A Crummy Commercial

Remembering this post: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/01/low-if-oscillator-circuit.html I did buy some LF353 op amps as specified in the QEX 1991 article by W6IOJ.  So I swapped out the TL062 for the brand new TI LF353 chip: LF353 op amp TL062 op amp Not that much different, about 6 volts peak to peak, slightly higher frequency.  But the circuit still needs some tweaking, adjustments are touchy.   Update: found the old dual op amp standby, the NE5532, tried in the osc: NE5532 Slightly higher output and frequency, still very touchy to adjust.   Another update: tried a TLC2272 op amp which is supposed to be rail-to-rail: TLC2272 The amplitude is now 8 volts peak to peak although the frequency is a little lower. More on this in the future ! Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I saw this on the K9YA Face group: Do you wonder why kit manufacturers like Knight or Heathkit went out of business ?  And actually it must have been two weasels because the guy who bought the tuner must have been in on it, too. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I did some more sleuthing on the UWM Union mentioned yesterday: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/02/gyros.html Luckily the UWM student newspaper, The UWM Post, has a free archive of all the issues online.  https://uwm.edu/lib-collections/uwm-post/ I'm sure a 21st century AI whisperer could have rounded up this info much quicker but I was able to root through the online archive and find the following news articles: An article on beer vending machine (page 8) from October 2, 1975: source: https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/uwmpost/id/9826/rec/392    Semi-obligatory inflated price: Figure a case of 24 @ a 1975 price of 21.5 cents per can would inflate to: $29.66 - beer was expensive in 1975 However it didn't last long, article on beer vending machine no longer in operation from October 5, 1975, page 3: source: https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/uwmpost/id/9553/rec/393 They also tried showing X-rated movies, from front page, October ...

I've mentioned UWM before: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-university-of-wisconsin-milwaukee.html The UWM Student Union had beer and food available in the basement (The Gasthaus), found a couple of pictures: Semi-obligatory inflated price: that's roughly what a gyros would cost at Oakland Gyros today They also showed movies in the evening but by then I was usually back home - a day student.  There was also bowling where there supposedly were vending machines with beer but they must have been taken out or I would have gotten a picture :) But I noticed the gyros on the menu - I never had gyros until I moved to the Chicago area a few years later - no sense of culinary adventure then.  That spicy lamb carved from a rotating spit, served on a pita with that tangy dressing, yum !  No wonder I used to weigh 50 pounds more than I do now :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

Thanks to USPS Informed Delivery for this episode of: What the heck is this ?: Villanova University ?  The only time I've ever heard those words is during the NCAA basketball tournament in the spring. Weird !  It didn't arrive on Thursday, maybe today ?  More likely Saturday ? Update: Friday afternoon, nothing today, hopefully the mystery will be solved on Saturday: In the 20th century I would have had the parcel on the 6th.   Update on Saturday PM, 2025-02-08: the mystery parcel was marked as delivered but I didn't get it, it must have been associated with another parcel I also got from PA today, weird ! Later update on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025:  I checked with the Ebay seller in Pennsylvania, he/she didn't know anything about Villanova, so the parcel remains a mystery - where are those dang Hardy Boys when you need them ?  :)   Update Monday Feb. 10, 2025:  still a mystery, no mail at all today - I'm hoping that if the parcel was mis-delivered tha...

I've decided to quit selling the Keyall HV Enclosure option: source:  http://wb9kzy.com/keyallhv.htm It didn't sell well, sending the enclosures is more expensive and a hassle to pack - the final straw is the new taxes on PCBs from China and possible shipping interruption by the USPS. The Keyall HV kit itself will still be available. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

The USPS announced this: I am waiting on one Ebay item from China, I asked for a cancellation since I have been waiting for 10 days and it hasn't been sent (Lunar New Year delay ?).  So this USPS pause will just add more delay to a USPS that still hasn't recovered from the holidays. I was going to order some boards from JLCPCB (was waiting for them to start up after the Lunar New Year) but now I don't know. I received this email today: What it doesn't say is that they use copper clad circuit boards from China.  Also, they NEVER use the USPS except for billing.  AND they charge a huge minimum for "shipping/handling" which is usually more than an entire order from JLCPCB. Second, 10 percent is just another nail in the kit coffin.  It goes on top of the 5.5% that is now paid to Wisconsin sales tax. And of course this may change at any second, the tax could increase or be turned off (as with Mexico/Canada) at any time.  Whipsaw is the term used on Wall Street for ...