A Crummy Commercial

Everybody remembers this: source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anWLvZdn368 I lashed up my Sony muter plus delay for last nights Packer game: Jayden and Jordan after the game old Sony TV remote, Sony stereo remote, muter, 9 volt power supply The delay itself was supposed to be 2 minutes but it came out as 2 minutes and 2 seconds.  It actually worked pretty well even for football which is a little less time regimented than modern baseball - George Carlin must be spinning in his grave ! source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeCtFkHQtEo  The muter was connected on one leg of the left speaker.  The right speaker was disconnected.  One question: does it harm an audio amp to be run without a load ?  Certainly that is true with an RF amp but an RF transmitter is generally run at high power.  Most casual listening to an audio amp is done at milliwatts.  So the output stage should be able to dissipate the power.  But it's prudent to run the ampli...

Lightning, Tomahawk WI: source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsBumdSnH6U  I found this video so weird.  For one thing: the sky doesn't look dark and threatening.  No rain that I could see.  Just a bolt from the sky. The title says "powerful lightning" but I'm wondering if this was more of a random mini-bolt ?  It seems to me that a powerful strike would have done more damage. This also reminds me of the recent strike in the back: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/08/lightning-strikes.html  I wonder if it is time to consider making some kind of lightning detector ? https://wenzeltech.com/Projects/lightningdetectors.htm  I'd like to try that  No Moving Parts Field Mill  but dunno about plundering an Americium pellet from a smoke detector. Finally I also thought: too bad it was an evergreen, Wonderboy was made from hardwood: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/04/wonderboy.html     Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham...

I was paging through the October 2025 QST online when I came upon this on page 94: Really unexpected but a pleasant surprise !  I took that picture in June 1975 with my Olympus 35RC.  When the Glen Gates Gang Field Day entry was sent in the picture got included.  Somewhere around here I've got a plastic bag with several copies of that issue - I remember going over to Amateur Electronic Supply (on Fond du Lac in Milwaukee) and buying them.  I've mentioned the November 1975 cover before: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2022/06/field-day.html  The picture reminded me of Scott Tilton who died this year: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-novice-trio-no-more.html  Scott was the brains behind repurposing the tower to a transportable unit.  It's a shame that Scott's article for the tower wasn't published. Here's the Glen Gates Gang page with more of my pictures from Field Day: http://wb9kzy.com/ggg.htm  The fact that that magazine cover was from almost 50...

I've mentioned the Lionel Communications Lab 3270 before: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2023/12/lionel-communications-lab-mark-i.html  I saw this 3270 on Ebay in an unopened box: https://www.ebay.com/itm/167780230691  The semi-obligatory deflated price: In other words, it's actually cheaper than it was new ! They also had the Lionel Communications Lab 3272: https://www.ebay.com/itm/167780324136  This one is definitely the buy of the two based on value, (assuming that $39.95 marked on the box is accurate): Inflated price for the 3272: The cheapest person on earth defers on them both: "it could be a pig-in-a-poke" (or in this case, a sealed cardboard box.  And of course I'd open it, fiddle with it for 15 minutes and then set it aside :( Update:  I had watched both Ebay listings above, sure enough, in the early evening I got offers on both of 5% off, get thee behind me, Satan !  :)    Update 2025-9-10: Temptation is OVER:    Best Regards, Ch...

I got an email from a ham asking about the Ultimatic keying mode.  I did a brief text file on Ultimatic: http://wb9kzy.com/ultimat.txt  I did invite comments so emails are fair.  It turned out that this ham had a K1EL K45 keyer and a Yaesu FT-991a.  The Yaesu doesn't have Ultimatic as an option for the internal keyer.  The emailer wanted to know what could be done to send with Ultimatic on the Yaesu. I replied that the emailer should contact K1EL but that it was just a matter of buying of making up a keying cable between the keyer and the rig.  Also, the Yaesu menu would have to be set for straight keying. This reminds me that my kits (and site) may not be that beginner friendly in the same way that a Knight-kit or Heathkit was.  This is also probably why so many already built wire antennas and cable sets are sold, I guess it wouldn't occur to me to buy such things :) Also, when I became a ham most people weren't self taught.  I learned from local...

Didn't do much today other than listen to sports.  The Brewers crushed the Pirates: the Mis had a sensational game, over 100 pitches, still throwing 100 MPH and the Packers beat the Lions: Micah Parsons ?  He FAST ! A good day in Wisconsin ! But I can sympathize with the players like Christian Welch on the Brewers or various Packers players with back soreness.  My back was sore today so not much got done. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm 

Bing has been mentioned before, most recently: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/08/bing-redeemed-itself-via-redemption.html  Today (Saturday) the limiting seems to be off ?  I was able to score all of the 100 mobile and 150 desktop points before 7 AM  -  when I was limited to 20 points every half hour it took until the afternoon to get to the limits. Why pursue these limits ?  I am hoping to get several thousand points so I can re-up Windows 10 for another year of security updates.   Got my fingers crossed ! Update: 2025-9-7, Bing is still OK, no limiting ! 2nd update: 2025-9-8, Bing still working ! 3rd update: 2025-9-9, working => this is a trend !   4th update: 2025-9-10 uh-oh !  Bing is limiting again ?   Whew !  no, it was just their news feed that was being limited.   5th update, 2025-9-11: oh fudge !     Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm