On Sep 3, 2:54*pm, Michael Black wrote:
On Wed, 3 Sep 2008, raypsi wrote:
Hey Gary,

Rocks aren't cheap hehttp://www.icmfg.com/thruhole_crystals.html
Maybe in 9 land they pave the streets with gold.
Personally I'd go with a programmable divider or PLL.

Maybe you like retro, then I'd get some old rocks the ones
you can take apart and grind them down to git's the freq's you need.

And you can't grind them unless they are quite close to the desired
frequency. *Grinding by hand will be too uneven, so the crystal will
stop working if you try to grind it more than a tiny bit.

It also relies on a big stock of crystals spread around so you can
find one sufficiently close enough, something that did seem possible
in the years after WWII, but after all this time attrition may have
reduced the stock considerably.

And realistically, they also have to be bulky FT-243 holders, since
those you can open by removing screws, and the blank is held in place
with pressure. *More recent holder types require desoldering the case,
and figuring out how to remove the blank and then get it back in place
when it's soldered in place (or something like that I can't remember how
the blank is connected).

One of the odd things is that if one has to buy new crystals, a
synthesizer will likely be far cheaper. *In the early seventies,
synthesizers made a big splash because everyone wanted lots of channels
on 2m FM, and the need to have them ground to frequency (and to equipment)
made it all very costly, so synthesizers despite their cost and bulk
became the norm.

Almost forty years later, a synthesizer for a handful of crystals would
still be comparatively bulky, but would be even cheaper than in the early
seventies.

* * Michael *VE2BVW

Believe it or not I was making a living sell rocks HI HI back forty
years ago.
It was like there was a freaking crystal company on every corner.
There was so
much competition back then the prices was chump change. The crystal
companies
could have put the big hurt on PLL or programmable dividers. I know
the real
reason crystals took a back seat, and it;s not what anybody thinks
happened.

73 OM

n8zu

Believe it or not I was making a living sell rocks HI HI back forty
years ago.
It was like there was a freaking crystal company on every corner.
There was so
much competition back then the prices was chump change. The crystal
companies
could have put the big hurt on PLL or programmable dividers. I know
the real
reason crystals took a back seat, and it;s not what anybody thinks
happened.

73 OM

n8zu

It would be my guess to do away with technicians that tune up radios and fix
things.

"JB" wrote in message
news:g_bwk.563$1a2.176@trnddc04...
The crystal
companies
could have put the big hurt on PLL or programmable dividers. I know
the real
reason crystals took a back seat, and it;s not what anybody thinks
happened.

73 OM

n8zu

It would be my guess to do away with technicians that tune up radios and
fix
things.


I've been racking my brain trying to figure out a reason.
But, I think you hit the nail on the head. It fits right in
with the obsolescence of the FCC 1st and 2nd Class
Radiotelephone tickets.

Pete

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
m...

"Tio Pedro" wrote in message
...

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out a reason.
But, I think you hit the nail on the head. It fits right in
with the obsolescence of the FCC 1st and 2nd Class
Radiotelephone tickets.

Pete

They may as well have done away with the FCC tickets. I passed the 1st
class test at 22 years of age in 1972 on the first try for the ticket. I
had never seen a TV transmitter, but had the ticket to work on them.
Maybe
years ago it was differant and a harder test.
Thought I wanted to get into the 2 way repair business, but never did.
When
I took the test it was only one dollar more for the first class, so took
it
and passed
Most of the tests are made so any idiot can pass them.


*Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be radio techs.*

I did the Advanced Ham ticket, then 2nd phone when I was 17 and got sucked
into MNSO immediately.

Nobody cares about the FCC tickets but the Gov't. The private industry
actually holds it against you because you have rules and they don't.
And I'm worn out from always being threatened by people with guns and billy
clubs who's first instinct is to smash something if it seems uncooperative.
Then there's the hams "bless their hearts" who put me out of business by
doing free work. Retirement is sweet but I'm dirt poor.

"Tio Pedro" wrote in message
...

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out a reason.
But, I think you hit the nail on the head. It fits right in
with the obsolescence of the FCC 1st and 2nd Class
Radiotelephone tickets.

Pete

They may as well have done away with the FCC tickets. I passed the 1st
class test at 22 years of age in 1972 on the first try for the ticket. I
had never seen a TV transmitter, but had the ticket to work on them. Maybe
years ago it was differant and a harder test.
Thought I wanted to get into the 2 way repair business, but never did. When
I took the test it was only one dollar more for the first class, so took it
and passed.
Most of the tests are made so any idiot can pass them.

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
...

"JB" wrote in message
news:_6wwk.729$393.65@trnddc05...

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
m...

"Tio Pedro" wrote in message
...

Nobody cares about the FCC tickets but the Gov't. The private industry
actually holds it against you because you have rules and they don't.
And I'm worn out from always being threatened by people with guns and
billy
clubs who's first instinct is to smash something if it seems
uncooperative.
Then there's the hams "bless their hearts" who put me out of business by
doing free work. Retirement is sweet but I'm dirt poor.


That is why I did not go into the radio business. Friend told me of a job
opening. I was making about $ 2 an hour more at the time and had a good
retirement package.
The job I was doing did not require any special license or anything.
Working for a large company as an electrician/instrument technician.
Did not have to have an electrical license as large companies don't
require it and neither does the government.


I got my FCC 1st in high school after working tobacco for one
summer. The remainder of my summer vacations were spent
tending AM/FM/TV transmitter sites as summer replacement.
Paid was good for a kid, and I didn't get dirty One of my first
interim "career" jobs was a field tech for RCA/Univac mainframe
systems. I'm not sure which career (broadcasting or mainframe
computer) careers faded into oblivion first. Both are rght up
there with coal delivery techicians and icemen.

Pete

Tio Pedro wrote:
One of my first
interim "career" jobs was a field tech for RCA/Univac mainframe
systems. I'm not sure which career (broadcasting or mainframe
computer) careers faded into oblivion first. Both are rght up
there with coal delivery techicians and icemen.

Pete



Damn! I just got my degree in coal delivery. I guess I always am a day
late and a dollar short! Guess I'll have to keep my day job (radio
tech...VHF up through 7 GHz)

Scott
N0EDV

"JB" wrote in message
news:_6wwk.729$393.65@trnddc05...

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
m...

"Tio Pedro" wrote in message
...

Nobody cares about the FCC tickets but the Gov't. The private industry
actually holds it against you because you have rules and they don't.
And I'm worn out from always being threatened by people with guns and
billy
clubs who's first instinct is to smash something if it seems
uncooperative.
Then there's the hams "bless their hearts" who put me out of business by
doing free work. Retirement is sweet but I'm dirt poor.


That is why I did not go into the radio business. Friend told me of a job
opening. I was making about $ 2 an hour more at the time and had a good
retirement package.
The job I was doing did not require any special license or anything.
Working for a large company as an electrician/instrument technician.
Did not have to have an electrical license as large companies don't require
it and neither does the government.

JB wrote:
snip
Then there's the hams "bless their hearts" who put me out of business by
doing free work. Retirement is sweet but I'm dirt poor.
============================================
Hams are radio AMATEURS so it is logical that they do work for free,
since they are involved in a hobby.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

"Highland Ham" wrote in message
...
JB wrote:
snip
Then there's the hams "bless their hearts" who put me out of business by
doing free work. Retirement is sweet but I'm dirt poor.
============================================
Hams are radio AMATEURS so it is logical that they do work for free,
since they are involved in a hobby.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

That's why they have to learn to seperate their hobby from the pecuniary
interests of others. So they don't become a target for commercial
interests.

If some one or group should be buying or renting radios or systems because
their entity has regular need for radio dispatch or communications of a
non-hobby nature, they should seek professional help while it exists rather
than exploiting the ham.

Of course if we all join the Communist Party and the government volunteers
to provide us with free food, housing, clothing, medical and other basic
subsistence needs, we should do whatever they want after we finish our
compulsory rice picking for the day.