"Vinnie S." wrote in message
...
On 10 Jun 2005 21:04:48 GMT, Steveo wrote:

"HarryHydro" wrote:
Hi Folks:
Just remeniscing and old realistic CB walkie talkie I had. It had
the metal ground-straps on the side and it could talk 2.4 miles (just
measured on a map) with an S7. My Wife just picked up two similar
walkie-talkies at a yard sale for $5! I was wide-eyed at the size of
the thing! I remember when I was a kid wanting one of these
walkie-talkies so bad that I got the dimensions and made a cardboard
model to see 'how it felt holding one'! Wow! Thinking back! Anyone
ever routinely talk further on a CB walkie talkie?
The guy I use to talk to frequently in South Toms River was
Electro-Express. I - you guessed it - was Hydro! (hydrofoil) He'd
say, "The only walkie-talkie I know that'll talk that far is Hydro's".
I currently use a Johnson Messenger Viking. Yes, I know it's
2005.. ;-) This radio talks and sounds nice too!

Take Care!
Hydro

Hello Hydro.

Walkie talkies used to be fun!

That is what got me started !!!!!!

Vinnie S.


Hello, Vinnie

Too bad we can't all just have fun instead of arguing LOL. Those were the
days, I agree.

73 from Rochester, NY
Jim

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 22:43:51 GMT, "Jim Hampton" wrote:


Take Care!
Hydro

Hello Hydro.

Walkie talkies used to be fun!

That is what got me started !!!!!!

Vinnie S.


Hello, Vinnie

Too bad we can't all just have fun instead of arguing LOL. Those were the
days, I agree.

I do that now right here. I KF most of the assholes, and hardly ever see then
except when they get piggybacked. This place is so much better now !



Vinnie S.

HarryHydro wrote:

Hi Folks:
Just remeniscing and old realistic CB walkie talkie I had. It had
the metal ground-straps on the side and it could talk 2.4 miles (just
measured on a map) with an S7. My Wife just picked up two similar
walkie-talkies at a yard sale for $5! I was wide-eyed at the size of
the thing! I remember when I was a kid wanting one of these
walkie-talkies so bad that I got the dimensions and made a cardboard
model to see 'how it felt holding one'! Wow! Thinking back! Anyone
ever routinely talk further on a CB walkie talkie?
The guy I use to talk to frequently in South Toms River was
Electro-Express. I - you guessed it - was Hydro! (hydrofoil) He'd
say, "The only walkie-talkie I know that'll talk that far is Hydro's".
I currently use a Johnson Messenger Viking. Yes, I know it's
2005.. ;-) This radio talks and sounds nice too!

Take Care!
Hydro

I was somewhere between 8 an 10 years old when I got my first pair of CB
walkie-talkies for Christmas or my birthday back in the early 70s. This
was the results of my parents recognizing a talent for electronics in me
back then. By then, I'd put together a myiad of electronic projects like
crystal radios, alarms, mosture detectors, dc motors, light detectors, etc.
These little CB walkie-talkies were in little plastic blue briefcase-style
boxes, less than 1 foot by 1 foot. You'd open them up, extend the
telescopic antenna and turn it on. Ony one channel (14) and 100
milliwatts. They'd only work for about a block. I was hooked then.

My father saw my frustration with them after he'd tell me stories of back
when he was stationed in Morocco working the other side of the world with a
Heathkit DX-40, a Hammurland receiver, and a knife switch to a long-wire
antenna.

After he retired from the Air Force, he commuted to school. We set up a 4
watt mobile into a ground plane strapped to the chimney and put an
identical mobile rig in his Datsun B210 with a base loaded whip. And then
we waited for our CB license to come from the FCC. KCN-6537! Not amazing
I still remember that, we used it. We were scared to death of the law back
then. Back in the mid-70s, when he took off for school, I'd talk to him
until he was out of range. When he came home on Friday's, I'd be at that
radio waiting to hear him and talk him in. Range was about 13 miles. It
was fun! Back in the 70's, the locals in Louisiana made it difficult
because their pleasure was to maliciously interfere with us. Then one day,
he came home and showed me the window had been smashed and his CB was gone.
At 12 years old, I became frustrated with CB. At 13 I became a ham. After
my father saw me get a ham license, he passed his test soon after I did
again, after letting his ham license expire years ago. I started off with
an "N" in my call sign. Still have that call sign, but I made "extra" back
when you had to pass a 20 WPM morse code test.

When I was waiting for my "N" call sign, I put together a 6L6
oscillator/transmitter and borrowed an old tube-type receiver. My first
few contacts in the novice band of 40 were miraculous to me--100s of miles
away!. I was hooked at 13. Soon after, I put together a 6146 transmitter
for a few more watts. Wow, I was fascinated. Sure was fun back then.
Both my mother and father became nervous when they found out about the
exposed plate voltage. I mounted that 6146 on top of the aluminum box so I
could see the filiment glow and the plate connector was bare metal. My
father finally broke down and bought an Yaesu FT-101. Wow! A radio that
put out 180 watts AND a VFO AND all bands AND all MODES! I remember making
sure it wasn't putting out more than 75 watts--that would have been
breaking the rules. It didn't get any better than that. I still have that
radio. Needs new tubes (and of course the modification for the available
replacement tubes).

I still always travel with channel 19 in the truck. It still works better
than a radar detector. Today, I'm frustrated with hams. Back then, my ham
friends were techies. It's hard to find a techie on the ham bands
now-a-days.

Yup, sure was fun back then. It's a new era today.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Guy

I still always travel with channel 19 in the truck. It still works better
than a radar detector. Today, I'm frustrated with hams. Back then, my ham
friends were techies. It's hard to find a techie on the ham bands
now-a-days.

How do hams become techies when all they have to do is memorize some
answers to a preprinted test? I'm for making it an essay/fill-in-the-blank
test. Drop the code. Don't do away with code-only portions of the band.

Code shouldn't be forced on you, but it shouldn't be brushed away.

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 11:45:07 -0400, Scott in Baltimore
wrote:

I still always travel with channel 19 in the truck. It still works better
than a radar detector. Today, I'm frustrated with hams. Back then, my ham
friends were techies. It's hard to find a techie on the ham bands
now-a-days.

How do hams become techies when all they have to do is memorize some
answers to a preprinted test? I'm for making it an essay/fill-in-the-blank
test. Drop the code. Don't do away with code-only portions of the band.

I used the answers in the book method. I learned quite a bit just from that. Now
that I passed the tests, I will get the standard ARRL tech and general books,
before I go on the air.

I think the problem with essay, it time and age. I studied for a month, almost
every night. Having no kids, that wasn't a problem. Get a kid or 2, and you will
have a harder time. Also, it seems the youth are so preoccupied with the Net,
IPODs and cell phones, making the tested harder is not going to get any new
members. Most of the hams I talked to want to get more young people interested
in ham, because it appears to be on it's way out with that age group.

Code shouldn't be forced on you, but it shouldn't be brushed away.


Code is a complete waste. I studied for a month, passed the test, and already
have forgotten the letters. What they should do if make it optional for code
users. Give a real test, and give out licenses for code users. IOW, those who
want to use it, test for it.

Vinnie S.

Vinnie S. wrote:

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 11:45:07 -0400, Scott in Baltimore
wrote:

I still always travel with channel 19 in the truck. It still works
better
than a radar detector. Today, I'm frustrated with hams. Back then, my
ham
friends were techies. It's hard to find a techie on the ham bands
now-a-days.

How do hams become techies when all they have to do is memorize some
answers to a preprinted test? I'm for making it an essay/fill-in-the-blank
test. Drop the code. Don't do away with code-only portions of the band.

I used the answers in the book method. I learned quite a bit just from
that. Now that I passed the tests, I will get the standard ARRL tech and
general books, before I go on the air.

I think the problem with essay, it time and age. I studied for a month,
almost every night. Having no kids, that wasn't a problem. Get a kid or 2,
and you will have a harder time. Also, it seems the youth are so
preoccupied with the Net, IPODs and cell phones, making the tested harder
is not going to get any new members. Most of the hams I talked to want to
get more young people interested in ham, because it appears to be on it's
way out with that age group.

Code shouldn't be forced on you, but it shouldn't be brushed away.


Code is a complete waste. I studied for a month, passed the test, and
already have forgotten the letters. What they should do if make it
optional for code users. Give a real test, and give out licenses for code
users. IOW, those who want to use it, test for it.

Vinnie S.

Why should people who *want* to use it have to test for it?

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 20:54:39 -0500, Guy wrote:

Code is a complete waste. I studied for a month, passed the test, and
already have forgotten the letters. What they should do if make it
optional for code users. Give a real test, and give out licenses for code
users. IOW, those who want to use it, test for it.

Vinnie S.

Why should people who *want* to use it have to test for it?

Because it's the opposite right now. People who don't use it, test for it. Might
as well right that ship.

Vinnie S.

"Guy" wrote in message
news:TKMqe.15606$mC.3822@okepread07...
wrote:

Why should people who *want* to use it have to test for it?


Why not? If you want to drive, you have to take a test, if you want to
get into college you have to take a test, so what's wrong with if you are
going to use code only about taking a test?

Landshark

Scott in Baltimore wrote:

I still always travel with channel 19 in the truck. It still works
better
than a radar detector. Today, I'm frustrated with hams. Back then, my
ham
friends were techies. It's hard to find a techie on the ham bands
now-a-days.

How do hams become techies when all they have to do is memorize some
answers to a preprinted test? I'm for making it an essay/fill-in-the-blank
test. Drop the code. Don't do away with code-only portions of the band.

Code shouldn't be forced on you, but it shouldn't be brushed away.

I wasn't allowed to use a calculator until I was a sophomore in college.
Reason: What if you don't have a calculator later and you need to figure
something out? You gotta learn how to interpolate with the tables in the
back of the book first! Now calculators are less than $5. Now, when I
figure out some simple math problem in my head, nobody gives a crap.

I wasn't allowed to operate two meters with out first knowing morse code.
Reason: When voice doesn't work, CW will get through! Now cell phones are
free if you sign up for a minimum contract. Now, when I talk about a CW
contact I made recently, nobody gives a crap.

I passed my extra test more than 20 years ago. If I took it today, I'd fail
it. Why did I have to take it and pass it more than 20 years ago? Why
have a test at all today? There is no difference between putting a CB on
the air and putting any ham gear on the air today.

Where are today's challenges?

Like trying to get my gay loser old man to get a job?

"Guy" wrote in message Where are today's
challenges?