HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bob@medrcw.b17b.ingr.com (Robert Whitehead)
Subject: Re: CB over cable TV (!)
Reply-To: bob@medrcw.b17b.ingr.com
Organization: Vulcan Science Academy Foreign Student Union
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 19:13:31 GMT

|> >   The other day I was at the local Radio Shack, and was chewing the fat
|> > with the clerk. I was commenting on how they had a corner on the market
|> > when it comes to TV accessories like cable splitters etc. I found out
|> > through our conversation that the clerk was a recently licensed
|> > ham.  Naturally the conversation turned to communication subjects, and
|> > then he floored me!!!! He had indicated that they were having a run on
|> > PL-259 to F adaptors. He asked the next guy that asked for one what he
|> > intended to do with it. The guy bubbled over on how when you hook your
|> > CB set to the cable TV line, you can talk over town with no
|> > interference. I know this could work on our system because all the line
|> > amplifiers are BI-DIRECTIONAL. Wow! Talk about TVI. And just wait until
|> > one of those wacko's fires up his footwarmer to talk further.

When I worked for the Shack, we got a copy of a letter that a CB'er
sent a district manager, complaining about the 10 meter rig he had bought.

He started off by saying that he had bought the 10m rig because he
could throw 25 watts with it.  Well, he plugged it in, screwed a CB
car antenna to it, and started talking.  The local amateur community
immediately told him that he had to have a license to talk, and he
should get off.

Well, he was quite upset with Radio Shack because they didn't tell him
he had to have a license.

Then he got the bright idea to jack the 10m rig into his cable,
figuring that he could broadcast without interference.  So he bought 
the appropriate connectors, tied it into the cable, and cranked it up.

Well, the cable company got hold of him (actually, he called in a
complaint when his cable stopped working), and they told him that
he had burned up some important piece of equipment.

He wanted the DM to send him a check to pay for the cable equipment
(in excess of $50,000.00), to take back his 10m rig, and refund his
money.

The DM told him where he could shove the 10m rig.  I don't blame him.

73s de Alabama!
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Robert C. Whitehead       | Do what thy manhood bids thee do;
| Intergraph Corporation    | From none but self expect applause.
| Mapping Sciences Division | He noblest lives and noblest dies
| Technical Documentation   | Who makes, and keeps his self-made laws!	
| Mailpath: b17b!medrcw!bob |
| Phone: (205) 730-1923     | 		- Sir Richard Francis Burton
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Real World: bob@medrcw.b17b.ingr.com


"It's hard to believe that something which is neither seen nor
felt can do so much harm."
"That's true.  But an idea can't be seen or felt.  And that's
what kept the Troglytes in the mines all these centuries.  A
mistaken idea."
    -- Vanna and Kirk, "The Cloud Minders," Stardate 5819.0
From: tskelton@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Tom Skelton)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Batteries on concrete
Date: 6 Oct 92 13:01:56 GMT
Organization: NCR E&M CLEMSON Liberty, SC

<8XZ4RB2w164w@pillock.moron.vware.mn.org>
Reply-To: tskelton@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Tom Skelton)
Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: NCR E&M CLEMSON Liberty, SC
Keywords: 

In article <8XZ4RB2w164w@pillock.moron.vware.mn.org>
stevej@pillock.moron.vware.mn.org (Steven Jarosh, KA0VYB) writes:
>MOSIER@iris.uncg.EDU (Steve Mosier) writes:
>
>> Ah, good.  I was afraid this thread had died...
>> 
>Nah, Vegas is starting to make odds on it.  ;-)
>
>
>Steve KA0VYB

No way...the #6 washer thing never got off the ground.  There are lots
of comments still waiting in the wings.  Radio Flyers was just the
beginning.  
73, Tom WB4IUXC
(arrggghh typo:  WB4IUX)

--
From: WFAUST@NOMVS.LSUMC.EDU (Wm. Bryant Faust, IV)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Icom repair turnaround
Date: 2 Oct 1992 10:03:52 -0700
Organization: UCSD Usenet Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu

> I just mailed my W2A off to Washington to have the top dial repaired.
> Which ever way you turned it, it went up in frequency.
> Does anyone know how long Icom usually takes to repair a radio?
> I'm trying to decide if I should talk one of my friends into
> loaning me one.. Thanks!
>
>
> --
> Brian Weaver (303) 786-2619       University of Colorado at Boulder
> weaverb@rintintin.Colorado.EDU    (internet)
> KD6CFA@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA     (packet radio)

Icom's repair facility is one of the fastest I have ever delt with.
The last time I sent a radio in for repair, the radio came back via UPS
before the postcard stating they had received it came by mail.  Total
time from sending it off to having it back, 2 weeks, which isn't bad
considering 3-5 days each way for shipping.  Even though the warranty
on the radio had expired according to the warranty card, Icom had
extended the warranty to one year so I didn't have to pay anything
when it came back.  I can find nothing to complain about with Icom's
service.

On the other hand, our club station has a Kenwood ts-430s which has
been a terror to have repaired.  We have sent it back at least 6 times
since we bought it in 1986, and generally it took at least 8 weeks each
time to get it back.  It would come back with one problem fixed
(sometimes) and another one would show up a few weeks later.  We are
about to dump the whole Kenwood station and replace it with an Icom,
primarily due to there excellent support.

N5GWF
Wm. Bryant Faust, IV                            WFAUST@NOMVS.LSUMC.EDU
Department of Pharmacology                        WFAUST@NNOMED.BITNET
Louisiana State University Medical Center         voice: (504)568-4740
New Orleans, Louisiana  70112-1393                  fax: (504)568-2361
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
From: johnr@mik.uky.edu (john s roberts)
Subject: Dead Battery (WAS: Safety of auto battery for power?)
    <1992Oct2.144529.8386@news.acns.nwu.edu> <25868@oasys.dt.navy.mil>
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 19:54:18 GMT
Distribution: na

I have an old marine battery that I was using for an audio application, but
the idea of using it with ham radio sounds great.  For the past few years
it has been sitting with a trickle charge.  The other day I turned off the
charger and used the audio piece that I had and the battery did not supply
any power.  I was wondering if there was anyway to jumpstart a battery.  I
have heard about putting old nicads in the freezer, but would this work for
a marine battery?  Hope this doesn't start something like the concrete 
discussion....

John
--
  --==+  John S. Roberts, Jr.    Internet: johnr@mik.uky.edu (NeXT)  +==-- 
  --==+  3466 Flintridge Drive      Other: mtbb136@ms.uky.edu        +==--
  --==+  Lexington, Kentucky       Bitnet: johnr@ukpr.bitnet         +==--
  --==+  Home: (606) 272-1417         Ham: pending 146.760-          +==--
From: stuart@ee.fit.edu (William Stuart)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Info on 2m glass/disguise antenna wanted
Date: 1 Oct 92 22:34:08 GMT
Distribution: usa,local
Organization: Florida Tech has NO organization


In article <1992Sep28.074208.3768@arizona.edu> petrisko@evax2.engr.arizona.edu writes:
>Anyway, the question remains... how can I mount some useful antennas?
>At bare minimum, i'd like to run 2m on a regular basis, an on-glass 
>antenna is one route (low to no gain), also antenna specialists used to
>make a disguise antenna (am/fm/2m) but that has been discontinued.

Antennas America makes disguised antennas that stick to your windows for
just about any band you could want.  Their antennas are 3.5" x 3.5" adhesive
stickers that have traces embedded in them.  A friend of mine has used one
and found it to be at least as good as a 1/4 wave.  The antenna is omni-
directional when mounted per the instructions.  The part that sticks to the
window is black, but you can get it with a security warning decal so it just
looks like an alarm sticker.

Antennas America (303) 421-4063

I have also seen ads for their antennas in the latest QST.

 - Bill		KD4GKK
	
	stuart@ee.fit.edu
From: alanb@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Alan Bloom)
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 19:13:46 GMT
Subject: Re: Drake TR-7 problem
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc

In rec.radio.amateur.misc, taylor@tix.timeplex.COM (Seth Taylor) writes:

>Help....Does anyone out there know the answer to this one. I have a
>Drake TR-7/DR-7 transceiver that works fine on all frequencies, except
>the 10 meter band. There is no receive or transmit. There doesn't appear
>to be any obvious problems like a defective component in the amplifier
>low pass filter, especially since receive is dead as the transmit. 
>Any ideas before I send it off to Drake Service in desperation ?

I would check the bandswitch.  Put the switch in the 10 meter position
and check each of the contacts (10 m position) with an ohm meter.

If that's the problem, try spraying a little TV tuner cleaner on the
bad contact while you rotate the bandswitch.  If that doesn't work,
try CAREFULLY bending the contact spring slightly to make it press
down a little harder on the wiper.

AL N1AL
From: john@dir.mcc.ac.uk (John Heaton)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: AMIGA SATELLITE TRACKING PROGRAM
Date: 6 Oct 92 12:37:22 GMT
Organization: Manchester Computing Centre, England.

Someone sent me a file called AmiSat276.DMS which seems to be a fairly
comprehesive satellite tracker for the Amiga, similar in some respects
to Intuitracker for the PC. I say 'seems to be' because the whole thing
is in German, and I don't read German. 

John
From: BOB@WINROCK.ORG (Bob Hambuchen)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: (none)
Date: 26 Sep 1992 18:59:25 -0700
Organization: UCSD Usenet Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu



>I don't agree it violates the ECPA.  Since the ECPA amends the act of 1934,
>it doesn't seem to violate that act (as amended) either.
>
>The reason I say this is that the ECPA says that it shall be legal to
>intercept any communication "readily accessible to the general public".
>As you know (and as this CBS broadcast demonstrates) that description
>very definitely applies to cellular telephones.
>
I wish that WERE true Paul, but the ECPA (Electronic Communications
Privacy Act) of 1986 was an ineffective and self-serving law which was
coerced by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA)
to enable cellular manufacturers to give the illusion of privacy to
cellular customers.  The fact is that cellular transmissions are 
specifically "protected" under the law (while cordless phones are not
given such protection).

That same CTIA is the organization which is pressing congress to make
it illegal to sell radios to the public which are capable of receiving
cellular frequencies, or restorable to do the same... but that's another
thread.  Norman Black, spokesman for the CTIA is trying to step up the
pressure on congress by releasing news stories to the AP which refer
to persons who receive cellular frequencies as "techno-creeps". 

Why press the issue about CBS?  Because a few years ago an individual
recorded the cellular conversation of a local politician and his 
girlfriend.  The recording ended up in the hands of local news media
and was broadcast.  The FBI was called in to locate the perpetrator
of the crime, and a person was charged with violation of ECPA and
wiretap laws.  CBS did EXACTLY the same thing in their recent story
on 48 hours, except no malice was intended.  But malice is not
required to violate either law.  As I see it, if the FCC charges CBS 
and its affiliates, this will place CBS (reluctantly) in a position where
its high-priced lawyers will have to fight the ECPA law... they CAN'T
afford to allow their affiliates to take one like this on the chin
because of THEIR blunder of allowing it on the air.

Will the ECPA and future frequency restrictions just go away if we
close our eyes and ignore the situation?  NOT

So send your letter to the FCC demanding action on this violation.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Hambuchen         | Ronald Reagan; Boris Yeltzin; Margaret Thatcher;
bob@winrock.org       | Helmut Kohl; George Bush; and Bill Clinton....
                      | .... WHICH NAME IS OUT OF PLACE? ....
From: jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: The Truth about UHF Connectors
Date: 29 Sep 1992 23:25:25 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: UT Health Science Center Houston

In article <1992Sep28.145126.8292@newsgate.sps.mot.com> rapw20@email.sps.mot.com writes:
>In one place I worked where we had literally thousands of these
>connectors the failure rate dropped dramatically when we went to the
>twist-on variety, esp once we found a stripper that prepared the cable
>(RG-62) in one motion.

In my shop, we've been replacing twist-on BNCs with crimp-ons. The twist-on
connectors are fine, until you go to move the terminal and drag it around with
the connector still attached. Twist-on BNCs were responsible for half of our
failures before we started replacing them.
-- 
Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can
jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu      | adequately be explained by stupidity.
    Vote for a REAL change on 3 November: Throw out the check-bouncing,
  tax-and-spend Democrat Congress! (obviously, not an opinion of UTHSCH)
From: lhurder@arrl.org (Luck Hurder KY1T)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: How to Transfer a Call Sign
Date: 29 Sep 92 17:39:07 EST
Organization: American Radio Relay League

In rec.radio.amateur.misc, rogerm@hpscit.sc.hp.com (Roger Myers) writes:
>
I would still like to get his call
>sign and keep it in my family, instead of it being re-issued to someone
>else. Does anyone know of any way I can do this?
>

Not at present.  Recognizing that many Amateur Radio operators would
very much like to have special callsigns again, both the ARRL and
the FCC are striving toward that goal -- some day down the road.

At the present time, however, since your Dad's no longer able to
perform the control operator functions required of him, his callsign
may not be utilized.

We intend to continue working on ways to make special callsigns
become a reality once again.


|       |   |         Deputy Manager, Field Services, ARRL.
|       |___|         The ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service, the ARRL
| uck   |   |urder    National Traffic System, The Amateur Auxiliary to
------  |   |         the FCC's Field Operations Bureau, the ARRL
     KY1T             Field Organization and the ARRL Monitoring System.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
lhurder@arrl.org   Prodigy - MGTS39A,  BIX - ARRL,
   MCI Mail - RPALM, MCI Mail - "ARRL HQ", America On Line - "ARRL HQ"
        Compuserve - 70007,3373 (ARRL HQ)  -- Genie ARRL.HQ
From: markz@ssc.com (Mark Zenier)
Subject: Re: Major reorganization of rec.radio.amateur.misc
Organization: SSC, Inc.,  Seattle, WA
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 19:20:23 GMT
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

mikef@pacifier.rain.com (Mike Freeman) writes:
: However, how does this hierarchical structure of the ham radio interest
: newsgroups square with the notice I just received of the creation of a new
: newsgroup "rec.ham.radio.swap" or some such?  If this a dumb question, sorry.
: I just gained access to Usenet after a long absence.

Either someone made a mistake, or is being a retrograde idiot
by denying the legitimacy of the last reorg.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt then ,if it's a nearby
site, a voice phone call or polite email telling them of the 
reorganization and the new names would be the first step.

And using the facilities in news to alias it to the new name
(rec.radio.swap), would be a good second step.

And if they are being a retrograde idiot, about the only
thing to do is the standard Usenet enforcement of gathering
together an electronic mob and chasing the perpetrator through
the network, pitchforks and torches held high. ;-)

Mark Zenier  markz@ssc.wa.com  

Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
From: Chuck Adams <chuck_adams@qmail.ssc.gov>
Subject: Re: IC-901A
Organization: Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 21:53:12 GMT

In article <ZD5XRB2w165w@n3eop.pgh.pa.us> paul@n3eop.pgh.pa.us (paul) writes:
>Does anyone know the extended range of the various IC-901A modules?  I'm 
>particularly interested in the 10m and 6m modules...  and how they relate 
>to the VHF-Lo band.
>
>Any other undocumented tricks with the '901?
>

I have the info at home, I'll try to remember to bring it in and post
it.........


                      Chuck Adams,  WB5WRR   (The Chuckster)
                 Not an official document of DOE, SSCL, URA or EG&G
               Try Internet brand Tequila -  "A worm in every bottle"
             Internet:  chuck_adams@qmail.ssc.gov  (aka 143.202.130.11)
From: STUMTGRY%EKU.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu (if i were a sports star i'd have a girlfriend)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: yeasu ft-727-r
Date: 27 Sep 1992 14:56:14 -0700
Organization: UCSD Usenet Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu

hi i was wondering iof anybody had an instruction booklet that they would
either mind giving up or writing it on the computer and sending it to me
via e-mail or copying it and sending it via regular mail anbd i alsoi was
wondering if anybody knows how to get the .ERR message off of the readout

if you know the answer or have a instruction booklet let me know by
e-mailiong me private ly at

in%"stumtgry@eku"

73

marty montgomery
From: jseboldt@pnet51.orb.mn.org (John Seboldt)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Continuously Loaded Dipole Construction
Date: 6 Oct 92 03:25:05 GMT
Organization: People-Net [pnet51], Minneapolis, MN.

edjcb@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Jeff Brown) writes:
>My desire to work 80-meters has finally overwhelmed the antenna
>restrictions and space limitation I have to accept at my condominium.
>I'm going to try building a continuously loaded dipole.
>
>Suggestions for improvement or an alternate design are appreciated.
>
>Jeff Brown WB2RUZ
>edjcb@scivax.lerc.nasa.gov


With some concern for environmental RF so close to your bod, I still recommend
something I saw in a mag a while back:   a loop antenna at ceiling level of
your apartment, with fine wire, sneaking in and out of doors, etc., to enclose
the maximum area.  Break the loop, feed it with balanced line and a tuner, and
I'll just bet you will do much better than a 20 foot antenna.

:                John Seboldt...Minneapolis, MN...                  :
:           As a ham, K0JD...as a human...well, you judge!          :
:UUCP:{crash, tcnet, petrus, quest}!orbit!pnet51!jseboldt __________:
:ARPA:crash!orbit!pnet51!jseboldt@nosc.mil | WINDOWS: a cute  -<:o) :
:INET:jseboldt@pnet51.orb.mn.org           | clown suit for DOS...  :
From: hunter@s07.es.llnl.gov (Steve Hunter 423-2219)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Verticals (question re: GAP)
Date: 28 Sep 92 19:59:06 GMT


	Tom Skelton wrote saying that he knew someone who sent back a GAP vertical because
of bandwidth problems.
	I have a GAP vertical mounted about 10 feet from a pine tree that is taller than the
antenna, in a typically small California back yard. I checked it on all of the ham bands
from 10 to 160 meters, and it is under 2:1 SWR for the entire band on all bands except 160,
where it only covers about 100KHz under 2:1 (as advertized). 
	I have used it on 10 meter phone to talk as far as Japan and the British West Indies.


	Steven Hunter
	KC6RKV
From: gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Telsa Coils
Date: 26 Sep 92 13:11:21 GMT
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Gannett Technologies Group

In article <1992Sep25.121205.24434@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> pierson@empror.enet.dec.com (dave pierson) writes:
>In article <1992Sep24.174214.16291@ke4zv.uucp>, gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
>>writes...
>> 
>>This is false. Since we are dealing with a transformer primary coil, and 
>>not a transmission line or antenna here, using 1/4 wavelengths of wire 
>>has no advantage.
>
>	(Hmmmm  Time for alt.tesla???)
>
>	Uhhhh, maybe.   The Corum broithers build large (10 foot) Tesla coils.
>	One of them (Bruce?) is a PhD in EMag, and teaches antenna design.
>	_he_ found they got best results by modelling the system as a 1/4
>	wave antenna, or, more specifically, as a helical reosnator.  One of his
>	students built  projecty of a 160 MHz "Tesla Coil" with a ~18" wire as
>	the secondary.  As a validation step, Dr Corum plugged in Tesla's
>	description of his Colorado Springs coil, in its final form, into his
>	program.  He found all the parameters were close to the optimum
>	predicted for that general design.

At the frequencies that Tesla coils are normally operated, LF not VHF,
and at the physical size of home Tesla coils, the Rr of the coil is very 
low. That means it's not much of an antenna.  Modeling it as an antenna 
doesn't make sense as a way to optimize voltage. Instead, it should be 
modeled as a self resonant step up transformer. At VHF, the coil becomes 
large relative to a wavelength, the Rr grows, and the doctor's model should 
be close to the physical realization. Note that Tesla's Colorado Springs 
coil was extremely large so that it's Rr should have been in agreement with 
the doctor's model even though it operated at a low frequency. It also blacked 
out the town because it's excessive current draw burned out the city power 
system's generator. I don't think home constructors are going to be that 
exuberant. Modest coils need a different model.

The final voltage output will be a function of the *turns ratio* between
primary and secondary and the Q of the coil. A coil with a high Rr will
have a *low* Q and a low Q coil will have lower voltage than a high Q
coil. So for the highest voltage, you want the coil to be *small* physically 
relative to the wavelength at which it operates. *Electrically* it will 
*always* be 180 degrees, or half a wavelength, long as far as the voltage
standing wave is concerned. That's by definition of a self resonant coil.

I'd also put forward a thought experiment. Take a 1/4 wavelength wire
and wind it into a coil. Now measure it's self resonant frequency. It's
no longer the frequency for which you cut the 1/4 wavelength of wire.
It's lower because of the additional inductance created by winding the
coil. So you can never have a coil *that has turns* that will be self
resonant at the 1/4 wavelength frequency of the straight wire from which
the coil is wound. QED.

Gary KE4ZV
From: vbreault@rinhp750.gmr.com (Val Breault)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Clip art wanted
Date: 2 Oct 92 13:31:26 GMT
Organization: General Motors Research Labs

I'd like to find a source of amateur radio related clip art for our club
newsletter (General Motors Amateur Radio Club).  I'd really like to find
an FTPable site although Email is fine and even hardcopy (paper!!) would
be appreciated.  

Thanks in advance.

-val-  (the guy that volunteered to be editor)

 
--

Val Breault - vbreault@gmr.com - N8OEF
General Motors Research and Environmental Staff.
The opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect 
those of the GMRES or the General Motors Corporation.
 

Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
From: lwwald@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (LARRY WALD)
Subject: HF Rig Info. Sought
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Distribution: usa
Date: 28 Sep 1992 07:11 EST  





Greetings, I am interested in getting a good late model used HF rig.  I am 
currently considering the ICOM 751A, the ICOM 735, and the Kenwood 440.  I 
can't afford the new stuff, so I am just looking at used gear.  

I'd like peoples' opinions of the rigs, especially folks out there that 
have had experience with two or three of the rigs.  Thank you.

Larry, KE8GW