Windows 12 ! Already....

TechnoMage2021 · Aug 13, 2023

Ah yes, skip, arora and moon bounce, Moonrakers, side band, etc.
Sounds like CB Radio to me. I started out with a Midland 6 channel handy talky, circa 1967, and within a month I was in the CB Radio business, fixing radios, putting up towers and "Moonrakers" and all that jazz! Risking my life and limb 250' in the air, hanging a 24' long CB Beam, was just recreation for me. NO MAS Señor! I've hung up my tower climbing belt for good. I've still got burn scars on my hands, from working on 1000W linear amplifiers. Dang things can BITE, Burn and toss ya up against a wall!

Installing 1000W footwarmers in 18 wheelers was a specialty of mine. I've talked all over the world on 27mhz, on a home brew system, and from my Mobile.
When CB radio got too clobbered up, I sold my last CB, and went Ham Radio. I signed up for a Ham Radio class, and wound up teaching half of it.
I still have my license and two 2-Meter rigs today. One base and one mobile.
I kind of gave up radio, because it just got too repetitious. Same ol' crap, different day, Much like the internet is getting today. So, what's next?
I'm always up for something new. Moon bounce by Laser, maybe? I've done about all I can do with the lowly PC.
There just doesn't seem to be any challenges any more.

I used to do a lot of circuit design and building, even made my own PC boards, Gold Plating and all, but that's all past now.

TM

Scannerman · Aug 13, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
Ah yes, skip, arora and moon bounce, Moonrakers, side band, etc.
Sounds like CB Radio to me. I started out with a Midland 6 channel handy talky, circa 1967, and within a month I was in the CB Radio business, fixing radios, putting up towers and "Moonrakers" and all that jazz! Risking my life and limb 250' in the air, hanging a 24' long CB Beam, was just recreation for me. NO MAS Señor! I've hung up my tower climbing belt for good. I've still got burn scars on my hands, from working on 1000W linear amplifiers. Dang things can BITE, Burn and toss ya up against a wall!

Installing 1000W footwarmers in 18 wheelers was a specialty of mine. I've talked all over the world on 27mhz, on a home brew system, and from my Mobile.
When CB radio got too clobbered up, I sold my last CB, and went Ham Radio. I signed up for a Ham Radio class, and wound up teaching half of it.
I still have my license and two 2-Meter rigs today. One base and one mobile.
I kind of gave up radio, because it just got too repetitious. Same ol' crap, different day, Much like the internet is getting today. So, what's next?
I'm always up for something new. Moon bounce by Laser, maybe? I've done about all I can do with the lowly PC.
There just doesn't seem to be any challenges any more.

I used to do a lot of circuit design and building, even made my own PC boards, Gold Plating and all, but that's all past now.

TM

lol Yeah, DX'ing on upper and lower side band was what I did as a kid. It was exciting and one never knew who one would be communicating with. I never did get my Ham license but my Dad did eventually. The lake out at the cabin made for an excellent ground plane. I was bouncing all over the world. Back in the day we called it shooting skip. We ran a MoonRaker II with a 1000 watt boot and did all we could to dodge the D.O.C. We were never caught. Ha, ha, ha.. I just visualized a picture of a Wizard swinging from a tower trying to avoid getting fried.

CB on A.M. was a nightmare. Side band wasn't so bad if you had a "slider". (VFO) Those were the days. I suppose Yaesus and SBE consoles are a thing of the past now but I sure did have fun playing with those.

johnlgalt · Aug 14, 2023

Hmmm.

TechnoMage2021 · Aug 14, 2023

Every morning, during my 17 mile drive, due east, to work, I'd chat with my wife on our home base. I used a Johnson five channel, tube type radio, and a 250 watt amp., to Co-Phased antennas on the roof of the Ford van.
One morning we were just chatting away on our private channel (23B) and we were interrupted by a voice calling for a "Break for the Silver Dollar".
It was the radio operator in the American Embassy in Paris France. During the brief chat, I asked him how much power he was running, and he said he had his transmitter on low power....only 10,000 watts!!! He said it was illegal for him to be on that frequency, so he bid us a good day and signed off. Yup, CB Radio (the old Amateur 11 meter band) was sure a lot of fun. Totally Illegal, but a lot of fun.
All that is in the deep dark past now. Now I chat all over the world on the Internet. And, it's even LEGAL! Being Legal, does take some of the fun out of it! :lmao:

Come on Windows 12.... I'm looking for another challenge.

TM

TraderGary · Aug 14, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
Every morning, during my 17 mile drive, due east, to work, I'd chat with my wife on our home base. I used a Johnson five channel, tube type radio, and a 250 watt amp., to Co-Phased antennas on the roof of the Ford van.
One morning we were just chatting away on our private channel (23B) and we were interrupted by a voice calling for a "Break for the Silver Dollar".
It was the radio operator in the American Embassy in Paris France. During the brief chat, I asked him how much power he was running, and he said he had his transmitter on low power....only 10,000 watts!!! He said it was illegal for him to be on that frequency, so he bid us a good day and signed off. Yup, CB Radio (the old Amateur 11 meter band) was sure a lot of fun. Totally Illegal, but a lot of fun.
All that is in the deep dark past now. Now I chat all over the world on the Internet. And, it's even LEGAL! Being Legal, does take some of the fun out of it!

Come on Windows 12.... I'm looking for another challenge.

TM

I'm fully licensed as amateur radio W9VJ by the Federal Communications Commission. I've never operated illegally and my morals never would have allowed it.

Futurdreamz · Aug 14, 2023

Scannerman said:
Short answer: Probably not.

They do for macOS, so if Linux ever gets legitimate attention and marketshare they might. But realistically that would involve the GNOME fork developers banding together and convincing Ubuntu and Fedora to ship with their fork by default instead of Gnome.

Winuser · Aug 14, 2023

TraderGary said:
What memories. I got my ham radio license at 13 and couldn't get enough of learning about radio. I was glued to W1AW every night for code practice. It was the "in" technology of the day for nerds. Today I'm licensed as W9VJ Extra Class.

Even when I was young my ears couldn't tell a dash from a dot so getting a ham radio license was just a pipe dream for me. My true desire in life was to work on electronic devices. Life dealt me a second Fickle Finger Of Fate by making me color blind. I did build a few Heath Kit projects but when I wasn't sure of the color of the wire I had someone help me. My most proudest project was the UHF/VHF radio scanner I built. I still have it outside in my shed. I haven't used it since sometime in the late 70's or early 80's so I would be very surprised if it still works. Besides that I doubt I could still get a crystal for any frequencies I wanted.

Wynona · Aug 14, 2023

TraderGary said:
I'm fully licensed as amateur radio W9VJ by the Federal Communications Commission. I've never operated illegally and my morals never would have allowed it.

Good for you!

Scannerman · Aug 14, 2023

Futurdreamz said:
They do for macOS, so if Linux ever gets legitimate attention and marketshare they might. But realistically that would involve the GNOME fork developers banding together and convincing Ubuntu and Fedora to ship with their fork by default instead of Gnome.

I was surprised when they embraced the Ubuntu kernel on Win 10. I guess they forgot about that in Win 11 coz my Linux/Windows dual boot is gone now.

TechnoMage2021 · Aug 28, 2023

My best day with Ham Radio was when I signed up for a Class in Ham Radio. We were required to learn how to send and receive code at 5WPM.
I couldn't get below 15wpm. Then I wound up teaching the Solid State part of the class. I did get my novice license.
Then when I drove a car load of friends to Chicago, to take their tests, I wrote the General test, with 100% correctness, but declined to take the code test, and I came home with a Technicians License. What I really wanted anyway. Of our entire group that went to Chicago, that day, I'm the only one who went home with a new license. It was a fun day, in spite of being stopped by an Illinois Highway Patrol, for speeding.
I still have that Technician's license today. NO, I won't give my call sign. That's as good as posting my home address and telephone # for the world to see. Not smart! It would actually be pretty stupid!
* On many forums, such a thing would be frowned on, and the post would be deleted!

Scannerman · Aug 29, 2023

XM224458

<< Fearless Canuck here.

jimbo45 · Aug 29, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
Ah yes, skip, arora and moon bounce, Moonrakers, side band, etc.
Sounds like CB Radio to me. I started out with a Midland 6 channel handy talky, circa 1967, and within a month I was in the CB Radio business, fixing radios, putting up towers and "Moonrakers" and all that jazz! Risking my life and limb 250' in the air, hanging a 24' long CB Beam, was just recreation for me. NO MAS Señor! I've hung up my tower climbing belt for good. I've still got burn scars on my hands, from working on 1000W linear amplifiers. Dang things can BITE, Burn and toss ya up against a wall!

Installing 1000W footwarmers in 18 wheelers was a specialty of mine. I've talked all over the world on 27mhz, on a home brew system, and from my Mobile.
When CB radio got too clobbered up, I sold my last CB, and went Ham Radio. I signed up for a Ham Radio class, and wound up teaching half of it.
I still have my license and two 2-Meter rigs today. One base and one mobile.
I kind of gave up radio, because it just got too repetitious. Same ol' crap, different day, Much like the internet is getting today. So, what's next?
I'm always up for something new. Moon bounce by Laser, maybe? I've done about all I can do with the lowly PC.
There just doesn't seem to be any challenges any more.

I used to do a lot of circuit design and building, even made my own PC boards, Gold Plating and all, but that's all past now.

TM

How about a quantum computer with stable qubits, or some real working technology for nuclear fusion -- always seems to promise "results soon -- but never gets any nearer".

Cheers
jimbo

Scannerman · Aug 29, 2023

jimbo45 said:
How about a quantum computer with stable qubits, or some real working technology for nuclear fusion -- always seems to promise "results soon -- but never gets any nearer".

Cheers
jimbo

Hmmm... Dunno about that. Recently some quantum computers were sold for commercial use. I don't recall all the details but I think Tesla was involved. Of course these critters are used strictly for number crunching (or so we are told) but they could play a role in AGI if they already don't. As for nuclear fusion or any "real working technology" I rather doubt we'll be seeing any of it released to the public until the existing Corporatocracy has determined that the time has come to introduce such things without negatively impacting the monopolies. He who has the gold makes the rules.

jimbo45 · Aug 29, 2023

Scannerman said:
Hmmm... Dunno about that. Recently some quantum computers were sold for commercial use. I don't recall all the details but I think Tesla was involved. Of course these critters are used strictly for number crunching (or so we are told) but they could play a role in AGI if they already don't. As for nuclear fusion or any "real working technology" I rather doubt we'll be seeing any of it released to the public until the existing Corporatocracy has determined that the time has come to introduce such things without negatively impacting the monopolies. He who has the gold makes the rules.

Plenty of that around -- wasn't the old "Red Car" tram system that L.A had around the 1940's and 1950's ripped up because Ford and G.M in their almighty Motorized wisdom had decided to make their cars the only way to get around that city -- now only years and years later plus billions of dollars in air pollution and replacing public transport with something that works now reasonably well shows that FORD and G.M have a lot to answer for. BTW the metro system in L.A does actually work reasonably well -- which is a nice surprise - especially for going to Santa Monica beach from the City / Hollywood.

Cheers
jimbo

Scannerman · Aug 29, 2023

jimbo45 said:
Plenty of that around -- wasn't the old "Red Car" tram system that L.A had around the 1940's and 1950's ripped up because Ford and G.M in their almighty Motorized wisdom had decided to make their cars the only way to get around that city -- now only years and years later plus billions of dollars in air pollution and replacing public transport with something that works now reasonably well shows that FORD and G.M have a lot to answer for. BTW the metro system in L.A does actually work reasonably well -- which is a nice surprise - especially for going to Santa Monica beach from the City / Hollywood.

Cheers
jimbo

Indeed. Some things never seem to change. The first cars were steam and electric. Every advancement in technology is not without consequence. Nonetheless those powers that should not be remain and continue to put their immediate interests first. They are not truly dedicated to the betterment of mankind. They eat men like Nikola Tesla for breakfast, lunch, and supper.

TechnoMage2021 · Aug 30, 2023

As a much younger man, I shared Nicola Tesla's interest in high voltage electricity. I had a lot of fun, playing with a 75,000 vac neon sign transformer. Till one day it bit me, and chucked my 185# butt against a wall. I learned a new respect for High Voltage that day.
My bedroom looked like Dr Frankenstein's lab. My mother would not even enter. :lmao:

My Jacob's Ladder. A' La' 75kva.
In later years I would run afoul of High Voltage + RF. That not only bites, but also Burns. I still have the scars to prove that.
Since then, I've found computers to be a much safer hobby.
TM

Winuser · Aug 30, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
Risking my life and limb 250' in the air, hanging a 24' long CB Beam,

My friend and I use to do it the hard way. We would install our antennas and then raise the tower.

TechnoMage2021 · Aug 30, 2023

That might work for a tower of only 40' to 50', but it would take a big crane to erect a tower 250' high, with the antenna already on it.
I did it professionally, so I know of what I speak! I had my own Gin Pole, climbing belt and a ground crew of one. That's all I ever needed.

During the last tower job I ever did, the outside temp dropped about 40 degrees F, and it was snowing when I finally came down the tower for the last time. I vowed to never do that again. And, I never have, except for putting up small towers for myself.

Scannerman · Aug 30, 2023

Don't know If I'd ever tackle a 250' ladder. Okay, I'll take it back. I tackled something similar out in the patch for different reasons; but electrical and elevation seem to have a way of sharing common ground. (No pun intended.)