"mikea" wrote in message
...
HB content: I'm thinking of building one of the little receivers shown
at http://mikea.ath.cx/1-chip-rx.html/, just for hunting QRM.

I like his sentence, "you can do only so much work on a notebook computer with
no reference material around." Wow -- 1997, before ubiquitous high-speed
Internet access (...reference material on pretty much anything you want in
seconds...) in airports was available! And it doesn't even seem that long ago
now!

I suspect taking a radio like that to an airport these days is also going to
get you a lot of close scrutiny going through security... so I like your idea
of using it for QRM hunting.

Joel Koltner wrote:


I suspect taking a radio like that to an airport these days is also going to
get you a lot of close scrutiny going through security...


Speaking of getting "jacked up" by "the man"...try setting up a dish for
10 GHz these days at a county park...been there, done that

Scott, N0EDV
Still buildin' stuff for the microwave bands (for me and for others)...
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/

Joel Koltner wrote:
"mikea" wrote in message
...
HB content: I'm thinking of building one of the little receivers shown
at http://mikea.ath.cx/1-chip-rx.html/, just for hunting QRM.

I like his sentence, "you can do only so much work on a notebook computer with
no reference material around." Wow -- 1997, before ubiquitous high-speed
Internet access (...reference material on pretty much anything you want in
seconds...) in airports was available! And it doesn't even seem that long ago
now!


I don't agree with Steve there. In the early 90's I regularly carried my
trusty old Compaq Contura 410 on longhaul flights. And I sure was glad
it allowed up to 6 hours on a battery charge. Did a lot of schematics,
module specs and so on. Seen many business execs with their high
faluting IBM laptops fold'em because their batteries were at zilch,
grumpily watching me plugging along until 2nd mealtime.

The trick was to place asterisks in the document whenever I could not
complete something because I didn't have the datasheet right there. At
the destination I'd then go from one asterisk to the next and complete
the module spec. Same for new non-lib CAD parts where I didn't have the
pinout, I just placed an asterisk in the schematic. One can get a whole
lot of work done at an airport or during a flight.

Nowadays you can carry tens of thousands of PDF datasheets on the hard
drive of your laptop. Easily the equivalent of a large book shelf full
of databooks.


I suspect taking a radio like that to an airport these days is also going to
get you a lot of close scrutiny going through security... so I like your idea
of using it for QRM hunting.


I was lazy and just bought a Realistic Jetstream pocket radio. $30 or
$40, looks like a normal pocket radio but has regular AM plus airband,
no FM.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"Joerg" wrote in message
...
I don't agree with Steve there. In the early 90's I regularly carried my
trusty old Compaq Contura 410 on longhaul flights.

....and I bet your 50MHz 486SX2 seemed just as fast with the software you were
using at the time as your 1.6GHz netbook does now? ;-)

And I sure was glad it allowed up to 6 hours on a battery charge. Did a lot
of schematics, module specs and so on. Seen many business execs with their
high faluting IBM laptops fold'em because their batteries were at zilch,
grumpily watching me plugging along until 2nd mealtime.

Some of them might have considered the shorter battery life a *feature*, you
know. "Well, I did what I could on the annual report until the battery died,
at which point I decided to see how good the stewardesses were at making
martinis!"

---Joel

Joel Koltner wrote:
"Joerg" wrote in message
...
I don't agree with Steve there. In the early 90's I regularly carried my
trusty old Compaq Contura 410 on longhaul flights.

...and I bet your 50MHz 486SX2 seemed just as fast with the software you were
using at the time as your 1.6GHz netbook does now? ;-)


Ok, strictly DOS on business trips. There was no need for more, and
besides PDF viewing and stuff there still isn't. OrCad-SDT, MS-Word 5.0,
CompuServe email client, PSpice, some filter simulators, beam profile
calculator. What more could mankind want?


And I sure was glad it allowed up to 6 hours on a battery charge. Did a lot
of schematics, module specs and so on. Seen many business execs with their
high faluting IBM laptops fold'em because their batteries were at zilch,
grumpily watching me plugging along until 2nd mealtime.

Some of them might have considered the shorter battery life a *feature*, you
know. "Well, I did what I could on the annual report until the battery died,
at which point I decided to see how good the stewardesses were at making
martinis!"


Oh, I had my brewskys, cognac and the occasional bloody mary while using
the laptop. Of course, nowadays it's easier since I have that
spill-proof Durabook laptop that is almost mil-spec. The old Compaq
began to physically disintegrate after roughly 1/2 million miles,
courtesy of a few really rough flights and landings. At the end the
battery kept falling out of it.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.