ME, MYSELF, AND I

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So what does this have to do with radio?? It has to do with something we're all guilty of from time-to-time, and that is the use of the word "WE" (catching on?). How many times have you heard someone (or yourself) in a conversation like "We're going to try to make the next hamfest" or "We're looking at some of the new rigs to purchase and I hope we can come up with the money".
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As a listener, it can get annoying during a lengthy transmission....

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"Well, we're planning on going to the hamfest this weekend because we want to upgrade our HF rig and get a few misc. items. We have to buy now, because we just got our Income tax return and it'll be gone before long"
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Sometimes there really is a "we", but more often than not, it's just an "I". You hear it on 11m, you hear it on repeaters, and you hear it on the HF Ham bands - and like I said, I'm just as guilty. I've reached the point where I'm aware of when I say the we-word (just after it's left my lips) so that I can correct myself during the rest of the QSO. I guess you can say that we're working on it....
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TO SHIP OR NOT TO SHIP

[That is the question]

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I know, I just wrote about this topic, but it's gotten so bad lately it's time to mention it again: "Highway Robbery Shipping Charges On Ebay".
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Good God!! Ebay should spend less time cancelling HR-2510 auctions and more time on what I perceive to be out and out FRAUD related to shipping charges. You, as a buyer (or prospective buyer) have to be proactive and when the shipping charge looks sky high, question the seller about it. Now if you're mostly a buyer, you might not be familiar with current prices, but as a buyer/seller, I'm uptodate on what prices should or should not be.
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Here are some tips for the "Buyer":

• If you're looking at a rig like a Yaesu FT-101, which is pretty heavy, and you see a $40 or higher shipping charge via Parcel Post, there's something wrong. Either the seller is making extra profit through shipping, or they haven't double checked the inferior Ebay calculator, or, they just don't care, because Parcel Post is the cheapest (in many ways) carrier and takes forever to get to the destination (sometimes 3 weeks). And as far as my track record goes - you're odds of getting a damaged rig are much higher. UPS Ground (1-7days) would be approx. $39.



• Keeping my first example in mind, when you see (as I did) a microphone up for auction and they're charging $35 via Parcel Post, warning bells should really go off because a microphone weighs far less than an FT-101, and is much smaller in size.



• Question and Educate. Email the seller regarding shipping. Example: I was looking at an item and the seller had a "Flat Rate" (which means no matter where in the US it ships, you'd only pay his flat rate price) charge of $30. He was in Texas, and I'm in Texas. So I wrote and asked him politely if the charge was still the same for my Zip Code. He replied with a charge that was less than half of his Flate Rate. If you feel the rate is too high, ask the seller if they took the item (boxed) to the carrier and got a quote there, or off the internet. If the answer is "Ebay Calculator", ask them if they'll take it to the carrier and get an actual face-to-face second opinion.



• Educate. Many sellers are blissfully ignorant about shipping charges. They plug in the numbers and whatever comes back is what they charge. Give them examples of shipping charges (like my ft101 and microphone) vs. weight/size. They may not be aware of the Post Office's "Flat Rate" boxes (no matter how heavy, if it fits in the box you're only charged the flat rate (they run $8,$9, and I think, $11). It's a good deal for all involved.



• Compare. Many sellers offer two or three different ways to ship and the pricing. I can't tell you how many times I've found US Postal "Priority" to be the same or less than "Parcel Post".



• Boycott. Last but not least - don't buy it if they won't even consider checking into whether or not the shipping price is valid. Unless you really, REALLY want the item, pass on it. Another one will usually come along soon (if not the next day). I've had some experiences where the buyer would not budge from their Parcel Post price, even when they are using the Post Office which offers "Priority" and "Flat Rate Priority". And now, I'll refrain from writing about this topic for at least a couple of months.-

BOOK REVIEW:

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"Microphones - How They Work & How to Use Them"

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Everyone knows how a microphone works right? You talk into it and the person on the other end hears your voice. But what really goes on inside the mike? What are the physical and electrical characteristics between different microphone elements? Why is one microphone good for one thing and another not?

All of these questions and more are answered in this book written by Martin Clifford [1977]. The author begins with microphone theory, and early stabs at the making of the first microphones, and goes on from there. I'm not much of a pure technical reader, and Clifford has blended the correct mixture of technical information and history to make the book interesting to anyone.
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I can't compare this with any other books on Microphones, because I haven't read any others, however, this one seems to have all of the technical information, history, and easy reading that I would want in a book of this nature. At 224 pages, it won't kill you to read it, can only be purchased USED (so the price is right), and comes in three versions: Standard Hardback, Hardback Library Edition, and Softcover - take your pick! I have all three and can assure you that everything is the same, inbetween the covers. This book gets 4 Woody's out of 5 and should be on the shelf in every shack as an excellent reference guide.


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That's it for this post...I have to get back to work on the SPRING 2007 Video!
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WOODY

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