[James Sweet]

it is stories like these that always make me wonder how lots of kids like
that survived child hood

had a similar experiment story (similar age) mixing Acetylene and Oxygen
from the torch into a small 16oz glass bottle then putting a match near
opening to see what kind of flame would be produced

for some unknown reason (alludes me to this day) i decided to put it inside
of a 5 gallon paint bucket and that was the better part of the idea

robb

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who connected a neon glow lamp
straight to 120V.

Thankfully I didn't have access to oxy-acetylene until highschool
welding class. I did find however that if you fill a welding glove with
it and then hit it with the torch striker it makes quite an impressive
boom and the glove launches.

 

[Rob B]

Thankfully I didn't have access to oxy-acetylene until highschool
welding class. I did find however that if you fill a welding glove with
it and then hit it with the torch striker it makes quite an impressive
boom and the glove launches.

ah then you already know, i wasn't smart enough to try container like a
glove, that would have been entertaining

i am glad for alot of descisions at those times but not trying to fill one
of the larger containers ranks high on the list

 

[Joel Kolstad]

I have to wonder what is the point of being a ham in the day and age
of the internet.

You get to (legally!) transmit on the HF bands where just a handful of watts
can carry a message around the planet... that's still pretty darned cool.

It's also a lot easier to find a free chunk-o-spectrum with a ham license if
you just want to build a few transmitters or receivers than trying to do
something on the ISM bands... and you get to use a lot more power.

The average ham today probably does have far less "electronics" knowledge
than one 50 years ago, although one has to keep in mind that 50 years ago it
was a lot easier to have a lot of "deep" knowledge in many fields than it is
today. Building something like a modern cell phone requires so much
knowledge that you can't really begrudge the guy who implemented, e.g., the
Viterbi decoder in some digital logic in some corner of an ASIC the fact
that he doesn't know how to solder.

 

[Joel Kolstad]

As Katrina just showed. OUr local newspaper just had a nice spread about
hams being the only means of communication into and out of La. and
Mississippi for a while after the landfall.

<< Cough! >> Hams certainly did plenty of good work, but there were people
with satellite phones in New Orleans throughout the ordeal. Additionally
the military had plenty of their own infrastructure, which included
satellite links.

For the average person, I think the best thing hams can do in disaster areas
these days is to set up a bunch of PCs that ship out short e-mail messages
over HF using Winlink or similiar. If the hams can manage to get a
reasonably high speed link to a functional hilltop repeater or similar
going, setting up a WiFi gateway would be the way to go.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about hams and emergency communications these
days. The kind of things that emergency operations personnel expect in the
way of communications these days tend to require a fair amount of fancy
equipment and a lot of training. Investing that sort of funding into a
"volunteer" group is not something that tends to go over very well anymore,
unless it's a group such as, e.g., a volunteer fire department where there
are strict duties and responsibilities spelled out and not just some "ad
hoc" gathering of a bunch of guys at a pizza parlor every month.

---Joel

 

[Joel Kolstad]

You can't mix ham radio with the Internet because of the strict laws
against commercial traffic on ham radio.

I'm convinced that 99% of what the average person does on the Internet would
be completely legal if the data packets were going over ham frequencies as
well. Reading your personal e-mail? AOK (just don't read your work
e-mail!). Ordering a book on Amazon.Com? AOK (just as ordering a pizza
through a phone patch is). Etc...

 

[Mike Andrews]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who connected a neon glow lamp
straight to 120V.

Thankfully I didn't have access to oxy-acetylene until highschool
welding class. I did find however that if you fill a welding glove with
it and then hit it with the torch striker it makes quite an impressive
boom and the glove launches.

If you put the tip in a dish of soap solution, you can get bubbles full of
stoichiometric oxyacetylene mix, which make a pretty good _BANG_ when you
light them.

This is better done outdoors than indoors.

 

[Don Bowey]

I'm convinced that 99% of what the average person does on the Internet would
be completely legal if the data packets were going over ham frequencies as
well. Reading your personal e-mail? AOK (just don't read your work
e-mail!). Ordering a book on Amazon.Com? AOK (just as ordering a pizza
through a phone patch is). Etc...

How can you be convinced of something that would be illegal? The ham
frequencies are for use by people who hold an appropriate license.

Don

 

[Ken Weitzel]

How can you be convinced of something that would be illegal? The ham
frequencies are for use by people who hold an appropriate license.

Don

Hi..

The operation of the hardware is restricted to those who hold
an appropriate license. Who may or may not elect to share the
usefulness of that equipment with whoever he chooses.

To suggest otherwise would be akin to laying claim that only
those holding drivers licenses could be passengers in a car.

Or that only a properly licensed electrician could make use of
or enjoy electrical equipment. In turn most likely meaning that
you couldn't operate your shack being that you're most likely
not a licensed electrician.

Ken

 

[user]

Have you listened to the ham bands lately?
There is a deadly silence there most of the time.
I wonder how fast the ham population is
disappearing.....

Uh, considering that it's often very difficult to find a free frequency
on either HF or the VHF/UHF bands, because of all the QSO's going on,
one can only assume that either you don't actually listen to any
ham bands, or you're a troll.

- Rich

 

[jakdedert]

Hello Michael,



But why is that? Many kids aren't creative these days. They hang out in
front of the TV or some video game but don't actually build stuff.
Places like Radio Shack as we knew it from the old days can only survive
when people built stuff.

My favorite Christmas present this last year was a basic electronics kit
like the old RS (or Heath) ones I had as a kid. It was presented to me
by my nine year old daughter...in the hopes that I would build the
projects with her, of course.

We spent an hour putting the kit together, built the first project; and
then I turned her loose...thinking she would build the next most
complicated one, and work her way up.

The next day when I came home, she presented me with a working example
of the most complicated device in the project book. We had a ball
subbing in different components, and then explaining to her why they
made the circuit operate differently.

jak

 

[Joerg]

Hello,

While you surely have a point, about a very remote possibility for any
given locale, I actually have enough diesel fuel to last for a month of
conservative use in winter, more for summer. I have a 26 year old Onan
diesel generator that I restored.

Lucky you. That possibility isn't remote at all. Happened here about 15
years ago. And this is not a settlement behind the Klondike but we are
35mi from where Arnold holds his office.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Joerg]

Hello Joel,

I have a lot of mixed feelings about hams and emergency communications these
days. The kind of things that emergency operations personnel expect in the
way of communications these days tend to require a fair amount of fancy
equipment and a lot of training. ...

And then that fancy equipment won't talk to the fancy equipment of the
other agency. Happened, a lot. Keep it simple, that's what hams excel
at. And it works.

... Investing that sort of funding into a
"volunteer" group is not something that tends to go over very well anymore,
unless it's a group such as, e.g., a volunteer fire department where there
are strict duties and responsibilities spelled out and not just some "ad
hoc" gathering of a bunch of guys at a pizza parlor every month.

They are quite a bit more organized than that.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Joerg]

Hello Jak

The next day when I came home, she presented me with a working example
of the most complicated device in the project book. We had a ball
subbing in different components, and then explaining to her why they
made the circuit operate differently.

That's the only way to get kids interested in electronics. Come to think
of it, I must have been around her age. Maybe a year younger but that
doesn't make much difference. It was a Philips kit that did it.

Later in case her interest persists just be honest with her about the
career prospects inside the US. It ain't that stellar anymore for EEs
unless they are very willing to relocate, even out of the country.

Regards, Joerg

 

[jakdedert]

Hello Jak


That's the only way to get kids interested in electronics. Come to think
of it, I must have been around her age. Maybe a year younger but that
doesn't make much difference. It was a Philips kit that did it.

Later in case her interest persists just be honest with her about the
career prospects inside the US. It ain't that stellar anymore for EEs
unless they are very willing to relocate, even out of the country.

Yeah, it's okay though. I was just pumped that she bought 'me' a toy
which was actually for 'us' to play with. The fact that she took it and
ran with it was a bonus. It shows the aptitude.

At nine, she's got all the choices in the world.

jak

 

[Ken Weitzel]

Yeah, it's okay though. I was just pumped that she bought 'me' a toy
which was actually for 'us' to play with. The fact that she took it and
ran with it was a bonus. It shows the aptitude.

At nine, she's got all the choices in the world.

Hi...

Guess I'm easily a generation or few ahead of you, so have a
suggestion, if I may?

Get pictures - lots of 'em - of her working on it, some of you and
her working together, and some of her demonstrating them to her Mom.

Make wonderful, wonderful memories for all of you, and maybe
introduce her to photography at the same time.

Take care.

Ken

 

[Rich Grise]

My favorite Christmas present this last year was a basic electronics kit
like the old RS (or Heath) ones I had as a kid. It was presented to me
by my nine year old daughter...in the hopes that I would build the
projects with her, of course.

We spent an hour putting the kit together, built the first project; and
then I turned her loose...thinking she would build the next most
complicated one, and work her way up.

The next day when I came home, she presented me with a working example
of the most complicated device in the project book. We had a ball
subbing in different components, and then explaining to her why they
made the circuit operate differently.

OK, I'm an old softie - this made me emote.

Next, do you plan to loan her your kit and a copy of AoE? ;-) Maybe access
to your junque box? ;-P

Thanks!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

The operation of the hardware is restricted to those who hold
an appropriate license. Who may or may not elect to share the
usefulness of that equipment with whoever he chooses.

To suggest otherwise would be akin to laying claim that only
those holding drivers licenses could be passengers in a car.

Or that only a properly licensed electrician could make use of
or enjoy electrical equipment. In turn most likely meaning that
you couldn't operate your shack being that you're most likely
not a licensed electrician.

So, who are these "passengers" who are using my rig for their
traffic?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Ken Weitzel]

So, who are these "passengers" who are using my rig for their
traffic?

Hi...

Anyone who you choose to.

Long distance telephone is now virtually free, and the internet
is free. But I'm in Canada, and my youngest is off to Australia
the end of the month. I may ask you to send a message off in
her general direction, and you may agree to do it.

No license necessary

Take care.

Ken

 

[Joel Kolstad]

Hi Joerg,

Later in case her interest persists just be honest with her about the
career prospects inside the US. It ain't that stellar anymore for EEs
unless they are very willing to relocate, even out of the country.

Fair point, but I guess the question would be... "the prospects for EEs
aren't that stellar compared to... what?" Compared to most people in
technical fields I still think we do OK. (I do agree one typically does
have to relocate, but at least straight out of college I would hope that
most people would _want_ to do that.)

For people who really want to make money, an engineering degree along with a
business degree still seems like a really solid combination (in terms of
sheer results -- we can save the horror stories of these people for later!).

---Joel

 

[Joel Kolstad]

Hi Joerg,

And then that fancy equipment won't talk to the fancy equipment of the
other agency. Happened, a lot.

Yes, and the government continues to pour millions of dollars into radio
interoperability to try to make it work. I see no technical reason why
getting all the fancy equipment to talk to other agencies should be a
problem (look at the Internet -- Usenet news and e-mail seems to make it to
all corners of the globe just fine, despite using lots of different brands
and types of equipment) -- I guess it really is much more a political
problem.

Keep it simple, that's what hams excel at. And it works.

I agree it helps, but wouldn't you suspect that if you survived all the
Hurricane Katrina victims who received help from any formal organization, by
quantity those helped by more formalized organizations such as the Red Cross
would easily outnumber those who received helps from hams? The problem the
hams have is that their help often does go un- or under-acknowledged,
whereas everyone knows about the Red Cross.

They are quite a bit more organized than that.

I guess it depends on the area? Those pictures on hamsexy.com aren't all
forged.

---Joel