This isn't the 50's anymore.
How many assemble kits or buy off the shelf hardware compared to the past?
Some very interesting comments at the above link.
RFB
"if i had a time machine.."
I would go back to the time when real education started to be removed from the public education system and string up every idiot who decided to take away shop and electronics and welding and auto classes from the schools.
And line up every parent who griped and threatened lawsuits against the schools over simple bruises and injuries no worse than what happens at the home.
America..land of the depressed and home to the lowest education level grade of the entire world.
Sad.
RFB
I have to put a plug in for Neil. I like all
of you guys a lot, but I just wanted to
say that Neil has done all kinds of great
things for the site.
The second thing is a joke. However, this
is the thing.
If I had a time machine, I would go back and
ask out my sixth grade teacher. She was
beautiful, kind, and had a brand new 1966
Mustang - this was in 1966, obviously. And
since she was a school teacher, she was also
smart. (She was my first crush, I guess.)
I would also need another machine to make
me younger - say about 33 years old. Oh well.
Enough of that nonsense.
It's a good thing my wife doesn't read Part 15.Us.
Bruce, DRS2
Back in 1966 you weren't married, so your wife in 2012 would have no standing.
In 1966 I had enough vision to drive a car!
Isn't that amazing? For about two years in
my life I could have actually driven a car.
It was when I was 11 and 12 years old.
But then there is a time paradox. If I went
over to the school after hours to take her
out on a date, I might nun into my 11 year old
self after school. I used to stay behind after
school either because I messed something up,
or because I was getting help with my school work.
I guess I would mainly have to have 2 lives. The 2012
life and the 1966 life. In other words, this time
machine would have to go back and forth periodically
AND modify my age as well.
Right now it's 8:58 PM EDT here. I set the controls for
about 5:PM, May 1966. We go out in her Mustang, I get to
drive, gas is only 30 cents a gallon, and I take her to the
latest James Bond movie at a drive in. Thunderball(?)
Or what about, "The Sand Pebbles" or "The Good The Bad
And The Ugly" or "Our Man Flint" or "Fahrenheit 451" or
"Alfie" or "Georgie Girl" or "The Russians Are Coming The
Russians are Coming." OK, so most of those movies weren't
in May 1966. I would have to adjust accordingly.
Then - later - I set the return controls for 8:58 PM EDT (today) again,
and come back to the office. No time will have passed here! I can hide
the machine in the dumpster out back here behind the office. It's
a really BIG dumpster. i can bolt it to the dumpster inside so when the
truck comes to pick up the dumpster and dump it, the time machine
will stay in the dumpster and not fall into the truck.
I would need a change of clothes. I could keep them in the time machine.
(My work clothes look terrible.)
In 1966, I could hide the time machine behind the soda machine at the golf course
across the street from the school. The soda machine sat out in the open
next to a shed. With a little camafloge (sp?) and some wood work, I could
do it!
Back to reality. CRUD..
Bruce, DRS2
Too much time was lost on the dumpster portion.
As a new Science fiction writer, I appreciate all
input. After all it behooves me to be motivated
in how I will relate my material to those who may
be in the correct mind set regarding the material
I am seeking to be read by those who are interested
and likely to be captured and motivated by science
fiction in general and the specifics of the written
genre which gives as much back to me as to the
reader who is enjoying the unwinding plot as it
comes to it's final conclusion with a final twit, I
mean TWIST at the conclusion of the conclusion.
Anything said after this would be purely and strictly
sedimentary.
No apathy from this quarter. And from my vantage point, I don't see much of it at all. Just different interests, different skill sets and differing amounts of money. And you're always going to have those who do, and those who would rather do something else.
If someone would give or sell me an assembled and working SSTran 5000, then I would be more than willing to test it out in parallel with the Rangemaster and even the Procaster (I have both of those). But I'm NOT willing (or perhaps it's just not having the patience) to assemble the kit. I'd even supply the waterproof box, and everything else required. Since I don't own an accurate enough field strength meter, I'd do a real world test - I'd physically drive around and measure the ranges on a consistent basis.
That might not be good enough for some, but it would be good enough for me. And even if someone else actually does the testing, I'd probably do it myself in any event once I finally get one. In the real world, there usually isn't a linear relationship between numbers such as field strength and results - there are so many factors that affect range in any particular locale other than raw field strength.
In the meantime, I'll just keep on doing what I've been doing and enjoying it.
"It seems my post above may have been construed by some as me being in this only for myself and this is not what I wish to convey. If those remarks were not directed at me it surely wasn't clear that this was the case."
I really love the many ways text can be misread or taken out of context.
No one, particularly me, was ever implying your in this for yourself Neil. What I meant was that what is good for you, or how you set up your stuff, or how you build stuff, or anything else you do does not necessarily mean a one size fits all.
Example...the radio in the corner of the living room. Nothing wrong with just sending a signal to that radio and the yard. But not everyone's intent here at this forum or elsewhere is wishing to operate in that manner, especially when they fork out over 600 bucks for a transmitter obviously intended to be set up outside so the signal reaches as many living room radios as possible, and mobile radios too much further away than the room on the other side of the wall in the studio.
Compared to the contribution you have put here Neil, mine is a mere fraction of it.
In these times when words are twisted in meaning by mainstream on a constant daily basis, last thing we need to do is carry that nonsense over into social arenas otherwise we will end up with un-social networking. It's bad enough now that people don't talk to one another across their fences much less to each other at a park bench using their cell phones text messaging.
RFB
Well, I can speak only for myself, no one else on this list, albeit there may be others in the same 'boat' (my TX is on my boat ... get it ? ;D ... no land property).
I do want to continue license-free community radio and far more experimenting, but between running taxis to help support my studio (I pay $375/mo rent, in addition to liveaboard slip fees). I couldn't do what I do without running taxis. I will be on call tonight until 2:00am, probably not get to sleep until 3:00am.
So you see, between that and going online to setup playlists and do live broadcasts 5x/day, plus live event broadcasts, recording interviews, making digital transfers, etc., especially in Summer, plus I belong to the local EAA Chapter, my time is all gone ... I'm running on overload right now, not enough sleep, not good for my health ... but these are my decisions.
I also suspect not all that many people have bought, built, and tested AMT5000's just yet. At least not that are active members here.
I'm dyin' to implement my 8" diameter x 10' all-in-one cage monopole design, with an AMT5000 mounted inside, but its going to be awhile.
As for requesting the field manual ... well, granted, it's not that big a concern for me right now ... but I'll think about it. It doesn't really relate to apathy, just priorities.
I really love the many ways text can be misread or taken out of context.
RFB,
Text can also be miswritten. Given the rather limited space we use for discourse on forums (or is it forii?) it is often the case that the postings are difficult to keep in context. We also lack the communication advantages of face to face exchanges where body language, tone of voice, facial expressions, etc. come into play. It is hard to keep this in mind while composing posts.
Here's what I did with my original answer to Robert: Rather than sit here and guess about the motivation or situations of others based on no information I chose to give answers which specifically describe my own reasons for not doing the antenna tests. A compendium of such answers would give a more accurate view of things than generalized guessing so that is what I tried to make contribution to.
I believe some responses (yours included) may have caused me to confuse the general observations made with mine in particular. It simply was not clear to me.
That being said, let's drop this part of the discussion. All is well with me.
I do agree that the education system with which I am familiar (I have tutored a few local HS students and visited the Principal) don't encourage students to pursue electronics or other trade skills. One reason is they are just too big (the local senior class is over 2000 students). On the other hand, my senior class was 55 students and two of us self studied electronics and went on to earn engineering degrees and two others became electronics techs. I recall many a night where the math and science/physics teachers hosted me in their homes on their own time for outside classroom study because they knew my interest in electronics and physics. It was they and not the school which encouraged and enabled me to learn what I did about electronics. I had a 12 hour/week after school job but didn't participate in sports so I had personal time and some money to devote to my electronic pursuits. Many students today who I have observed are running from dawn to dusk in activities and have very little personal time to develop outside interests. I don't fault the schools per se but rather the student's environment which appears to allow little individual time or effort to be used for outside hobby pursuits.
The emphasis on "team participation" in HS and college discourages individual development and learning. Great inventors and scientists did rely on others for support but their achievements many times were an individual effort.
This is not conjecture but it is based on my personal observations and readings.
The observation about RS lacking parts is true but I wonder if it isn't more a marketing/distribution decision as opposed to lack of customers. Getting parts to repair things is terrible. Items which were at the local hardware store now have to be ordered on the internet. My most recent adventure is trying to get flap valves to repair my air compressor. Even the local compressor repair shops no longer stock parts...they do what I do and that is to order them when they need them. I see this trend as an attempt to trim costs everywhere many times at the expense of customer service rather than a lack of customers wanting parts. There are many in my circle and family who still do things for themselves but it is getting more difficult.
Neil
I think the idea presented above by Radio8Z, "Things can also be miswritten", is an important statement and well worth more discussion.
What we write tends to seem clear to us as we write it because we know what we mean, but too often a reader might take our words in some way we hadn't considered.
Even published writers are often found to have said things that can be interpreted in different ways, and I myself often have the feeling that things I write are being taken in some way that I did not intend.
Communicating is complex for human beings, because the thoughts and knowledge of one person are different from the thoughts and knowledge of another person, and we may not even realize when a misunderstanding occurs.
we ALL need to file that FOIA request using my template laid out in this thread. it costs nothing and can be don in the same amount of time it takes to make a post here as i have done all the work all you need to do is add your own address, name, email, phone then cut paste and submit info from my template.
it is going to take a group effort on this one as they are not going to give up that info easily.
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief
duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."
-Helen Keller (1880-1968)
it's called an organized petition of redress of our grievances to a particular branch of government. that is basically what we would be doing if everyone were to file that FOIA Request. it would be something that would help those wanted to do more than just transmit across a house.
but it will take EVERYONE'S cooperation and MINIMAL EFFORT to get it done.
it's just a matter of submission on a webpage.
whoever gets the documentation request granted i'll pay duplication fees. cant be that much for 22 pages!!!