ALPB MEETING 07 DECEMBER 2012...

No preparation is actually required to attend meetings of the Association of Low Power Broadcasters, but I like to think over what we talked about last time and think about whether there are any new ideas I want to put on the table. In the next two days I will be looking ahead to the Friday Meeting.

One thing that's especially enjoyable is to see new members appear on Team Speak to join the talks.

We're paving the radio future of the whole human race, join in and throw some weight around.

and start on the "Open room for chat" with Team Speak. A few of us hang around there prior to the meeting and just gab for the sake of gabbing.

Neil

The Low Power Hour Diesel Big Rig is on the highway headed toward the Meeting, but the driver needs directions to the Team Speak Building.

One side of the truck panels got painted backwards owing to a stencil mixup and reads RUOH REWOP WOL.

Join today. Commit your life to the part 15 way.

Our three year old heat pump apparently had a reverse valve failure. I discovered this a few nights ago when the outdoor condenser unit stopped running. We could only use "emergency heat" mode.

The repair bill is $850. I bring in $694 a month. We already had a medical bill yesterday for $350 for my wife - appears to be a thyroid problem.

We have a small emergency fund (about to get smaller) but I've fot to somehow get some money earned this month. I like to bake, and Florida has a cottage food law, so I am going to be
cooking for other folks Christmas events most of the month.

Struggling to survive and heading to the kitchen. Catch you next time around guys!

Alan

Oh boy, Big D, all that stuff at the same time.

But your wife has you to help her when she needs it, and that is super!

Cooking is a very creative skill and is your "Ace in the Hole" for this situation. (I hope what I just said makes sense, since I don't know what "Ace in the Hole" actually means).

I would say the defective heat pump should be humiliated for having a defective heat valve at an inconvenient time. You might want to put pictures of it on the internet with the message "DO NOT TRUST THIS HEAT VALVE".

The ALPB missed you, and we wish we had a way of doing something to help, but the power is still low.

At least we can pay for it. There's just not going to be much left.

I told my wife we'd have her healthy and happy for Christmas, AND we would have heat, and air conditioning for Christmas. We will be OK.

Hey, I was able to trade with another member of Part15.us for a TH II. And with a second member for some other gear to help put my AM back on the air. So that was encouraging.

And, I really do like to cook. In Florida, under the Cottage Food Law, we legally can cook and sell some items from a residential kitchen. My wife's boss, a female, is friends with us and wants me to do cupcakes for an elementary after school program, next week. She sent the boxes of mixes, etc home with my wife tonight. Next week will be busy.

Maybe cupcakes are easier to sell than radio time..lol.

I'm married to a wonderful lady. She puts up with my radio addiction..and in return, she seldom has to cook. I usually do it!

Good example of why I can't make Friday meetings: I'm getting more heavily involved with broadcasting local high school sports, especially off-island, i.e., away games. We have quite a few sponsors we MUST take care of.

All football and many basketball games (except some league playoffs) are Fridays, and 'away' games for us means dealing with ferry schedules. Because this is a group of smallish islands in the North Puget Sound, the ferry schedule is irregular, i.e., nothing at all like every hour ... part of the price we pay for living in this beautiful place.

Most often, we leave with the teams. Right now, the ferry we usually take is 11:05 departure. Expenses are already high so I'm not willing to pay the extra price for onboard WiFi, and I will lose my own Clearwire signal for awhile, and also often lose it enroute to the rural schools we play. We often don't get back until the last ferry. So trying to attend a meeting under those circumstances just isn't practical.

Of course, the rest of the time is spent setting up the system and acquiring/testing the best internet signal we can get, all before the pregame show starts (15 minutes early) where we introduce all our sponsors and sometimes a guest to go through the expectations for the game(s). Then after the postgame show we have to pack up shop and make a run for the ferry which departs at 8:25pm gets back here at about 10:00.

So there is a typical synopsis of my Fridays when we go off-island. Now we have some home games which we don't broadcast, and a Saturday game, so I do have the next 3 Fridays open: Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 4.

Will those work?

Hi Ken:

The dates you listed are in the past, except that I realize you meant to say December 21, 28 and January 4.

Actually we are having meetings on both Friday December 21 and Friday January 4th. Please do join us!

The ALPB meets on the first and 3rd Friday every month.

Of several interested persons who have said that Fridays are not convenient, no one has ever said what day or time would be better.

The ALPB is very receptive to suggestions.