Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[URI]

Today I stuck an unterminated piece of wire up its input, and used that to measure the frequency of the 50Hz mains. The values agreed with those on http://gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

I also found the cal out on my HP8562 spectrum analyser is out by 100Hz in 300MHz. That's 0.3ppm - absolutely disgusting, if you ask me. I ought to dig out my uBlox GPS receiver, and have a look at that.

You definitely should fix this outrageous deviation as soon as possible before even more evil could arise!      

[Specmaster]

Hmm not sure which is good or bad news these days 🤔

Counter link for ref https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114168822974

Well, Boris is a bumbling idiot, Raab is a vicious idiot. You takes your pick and you takes the consequences.

How about neither?

[Specmaster]

I think I'd just spend all day blowing shit up if I had an acetylene cylinder lying around 

Actually I think I'd get a rodentator and soup it up a bit. Probably more fun than with propane.

Got any hardware stores close by ?
Potato cannons are fun.......and practical ......if you need to launch your fishing sinker and bait a long way. 

A good friend of mine, now unfortunately heavily disabled and incapable of such mischief, used to build potato cannons. His idea of a good evening was donning hard hats from army surplus, firing the potato’s straight up and seeing how much Abbots you can neck before it hits you on the head.  . I actually laughed so hard when we were doing this that I popped a blood vessel in my face. 

Very amusing but not very practical.   

First saw one some 25 yrs ago when up our local west coast beach where a guy was using one to launch his fishing line and a 150 yd launch was no sweat.

I remember having a spud gun when I was a kid, great fun, only fired bits of spud but by adding more caps, you got a bigger bang and greater velocity of the spud slug.   

[BU508A]

I never was that young. 

[BU508A]

Hmm not sure which is good or bad news these days 🤔

Counter link for ref https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114168822974

Well, Boris is a bumbling idiot, Raab is a vicious idiot. You takes your pick and you takes the consequences.

I sincerely hope that Boris coughed on Raab on the way out of the office. Judging by how fast Cummings was legging it a few days back there's some hope...

I'll leave it to you guys to figure out, who's who. 

[bd139]

Ahhh I haven't heard that for years.

As for who's who, Raab and Boris are definitely tripods.

Best bit

[mnementh]

Hmm not sure which is good or bad news these days

Counter link for ref https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114168822974

eBay auction: #202955393473

Does kindof put our little hobby in perspective, doesn't it...?

Diversionary Tactics... Time to Make The Roast!

         
Browning the Onions                                Seared & Dressed in its Sunday Best       2 Hours on High


This is my tactic for making a decent roast indoors without a firepit.

First, I start the crockpot heating on hi while sear the roast (I found a nice top sirloin roast with decent marbling last time I braved the wilds of Sobey's Grocery) on all sides under the broiler; then while it's in the broiler pan, coat it in my favorite rub so the drippings from the searing hold the rub in place.

Then I slice a whole large white or sweet vidalia onion and brown it under the broiler in the same drippings. These I use to dress the top of the roast and cut the rest in with my carrots, taters & celery (and sometimes a little bell pepper). (I put most of the carrots in a layer on the bottom of the roaster so they cook thoroughly before the rest of the veggies turn to mush).

Put a handful of the mixed veggies down, then the roast. Surround with chopped veggies, then a layer of broccoli florets on top. Reset the timer for 2 hours to first temp check; when it hits 150-160°F, turn to LOW and cook til it reaches 180-190°F (set alert on leave-in thermometer) and desired tenderness. 

mnem
house stink so good right now...

[Cerebus]

Judging by how fast Cummings was legging it a few days back there's some hope...

Smithers, release the hounds!

[bd139]

mnem
house stink so good right now...

That looks rather nice  . Which is depressing as I've eaten up to today's calorie limit. 

[mansaxel]

As for distraction from the current situation (and our German speaking friends):
https://youtu.be/m3wrI5jaiPM

this is pretty dark humour.

And wonderful. I can't really claim I get it all; she's not only quick, but also has a wonderful accent that deviates from what I learnt in school. But what I do get, I appreciate. Vielen Dank!

("quick" as used above, has double meaning in swedish; not only does she speak fast (for me), she's also got a swift mind. I've got to force that double meaning on you, because it's so appropriate. )

[Specmaster]

Hmm not sure which is good or bad news these days 🤔

Counter link for ref https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114168822974

Well, Boris is a bumbling idiot, Raab is a vicious idiot. You takes your pick and you takes the consequences.

I sincerely hope that Boris coughed on Raab on the way out of the office. Judging by how fast Cummings was legging it a few days back there's some hope...

I'll leave it to you guys to figure out, who's who. 

I remember having this storey read to us in the junior school, then seeing the film many years later, brilliant storey and film

[mnementh]

"They're not martians. They're just northerners on tricycles with shotguns. "   

From the YT comments. 

mnem
 

[mnementh]

mnem
house stink so good right now...

That looks rather nice  . Which is depressing as I've eaten up to today's calorie limit. 

Actually I'm procrastinating... looking for anything to do other than drafting this up in Fusion. 

mnem
I suck. But the wife & kids will forgive me come dinnertime.

[worsthorse]

Btw, Covid-19:

Absorbing news related to Covid-19 makes me sick of it alone -so I mostly ignore it and just try to stay safe and healthy.

A kind of 'keep calm and carry on'.

Having TEA every now and then helps me a lot.   

Same thing here, you need something to distract you otherwise you could go stir crazy and put a lot of people at risk, including yourself, if only thought of the real consequences of their own actions, then maybe we wouldn't be in this global shit.

We need to start thinking this way with the voting booth, especially.

mnem
"The core fallacy of Democracy is that 'the majority is correct'. You don't count brains by counting noses." ~ mom

Ain't that the truth. While I am skeptical regarding the ability of many of my fellow citizens to finally recognize the connection between cause and effect, I remain hopeful that a sufficient number will finally say hey wait a minute this is not working out too well for me and send the whole crew of carpetbagging grifters occupying the white house, along with their enablers in congress, packing.  Prison would be better, but packing is good enough.

[BU508A]

And wonderful. I can't really claim I get it all; she's not only quick, but also has a wonderful accent that deviates from what I learnt in school. But what I do get, I appreciate. Vielen Dank!

("quick" as used above, has double meaning in swedish; not only does she speak fast (for me), she's also got a swift mind. I've got to force that double meaning on you, because it's so appropriate. )

Based on her accent, she's coming from Vienna (did not cross-check Wikipedia). But yes, the jokes are very dark. And so true. The people from Vienna are knowing for their special relationship to death and it's incarnations. 

[xrunner]

Ain't that the truth. While I am skeptical regarding the ability of many of my fellow citizens to finally recognize the connection between cause and effect, I remain hopeful that a sufficient number will finally say hey wait a minute this is not working out too well for me and send the whole crew of carpetbagging grifters occupying the white house, along with their enablers in congress, packing.  Prison would be better, but packing is good enough.

Hope so but I dunno ... I talk to some of 'em on 2 meter ham radio all the time and they literally couldn't care less if the Orange Man shot someone in cold blood, they're all in. 

[bd139]

Same here. We have our own 2m hicks.

[med6753]

I never was that young. 

I was never that bald. 

[bitseeker]

About 15 years ago, we (developers) moved to a different building. The DCS guys where transferred to a different place, far away. In the deserted building remained a pile of trash, where I found a small black box with 4 FASTON terminals, labeled OUT L, IN L, IN N, OUT N. Didn't know what it was, but kept it.
When I brought those hauls in - now about 2.5 years ago, there where these isolation transformers I knew to trigger circuit breakers. While rummaging through my belongings, I came across that small box and opened it for the first time. I saw a biggish NTC, a little electronics and a relay.I actually couldn't believe it: That was exactly what I needed!

It is this:



Sorry for the lousy pic, but it was awkward to take.

Nice! 

This finding has saved you around 42 Euros.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/231403888036

Yeah, that was a nice save. 

[xrunner]

Same here. We have our own 2m hicks.

I was debating a couple of 'em last night. They were claiming that some of the reporters in the daily corona briefing (which I no longer watch as it's been turned into a political ad) were asking "stupid" questions of the Dear Leader. They were saying that "stupid" questions should not be allowed. I had to point them to the first amendment which states -

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.[/b]

After a painful hour they finally understood that "stupid" questions are subjective and cannot be prevented, what is stupid to you is what is not stupid to another person ... ugh but I do not believe they really get it. 

[bd139]

I’m not sure I could have stood for that. My last 2m contact was calling someone a bell end and selling the bloody HT. 

I do wonder if I should have ever got a license because quite frankly I’d rather not speak to people if I can avoid them generally. CW is ok as it’s so hard work being a prick that it happens rarely. 

[Saskia]

And wonderful. I can't really claim I get it all; she's not only quick, but also has a wonderful accent that deviates from what I learnt in school. But what I do get, I appreciate. Vielen Dank!

("quick" as used above, has double meaning in swedish; not only does she speak fast (for me), she's also got a swift mind. I've got to force that double meaning on you, because it's so appropriate. )

Based on her accent, she's coming from Vienna (did not cross-check Wikipedia). But yes, the jokes are very dark. And so true. The people from Vienna are knowing for their special relationship to death and it's incarnations. 

Nope, Steiermark.

The vienna accent is a little bit different. I gotta know, my hubby is from Vienna.

[mansaxel]

I’m not sure I could have stood for that. My last 2m contact was calling someone a bell end and selling the bloody HT. 

I do wonder if I should have ever got a license because quite frankly I’d rather not speak to people if I can avoid them generally. CW is ok as it’s so hard work being a prick that it happens rarely. 

I've not even started down the CW path, but having a colleague (and fellow amateur) who was enlisted signaller on a small navy craft and managed all comms using CW and straight key, I've learnt that brevity is appreciated. And rag-chewing would be something unheard of.

Over here, most amateurs are reasonably polite on-air; politics aren't really mentioned. And the local 70cm repeater is used quite a bit more than usual these days.  The fascist goons, while having a fraction in the Riksdag, usually are too stupid to partake.

[VK5RC]

Back to topic. A bit further down the rabbit hole............
Bought as As-Is - quick check - looks ok so far.

[med6753]

Back to topic. A bit further down the rabbit hole............
Bought as As-Is - quick check - looks ok so far.

Looks familiar.......