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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 20, 2023 7:42:26 GMT -5
Finally, I had the opportunity to put up the 102 x 2 dipole yesterday and initial results seem positive. SWR’s on channel 20 are 1:1 and in the first 10 minutes of operation I spoke to Unit 930 in Italy on 36 LSB. Not too shabby. You may need to zoom in to see it, mounted just above the FM DX antenna.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 1, 2023 13:48:42 GMT -5
If the horizontal 102 x 2 dipole isn’t to my liking I’ve got my eye on the MFJ-1890 Moxon, tuned for 11 meters of course. I’ve read positive things about it and I can mount it in the same fashion as the dipole. I also purchased myself a length of KMR400 (imitation LMR400) coax so I can toss my well-worn RG8x in the garbage can.
Anywho, I just need some fairly pleasant weather to begin testing, and hopefully, start causing trouble again. 😊
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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 23, 2023 12:21:21 GMT -5
Two (maybe it was three?) winters ago after a sizable snowfall there was an extended freeze/thaw cycle. That snow had drifted around my back roof dormer and then froze around the base of the antenna mast and lower mounting bracket. Over the course of a couple weeks, as it thawed, the solid mass of snow slowly slid down my roof, pulling the base of the mast with it. I didn’t notice this until I drove up the street one day and saw the IMAX at an approximate 20-degree angle. Yikes! It fubar’d the trim on the side of my dormer and actually bent the mounting brackets. Dejected, I took it all down, straightened out the dormer trim as best I could and never proceeded with a plan B. I’ve kept myself occupied with FM dxing and made improvements to that system. I bought an RCA rotator and eventually scored an out-of-production Channel Master Probe 9 FM stereo antenna in pristine condition. It popped up on Facebook market place one day for $25 and I grabbed it. It was an older woman who was selling it, told me her husband bought it years ago and only had it up for a few months until they moved. He put it back in the original box with all the hardware and that’s exactly how I bought it. So, my CB equipment has just been sitting collecting dust and I came to the conclusion that I need to either pack it away and forget about it or put an antenna back up and blow the cobwebs out. I decided on the latter. In a previous post (from 2016) I pondered what to do with two 102” whips, and I got some good input, but I put the IMAX back up. This time around I’m going to try something a little different. My thought is using the two 102” whips as a dipole, mounted horizontally, and sharing the rotator with the CM Probe 9, but elevated above it on a taller mast. If that’s not suitable I have a few more bright ideas. Photo of the Probe 9 from late Sept. ’22. I had those trees trimmed WAY back since then.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Nov 10, 2021 10:47:08 GMT -5
Holy crud! For a second I thought Bluebird crawled out of the woodwork.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 3, 2021 7:03:03 GMT -5
Yeah, it's pretty much what all of the Faceplant CB groups are talking about. Proposal has been approved, but not yet implemented. My personal take on this is that it's not so much that Cobra or President are trying to sell more total radios. FM has been included in export radios for close to 40 years now. Most serious CB hobbyists have at least one radio with FM in it already, and it's not all that popular. So I don't think that an FCC legal radio with FM in it is going to drive people to the stores in droves to buy them. No, I think the CB radio manufacturers are getting tired of making separate, more restricted radios for the US market, compared to their offerings for the rest of the world, and they want to consolidate their lineup hardware-wise. Most of the newest design radios are microprocessor controlled, so frequency range can be programmed in each radio according to country, while still utilizing the same hardware. Programming doesn't add to the cost, but using the same hardware for all countries reduces their parts inventory and assembly line complexity. Of course, I could be completely wrong...... ;-) Yeah I think you nailed it. My guess is that it may spur 'some' additional sales here in the states. I'm sure some folks don't have any experience with FM on the CB radio, and once the marketing guys start blather about this "great new feature" those who must have the latest and greatest will be convinced they need this in their lives.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 2, 2021 6:36:49 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Apr 23, 2021 12:37:25 GMT -5
Or "ICH BIN CB FUNKER". Believe it or not I found this on eBay. Apparently the CB craze of the 70's wasn't unique to the US. Down below are the German lyrics translated to English courtesy of Google. Enjoy... I've had a brand new radio for a couple of weeks, it's the very latest craze under my dashboard. And if I stare through the windshield in my car and the journey becomes too long for me, then I simply switch my CB radio to receive. "QRX - s ** y Hexy, please come!" - "Yes, she can hear!" - "Put on the potatoes, Dad comes in a continuous run. Ha ha!" I am a CB radio operator on channel four, mobile station, so I am always ready to receive and speak with my microphone. And when I turn the buttons and I'm near you, yes, then I have a clear tone too. "Black widow here. I'm really QRV!" - "Where's your QTR?" - "This is my bride, get away, otherwise I'll pinch off an asparagus for you!" It was already dark and I was driving the arterial road 'home' when all the brake lights of the cars went on and off in front of me . And then I saw them all in the radar mouse trap, and the cops just laughed. And then I let loose a warning over the radio "QRX to everyone! QRX! Black ice at the train station, snowmen with white hats!" - "Stay out of there!" - "Who are you then?" - "This is where the police speak!" I am a CB radio operator on channel four, mobile station, so I am always ready to receive and speak with my microphone. And when I turn the buttons and I'm near you, yes, then I have a clear tone too. "Hey, do you have Schalz on the antenna? Someone wants to come in!" - "Shut up your greengrocer's shop, otherwise your ears will get hot, you slip radio operator!" Hey, I'm almost knocked off my chair, and my stomach is feeling sick when suddenly an emergency call comes in from my own wife: "QRX! Help! There are burglars in the house!" - "What? Where?" - "Müllerstrasse 4!" - "Come on, guys, let's go!" - "Hey, honey, this is your husband speaking! I'll be right there!" - "Come on quickly, please!" - "Hey, k ** pel, take your time! There are already thirty cars here!" - "Man, great!" - "We have the bastard!" I am a CB radio operator on channel four, mobile station, so I am always ready to receive and speak with my microphone. And when I turn the buttons and I'm near you, yes, then I have a clear tone too. I'm a CB radio operator on channel four. (Police come with screeching tires.) "Ah, the gentlemen from the police are already there. But this time we CB radio operator was a bit faster. Ha ha ha!"
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Post by MonkeyMan on Nov 11, 2020 7:35:18 GMT -5
Photos?! Would love to see it!
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 7, 2020 13:26:38 GMT -5
More importantly, Happy Independence Day!
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 22, 2020 9:02:24 GMT -5
The Maco definitely seemed to have better ears, but I've had both and prefer the Imax, which I've been using for quite some time. I prefer it because it's easy. Easy up, easy down, easy tuning and no radials to fuss with. Then there's the .64 wave thing... The-64-wavelength-secret
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Post by MonkeyMan on May 22, 2020 9:31:33 GMT -5
Looks like the better part of a lamp my grandmother had in her living room.
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Post by MonkeyMan on May 19, 2020 6:56:29 GMT -5
Well, it's been a minute but I'm still at it. Saw this "pandemic porch pickup" in it's original box for $25 and I couldn't resist. The owner said one channel was out, but I read on the internets that the speaker switch(s) on these were almost always to blame, and in this case that was true. It was filthy dirty with plenty of scratchy controls, but a little elbow grease and a couple LED replacement dial lights and she was looking MUCH better. Still, I felt it was a little too rough for display, so I flipped it on FleBay and cleared enough to cover a couple cases of beer. Harman Kardon hk 590i. At a conservative 45 watts per channel, it sold new in 1982 for $525, which is just under $1,400 in 2020 dollars.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 10, 2020 7:29:36 GMT -5
That's fantastic!
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 10, 2020 7:46:46 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 9, 2020 15:30:22 GMT -5
ATSC 3.0: Next-Gen TV to Hit 40 US Markets in 2020Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX Houston, TX San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA Phoenix, AZ Seattle-Tacoma, WA Detroit, MI Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL Portland, OR Pittsburgh, PA Raleigh-Durham, NC Baltimore, MD Nashville, TN Salt Lake City, UT San Antonio, TX Kansas City, KS-MO Columbus, OH West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL Las Vegas, NV Austin, TX New York, NY Los Angeles, CA Chicago, IL Philadelphia, PA Washington, DC Boston, MA Atlanta, GA Tampa-St.Petersburg-Sarasota, FL Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN Miami - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Denver, CO Cleveland-Akron, OH Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA St. Louis, MO Charlotte, NC Indianapolis, IN San Diego, CA Hartford-New Haven, CT Cincinnati, OH Milwaukee, WI Greenville-Spartanburg, SC Asheville, NC
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Post by MonkeyMan on Oct 21, 2019 14:43:12 GMT -5
Yep, we're still in there for the roundup on Wednesday nights... Glad to hear. I'll drop in as soon as I'm able.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Oct 21, 2019 9:38:08 GMT -5
You guys still getting in there Wednesday nights? I had my IMAX down for some time while I experimented with TV antenna install configurations, but my station is now back together, and with the cool weather setting in, it's time to dust it off and knock the cobwebs out.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 30, 2019 9:46:36 GMT -5
As an aside, because this is the opposite vintage, I recently picked up a bluetooth speaker. I never wanted/needed one, but now with all the streaming options from my phone I thought it was time. I absolutely loath those little "tinny" sounding speakers my kids have and wanted something with good range and low end response. I read/watched a ton of reviews and narrowed it down to two choices, a $300 Aiwa boombox and a smaller Aomais (pronounced "oh my") unit for $60-$70. (I picked up mine on eBay for $60) Being the fiscal conservative (tightwad) I am, I went with the Aomais and I'm glad I did. I'm amazed at the sound quality of this little thing and can't imagine how much better the more expensive Aiwa could sound. It's not too big, simple to operate/pair, a claimed 30 hours play time on a full charge, a mic input for PA use and you can charge your phone from it if needed. www.aomais.com/aomais-go-bluetooth-speakers-waterproof-portable-indoor-outdoor-30w-wireless-stereo-pairing-booming-bass-speaker-30-hour-playtime-with-8800mah-power-bank-durable-for-pool-party-beach-camping-black.html
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 30, 2019 7:13:35 GMT -5
Tested and working The FM "stereo" light bulb needs replaced and the speaker protection relay needs a bit of internal cleaning. This thing is powerful as I quickly blew out a 1" titanium tweeter on one of my small JBL studio monitor speakers. No biggy, I'll replace it and put some larger speakers in line haha. Glad to hear! I've got a pair of nice Pioneer CS-G403's I'm not using...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 18, 2019 11:57:47 GMT -5
I like the idea, except for the return data to the station that allows them to know what you are watching. I'm getting pretty sick of the 'big brother' types knowing every little thing I do. I get that it would require an Internet connection, but today that fairly common for a TV to have net access. Doesn't bother me a bit. It will allow "them" to customize what commercials I see, and I'd rather see commercials for things I'm interested in than just random rubbish. Besides, the folks at Netflix, Amazon, Google, Citibank, etc. etc. already know what I'm doing.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 17, 2019 14:38:22 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 17, 2019 7:41:00 GMT -5
Kimberton HAM fest score! Model 2325 Marantz Stereophonic Receiver 1976 vintage. This is a big boy weighing in at over 50 lbs. I've been searching over the past few years for an affordable Marantz receiver with the gyro-tuning wheel on the front as I had a 2226B back in the day (25 watts/ channel)... little did I ever think I would find the flagship of the line (125 watts/channel) at the price point way below the lower powered units, WOW. View AttachmentHeavy duty stuff in there>>> View AttachmentLooks great! Fully operational?
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 28, 2019 13:09:51 GMT -5
But can you skate with it? Hell no! I'm more a "high tops, parachute pants & sleeveless mesh half-shirt" type of guy.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 26, 2019 11:26:56 GMT -5
So my wife comes home and asks if I saw the boombox in the alley sitting out for the trash. Waa? Huh?!! Working Helix HX-4633 in pretty decent shape. Mine now...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 4, 2019 8:51:34 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on May 23, 2019 7:59:35 GMT -5
I've been slacking a bit, but I have made a couple nice scores lately. A few weeks ago I picked up a lovely Yamaha KX-530 single cassette deck from the early 90's for a cool $8. It seems to work as it should and it literally looks brand new. Pic from the net... Then a few days ago I scored a minty Technics SA-104 receiver with nary a mark on it. It was part of a packaged deal with a mid-90's Technics CD changer, which I didn't want but apparently will pull a few bucks on eBay, for a whopping $12. I wiped down the SA-104, popped the lid and cleaned all switches/controls, adjusted the sensitivity of stereo signal (it wasn't engaging unless I pushed the mono/stereo button once or twice) and then throttled back the FM muting as I always do. It is now "like new" again. This has a similar build quality to my SA-203 and it kicks out 20 watts per channel, but like the SA-203, it certainly sounds like more. Great little receiver! Pic from the net...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Apr 30, 2019 9:45:23 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 25, 2019 14:02:33 GMT -5
Holy mackerel! He looks completely different.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 15, 2019 12:35:04 GMT -5
My latest score is some Fisher Studio Standard equipment, before Fisher went really cheap in the mid to late 80's. I acquired these from the original owner and they're all in minty condition. They are completely operational, with the exception of the "PLAY" function on the cassette deck, which has a mind of its own. It's the CA-880 amplifier, CR-125 cassette deck, FM-660 tuner and pair of DS-177 speakers. Also included was a newer Harmon Kardon AVR 40 surround receiver with remote in fair to good condition. I drove to Lancaster for these, and the owner didn't want anything for them, but I convinced him to take $20, which he said he'd spend on beer.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 16, 2019 15:46:29 GMT -5
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