A Crummy Commercial

 Anyone from the 1970s would remember Helen: source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Helen_Reddy_1975.JPG But what about this guy: source: https://creativepro.com/scanning-around-gene-great-reddy-kilowatt/ A powerful singer ?: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLcAzYCueAY Reddy sounds a lot like Walter Tetley. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm               

 I was watching a Korean variety TV show called:   Amazing Saturday (Nollaun Toyoil or 놀라운 토요일 )    It's a fun show where the regular panel of celebrities along with celebrity guests try to guess the lyrics to Korean songs for food prizes.  As I understand it the title is derived from the fact that folks in Korea are routinely working or studying on Saturday so a rare day off is an Amazing Saturday. It's a very team oriented show, the panelists have 3 rounds to guess the lyrics exactly down to the last symbol (up to 40 Hangul characters or so). for the second song it was 30 characters   If they are wrong the guesser is pelted with a popcorn cannon and a portion of the food goes to Haetnim, a Youtube mukbanger (a consumer of mass quantities of food).   Thanks to the Viu streaming site it's possible to see a subtitled version of the show on Sunday although I suspect a lot of stuff is lost in translation. Anyway, if the panel misses the first round they can choose from six hi

. I was watching this video on the ABC TV lineup for 1961: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7vib3qFxhU 26 and a half hours a week seems like a lot - really nothing super great either.  I remember 19 of those shows although mostly via reruns.  My favorite show was Top Cat, a cartoon, hey I was 6 years old.  TC was voiced by Arnold Stang.  Top Cat was kind of an an animated, non-army Bilko show :) But Calvin and the Colonel ?  An animated show by the Amos and Andy guys ?  Yikes !  Maybe they could have added another half hour of bowling, or more Welk, anything else. But I can't fault ABC too much since in 1962 they added the Discovery show in the afternoon, that was a great show. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_(American_TV_series) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 There were wirelessly controlled lighter than aircraft over 100 years ago ! source:  https://www.shorpy.com/node/1271 Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

. source: https://www.shorpy.com/node/1075 51 cents in the summer of 1938 inflates to: the current Target price: So really Crisco is a relative bargain :)  Of course P&G isn't spending as much on advertising as they did in 1938 sponsoring Vic and Sade. This was previously mentioned in regard to Spry in 1941: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2023/01/ritz-crisco-1941-to-2023.html Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm 

. I watched the recent NOVA program about the JWST and the first results of various investigations.  One thing is that PBS Wisconsin has moved NOVA to the 9 pm time slot from 8 pm.  Why does this matter ? see: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-safest-sleep-aid-ever-invented.html Yes it happened again, about 1/2 way through I nodded off. Luckily PBS does also post NOVA to Youtube so I can rewatch the show: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAuET8rA7NA The part about the calibration of the image sensors was interesting, I would have thought that this would have been nailed down on the ground but apparently they need to be done in space on the system as a whole using a standard set of stars. After almost a year a confirmation of NOVA as a safe, effective, low cost sleep aid :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm 

 I remember having one of these plastic submarines when I was a kid.  Probably it was from a box of Frosted Flakes, one of my favorites. . But just recently I realized why the toy was a dud in my eyes.  It was supposed to go up and down in the water by itself, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder_submarine also see: http://torgo.org/bpsubs/ It was patented (2712710): My sub didn't work right.  I put in the powder, put in the plug, placed the sub in a bathtub of water and nothing happened.  In 2023 I finally realized that it was because I had used baking soda rather than baking powder.  Baking powder has an acid and a base mixed together in dry form.  When water is added CO2 gas is emitted - that's what causes the sub to move (also the pancakes to rise).  Baking soda does nothing fun when in contact with water - it just dissolves.  One other problem was that I eventually lost the little metal plug somewhere along the way that held the baking powder in place. A 60 yea

 One thing that they do at Mann's store every year about this time is to sell Paczki (pronounced: poonch-kee).  The filled doughnut of Polish origin. Monday was almost a perfect day to go to Mann's - no wind, bright but not too sunny, temperature in the thirties (Fahrenheit).  So I rode the old Trek over and was able to buy some blueberry paczki (usually they are raspberry). I don't know how authentic these are and of course they are boxed up, not fresh out of the fat but I'll enjoy them.  BTW for future reference this box of four cost $5 Sometimes life is good ! Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm  

. https://alliedcatalogs.com/ This is a fun site.  I've got a couple of real Allied catalogs from the 1960s but the pdf versions from World radio history and the online versions from this site are almost as good. They also have a Radio Shack catalog site: https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/ I also used to buy from Burstein-Applebee and Lafayette - some of those catalogs are available on World Radio History: https://worldradiohistory.com/Electronics_Catalogs.htm It can be fun just browsing the day away ! Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 After my previous blog post on the big hysterical balloon over Montana: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2023/02/that-wacky-balloon-over-montana.html there have been several more balloon sightings.  Also the initial Montana balloon was shot down and one of the subsequent balloons was also brought down. But as NPR, Popular Mechanics, Aviation Week and other sites have mentioned, these subsequent balloons may have been small Ham Radio balloons: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/18/1158048921/pico-balloon-k9yo I did notice on this tracking site: https://amateur.sondehub.org/ that VE3KCL (mentioned in my previous blog post) has a balloon currently over Siberia, the 32nd ? Ballooning is apparently like eating potato chips, hard to stop. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I read that Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82.   The two most memorable shows she was in for me were: American Family on PBS: And Fantastic Voyage: So I re-watched Fantastic Voyage (American Family was an 8 part series so a re-watch will take time).  Here are a few stills from the movie: TWA ?  Kind of like re-watching 2001 A Space Odyssey and seeing Pan Am ! CMDF ?  Would it be an American operation if no initials were involved ? (Combined Miniature Deterrence Force) Submarine ?  And any American quest has to include a cool looking vehicle of some kind (aka Proteus aka U91035) A Vibroplex ?  Yup, Stephen Boyd was the radio guy, some kind of Bendix radio machine ? Steve keeps his eyes open mini antenna antibodies on Raquel ! and they re-appear One weird thing about Fantastic Voyage was that the book was written by Isaac Asimov but he didn't write the screenplay and the book was released before the movie. The director of Fantastic Voyage, Richard Fleischer, was part of the famo

 I tried using the Bing search engine AI to ask about why the low bands use LSB and the high bands use USB. The answer references two pages for technical reasons why: http://www.redwaveradio.com/11_4d1c8dd3748ce22d_1.htm "The ham radio practice came about because of a particular military surplus radio that when added to a carrier generator produced USB over 10 mHz and when subtracted LSB below it." https://www.mdarc.org/operating-aids/lsb-or-usb "It's a historical oddity. Early amateur SSB rigs used a 9 MHz IF system, and it was easier and cheaper to generate LSB below 9 MHz and USB above 9 MHz. You will notice that on 160, 80 and 40 meters, LSB is mostly used and on the higher frequency bands, USB is used. This is a leftover from the early days of SSB when radios were designed a certain way, when SSB was in its infancy." So basically AI doesn't know the reason either :) The first reference seems plausible but no details - this wasn't documented in QST t

 I was looking at this page: https://hackaday.com/2015/05/20/how-to-tell-if-youre-installing-foil-capacitors-backwards/ after watching Mr. Carlson mansplaining his work on an old RCA communications receiver: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0drh4V-cL4 In the RCA receiver video Mr. C. was replacing the triple cap in the metal can with three separate Illinois Capacitor axial caps.   He used a little outside foil test gizmo in the RCA video but in the first video he just used a scope. I tried the scope method using my B&K 2190d digital scope.  It did work BUT what I really found out was that due to having to horse the cap leads back and forth between the probe ground connection and the probe tip I found yet another indication of Geezerhood:   I had a hard time opening the ground alligator clip - the plastic insulation on the clip is hardening (not enough BPA ?).  So I cut the insulation loose.  It was better but the clip is still kinda stiff. Time for some kind of ZIF connecti

 I got this email: that led to two conclusions: 1) my present savings account was paying something like a tenth of that rate 2) I am officially a geezer, interested in stuff like guaranteed savings interest Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

. Here is a brief article on the beginning of a effort to preserve the antenna used by two AT&T Bell Lab guys to discover the cosmic microwave background.  It was instrumental in their sharing of the Nobel Prize. https://spectrum.ieee.org/cosmic-microwave-background I remember a couple of things about the cosmic microwave background from college.  First, that this red-shifted radiation from the big bang represents a temperature of roughly 3 degrees Kelvin (above absolute zero).  And second, that heat transfer due to radiation of a warm mass to the surroundings is proportional to the delta T (difference in temperature) raised to the fourth power. So if you go outside, lightly dressed, on a clear, calm summer evening and just stand around looking at the stars you'll find yourself feeling cold rather quickly, your body is radiating to that 3 degree Kelvin canopy of space. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 Chiefs 38, Eagles 35 OC Eric and HC Andy after the game Pretty good game, everyone had said the Eagles would win but nope. Surprised and delighted that I was able to stream the entire game from the Fox Sports web site. The half time show was interesting, Rihanna didn't seem to have any fear of heights ! I didn't find any of the commercials that memorable. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 (with apologies to Jack Benny): My favorite brunette and I love him still is Honest Abe carved into a hill . source: https://twitter.com/StelfieTT/status/1623668312856006656 Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 I finally succumbed to rampant consumerism and bought a Gildy's Blade on ebay.  Gildy was the hero of the old time radio program: The Great Gildersleeve.  In the March 8, 1950 episode Gildy takes a nicked up kitchen knife and reshapes it by rounding the end (to dip into Kraft Miracle Whip jars ?), sharpening one side conventionally and cutting teeth into the other side for bread slicing.  The result is supposed to be the perfect kitchen tool for creating sandwiches. Here is a contemporary ad: Here is mine: It's in decent shape considering it is 5 years older than I am ! Here is the show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x8RXIL-51o Taking them at their word, a $2 value inflates: But in this photo: source:  https://www.jaxhistory.org/portfolio-items/margarine/#lightbox/0/ the price of a loaf of bread (10 cents) plus Parkay (43 cents) would bring the actual price of a Gildy's Blade above a 1950 buck. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm          

. This free ebook from the IEEE mentions the recipients of the IEEE medal of honor over more than 100 year history of the medal.  Starting with Edwin Armstrong it also includes the rascal, Lee de Forest.  Many names familiar to hams also appear including: Marconi, Alexanderson (the SAQ alternator guy), Harold Beverage, Pierce, Hartley (but not Colpitts) and Terman. https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-medal-of-honor-ebook book link: https://www.ieee.org/ns/periodicals/IEEEMedalofHonor/eBook/index.html?utm_source=dhtml_text&utm_medium=hp&utm_campaign=medal-of-honor-ebook# Some familiar names aren't present such as Tesla, Steinmetz or Yagi - I guess that everyone can't get a dinner: https://nostalgicitalian.com/2018/02/05/never-got-a-dinner/ Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 I listen to podcasts, mainly while playing Spider Solitaire: https://cardgames.io/spidersolitaire Recently I was listening to a Green Bay Packers podcast where the fellow was all agog about a sports book story - mainly that Las Vegas based sports books have changed the odds on a bet that Aaron Rodgers leaves the Packers for the 2023 season. Here is the source:  https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/news/this-time-packers-make-move-in-updated-rodgers-next-team-odds Anyway this podcast fellow was really impressed and felt that "Vegas must know something". I kinda doubt it.  As I understand a sports book it's like a parimutuel machine at the old racetracks.  The odds are adjusted over time until the money bet on each side is equal.  The book makes a commission on the bets - they don't care about the outcome - they only care that there are a lot of bets placed. Apparently later in the day the odds calmed down somewhat that QB 12 would leave the Pack. Never mind that legalized b

 Here is a fun web page on the cartoons that were found on some of the schematics for classic Tektronix gear: https://vintagetek.org/tektronix-schematic-cartoons/ My favorites: pilot light external clock: external sync: One thing I used to work on at GTE were Programmable Read Only Memories known by the acronym: PROM.  I remember calling the local rep for Harris and got the secretary - she must have been new, when she inquired what the reason for the call was I just answered: PROMs.  And she said something like: "you mean like the high school dance ?" Yes, the high school dance :) Best Regards, Chuck,WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm