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Michael Black[_3_]

On Thu, 4 Oct 2018, wrote:

In rec.radio.amateur.antenna Gareth's Downstairs Computer wrote:
On 04/10/2018 20:53, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

With the whole tool only $ 20 to $ 25 it hardly seems worth the effort
to even spend the time to make a set of jaws.

The argument of a CBer and not a real radio ham?

No, I try not to waste my time on the mechanical things. I have 3 or 4
of the crimp type tools. They are almost as inexpensive to buy the
whole tool as one tool and several sets of jaws.

Keeping up 2 ham repeaters, learning how the Arduino works, putting
together uBITX and latest is a boat anchor station takes up lots of
time. I am not that good at the mechanical things so for inexpensive
tools it is easier for me to buy them.

The cheapest thing that you can go out and buy is far more
expensive than the costliest thing in your junkbox. I have a
small stock of metal and a small machine shop, although I have
just given away the 3D printer that was lying idle for the past
3 years; its rationale having disappeared with the lifting of
the 16mm O gauge garden railway.

Rude comments apart, the essence of amateur radio in my book is
always doing for yourself the maximum that you can.

Did you make your metal stock from ore that you mined?

I have a big piece of quarts that one of these days I'll carve up and make
crsytals out of.

Michael