A Crummy Commercial

Frost in 1959 at age 85 Mentioned this poem yesterday: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-few-pictures-of-ice-storm-aftermath.html My Dad had a record of Frost reading his poems including Birches .  I don't know where it is and I don't have a working record player anyway.  But good old Youtube can be useful at times: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBw-OaOWddY . snapped off birch limbs from the ice storm along with a gallon of sap, the ice is gone but the damage remains Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I rode over to vote this afternoon and then went to Mann's Store - lots of damage evident - didn't take any pictures.  Along the southern part of Airport road the power wires and fiber cables were really close to the ground, power poles had been snapped.  Not sure when the power will be restored fully.  I can hear a generator going in the vicinity so even just across Jackson Harbor road the power seems to still be out.  I suppose it depends on which of the three phases is used at your house. Birches and evergreens seem to have the worst of it.  The ice is kinda pretty in the sun - however these photos are kind of dreary in the overcast: the ice was really thick the 30M inverted vee in the front a little pine bent over in a U to the ground the ice attacks the crowns of the trees a little closer to the pine bent in a U birches don't just bend, they also break ice on the hedge I will restart the maple syrup boils tonight.  Only did a little sap collecting toda...

Power went out again on Washington Island on March 29, 2025 (Saturday) at 5:44p.   Power returned this Monday evening sometime before 8:15p (I was sleeping), March 31, 2025 - it is so nice to be back "in the cultured life" as my Mom used to say. More tomorrow.  Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

No, not roundball - electronic parts / kits at a bargain price !  Well, maybe a bargain ?  I bought this item on Ebay for $16.88: At first I just watched it because this seller will mark items down if they aren't selling.  But then I noticed this: It's a unbuilt LDG QRP Antenna Tuner board !  Also next to it is an air variable cap. Then I saw this: Whazzat at the bottom ?  Zooming in: The enclosure for the LDG QRP Antenna Tuner kit.  Is the rest of the kit there ?  I doubt it but possibly ? Finally the deal sealer: This must be something to do with Morse code, right ? Anyway, we will see in a week or so.  Also see a couple of meters, some speakers and assorted doo-dads and other parts - it has to be worth at least $16.88 :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I have this little piece of oak, about an inch wide and 3 inches long.   Yes, it is from Washington Island, they had to cut down some trees when putting up our house. But what kind of oak ?  I suppose an expert could tell from the color or the grain but I do this: Add a little dishwashing soap to some water in a dish, then stick in the wood and try to blow through it.  If you get bubbles, it's red oak.  If you see nothing, it's white oak.  I'll leave it to the internet search engines to find the details on why. That's all I got today :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm 

Yes, magnifiers have been mentioned before:  https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/03/magnifier.html  I found this "new" lighted magnifier in the office: Not sure how useful it will be.  It takes C cells - which are getting rarer at least in this house.  There were a couple of alkalines in it but luckily no damaging leakage.  I looked at C cells for sale at Mann's store today, over $8 for 4 no-name alkalines !  Nope !  So I dug out my old GE NiCd C cells which I used to use with cassette tape recorders way back to college - can they really be that old (over 40 years) and still take a charge ?   Yup, at least enough to demo that the light is kinda weak. yes, it is turned on     I'm still seeking a perfect magnifier solution. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

Not having any luck with the Knight CPO circuit: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/03/still-fiddling-with-knight-cpo-circuit.html   (probably the wrong transformer, I wasn't able to figure out the spec'd impedances) I found a similar circuit in the Raytheon Transistor Applications booklet, page 35, by Lou Garner: source: https://tubes.mit.edu/6S917/_static/2024/resources/raytheon_transistor_applications.pdf Also found data for the UTC SSO-3 transformer 10k ohms to 200 ohms (it also says 25k ohms to 500 ohms): source: http://www.bunkerofdoom.com/xfm/UTC_1960_WEB/030.jpg   Since I don't have the CK722 I used a modern 2n2907 instead.  I looked through my parts on hand for similar audio transformers, finally found this Xicon TL006: If the output center tap is used the result is a 20k ohm to 500 ohm transformer which is fairly close to the UTC transformer.  I tried it and it does work: used a microswitch (on the left) as a key However the tone isn't that great, volum...