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

JUST A QUICK NOTE...

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499 Tahiti Allen got his rig back and is on-the-air

as of 12/23/05

HO-HO-HO

(another PDF)

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30+ Pages From LRE Cat.670 (1967)

12MB pdf

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HO-HO, 'Nuff HO'd

Woody

LAFAYETTE SUPER

HOLIDAY VALUES

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A few pages from their 1961 Xmas handout

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(Aprox. 4mb)

MERRY CHRISTMAS ! !

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Do any of you remember Grove Electronics??

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Well if so, or if not, here's an abridged version of their catalog

(only 18pg's)

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It's free to download, has some interesting prices, and the year is: 1965

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PDF Format, approx. 5mb file size

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Grove Electronics 1965

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BTW - The Hy-Gain 5 Element "Long John" is the same one that blew off our garage roof during a vicious ice storm

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Woody

SEASON GREETINGS!!

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December - what a crazy month! Here in Texas, and other Southern states, not only due we have Christmas to contend with but also many frontal systems that pass through, and sometimes come back a day later as a warm front, trapping us between an old cold front/now-warm-front and the lastest cold front (usually 2-3 days away. This gives us some pretty nice skip conditions, even some strange ones. For example, this week the Mickey D Fish Fillet almost dropped out of my mouth when I turned the rig in the car on the catch Colorado (not uncommon), Arkansas (semi-uncommon), as well as Dallas (very UN-common from Houston). All 3 were busy in their conversation, so I just sat back, munching on my sandwich, fries, and basking in the cool air blowing through my open car windows (uncommon).

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Of course, knowing Christmas is just a skip hop away, I have to force myself from buying radio items on EBay (after all - how many presents can I possibly buy myself??), and keep my mind on track about other family member gifts...(ed. - if only they were into radio too).

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December marks the end of another year (Damn....they sure come and go faster), reflections, dread of January and Income Taxes, dread of being broke until March, but hoping that the new skip cycle comes as fast as the year goes by! It's also a time to give thanks, and this year my thanks go to Rob Bellville, who had a radio/scanner website and let me start the CB GAZETTE on the worldwide web before I really knew what I was doing in regards to HTML. Thanks Rob and Merry Christmas!!

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So what would 'Ol Woody put on his Christmas list?? Oh, I can think of a few items, so I'll jot a few down -

1. An end to our dependence on Oil/Fossil Fuels
2. A MINT SBE "Super Console"
3. The bottom hoop of an Avanti Astro-Beam
4. Peace on Earth between all Hams and CBer's
5. Oh, almost forgot - Paris Hilton getting Sooooo fat she is never seen or heard from again.

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WEBSITE OF THE MONTH:

Jim Millsap

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Good link to explain "Skip"

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YULETIDE RADIO OPERATORS POEM

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It came upon a midnight clear

I was so tired I could hardly hear

137, burning some watts

(Don't know how many, just know they're a lot)

I grabbed my mike and said: "Go ahead"

137 said: "Woody, why aren't you in bed?"

Now fully awake I thought I'd be flip,

and said "I'm staying up to hear 'Ol Santa Skip"

The radio went silent, almost seemed dead

I could almost hear him thinking ("Is he daft in the head")

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And then came the DX, right through my speaker

Jay, in the desert was stronger not weaker

He was just leaving the diner that night

and thought most the signals would be just line-O-sight

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Then Don blasted in, and I knew his Maco was fixed

'cause his signal was in-the-red (I think twenty-six)

Jeff, on the West coast, broke in for a few,

I felt like I was hearing a radio skip stew...

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Night Eagle jumped in, he was no snoozer

Just tooling around in his new PT Cruiser.

Steve, down in Clute, jumped into the fray

and it seemed just like everyone had lots to say

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Even Doug (101), and the "Fiddler" got on

and I got to rubbing my eyes - heck, it was now almost Dawn!

Then a strong voice came in loudly and called -

"Merry Christmas to Radio Operators, CB, Ham, and et. all"

'Nuff Said,

Woody

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HOW TO USE AN O-SCOPE

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O-SCOPE LINK

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Could come in handy - Woody

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, ETC.

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Let's start of with the Bad/Sad news: Bills2wayradio is going out of the retail business, but will still handle repair work as explained by this letter on his website. I've had the pleasure of swapping several e-mails throughout the years with Bill, and he is truly one of the straight-shooters in the business. I, and many others wish him only the best....

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For the good news: The link to Eric Brauns "The Turner Microphone Story" website is once again active off the main page off the CBGAZETTE website!! Thanks Eric, I'm not sure how well you know what your information and historical data means to many of us, but believe me, it does!

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WANTED:

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(A want list from someone looking for the following)

** Base stand for a Browning "banana" mic

** Original Browning belt buckle

** Original Browning sew-on patch(es)

** Original Browning Operator & Service manuals (not the reprints - I can get those all day long from Maynards)

** Original Astatic D104 (with the "BL" 'tattoo')

** Other good condition, unhacked Browning CB Equipment

** A nice condition Browning Baron, unmodified, original mic

** Browning "Dealer" stuff

Let me know -- 73! ye OldManFuzzy (Jim, K9FI) email to--- k9fi AT comcast DoT net

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***************************EOT*****************************************

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WANTED NO.2

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From another collector:

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I am a CB Collector and have been looking for a Globe CB1 pocketphone. If you have one or know anyone who would sell me one please Email me or call me COLLECT at 219 972-1111. Thanks and you sure have a great site. Jim Millsap W9CTO. P.S. Please visit my webiste http://www.w9cto.com

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***************************EOT*****************************************

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UPDATE!!

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Work is steadily progressing on re-opening the CB GAZETTE FOR SALE section! Right now the estimated time of it's re-opening is shortly after the first of the year.

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I doubt I'll be selling any new items, as I'm more into the older stuff, but who knows, a new microphone or something might pop up from time to time. The equipment listed forsale will be tested, and left "ON" for at least 1 week to verify any quirks they may or may not have. I'll call 'em as I see 'em and price them accordingly. Prices will be fair, but on the high end of "fair" (compared to many EBAY auctions), as I'll offer a warranty (still in the worksk) but basically, if it's not what I said it was you can return it for a full refund (minus shipping charges). That's it for the 4-Sale update, but I just wanted to let ya know that I hadn't dropped my plans for it. Payment will be by M.O, Personal Check, or Paypal.

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THE BUYING CONTINUES!

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Here's a TRC-55 with box that went for $150

Rather astounding I thought...

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AND QUALITY ALWAYS WINS OUT -

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An AVANTI MOONRAKER IV, In-the-box (which I consider better quality than the ones Antenna Specialists made after they bought them out)

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SOLD FOR: $317.25

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And now my friends, you know the drill...

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'Nuff Said

Woody

BIG MONEY!!

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Every now and then, when selling a rig on EBay, you hit the jackpot....the perfect alignment of the planets where buyers come out of the woodwork and money is NO object!! This month, is one of those "Every now and then" occasions. Here are some examples:

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A General MC-3, which sold for: $406.99

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A Radio Shack TRC-457, in-the-box

$510

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SBE CONSOLE VI

$495

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GENERAL MC-11A

$162.49

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(NO PICTURE)

"SUPER SCANNER" ANTENNA

$392

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This guy has a price of $350, someone actually bid $350

Guess what? It didn't even make the RESERVE!

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President Grant, fresh out of the box - $355

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Cobra 148 GTL-DX - $247.50

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TRAM D64 - $286

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1975 Starduster, in-the-box

(152)

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Turner Sidekick NOS

($206.39)

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CPI BASE - $520

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What's amazing to me is that these are coming out close to Thanksgiving.....the pre-buildup to the Xmas onslaught, and fetching high prices, and not only that, there are so many at one time! (After I write this piece I'm going to search the book of "Revelations" for some insight....)

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The other thing amazing to me is that the BUY-IT-NOW price was very fair, especially from "Sparkys CB Shack" who offers good rigs, at a fair price, and here's a tip - usually the BUY-IT-NOW price is your best option. Sure, you can place a bid, which eliminates the BIN price hoping to get a deal, but from my observations, once that is done, the item usually sells for price higher than the BIN price.

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Let's see what happens in the next month - who knows what will come out of the woodwork!!

'Nuff Said

Woody

Ooops!

One last observation:

I've seen a ton of ad's for Uniden Grant's, Uniden Grant XL's, LT's, etc. and most (but not all) have these words in them:

"Same chassis as a Cobra 148"

Now to me, when I see that I think "Hmmm, they're implying that the 148 is a better rig". But (IMHO), the Uniden chassis is the one that's better....hell, they MADE the chassis for the early Cobra's, and then Cobra went shopping for low bid manufacturers and their quality suffered - not Uniden's. Sure, the boards look the same, but there's a quality difference between the two....sorry, I just had to get that out of my system.

HAVE YOU EVER.......?

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Wanted to pull up your first website? Or, a website that no longer exists? Well then, you should check out the Internet Archive "Wayback Machine". This site's mission is to go where no Bot has gone before, return with data and then have it archived.

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As an experiment, I used my own site and was able to see what it looked like in 1999 (the earliest version they had), and I followed other archives to see what changes I had made ( I didn't even remember my front page in '99 until I saw it ). I also tried a couple links that currently aren't working (websites that went under) and son-of-a-gun if it didn't pull them up as well. Indeed, this was like a "Wayback" machine, and worth a try, and a bookmark!

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NEXT: We have another pair of "Twins" separated at manufacturing, but thanks to Woody's "Every Radio Dreams in Sideband", we have re-united two twins once again! Of course, they were brought up under different circumstances, so while they may dress a bit different, it's obvious they are, indeed, "Twins".....

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Okay, you've spoiled some perfectly good Skip-Shooting time reading today's Blog, so it's time to let ya get on with your E-bay bidding, or whatever makes your signal S-9......

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'Nuff Said

Woody

QUALITY LASTS

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We are in the age of "Throwaway Electronics". Surface mount technology, cheap labor during manufacturing, and expensive labor when it comes to repairs makes it easy to justify throwing the broken item away, and buying a new one, because "It's cheaper". After all, who would want to spend up to twice the purchase price for a repair??

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I recall when electronics made in Japan were considered cheap and unreliable, yet today, you almost drop to your knee's in a prayer of thanks when you find out your electronics item comes from Japan (China is where Japan was 45 years ago, as far as quality control).

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A quality transceiver will not only give you many years of enjoyment, but it will continue to retain a fair amount of value should you want to sell it. For example, Yaesu's FT-101 series, which was born in the very early 70's has held a consistent value for decades. In the mid- 1980's I bought my first 101 (used, of course), for about $350. A lightning strike killed that one, but I really liked the 101 so around 1989 I bought another one for about the same price. The 1990's were no different - a Fox Tango 101 was still in the $300-$400 range.

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And then came the turn of the century, and in the year 2005, they still remain consistent with the price range of the '90's, and 80's.

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The same thing goes for CB Radios made in the 70's, like the President line, Uniden, Cobra, Robyn, Rat Shack, etc. If you watch the EBAY auctions you'll see that these rigs, from that era of quality still bring in a hefty price, but as you get into the late 80's and 1990's, much of what was manufactured then is taking a nose dive.

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I wouldn't be surprised if FT-101's are still in the $300-$400 range ten years from now.....

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'Nuff Said

Woody

FAMILY GUY FLIPS OFF THE FCC

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One of the funniest animated shows on FOX, here is the audio portion (MP3) from their "FCC STORMTROOPERS" musical

number!!

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Here's the Video clip: "FCC STORMTROOPERS"

Right-click, select save-target-as.

NIB

(a.k.a. - New-In-Box)

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Ya know, when I'm perusing EBAY or a Forsale website and see an ad for a NIB rig, I take the time to check it out, if somewhat interested. Sometimes it really is new-in-the-box, but a growing trend seems to be (for example) "COBRA 148 NIB" as a description to sucker you into looking at the ad, and then you find out it has any or all of the below:

• Extra channels
• Opened Clarifier
• Clipped Modulation Limiter (the worst thing you can do to a rig)
• Echo (2nd worse)
• Talkback
• Variable power
• ETC....

-Or, they list it as (for example) "Cobra 148 NIB, peaked'n tweaked, and modified"

So I had to ask myself, "What does NIB mean anymore?"

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If I saw an ad in Best Buy for a DVD player, I'd expect new, but I'd be pretty pissed if I got there and they said "Oh, we modified this-and-that for you". But they don't, because once the box is opened, it's an open box sale.

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Now we all know that opinions vary from person to person, so THIS is MY opinion. ...."NIB" means just that - NEW IN BOX. When I buy a NIB radio I expect to be the first one to open it! If someone wants to take a NIB radio out of the box and modify it, fine, but call it something else like "New radio modified". -

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'Nuff Said,

Woody

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Oops!! I almost forgot another candidate for Ebay descriptions! This one is "Appears to be in decent condition"

C-BOURBON LEGENDS...

(a.k.a. - "CB URBAN LEGENDS")

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Yep, I should have done this one during Halloween week, my bad....

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You've heard 'em, I've heard 'em, hell...we've all heard at least ONE "CB urban legend" in our days. I'll throw out a few and see what you come up with either by comments on this blog, or straight e-mail.

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• LEGEND NO.1 - You have to have your coax cable a certain length, (usually 18feet). This legend began in the early sixties, in my part of the country by the ever popular "Phantom". His theory was that by placing the coax in 18 foot lengths, you could create a Tesla coil effect boosting your output by 500%. The more loops of 18 feet coax you had, the bigger your signal would be. Of course we pointed out that he was the guy who sold coax in our area..... Just kidding. Actually there is a slight truth to this, where this witches brew of coax can help you IF you have a problem with your installation, in most cases, a grounding issue in a car/truck or rf feedback which creates an SWR problem. Otherwise, forget it. Example: I ran an FT-100 in my car and it had grounding issues inside the rig. If I popped on 10 meters I'd get the high SWR warning, and no Xmit. By coiling cable in loops, I was able to use it at times. It was external forces at work that caused the problem. If you have all of your ducks in a row, cut the coax to a practical length...
• LEGEND NO.2 - (my favorite). I heard this several years ago and it always gives me a chuckle when I think about it - If you have a CB and want more power, take the 3amp fuse out, and put a 20amp fuse in it's place. It will boost your signal tremendously. Of course, this is "Rocket Scientist" thinking at it's best....forget it

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Okay, I've given you two CB Urban Legends, so, shoot me (via e-mail or comments to this post) about the ones you've heard!

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'Nuff Said

Woody

SENSELESS SHIPPING TRAGEDY

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I was awaiting a Robyn 520 SSB Base station to arrive, and of course, it came in on my day off. Nonetheless when they said that a box arrived I looked at it and thought "Hmmm, must be something else, because I don't think a 520 could fit in it".

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Sad to say, it did, just barely, with no foam, peanuts, newspaper, etc. So I took it out of the box, plugged it in and - Nada. No lights, no nothing. Time to do a check up:

1. FUSE - GOOD
2. Knobs, button, etc. set correctly? Yep
3. 12vdc (inside) good
4. Switch - good

So that send me to the Worldwide Radio Forum where I put out a plea for help, and got some good advice, especially from Nomad. He said that those PCB's were prone to cracking during shipment, and to check near the mounting screws of the board.

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And there I found a crack. So naturally, I went home and slept on it, and got to thinking I'd check out that cracked area again. It was pretty obvious that one connection had been isolated from the rest of the board, so I'm thinking "Hey, there must be 12vdc on that connection". A quick check with the ever handy voltmeter confirmed my suspicions. I made a bridge from wire and solder connecting the little 12v "Island" to the mainland and now have power, lights, and sound. I'll check it out tonight when I get home, but I think it may be A-OK ---However, this is a good reminder to those of us who ship radios, that we pack them well to give them their best shot at making to the other end....Alive.

'Nuff Said,

Woody

WHAT "LOOK" ARE YOU A SUCKER FOR?

PART TWO

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Continuing on the cosmetics counter...
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RANGER AR3500

(The only thing I didn't like were the channel buttons)

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BROWNING "BARON"

(Hmmmm, Gold and woodgrain finish)

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COBRA 2000 GTL

(Improvement on the 135/139/142 look)

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DEMCO SUPER SATELITE

(Ummmmm.....multi-colored lights.....)

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GENERAL RADIOTELEPHONE "SUPER MC-11"

(Elegant, gold plating with contrasting black finish)

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Everyone has their favorites, I haven't even covered half of mine!

Side note - All pix came from my website (link on right)

Time to move on to next subject:

"CB URBAN LEGENDS"

'Nuff Said,

Woody

WHAT "LOOK" ARE YOU A SUCKER FOR?

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I was mulling this thought over while listening to two fellows in Skipland have a friendly argument on whose rig "looked" better. One guy was for the classic 60's look, the other preferred the over-used Galaxy Saturn style. So I tried to pin myself down to one particular design and couldn't....I love 'em all (except the Saturn look). I do have some favorites though and I'll try and put some of 'em down on this list, in no particular order, 'cept the order my brain digs 'em out of my memory. Here goes....
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The Stoner Pro-40

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Realistic TRC-457

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Realistic TRC-24C

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Courier Gladiator, probably the largest solid-state mobile made

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Courier "Royale". It even came with a matching purple dust cover!

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Teaberry Stalker XX (and for that made any Stalker)

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END PART ONE

(Too much thinking, but send me an e-mail with your favorites!)

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'Nuff Said

Woody

MY DRUG OF CHOICE HAS ARRIVED!

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Yes fervent fans, my preferred drug of relaxation (a.k.a. - "SKIP") has been blowing through my speaker since yesterday morning. Like a junkie who has been off the "Stuff" for awhile, I was hesitant.....would this last? or was it just 15 minutes of morning DX? I know, there some of you out there who hate skip, but most likely you're in an area where there are a lot of local contacts. In my area, there is some early morning QSO's but it's usually dead at night......except for the ever pesky Mexican trucker passing through, while screaming into his microphone (on AM naturally).
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This morning, it's not quite a strong (yet) as yesterday - it kinda blows in and out like the wind through my open window. And, it's jumping all over the place too. Of course, if you go one channel UP or DOWN, it's dead - go figure! It's like "SKIP" is a Greek god-child and when the dx comes in , he picks up a magnifying glass as many children have done, and focuses his beam on one point (in this case channel 38).
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[70, Eastern Ohio - sounding good buddy]
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Of course, we know that's not true, but you have to wonder why it's so busy on 38 and so dead on 36,37,39, &40. I think we (as the FCC is only interested in selling airspace and collecting fines) should make channel 38 the official "call channel" , and once you connect, move up or down, have a nice conversation and when it's through go back to 38 to pick up another. It sure beats the "pile-up-from-hell".
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[Woa! nice bass on Kangaroo 2850's audio in Rhode Island]
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One of things that bothers me while "copying the mail" is when everyone is "ON" frequency, but there's one fellow out there too low or too high that really takes the enjoyment out of it. If the impotent FCC could do just one thing, they'd make it legal for having an un-locked clarifier...Oops! But that makes too much sense. While I'm on the topic of clarifier's and frequency, it reminds me of the frequency police (self-appointed), who spend more time saying "Your OFF frequency", than actual talking. A funny thing happened to me the other morning while driving to work; I had been listening to a couple fellows talking for about 20 minutes when I had a comment to insert and one of them said "What was that??", the other said "Someone off frequency", then the other guy replied "GET ON FREQUENCY IF YOU WANT TO TALK". Here's the funny part - my Grant LT does not have the clarifier un-locked, however it's set dead-on frequency. I'd forgotten that when I first heard these guys that I had to tune them in, so THEY were the ones off frequency.....(okay, it seemed funny at the time. )
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[Think I hear "Danny", Kangaroo number one, faintly in the background hash]

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Okay, you've wasted enough time reading this when you too could have bee enjoying some dx, so -

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'Nuff Said

Woody