EXIT, STAGE RIGHT.......

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As Sunspot No.1072 moves towards the right (and away from Earth), a small speck has appeared higher, to the left, and may be another Sunspot emerging. See SpaceWeather.com for more info (click-on-the-pic).

"CYCLES OF SELLING"
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Just about any radio item on Ebay goes through selling cycles which start low, then quickly rise to a peak, dropping nearly as fast as it began.

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Six months ago, if you owned an FT-100 separation kit, you could name your own price - they seemed to be virtually one of those Avatar-like resources "Unobtainium". This caused a recent flurry of price vs. demand auctions on Ebay, as well as a healthy nostalgic demand for the FT-100/100D itself. Two or three months later the FT-100 "cycle" began to fade and today you can see 2 or 3 separation kits and several FT-100's up for auction at this time. Some of the higher priced FT-100's are from the cycle which just ended. They went unsold, then were re listed at a lower price. Ebay made it more expensive for those on the selling end of the business (between Ebay's "cut" and Paypal, you can expect a 14% loss on your auction). But I digress...

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Last year I observed a frenzied cycle for Kenwood SM-220 station monitors. Once again, they weren't plentiful until suddenly one went for auction and sold for nearly $500 (and this was without the pan adapter). As the cycle reached it's peak it was easy to find SM-220's on Ebay, sometimes 3 or 4 per week, until the supply outgrew the demand and it became hard to sell one for over $200. You never know when the cycle will hit for something you own, but when you do it's like having a stack of twenties sitting in a pile collecting dust, which is hard to ignore. It then becomes decision making time, and quickly - you have to get it in while the cycle is high or face the prospect of the selling process not being worth your time at all......

SUNSPOT NUMBER IS.....

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23

SPOT 1072

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Sunspot Number 1072 has grown slightly since it emerged on our side of the Sun, go to SpaceWeather.com for the details.

KENWOOD TS-590S

A NECESSARY TOOL....
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Radio accessories come and go, and are usually the first things I sell when trying to get some new rig money, but one accessory/tool that has been with me for awhile is one that I find invaluable to have in my shack - it's MFJ's MFJ-259B antenna analyzer.
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I've only used but a few of this little gems features, but even those have kept me from pulling out anymore precious hair. Taken from MFJ's website, their description is:

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"Here's what you can do: Find your antennas true resonant frequency. Trim dipoles and verticals.Adjust your Yagi, quad, loop and other antennas, change antenna spacing and height and watch SWR, resistance and reactance change instantly. You'll know exactly what to do by simply watching the display. Perfectly tune critical HF mobile antennas in seconds for super DX -- without subjecting your transceiver to high SWR. Measure your antennas 2:1 SWR bandwidth on one band, or analyze multiband performance from 1.8 to 170Mhz! Check SWR outside the ham bands without violating FCC rules. Take the guesswork out of building and adjusting matching networks and baluns. Measure distance in feet to a short or open in faulty coax. Measure length of a roll of coax, coax loss, velocity factor, impedance. Measure inductance and capacitance. measure resonant frequency and approximate Q of traps, stubs, transmission lines, RF chokes, tuned circuits and baluns. Adjust your antenna tuner for a perfect 1:1 match without creating QRM. And this is only the beginning! the MFJ-259B is a complete ham radio test station including -- frequency counter, RF signal generator, SWR Analyzer, RF resistance and Reactance Analyzer, Coax Analyzer, Capacitance and Inductance Meter and more!"

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Usually my 259 gets a tad dusty while it waits to be called into action, but whenever the call comes it doesn't disappoint. Recently I was trying to figure out if I had a problem with my AT-50 auto-tuner, coax, or antenna (apartment antennas are a bugger to get right anyways) so I pulled my trusty MFJ-259B from it's lair and within 10 minutes figured out what the issue was (ed. - thankfully not the AT-50). It's not just for base antennas either - use it on Field Day to check your portable antenna, or even that new mobile installation you just completed, plus, you'll be very popular with the local HAM crowd because there's always a HAM out there who is having difficulty and looking for someone with an antenna analyzer to help them out.
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POLL RESULTS: The question was 'are you a fan of DSP or not' and voting ended in a tie.

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CW-DAVE sent in this photo of his current station, but rumour has it that his new FT-950 will be replaced with something new or something old shortly.
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73

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WOODY
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"CW-DAVE....."
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I've known CW-DAVE for [pause while I'll pull out my abacus] 27 years now [ed. - where'd those years go by?] and he was my Elmer. I got a job in the early '80's as a computer field tech and he was one of those assigned to ride with me just to make sure I didn't blow anything up. The company sent me to their lengthy 4 week training class so when I returned I was filled with their mantra on repair which I took to heart and used on each call. I remember one specific service call on a paper feeder which had a history of failing every few weeks and Dave was riding along with me. Immediately I pulled out my VOM to check voltages when Dave kinda chuckled the way only Dave could do and looked to see what was so funny.
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"You know, there's a faster way to find the bad board so we can close out this call", he said, with a slight drawl.

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"What's that?" I asked

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Dave dug around in his portfolio case [he didn't like to lug around the 50lb case most of us did] and came up with a small paper clip. Bending it just so, Dave replaced the blown fuse with the paperclip, I put the thing back together and he told me that we could go now and would find out exactly what component was bad within a week - "The easiest way to find it was to burn it up" he told me, adding "And it saves on callbacks". Sure enough, about a week later the client called in a service call on the sheet feeder and sure enough there was a crispy board. I replaced the board and never got another call from them about that again.
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Some time later, after Doug and I figured out we were friends, we started driving around with mag mount antennas on our cars. Dave came up to us and said he had something to show us in his car. We followed him out of the shop into the parking lot and he opened up the door so we could peer in at his mobile radio. It was the strangest looking CB I'd ever seen and I figured it must be some strange gray market brand - "ICOM??", I thought, "What kinda name was ICOM?". That's when we found out that he was a HAM radio operator, and what we were looking at was a 2 meter FM mobile. Even though it was hot and humid outside our interest was peaked, and Dave gave us a demonstration by calling one of his friends who was down near NASA on a simplex frequency. I was amazed that he could talk that distance from his car and began to think H-A-M.
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Dave, knowing we were CBer's, would occasionally insert something HAM related into a conversation, and then one day when we were just riding around took us to MADISON ELECTRONICS in downtown Houston. Walking in my jaw dropped as I gazed at a ton of radios both new and used and when we began to drool, Dave knew he had us. It wasn't long after that when we started studying for our Technician license during lunch breaks, with Dave pushing and testing us all the way. Doug and I took our exams at the same time, passed, and got call letters very that were very close (KB5CEJ/KB5CEM). After that, he started teaching us Morse Code and after what seemed like a long bitter re-programming of our brains, we passed the 5wpm so we could at least talk on 10 meters.
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Throughout the passing years, Dave and I have kept in touch; he's always a good one to throw questions at, and if I wanted to know about what a certain radio was like he was the man to ask because CW-DAVE bought and sold radios constantly - always wanting to try something new. I would estimate that he has owned and operated at least 70% of all the HF rigs every made, from COLLINS and DRAKE all the way up to the latest and greatest. Even if we weren't friends, I'd give him the title of "THE HAM'S HAM" and I look forward to another 27 years of bugging him with questions.....
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73

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WOODY

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2010 HAMVENTION VIDEO
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From TonyNap1 on YouTube, this 7 minute video encapsulates "DAY ONE" and as I didn't go, a video was much better than reading about it. As I mentioned in a early post, some of the online dealers had online Hamvention specials; some good - some mediocre. Like last year, GIGAPARTS seemed to have the best prices on select radios [although unlike HRO or HAMCITY they charge for shipping], and like last year, the rigs with popular pricing sold out fairly fast. They had the lowest price I'd ever seen on the Yaesu VX-6R Tri-bander for $209 [HRO PRICE: $249 w/free shipping] and a good price on Kenwood's TH-480SAT @ $869 which sold out fairly fast. One other good deal I saw on their site was the Yaesu FT-950 for $1229, and it's now back to it's regular price of $1349. I checked out HAMCITY's website on Thursday to see what special pricing they had on Yaesu products, but there wasn't anything so good that you'd click that "AD-TO-CART" button.
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Locally, 10/11 meter band conditions were great, but not-so-great that it was too noisy, allowing me to make a QRP contact to Ohio, but being QRP [I think I was at 2.5 watts] it didn't last long. The weekend was busy in other respects but I still had enough time to make reservations for next years HAMVENTION - it will be interesting to see how well I follow through with those plans.

KENWOOD ANNOUNCES 2 NEW RIGS

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Kanagawa , Japan , May 7, 2010 — Kenwood Corporation, an operating company of theJVC Kenwood Group, is proud to announce the autumn/winter launch of two newAmateur Radio transceivers: the TS-590S and TH-D72.HF/50MHz All-Mode Transceiver - TS-590S (tentative naming)Featuring a 32-bit floating-point DSP, the TS-590S will offer advanced receiverperformance and an extensive range of features that make it ideal for beginnerand seasoned DX'er alike. The radio's exceptional ease of operation, true to theKenwood tradition, will be especially welcome for contest and mobileapplications.144/430MHz Dual Band FM Portable - TH-D72 (tentative naming)The APRS® capability found on Kenwood's TH-D7* and TM-D710 has been upgraded forthe TH-D72. Thanks also to the internal GPS unit, APRS operations will be moreenjoyable than ever. The TH-D72 also offers EchoLink® memory compatibility and amini-USB connector for enhanced computer connectivity. This transceiver is sureto make ham radio operations easier and more fun for all.* For overseas model/Discontinued modelAnyone interested in these two models will be able to view product samples at:Dayton Hamvention 2010 ( Dayton , Ohio , USA , May 14-16), andHAM RADIO 2010 ( Friedrichshafen , Germany , June 25-27).

TELL US YOUR STORY.....
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On my website (see link) I have a page called "How I Got Started in Radio", and there are some really cool stories. I haven't had anything new to add for a couple of years and it could be due to the fact that most folks read this blog vs. the website. If you want to see what it's like, I've added a link on this page and maybe it will stir up your memory and put your fingers on the keyboard to write a story about how YOU got into radio (whether it be CB or HAM). Just send it to me via email and I'll get it posted as soon as possible. Everyone likes to hear about how someone else got into the hobby (ed.- and I'm no exception) and I'd like to see some more adventures on that page so we can all enjoy it!
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73
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WOODY
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HAMVENTION

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Just a quick reminder that you don't necessarily have to go to Dayton to get a special price on a new rig. Several online sites (Gigaparts) had some great prices last year, but they change by the day and sometimes by the hour, so if it's a good price - dive in.

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Hamcity is another site that will offer some HAMVENTION Deals as well! Check their site Thursday night for lower than usual prices on Yaesu gear. I think HRO had something going online last year as well but I haven't verified whether or not they will do it again this year. From what I observed last year, as the days crept closer to Saturday/Sunday the prices crept up as well. I remember having a rig picked out on Wednesday and when I went back on Friday it was about $50 more; it was still slightly lower than an everyday price, but I kicked myself for waiting. One last hint: everything that had HAMVENTION sale prices online were for IN-STOCK items only! Once they sell whatever they have, the price goes back up again.

FAVORITE SEQUEL POLL RESULTS

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"The Empire Strikes Back" took the number one pick, with "Aliens", "Dawn of the Dead", and the "Wrath of Khan" coming in second. "Army of Darkness" came in third. A new Poll just started - Woody

SAMPLE OF MY BOOK
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The long promised book is done, and currently going through grammar/spelling corrections but I wanted to let you see the Forward and 1st Chapter. The book is a mix of history, nostalgia, with some in-depth looks at some of the people that made CB fun and interesting. Total pages - 160.
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If you notice, the cover has "VOLUME ONE" on it as this book is the first of three that I'll be writing. When I got everything together I realized that I had over 500 pages of stuff to go into the book and decided to break it into 3 parts, with the second one being a bit more technical. I still have to set it up for an Amazon e-book, and I'll have a few "hard copies" to sell as well. Click on the front page below to access the PDF file.

73

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WOODY

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"MAILBAG......"
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CW-DAVE sent me this clip via email and it was a hoot!!

FT-100/100D FINALS

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I mentioned an abundance of information for various radios via YAHOO GROUPS, and if you own a Yaesu FT-100/d and want a spare pair of finals (Motorola discontinued them some time ago) then look for the fellow that occasionally has them for sale. He (or someone) goes overseas and buys them in lots of ten and sells them to those who have signed up to buy a pair. I believe these finals are the same as the ones used in the first two ICOM IC-706 models as well. In keeping with our throwaway society I suppose this fits right into that scheme, but I can't help thinking about how easy it is to find parts for rigs made decades before the FT-100 was even thought of (including the tube finals). You never know when the fickle finger of fate will lay itself on your radio, and that can make you a bit nervous - myself included, so I think it's time to tempt fate no more, sell my FT-100, and let someone else lose a little sleep.

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WOODY

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS QUESTION POLL, "WHO WAS GENERALLY KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF OSCAR?" A: Don Stoner

DUMB SELLER?
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OR, CAGEY LIKE A FOX?

EBAY AUCTION FOR "CB RADIO"

Ugh...so many things wrong with this auction, and I'm sure they've received emails telling them that this isn't a CB, yet no corrections. What an uninformed buyer does see is "This System works great. The mic has a transmit and Monitor button. I have had this plugged in for the last couple of days and I have caught several transmissions......" (Ed. - from outer-space?)

SOMETIMES SOME THINGS "STICK"

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As a parent you hope that some of the things you try to teach your children stick with them as they become adults. But kids are pretty intuitive and observant without any coaching. On a recent lengthy drive from Houston to Dallas I was very happy to find out that my son Chris had been observing me for many years as he accompanied me to our twice-a-year Belton Texas Hamfest trip (and I suppose any other time we were on the road and I was on the 2-way).

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For our Dallas trip I had my Cobra 138xlr in "Moby", while we installed my E.F.Johnson 4740 in his truck. At one point, during a conversation with him I used some language which a non-radio person would be puzzled about and was just about to explain what that meant when Chris came back with correct reply.

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"Wow, that was cool Chris", I exclaimed, "I wasn't sure you knew what that meant"

[Robin took a picture while I was talking to Chris]

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Chris keyed his microphone and replied: "All those years of riding to Belton sunk in Dad". And that made my day. His first time using a radio, and without any coaching or cheat sheets and he sounded like a seasoned veteran. With one hand on the steering wheel, and the other gripping the microphone, Robin reached over and wiped a tear that formed in one eye. Yes, today one of my Son's had become a radio operator!

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73

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WOODY
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MORE TFW PIX

"MEDICAL EMERGENCIES"


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Everyone seems to like doing studies on one thing or the other and I'm no exception. My idea came to me via an EBAY auction. My item was sold, and a day or two later I got the "I can't pay for this item due to a medical emergency..." email. If you've sold anything on EBAY I'm pretty sure that you've had similar situations, and after giving it some thought for awhile I realized that I've had at least four of these "Medical Emergency" emails since the first of the year, and who knows how many over years gone by.

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Having worn my brain out from all that thinking, I figured that some Government agency should spend a ton of money on a study to determine if people who are magnets for medical emergencies are sucked into EBAY for the purpose of screwing up an auction. So if you happen to be a Government agency who is looking for a reason to spend money on a study - this could be it....
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73
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WOODY
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TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND

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2010