Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Yeah, I know, Chris does have these love / hate relationships with his TEA gear and also his 2m radio gear, I on the other hand do not, and I build long-lasting relationships with my gear and only flip them when I get something better. I don't do forward engineering, more retro than anything else.

Going to write up my thoughts so hopefully people will understand things from my perspective.

My enjoyment stems from turning something limping or non functional into a decent specimen. After that unless it serves some utility value or has some empowering effect, it is a useless object as far as I am concerned. I am not a collector; in fact I find collecting to be a problematic proposition. It rapidly turns into hoarding, has a frequently underestimated psychological burden and a consequence that one day someone has to deal with it all. While nostalgia is appealing and surrounding yourself by it is nice, it can become a prison if you're not careful.

The enjoyment of all things in life is the journey for me, be that restorative or creative. This is the peak, received mostly trashed and restored:



As for 2m hell no, never again. That was a connection to the world of the local wrong-uns who managed to find a niche audience to spread their misconceptions about the universe on. It's another bubble like a facebook group full of anti-vaxxer racist sexist morons. I keep in contact with a couple of local hams by email still and they have gone off the air for similar reasons in the last couple of years.

I'm going to be honest that there is some pull for me back to CW on 40m with simple equipment because you're poking at the fabric of the universe against gigantic odds to communicate across vast distances with only enough power to light a small light bulb.  Also because CW is so difficult to convey large amounts of misinformed opinions incoherently with, it tends to stay short and sweet like SMS circa 1995 when you were trying to avoid being shagged for 10p to send a message.

This stuff is still cool

[xrunner]

As for 2m hell no, never again. That was a connection to the world of the local wrong-uns who managed to find a niche audience to spread their misconceptions about the universe on. It's another bubble like a facebook group full of anti-vaxxer racist sexist morons. I keep in contact with a couple of local hams by email still and they have gone off the air for similar reasons in the last couple of years.

Oh hell yea brother. I basically went off the air this summer because of that. I still have a radio in the ham shack but the evening radio in the Man Cave is now in the coffee table drawer. I told one of the guys I keep in touch with that I've had it with all of the conversations. I already know what they are going to say before they even say it, it would aggravate me to listen to it, and I can't change anyone's mind even if it involved science and facts.

Waste of time! 

[Specmaster]

Yeah, I know, Chris does have these love / hate relationships with his TEA gear and also his 2m radio gear, I on the other hand do not, and I build long-lasting relationships with my gear and only flip them when I get something better. I don't do forward engineering, more retro than anything else.

Going to write up my thoughts so hopefully people will understand things from my perspective.

My enjoyment stems from turning something limping or non functional into a decent specimen. After that unless it serves some utility value or has some empowering effect, it is a useless object as far as I am concerned. I am not a collector; in fact I find collecting to be a problematic proposition. It rapidly turns into hoarding, has a frequently underestimated psychological burden and a consequence that one day someone has to deal with it all. While nostalgia is appealing and surrounding yourself by it is nice, it can become a prison if you're not careful.

The enjoyment of all things in life is the journey for me, be that restorative or creative. This is the peak, received mostly trashed and restored:



As for 2m hell no, never again. That was a connection to the world of the local wrong-uns who managed to find a niche audience to spread their misconceptions about the universe on. It's another bubble like a facebook group full of anti-vaxxer racist sexist morons. I keep in contact with a couple of local hams by email still and they have gone off the air for similar reasons in the last couple of years.

I'm going to be honest that there is some pull for me back to CW on 40m with simple equipment because you're poking at the fabric of the universe against gigantic odds to communicate across vast distances with only enough power to light a small light bulb.  Also because CW is so difficult to convey large amounts of misinformed opinions incoherently with, it tends to stay short and sweet like SMS circa 1995 when you were trying to avoid being shagged for 10p to send a message.

This stuff is still cool

Yeah, by and large I can concur with a lot of the first part of your thoughts, but I'm afraid I'll never see the appeal of the CW radio comms, its so old hat these days and so long-winded to convey anything meaning full. If you were a radio operator onboard a ship, by the time you got details away that the ship was sinking, it would have already gone to the watery graveyard.

My thoughts about the first part of your notes are like mine to some extent with the exception that while get great satisfaction from bringing something back from the dead is all well and good, but I tend to do that on stuff that either I don't already have, but would be useful to me in that pursuit. Or it is something that I think is flippable with a sufficient return that I can at least cover my costs, and hopefully show a profit on to fund the next project.

The reason I seem to collect meters etc, is that I hang onto them awaiting a £1 listing on eBay, and then when one comes along, I'm either upto my neck in other projects / jobs or I just can't be arsed to do the photos and generally go through the listing process because I feel like a well-earned rest is in order.

[med6753]

Yeah, I know, Chris does have these love / hate relationships with his TEA gear and also his 2m radio gear, I on the other hand do not, and I build long-lasting relationships with my gear and only flip them when I get something better. I don't do forward engineering, more retro than anything else.

Going to write up my thoughts so hopefully people will understand things from my perspective.

My enjoyment stems from turning something limping or non functional into a decent specimen. After that unless it serves some utility value or has some empowering effect, it is a useless object as far as I am concerned. I am not a collector; in fact I find collecting to be a problematic proposition. It rapidly turns into hoarding, has a frequently underestimated psychological burden and a consequence that one day someone has to deal with it all. While nostalgia is appealing and surrounding yourself by it is nice, it can become a prison if you're not careful.

The enjoyment of all things in life is the journey for me, be that restorative or creative. This is the peak, received mostly trashed and restored:

.....snip

I hear you. I also enjoy bringing back equipment from the dead. But I also enjoy collecting what I restore. But I know my limits and I'm not a hoarder....although some may think I am. I've mentioned before that my Holy Grail has always been to find and restore a Type 547. Little did I know what a long and painful process that would turn out to be. But it's here and hopefully almost done. Beyond that point my purchasing/restoring/collecting any additional equipment is going to slow down significantly. Not just because of lack of room but because I achieved the pinnacle of what I set out to do.

I spent, and somewhat wasted, most of my adult life chasing tail and pleasing others at the expense of my own personal satisfaction. Over 10 years ago when I found myself alone and newly moved into this place I swore that......no one ever again will rule over my life and I will do what I damn well please. What you see in the pictures of my place is the result of that and I don't care what anyone else thinks. I'm happy and proud of what I achieved. And I'm blessed to have a woman in my life who feels the same. Yea, she'll poke fun and shake her head but that's all it is. She never criticizes or indicates that I've gone over the edge. In fact, whenever we talk and I mention a tough issue I'm working on she always encourages me and reminds me that I'm a stubborn Irishman and you'll fix it. Who could ask for anything better than that?         

[Specmaster]

I never realised that you were from the Emerald Isle originally Mike, what part of the Isle are you from?

[tggzzz]

As for 2m hell no, never again. That was a connection to the world of the local wrong-uns who managed to find a niche audience to spread their misconceptions about the universe on. It's another bubble like a facebook group full of anti-vaxxer racist sexist morons. I keep in contact with a couple of local hams by email still and they have gone off the air for similar reasons in the last couple of years.

Oh hell yea brother. I basically went off the air this summer because of that. I still have a radio in the ham shack but the evening radio in the Man Cave is now in the coffee table drawer. I told one of the guys I keep in touch with that I've had it with all of the conversations. I already know what they are going to say before they even say it, it would aggravate me to listen to it, and I can't change anyone's mind even if it involved science and facts.

Waste of time! 

=> you don't need Farcebook and Twatter to have an echo chamber, but they help.

Your homework assignment tonight is to compare and contrast 2m and CB conversations.

[med6753]

I never realised that you were from the Emerald Isle originally Mike, what part of the Isle are you from?

No, I'm 3rd generation removed from Eire but proud of my heritage and make no bones about it. Besides, my surname gives it away immediately so I can't hide from it. 

[med6753]

Your homework assignment tonight is to compare and contrast 2m and CB conversations.

Over here other than the use of call signs rather than "handles" they both sound the same. 

[Specmaster]

As for 2m hell no, never again. That was a connection to the world of the local wrong-uns who managed to find a niche audience to spread their misconceptions about the universe on. It's another bubble like a facebook group full of anti-vaxxer racist sexist morons. I keep in contact with a couple of local hams by email still and they have gone off the air for similar reasons in the last couple of years.

Oh hell yea brother. I basically went off the air this summer because of that. I still have a radio in the ham shack but the evening radio in the Man Cave is now in the coffee table drawer. I told one of the guys I keep in touch with that I've had it with all of the conversations. I already know what they are going to say before they even say it, it would aggravate me to listen to it, and I can't change anyone's mind even if it involved science and facts.

Waste of time! 

=> you don't need Farcebook and Twatter to have an echo chamber, but they help.

Your homework assignment tonight is to compare and contrast 2m and CB conversations.

Is CB still going over here? I haven't noticed it being used for years and years now. I used to have it installed in my car many years ago. A few of us on the same company did, we used it like a short range mobile phone to talk shop on and get traffic updates on channel 19.

[mnementh]

   Will ESR check the other capacitors as well, pop a replacement for that one in and do a check out before refurb.

Curious, what the ESR of thing would be ... 

Sorry meant to reply to that earlier. It was possibly unsurprisingly completely open circuit     Clearly every last particle of magic smoke had been ejected.

At what point do we stop calling it a capacitor and start calling it "contaminant" ?

I'd say this example is a very good candidate for the line right where that divination falls to the latter. Maybe if it still showed some measurable capacitance... But really, my gut sez no, even then...

mnem
  

[VK5RC]

I would echo @bd's sentiment, I enjoy the 'thrill of the chase' hunting down and fixing the problem of older semi broken test gear but also appreciate the huge effort that has gone into them - the construction, documentation etc. Having said that - when I am 'on the hunt' I invariably use my most recent gear, which mostly doesn't have much soul but does the job.
Fortunately in vk5 amateur land, the 2m repeaters are pretty quiet - one or two idiots - belchers etc - most of the sensible guys in our club meet on a simplex frequency. FT8 doesn't send me although I appreciate the technicalities - I liked PSK31 better but that has gone the way of the dodo.
My interest in the various areas of Ham radio tends to be a bit along similar short term lines eg an interest in Amateur satellites dropped pretty quickly once it was up and running and made a few contacts.
I can see the appeal of CW and QRP (low power rf) in its elegant simplicity - and the level of 'stuff' accumulating after the project is a degree of magnitude smaller. 😁
Sprat (magazine) is a good read in general.

[bitseeker]

Woah! I get busy for a little while and we go flying past 96,000 posts?!? 2000 messages just went right by.

[bd139]

As for 2m hell no, never again. That was a connection to the world of the local wrong-uns who managed to find a niche audience to spread their misconceptions about the universe on. It's another bubble like a facebook group full of anti-vaxxer racist sexist morons. I keep in contact with a couple of local hams by email still and they have gone off the air for similar reasons in the last couple of years.

Oh hell yea brother. I basically went off the air this summer because of that. I still have a radio in the ham shack but the evening radio in the Man Cave is now in the coffee table drawer. I told one of the guys I keep in touch with that I've had it with all of the conversations. I already know what they are going to say before they even say it, it would aggravate me to listen to it, and I can't change anyone's mind even if it involved science and facts.

Waste of time! 

=> you don't need Farcebook and Twatter to have an echo chamber, but they help.

Your homework assignment tonight is to compare and contrast 2m and CB conversations.

Is CB still going over here? I haven't noticed it being used for years and years now. I used to have it installed in my car many years ago. A few of us on the same company did, we used it like a short range mobile phone to talk shop on and get traffic updates on channel 19.

Yeah it’s still going. There are still people stupid enough to not be able to pass the foundation amateur radio exam here and that allows them to deal with a relatively constrained Crystal locked shit show.

But as tggzzz mentions, it’s the same material.

Anyway no TE today for me. Out walking today. Will be back for discord unless the post walk pub session turns up anything interesting 

[bitseeker]

Anyway no TE today for me. Out walking today. Will be back for discord unless the post walk pub session turns up anything interesting 

Always good to get some fresh air. Have a good walk, bd!

[med6753]

Anyway no TE today for me. Out walking today. Will be back for discord unless the post walk pub session turns up anything interesting 

Fathers, lock up your daughters....especially the redheads. 

[bd139]

Anyway no TE today for me. Out walking today. Will be back for discord unless the post walk pub session turns up anything interesting 

Fathers, lock up your daughters....especially the redheads. 

I’m only after women with dead parents 

[Andrew_Debbie]

Dana 5100 DMM update:

TLDR; still not working.


I changed the +/- 300VDC filter caps.  I knew this would not fix anything.  The previous repair was ugly and it bothered me.

The lead spacing on the caps was too small.  The stood off the board by about 2mm.    Whoever put them in belived there is no such thing as too much solder.   See early photos for the big puddles.

Nichicon UPW 3.3µF 400V are the same size as the OE part  and RS has stock.    I used Multicore 60/40  as it is very close or identical to the solder Dana would have used during production.




Previous repair didn't clean the board before putting in the replacements.      Took me all of 3 minutes to clean this up.



Looks better now.   Next time: Continue troubleshooting starting with the 2MHz clock.

[tonyalbus]

Woah! I get busy for a little while and we go flying past 96,000 posts?!? 2000 messages just went right by.

meanwhile the TEA thread has a sticky from Dave and were mentions in the last mail-bag video. 

[Robert763]

I haven't listened to a 2M repeater for 30 years or simplex for 10.  Been thinking about getting back into millimeter bands again. A LOT has changed there since I started with 10GHz WBFM in the late 70's. Back then at age 17 TE comprised a VOM, diode detector and a wavemeter made from an old micrometer......
Never could do morse, barely scraped by what was needed for old unrestricted aircraft radio operators licence.

[nixiefreqq]

for years now the only on the air activity for the freqq is hill top vhf/uhf (almost all ssb and kit built transverters).  am going out for the 220 and up contest next weekend.

no belching or long discussions about prostates.  but every contest up on the mountain a couple of passers by see the antennas and stop to ask if i am tracking bears with transmitter collars.  when you try to explain about the contest they look puzzled and leave quickly.

my former boss is heavy into moon bounce.  sets up his dish tracking and jt65 stuff when the moon rises and then hours later checks his computer to see how much fun he had.  never got that myself.

[nixiefreqq]

Woah! I get busy for a little while and we go flying past 96,000 posts?!? 2000 messages just went right by.

meanwhile the TEA thread has a sticky from Dave and were mentions in the last mail-bag video. 

just watched the last mail bag.  new nickname for one of our members?....."hollywood tony".

[bd139]

I haven't listened to a 2M repeater for 30 years or simplex for 10.  Been thinking about getting back into millimeter bands again. A LOT has changed there since I started with 10GHz WBFM in the late 70's. Back then at age 17 TE comprised a VOM, diode detector and a wavemeter made from an old micrometer......
Never could do morse, barely scraped by what was needed for old unrestricted aircraft radio operators licence.

10GHz looks interesting. Especially due to Es'hail-2 satellite. There’s a WebSDR downlink for it somewhere online I’m not googling up a hill.

[GreyWoolfe]

But agreed; Robert is a lucky man. You find someone who is willing to put up with your shit (and we all have shit) is hard enough... you find an enabler, you damn straight marry her. Or him. Or it, as the case may be... 


mnem
"Look ma! I contributed!!!"

I did marry her.  Most of the tools in my 61" tool chest is her enabling including the tool chest.  All the big power tools are her enabling.  She justifies it by saying she has a project for using it.  She has even enabled me by giving me the go ahead for the parts for the semi-custom rifle that my son and I are going to build.  I am always hitting the ground running to keep up with the quid pro quo.

Caliber ? ......bit of a gun nut myself.

.223/5.56 mm  I won't mention what we are building as to not offend anyone.  When it is done, I will PM with pics and an explanation of parts used if interested.

[tggzzz]

I’m not googling up a hill.

Turn your effin phone off, and be some where other than cyberspace!

[Specmaster]

I’m not googling up a hill.

Turn your effin phone off, and be some where other than cyberspace!