AF6AY wrote:
Michael Coslo wrote on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:23:05 EST:

Although I have a technical background, my post secondary "eddycaytion"
is actually in the art field, and In my job and life I cross between the
two.

So is mine...as an illustrator (an artist who draws/paints things as
they really are). I went for engineering after my Army service.

I work with Illustrators in my day job.


I stumbled upon this site, and was pleasantly introduced to "Steampunks"

I admire the heck out of the excellence of that website and its
gorgeous
photos. Really well-done craftsmanship on web page design. However,
it
begins to look a lot like 'eye candy' for those who love to do things
the old-fashioned way.

It is an aesthetic. The Steampunk aesthetic is coupling the throwaway
ideals of modern times, with the hand crafted "preciousness" of another
time. It is quite purposeful anachronism, and a large part of its charm
is that it isn't nihilistic, but it has a whimsical base to it. The
projects they work on are specifically on new or present technology.
Modifying Ipods, LCD panels, Fender Strats. It isn't even nostalgic,
much of the banter appears tongue in cheek.

In a unique (and a little bizarre) melding of technologies, one
practitioner has built and implemented a Telegraph sounder that reads
RSS feeds.

NO WAY can that sounder 'copy' digital data from any Internet.

Sorry, but there's just TOO MUCH MASS in that sounder to move
anything that fast...not even at 60 WPM speeds of old Teletypes.
Those who get all upset about my absolute statements should
open up and study any OLD Model 15 to 19 TTY from Teletype.
That Chicago firm KNEW how to make machinery work fast and long.

I do not know the exact mass of the the sounder arm, but the device
does not have to sound out at the RSS feed speed if it is too fast for
the mechanics. The software driving it can send out the Morse at a
comfortable speed.


Although the Amateur radio world does not have many examples of art -

Our 'art training' must have come from very different schools.

I believe that is true.

some snippage

though some folks come pretty close with some old time stations, I found
the method I'm going to use for my next shack redo. I'll have to share
the pictures of the same. Now to start scrounging brass....

Try not to forget that brass will oxidize from exposure to air.
Stock up on Glass Wax too, it works well on a continuing need
to make brass shiny again. And again. And again.

PLATE the brass with something to avoid all that dog-work
shine-up that you will need. Find a good electrochemical shop
and make some deals there. It will save appearances a lot
longer than all that necessary polishing later.

It is an aesthetic that is difficult for some to grasp, for sure, but
the brass is a big part of it. If future polishing is to be delayed,
there are coatings that can be added. Sometimes the weatherd look is
even desired in itself.


Certainly some will find this odd, but I like a little aesthetics in my
hobbies along with the technical.

So do I. Our difference is that I do an innate merging of
technical functionality with outward design and color. Icom
'basic black' (with white accents and sparse color in legends)
does it for me...who also is on intimate acquaintence what the
functions are.

snip

Sure, that is very nice. But it is also a style of the moment. 50 years
from now it will be old stuff, just as the Victorian aesthetic is for us
now.


A SOUNDER for amateur RADIO use? The ubiquitous BFO is what I
consider the first 'DSP' for morse cognition. That's why it
became so popular in radios way back before my time on earth.
Okay, so von Statt doesn't know much about electromagnets and
didn't put finer wire with more turns on his replica.

I don't recall a sounder for amateur radio use. The whole project was
just a fun thing to do with an rss feed, not a vindication of something.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't Victorian technology, it was from an even
earlier time. The guy was just having a little retro fun.


If we get too retro on 1890s 'aesthetics,' perhaps he could
make a lovely, shiny, brassy Tuning Fork as a frequency
standard? Musicians still use those. An HC-6 holder of a
quartz crystal can never look aesthetic by itself. But it
will be a thousand or more times more accurate in frequency
than an all-mechanical vibrating Tuning Fork. But, what the
Fork? A Tuning Fork can LOOK so interesting...and it can
make a noise! :-)

The tuning fork was invented in 1711. They are usually made of steel.
Most steampunks would not make a tuning fork. The idea is to take some
modern technology and make it look as if it was manufactured in another
time and place. So while a person might take an Ipod and etch an old
fashioned picture in it, or a guitar and modify it, they wouldn't likely
make an instrument like a tuning fork.

But to return to topic, The concept of making a station conform to an
aesthetic is not all that unusual. Our stations can be an expression of
ourselves, and we can either place the items on the desk and be done
with it, or we can embellish the room as we see fit. It is just another
way to have some fun.

- 73 de Mike N3LI -