rig works just to put one on the air.   But there's money in selling something that is fast and easy.  So the obvious trend over the past 60 years (and it really got going in the 80s with no-tune s.s. PAs) has been to widen the market appeal by making rigs that are plug and play with snake oil antennas, and so on.    The unintended consequence can be heard on the bands now.

And then the worm turned Hark, Solid What,  8)

Elecraft, Small Wonders, Oak Hills Research, Ramsey an on an on I guess we're all to Stupid to
build a K-2 Time has moved on Now we have Class E Mo Power  less weight  less High Current :D
And I'm more than willing to bet back then there was alot of Elmering an Learning just like today.

An prolly a Fair amount of Electrocutions I imagine..Today it's a little Safer.

Otherwise Why do folks spend so much time reading Their Books...Hmmmmmmm :o

jn's Tag line says it all same same.

73

Jack.

I approve of the kits available today. Some are if nothing else, challenging to the buyers' soldering skills and somewhat painstaking or time-intensive.

There is not much left though for the skills of handcraftsmanship except outright building. The kits today do not seem to require much in the way of that, what I think I mean is the wiring is going to be tidy no matter what, as opposed to the older kits where you could really tell if the wiring was done by a human or a pig.

I'm all for kits that require a lot of care and attention to detail, as well as those that require little of either so as to accommodate the vast differences in skills one might wish to exhibit. This is not to be taken as being "inclusive" to the point where I am going to vomit up the pablum, just to be happy that there is always something a person can build that suits them.

In the '90's, I built a Heathkit AP-1800 preamp for a friend. It took forever it seemed and had 5x the amount of parts it would have had if it were tubes. The performance was extremely good, but I would never do that again, just don't have the time for it.

I want to prepare a kit for my nephew. He is not really into electronics, but he sure did like the pair of binoculars I gave him for Christmas even though they were NOT on the wish list.
All his parents seem to get him are video games, and I suppose that is what he likes. He likes cool stuff. I have been thinking about buying a laser rangefinder (a very cool item for a 15 year-old to posess) and disassembling it to board and hardware level, and then writing up some instructions with pictures (from disassembly), and giving him that as a project.
I won't care if he does not use it much, but I do care to try and get him interested in technological things that are real and meaningful. I want him to understand how commonplace things work. The ace up my sleve is his dad used to build race cars and understands what building things from parts means and will encourage him strongly to complete it.

The other side of technological obsolescence is the loss of even the basic and common skills in society today. I am amazed at the percentage of people who cannot repair a lamp much less a lawnmower, change their own oil, or other necessary home skills. There ought to be a 'home ec' in high school for guys to tech them basic repair and troubleshooting of plumbing, electrical, engines, machines, a gas range, etc. Just the basics. Instead, you have folks that don't know a phillips from a flathead.

A nation of ignorant helpess people is fit only for servitude and manual labor.

I haven't changed oil in my cars for at least 15 years. I pay people to do that. I feel no remorse.

Well I guess if this country is So Technically challenged better hoard up on them thar fire sticks that ya'll is Sucken on.  8)

I don't think we're that far under the bridge yet. :P

73

Jack.

Pete,
       For once I gotta agree with you!! I am ASE certified, I have a list of automotive credentials longer than that which John Holmes was famous for. I have had my hands in many very fast drag race cars, and just about everything and anything automotive you could think about years ago. But...................changing oil is an insult to my intelligence!!

And, err, furthermore........................... Why piss away a couple hours on a precious saturday or sunday, when I can be in and out of one of the "quick change" places in about 10 minutes, and get all of the cigarette butts and ashes vacuumed up from my carpet too boot!! This leaves the rest of the day to do something constructive  ;D  ;D

I still do all of my major repairs and maintenance, but to hell with a bunch of oil changes!

Speaking of which, I gotta have the YL run her buggy down for an oil change (about 1K overdue) before we leave for Berryville this Sunday!!

                                                                          the Slab Bacon

I change my oil because I buy 5 quarts synthetic and when I'm done paying for that and filter I think I have paid enough so the labor is free.  besides, it is not too hard to do on a Camry.

I used to change my own oil, before the quickie places opened up, and there is one 10 minutes from here.  It used to be I had to make an appointment and then drive across town, and still wait 45 minutes before they got to it.  It was a PITA to do my own, but it took half the time because there was no drive time or wait.  I stopped changing my own oil with the last car we had.  The oil filter was  located behind the transverse-mounted engine, and you could get to it only by jacking the car way up or using a pit.  I don't have a pit or lift, so it was easier just to let Joe do it.

I used to do all my own car repairs, but with the cars we have now, I can't tell what half the stuff is, and what I can work on is impossible to get to, and everything has a computer code.  I think the days of the shade-tree mechanic are about over, except maybe for those with older or classic cars, and then it is more a hobby than a chore. On the positive side, cars seem a  little more reliable nowadays and require less maintenance, but when something does break, you can count on it being a major expense to repair.

As far as ham radio goes, one used to need technical knowledge to get a station on the air and keep it running. Now it is simply a matter of spending the money to purchase a consumer electronics gizmo not too different from buying a computer,  flat-screen TV or a new dishwasher.  Appliance operating is bo-ring.

I have always operated a little CW along with AM.  I am less active on CW than I could be because the CW crowd has gone about the same appliance  route as the slopbucketeers.  I  rarely run into a CW station with a homebrew transmitter or even a separate transmitter and  receiver.  Most of the time they describe their station with the name Yaecomwood followed by a string of numbers/letters (the appliance model they are using) and I don't have a clue what they are talking about except that it is a 100w transceiver of some kind, and some typical hammy hambone antenna (most likely a G5RV).  Then I describe my station and they don't have a clue what I am talking about when I say I am running a pair of triode tubes in class C.  I think they still get the "homebrew" part but that's about all, except maybe for an occasional old timer who used to run a tube type transmitter and separate receiver before he got rid of it and bought a rice box.

Occasionally I run into a CW op who has some common interest with mine other than radio, and we carry on a ragchew, but often the only topic I can get out of the other station is the usual name, QTH, WX, age, length of tenure as a ham and rubber-stamp station description. If that doesn't put me to sleep I at best find it extremely boring.

It's not at all unusual even for a family who owns their own house not to have so much as a hammer or screw driver on their premises. I have run into that problem time and again when someone would ask me to stop by and help them with some problem they have with their house or some gadget in it.

You made my day  ;D ;D

As Don also pointed out, with these new cars and transverse engines, much of the stuff under the hood bears little resemblance to the stuff in my cars from years ago. I have no clue how they get to the three plugs that are facing the firewall. I can't even see them.

As Dirty Harry once said, "A man has got to know his limitations".

But hey, I fixed the wife's toaster the other day and last night I repaired a 40 MHz scope without even having to review the manual schematics. I guess I'm not totally worthless.

We use this stuff at Raytheon with great success.

http://www.stanleysupplyservices.com/product-group.aspx?id=19680&pn=470-791

That's a legit company that we have used for years.

There are applications where this is the only way we can make circuit connections

Al

to Pete, Don, and others...........

A lot of the stuff now under the hood definately bears no resemblance to stuff from the good old days, but...............................

Since the newer electronic engine control modules have diagnostic features built in.
(The now imfamous "check engine" light) It does make engine and performance / emission troubleshooting pretty simple. Plugging in a simple scan tool will usually tell you exactly whats wrong with it. And most of the sensors and electronic BS are pretty easy to get at. Scan tools are now made by a whole host of companies and many can be had for somewhere right in the $100 range, which pays for itself the first time you use it!! And since they have standardized the interface system, they are no longer model specific!!

So there are still opportunitys for the "shade tree mechanic". And, err, furthermore, those of us who have knowledge of electronics and computers have the proverbial "leg up" over a lot of the mechanics out there!!!!

I just refuse to waste my time changing oil!!  ;D  ;D

Rob,
       At the retail cost of oil and filters these days, You might think about this statement ???  ??? By the time you buy the oil and filter, Drive to and from the parts store, spend your time changing the oil, and then you gotta get rid of the waste oil, If you put a $ value on your time, it is definately cheaper to have one of the "quick change" places do it for you. And besides they vacuum out the debris and clean the winders ;D  ;D

I wonder how it compares to the "Wire glue" described in the first message in this thread.

The conducting agent in one is carbon while the conducting agent in the other is silver.  Many, many many years ago I used to repair HP 382 series precision WG attenuators by replacing the resistive vane in the center rotating piece and part of the procedure was to use a silver impregnated lacquer to bond the vane to the circular WG.  That was 40+ years ago.  I'm not sure of the quality or the application of the stuff advertised on eBay as noted in the first message but this approach for electrically bonding using a silver suspension is not a new technology.

I still change my oil once a year. The used oil becomes wood gravy at the camp. don't drive over 10K a year now but when I was working doing 3-4 K a month, the service station got the job ;D ;D I use synthetic oil, whatever that is.

I can understand this, I really can, these days of screw on filters coupla 4-5 Qt systems hey your done.....now my one tractor has the old style
oil filtering where you have to disassemble the canisters it, that can get a little messy if you let it, the little tractor has spin on no problem there.

I was thinking one time of putting a pressurized lubrication engine on my Troybilt Horse but this engine hasn't blown up yet, :D maybe some day.

I don't Trust Glues for anything but balsa wood aircraft, wood glue in wood working that's about it for me an Glue....floor gluing in construction like that.

73

Jack.

ya gotta watch those kids at the quik lube places.  they'll put the drain lug back in so tight you can't get it off. or you can but it ain't easy unless you have a pit and an air powered wrench.  on some cars like VW with the stupid aluminum pans they'll strip the threads.   I love it when I drive into those places (yes I have on rare occasion) and the kid tells me my automatic xmission fluid is okay.  I tell him that's very interesting since I have never owned an automatic and this is a 5 speed manual.

I buy cars used from people I work with and drive them in the ground.  With synthetic you only need a change every 6 months unless you do a lot of low speed driving.  cop cars and limos have to get an oil change about every week.   Old toyotas are easy.  everything is right out where you can get to it.  mine is a 97 V6.  the local Valvoline place takes the used in plastic milk jugs.  the new cars are a nightmare.  First the whole frigging engine is under some giant plastic sheet.  you can't even find anything.    i guess it doesn't matter because by the time I get another car, they will probably all be electric.  I got around 150K on mine and expect to go at least another 200K.  just keep putting in new clutches, plug the rust holes with plastic grocery bags...spend my money on ham gear, the important thing while my car becomes a train station car.   I got a friend who is a limo driver.  2 years ago he took me to O'Hare because I had to go down to memphis.  So we're riding in his Lincoln and of course it's very nice, very clean, sounds, smells, looks, and rides like a new car.  He says guess how many miles are on it.  I don't know a thing about what cars are new models but I think it can't be completely new, I'm not that dumb so I say, 50K.  He says, how about 400K.  I can't believe it but I look at the odometer and he's right.  Well, they got a garage and they maintain the crap out of those cars with everything set up for Lincoln Town Cars only, and I'll tell ya, if you really maintain a car it will indeed last.  Problem is that level of maint. is damn near a full time job.

Now cars have become like ham rigs, appliances.  And like Don said, people are scared of old boatanchor houses too.  Maybe they've seen too many horror movies set in old houses.   Everything's gotta be new New NEW!! 

Well, I thought I knew a few things about taking care of my stuff but I learned something yesterday which I am sure you all knew:   My old GE refrigerator (it's so old it doesn't defrost on its own) has its compressor down under it.  I heard the new ones all have fans on the condenser and compressor.  These guys I know told me to get a fan down there under it so it  blows on the compressor.   Will make it run a lot happier and last longer.  So I did and I have to say, that thing seems to be running differently now.  The coils don't get as hot for one thing.  I shot a temp check with my IR thermometer B4 and after. B4 180F.  After 110.   I hope I saved it for a few years.   Those IR thermometers are neat little gadgets.  They are okay because you get one and you don't have to pay a monthly fee to use it like you do with most gadgets now.   I've been playing around with it but I got it to check tube temps. 

Yep, the most funny thing about the CW ops are the ones who use Flex Radios to operate CW.  Now here's someone using a computer, and all this fancy high tech software and so on, and what do they do, they use it to send dits and dahs that you could do with good old tube gear.   That's like taking one of those B1 supersonic jets and driving it to Los Angeles on highway 66 taxi the whole way.

Well, I have not had a QSO on the radio today.  does it show?  hi hi

Some of the guys who work CW don't even know the code.  They use a computer to read Morse code and a keyboard to send it.

That's a very inefficient method for communicating via radioteletype.  Plain old Baudot would work a lot better, but PSK takes up less bandwidth, more like that of CW.

I have heard it said that computers don't do well with manual Morse, especially from a bug, and that they absolutely cannot read code sent with a sideswiper.  They like code sent with an electronic keyer.  I have an electronic keyer and an expensive March R3 repulsive magnetic paddle, but I still prefer the bug and use it 99% of the time.

My old GE refrigerator was made in about 1931.  It is what is known as a Monitor Top, a real classic.  I used it for years as a beer cooler in the shack, but the compressor crapped out about 5 years ago.  I suspect the seals finally gave up the ghost; the motor runs with a different sound than before, but it doesn't cool.  I now use it as a parts storage cabinet.  I'd like to get it up and running again some day, but I'll leave the repair job to a professional who knows what he is doing and who is willing to work on it, if I can ever find someone.  The refrigerant is sulphur dioxide!  Nasty stuff.

But you could if you wanted to.. I also pay someone. It's too cheap a cost not to. But if I wanted to, I could do it. 5.5 quarts of 5W30 and a filter, a metrick socket and a filter wrench or the old way, ram a screwdrver through it and spin it off.

I am looking forward to the day the tower is done and the dipole is up, (1/2 way there now, 3 sections up, 3 deadmen in.) so you can tell me over the air about your set and I can tell about mine.


I have learned to bring my own tools when helping someone else.
[/quote]

I think people are less and less inclinded to do any thing for themselves.  They/we are becoming programmed to dispose of things that don't work and buy NEW.  This consumer mentality is driven by the constant media bombardment that starts when we are just kids, and the fact that most new electronics are just too cheap to be economical to repair.  But this doesn't apply to larger less computerized items. As a general rule I avoid anything with a computer in it when at all possible. Why does My DRYER or WASHER need a computer????

I have found a lot of things that have been tossed are just needing a simple repair.  I got an air compressor from a guy at work, he had been quoted $250 for a new head.  I needed a tank, so I took it off his hands (free).  When I opened it up I found that a wire had come off of a spade lug in the motor enclosure (he'd been told it had siezed).  I popped the wire on and plugged it in and it ran FB.  I repaired the defective spade lug and it's still running two years later.  Recently I spotted an old chain saw at the metal recycling bin at the dump.  It wasn't seized so I took it home. It didn't run, but just cleaning and gapping the points and a little fresh gas had it roaring again. I can't count the number of items with small motors, like lawnmowers and snow blowers that just need basic maintenance to run fine and are dumped because the owner can't be bothered spending the money on maintenance for something that old...

I'll have to remember that about computers and bugs.  I'll start using my old war surplus lightning bug all the time  ;D  See how many keyboard ops I work.

Don, the old Monitors have sulfer dioxide (and some have something else equally dangerous) and I've read that refrigerant is bad news if you get it on you, inhale the vapor, very dangerous.   I remember it can cause blindness among other things.

I'm not sure if it can be recharged with something else or not but you are right--you have to get someone who knows how to safely get the s.d. out of it if it hasn't slowly leaked out, and safely dispose of it.   So, there are a few things a professional has to do  ;)  I saw a Monitor restored and working up in Wisconsin a few months ago in this guy's garage.  they are beautiful to look at when they are fixed up like new.


People can't be bothered to learn about real life because they're blowing all their time and money on gadgets like the iPhone and video games.  They're too busy tweeting each other or whatever you do with those things.   So learning about how to fix something doesn't happen.

I guess it's not all bad--people who are buying new stuff all the time keep the economy from completely crashing.  And I want suckers to buy new cars so I have a supply of used ones.   One time I bought a new car, went into debt, made a car payment for 3 or 4 years...never again.  I can't believe how much money people blow on these things that require a monthly fee to keep them working:  cell phones, iPhone, TiVo, GM OnStar, pagers, satellite radio, cable TV...there are probably things I have forgotten or don't know about but I bet some folks spend two or three hundred bucks every month on these gadgets that ought to be going into savings.

I hope my washing machine and dryer never have to be replaced because I've heard all of the new ones spew out RFI.
The other thing is that with everything containing a microchip the stuff is all so complicated you often can't even do a simple thing without having to read a manual that's big enough to be a college class text book.  There are cell phones out there that do so many things you could fill a three semester hour class lecturing on the cell phone for a term.  I decided several years ago I did not want to piss my life away on gadgets--you can spend hours with this dinky little thing putting in all this data and then loose it, or step on it, drop it in a toilet, or in about 2 years it is obsolete.  Life is too short as it is.  It infuriates me when some appliance that used to just have an on-off switch and maybe a speed control--you could plug it in and use it in two seconds--now has so many buttons, and a menu, and you have to set this and that, program it, read this manual, just to use it.

Ham rigs now are like this--you have some guy spend thousands of dollars on some plastic radio and all he wants is to have a qso with someone so 90% of what the rig can do never gets used.   And of course when it breaks they can't do anything with it, and maybe the chips are no longer made...this is part of why I started getting interested in older vacuum tube gear.
You don't need all this stuff a rig can do now to just have a QSO with someone.  A lot of plastic radios have a "scan" function.  Who the hell uses that?  I have never heard of anyone using it.

AMEN, BROTHER ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !  Been there, done that many, many times!

However, Working 50+ hours a week + commute, basically only leaves me the weekends to get anything done for myself. So, Therefore, the time that I save by not changing my oil myself gives me more time to do things like that. (AND NOT TO MENTION APPEASE THE WAR DEPT!!)  ;D  ;D

As for the quick change oil places, I remember when I was picking up my then new '91 GMC pickup from the dealer they had a six month old vehicle in for a new engine after the local quick lube locked it up checking for an oil leak without refilling the oil first.

My '08 Cadillac CTS would be the easiest vehicle I ever owned to change the oil in if it weren't for having to remove the sound/air flow shield under the engine to reach the drain plug.  The filter is a drop in cartridge changed from the top and it requires synthetic oil which is supposed to be good for 20-25K but I am not comfortable with anything over 10K.   I changed it 7,000 miles ago and the oil life monitor still shows 72% life remaining.

I still change my own oil so that I know it gets done properly and while the oil is draining I can check for other issues.  I also know the correct oil goes in and I can prefill the filters.  This weekend the pickup is due for an oil change and it is time to replace the spin on transmission filter and while I am getting dirty with oil the tractor has enough hours on it from mowing that it is due also.  I much prefer spending a few minutes to do the change myself instead of waiting and wondering at a quick change or the dealership (which would have put gas engine rated oil in my diesel engine during the first "free" change if I hadn't been watching).

I think this thread has won the "Shanghaied Thread Award" .... fun

Gentlemen... speaking of oil changes reminds me of the tme, many moons ago, when my dad brought the family car to have some work done. Now, normally he changed the oil himself but, since they were offering a great price on oil changes he decided to let them do it...just this once.  ell, as it turned out, they drained the oil, changed the filter, but forgot to put fresh oil in it. The engine siezed halfway home. The garage was owned by 3 partners and fortunately one of them decided to replace the engine with a rebuilt. The other owners wanted just to give him book value for the care, which, in the case of that particular car wasn't much at all. The verdict ? If you get your oil changed make sure they don;t forget to replace the oil they removed. That is all...

I blew up a lawn mower exactly that way, a couple of years ago.

The worst I have ever did with a car was to forget to replace the oil drain plug, and have all 4 or 5 quarts of fresh new oil to drain out on the concrete.

 " I think this thread has won the "Shanghaied Thread Award"  "

We once had one go fer about 20 pages.

By the way, anyone have on of these?


klc

I don't have one but I know a ham who does an he likes it :D

His name is Bob KB3IN I helped him move an I took that down for him..

73

Jack.

Don

You might be interested in this:

http://www.antiqueappliances.com/monitor_top_refrigerators.htm

The monitors also used methyl formate - dunno if that's any better or not -- nasty-wise ;D  I knew some people who had one of those 'friges into the '60's.  They finally had to replace it.

Al

sulfur dioxide turns into sulfuric acid on contact with water, so when it enters the lungs it converts to sulfuric acid upon the moist surfaces. 100PPM is considered immediately dangerous. I think there is a gas mask of some kind that can be worn while working on the fridge but I would not care to work on it myself without many precautions. I know a guy that can, but I don't think he will any more. Not for what that fridge is worth. Can you gut the top section and go back with a different system?

SO2 + normal atmospheric humidity = acid rain!

Ammonia was also used as a refrigerant in the old days... And Methyl Chloride.

All that stuff is nasty. 

That's mine (the single door model).

the guy has one like that in a farmhouse, runs perfectly. Personally, I'd be afraid it would leak during the night and that would be the end.

R123 ain't no walk in the park either.......

http://www.refrigerants.com/msds/nri-r123.pdf


klc

and this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide#As_a_refrigerant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide#As_a_refrigerant)

There comes a time ya know.

Interesting stuff and pretty darn nasty in several ways. Is that the old "Carrine", by Carrier, the stuff that runs a vacuum on the suction side? The HVAC guy I use hated that stuff. The plant was interesting for sure.
I note it dissolves fat (defatting of skin). Could this be a cure? The biological solvent.. Just inject it into the gut and when the screaming is over, the patient will be skinny again.