FEB. 1st, 2006 'Nuff Said

(part one)

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Sheez! Already the first month of the new year is gone....where'd it go? And unless something happens in the next couple weeks as far as winter weather, I guess we're not having a winter this year (I'll be mowing the lawn in about 2-3 weeks).

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"Steven Seagal" - When you hear that name, I'm sure you think like I do (Under Siege, Above the law, etc.). Most of his recent movies have been direct to video (and not all that bad). But what about "Songs from the crystal cave"??

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Yes indeed, Seagal put out a music CD last year (available as an import). I ran across it while looking up some of his movies on DVD on Amazon. The positive reviews got my finger hitting that "ADD TO CART" button and I have to say, he's not half bad. Nothing earth shattering, and it's a mix of music from around the world, but he plays lead guitar, some drums, lead vocals, wrote the songs, etc.

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For those of you who have just discovered either my Blog, or my website, or both..... Here's a few tips for EBAY purchasing:

What ISN'T "Rare"

• Lafayette Comstat 35B
• Courier 23 (the all chrome rig)
• Astatic D104's
• Turner Plus 3's, Plus 2's, and "Super Sidekick"
• Yaesu FT-101's
• Cobra 2000's
• E.F. Johnson 250, and the 223
• Radio Shack TRC-457, 458, 490, 459, 30
• Lafayette Radio catalogs from 1965-1974
• Cobra 135, 139, 140, 142, 148 (gtl/xlr's)
• Teaberry "Stalkers" (all flavors)
• Tram D201/201a

Vintage, yes...rare, no. Of course it's up to you whether or not you want to spend the bux, just be careful - some of those prices are really spiked!!

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Which brings me to andale.com - if you're in the buying mood, it's worth the $6/month to take advantage of their research database. If you are interested in a Cobra 2000, you just type it into their search line and it will come back with an average price over a six month period (I think that's correct) to give you an idea if the item you're looking at is a good price. If not....move on. Another will show up sooner than later. You can also use this search function to determine what is rare and what isn't. For instance, if you plug in the name of a rig and it only comes back with one "hit", then it's not readily available.

What is "RARE"

• Catalog's
• Some CB Magazines
• ARF-2001 with the frequency counter
• Stoner Pro40
• Stoner Pro10
• Robyn SB540

FETCHING A HIGH PRICE....INDEED

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Recent E-Bay auction:

Lafayette Dynacom 40 walkie-talkie pair fetched over $400!!

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Well, you've wasted some perfectly good QSO time reading PART ONE, but I hope something struck a cord with you -

'Nuff Said

Woody

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SATURDAY JAN 28th

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Well the DX is rolling along the Gulf Coast of Texas..."Jim Dandy" in Ohio was really plowing the field!! I think my buying spree has ended for awhile because I'm sitting with piles of radios around me waiting to be tested, cleaned up, have photo's taken, etc.

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Lot's of 706's still forsale, thanks to the 7000 - and surprisingly, several 7000's forsale as well (Are there issues with this one?). Personally, I was happy to get a 706 for the car so I can run 2m ssb mobile again, and a nice Icom 703 complete with battery, backpack, etc. to use at work during lunchtime and maybe brush up on my CW.

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711 in Cleveland is coming in pretty good now, but just got walked all over by Jim Dandy (whose frequency has shifted a bit).

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HT's get smaller and smaller each year (it seems). I've been using a VX-5r and it's okay, but kinda small. So happy to get another FT-530. Before it gets warm (not that it's been real cold this winter), I have several antenna projects to complete (tower, 2m/400 beam, etc.)...hey, speaking of Beam Antenna's....I'm looking for the bottom Halo of an Avanti "Astro beam".

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Okay, 'nuff typing for now....

Woody

LATE NEW YEAR'S GREETING!!

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Greetings to one and all in 2006 !! Well, this year certainly started off in on a down note: As you know from a previous post we got our bonuses at the very end of December and there was still a week of Holiday vibes to enjoy, but right after that came "Black Friday", when they canned 6 out of 8 managers at one location and then the Director of our lab (pretty shocking).

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If you've been around as long as me (or longer) you know the drill:

• Rumors run rampant about who is next to go
• Policies are changed
• Organizations are re-orged (like mine was)

So what was a Woody to do?

• Buy some whiskey (Crown Royal "Special Reserve", and this stuff is smooooooth.
• Wonder what a kind a job an almost 50 year old guy can get
• Drown my sorrows in Whiskey and E-Bay

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But thanks to Lance Mosley, I was awakened to the fact I hadn't posted any new words of wisdom since December....So let's look at one good reason to celebrate 2006 - it's that much closer to the next sunspot cycle, and I'm pretty excited about that. I'm also excited that my child support payments end in about 5 months. So let's look at what I've been buying:

• Used Icom 706's (owners are chomping at the bit to get the new IC-7000)
• Some new QRP equipment that I can use during lunchtime (I'm going to get back into CW again)
• Vintange CB's, Catalog's, Walkie-Talkies, etc.
• Test equipment
• And much, much more.

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One of the nicest pieces I picked up was a Courier Plus Base station (picture will be posted this weekend). Believe me when I say this is the cleanest 60's rig I've run across!

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Thanks to the re-org, I'll now be able to take a vacation!! (Woo-hooo), so I'm making my plans for some new antenna installations and upgrading my website to a server with a lot more space, and resuming the "Forsale" page. And last but not the most pleasant, yard work. We've had one of the warmest winters in recent memory so things are still growing.

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Okay, I'll get back into the swing of the "Blog", just wanted to jot a few things down -

'Nuff Said

Woody