A Crummy Commercial

Johnnie, Kitty Wells and Jack, source: By WSM/Grand Ole Opry - eBay itemcoverpage 1page 2page 3page 4page 5page 6, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22346502 I don't know how I found this song, Lonely Island Pearl .  Maybe I was searching on something island related ?  But whenever I play it the refrain just keeps running through my brain ! source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOqT0d74QTU Mel Tillis was the songwriter of Lonely Island Pearl (his manager is also credited?).  Per the wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_%26_Jack Jack died in 1963 in a car accident.  There is a good synopsis of the Johnnie and Jack act here: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnnie-jack-mn0000235537#biography If you've ever seen the Kubrick movie: Full Metal Jacket you've heard Johnnie Wright with his wife, Kitty Wells: source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNHOFyIaGD8 I'm not really much for Country and Western music (I've got the ...

This discrete transistor audio amp is from the 2nd volume of Short Circuits , project 9, page 64:   The Short Circuits books were mentioned before:  https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/12/short-circuits.html Volume 2 pdf:  https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt7eae2e8ef79b5522/bltd61d4842c9bc12a7/BJ8504-ShortCircuits-2-310316.pdf?branch=prod This project caught my eye as a potential LM386 killer:   It's shown operating from a 9V battery the board is nice but not not required    Presumably this means that the standby current is low although it's not mentioned - the LM386 is spec'd at 8 mA @ 6 volt supply, 4 mA typical.  The builder just adjusts a bias pot by ear to reduce distortion.  The voltage gain is quoted as 32 which is a little higher than an unboosted LM386 (gain of 20) which with the feedback bypass can deliver a gain of 200. more complicated than an LM386 circuit but not that bad A heatsink is recommended for running at 12 volts, it a...

I saw a picture of a 1950s station on Faze that had a Hammarlund receiver similar to this: source:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/136778372006 and a Johnson Viking transmitter similar to this: 11 meters ? source:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/297845200608 And I thought of this: Jack Sprat could eat no fat,  his wife could eat no lean;  and so between the two of them,  they licked the platter clean Isn't it strange that some of the radio companies were kinda like that?  Hammarlund made receivers almost exclusively.  EF Johnson made transmitters almost exclusively.  Certainly Collins, Hallicrafters and the rest felt free to sell both receivers and transmitters. I wonder why at least those two decided to "Jack Sprat" it ? Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm  

With the second game today (Saturday December 20, 2025) I just had to feature this: https://twitter.com/glennfischbach/status/2001109901649584352 In case the tune isn't familiar there are lyrics: https://genius.com/Happy-schnapps-combo-the-bears-still-suck-lyrics Many vocal versions can be found on Youtube and other sites.  And there is apparel which voices the sentiment: source:  https://cheesehead-tv-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/all/1 Not a classy tune even when given the classical treatment but polkas are always fun ! And I didn't know this term before so following the Packers IS educational: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amuse-bouche Also there is this somewhat more sedate song: source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY1g_b-5RWA This lecture by Mike Leckrone, the former leader of the UW Madison marching band, had a Packers-Bears story in it at about 14:25 .source:  https://youtu.be/ai_iKr9RMO8?t=863    Donna Shalala wiki (the Bears aren't mentioned...

I remembered that my 8th grade English teacher, Miss McGrath, would read aloud to us from the book: H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N .  So I did a little searching and found out that Leo Rosten (pen name: Leonard Q. Ross) started publishing the Kaplan stories in the New Yorker Magazine. I fired up my copy of The Complete New Yorker and quickly found the Rosten stories:    In a way they are perfect as separate short stories since the 1930s were a different time with plenty of unfortunate stereotypes and language usage.  So a little taste goes a long way. But I also saw this ad (the New Yorker used to be able to sell a LOT more ads than they do today): Interesting in that this was a compact set made to run from 6 volts and probably included either an RF stage or an extra IF amp to boost the gain.  Plugging the price into the inflation calculator: Wow, that is a LOT of money today and considering that the Depression was still an ongoing thing, yikes, I wonder how it sold ?...

This seems interesting: source:  https://spectrum.ieee.org/electric-salt-spoon-and-cup But the price: source:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/306611168384 The only electric spoon I own: slide the black switch and press the red button and a red LED would light up the clear spoon has lost the ability to light up :(  It was a Kellogg's premium.  I never figured out how to get at the battery. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm  

Saw this: Immediately wondered about the semi-obligatory inflated price: And because it is almost 2026, I am thinking of raising my postage charge on kit orders to $6 per order from the present $5, as someone would have said in the 1960s: "rats" Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm