drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in message
.
..
In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in
message

.com...
In article , "Michael"
wrote:

"John Plimmer" wrote in message
...
Michael wrote: "but I cant get the R8 to perform for DX'ing like
the R75."

An R8 may not perform up to a R75, but the R8A/B will outperform
it. Some of the top DXer's in the world use R8A/B's


Your off the mark here. Way off. I've used both radio's side by
side with the same antenna. The R75 is a better DX'ing radio.
Better for utility and better for DX'ing. The people that dispute
this are "fans" of the Drake radios. Key word here "fans". Like
a person who keeps going to see Boston loose to NY. The keep
loosing, but they still love thier team. Also.... Your statement
"Some of the top DXer's in the world use R8A/B's" further
demonstrates just how far off the mark you are. If a "Top" DX'er
or a professional with a job to do selected his gear, it wouldent
be an R8 series. He'd pick one of his WJ's off the rack. At the
very least, he'd take an ICOM 746Pro or somthing at least as
capable. While your contemplating your next post, put "Take Me
Out To the Ball Game" in your CD player and have yourself a hot
dog.

I think the main problem here is that there has been so much BS
posted here by a few people in the past about the R75 and Drake R8B
that I for one turn a deaf ear to posts such as yours. The R75 is a
tar'ed and feathered radio.

4 3/8 stars from passport is far from "tarred and feathered"

Yeah, tarred and feathered in this news group. The amount of BS
posted in rec.radio.shortwave is huge.

Not tarred and feathered by this newsgroup. ATTEMPTED tar and
feather job by a few Drake brand loyalists. Your acting out with
no more sense then drunken red necks at a tractor pull having a
fist fight over Ford vs. Chevy. Don't speak for the newsgroup.
Don't speak for anyone other then yourself. You don't have the
brains for it.

No way. The R75 proponents sink on their own arguments. No need to bring
in their opponents. Speaking for myself I own four bands of radios not
just Drake so labeling me a "Drake loyalist" falls flat on its face.

As for acting out I act out against BS posts for the benefit of people
trying to get unbiased information from the news group. Another
derogatory remark from you about red necks and tractor pulls is just
another lame attempt to change the subject. I'm not the problem here you
are. I'm being being objective and you are not.

" You don't have the brains for it. " As yet another attack on me rather
than sick to the subject you characterize my post as speaking for the
news group.

So lets tally up your remarks.

1. Attack Telamon as a Drake loyalist.
2. Attack Telamon as a red neck.
3. Attack Telamon as speaking for the news group.
4. Attack Telamon for being unintelligent.

Attacks on Telamon 4. Facts in support of your exceeding weak and
untenable position 0. Lousy record.

My point is this... I've used both radios. The R75 is better for DX'ing.
In this case, spec sheets are useless. I'm not going to reduce this to the
level of the statistician. The R75 in my experience is more sensitive, and
even more importantly, more capable for dealing with DX. The twin PBT is
unbeatable by the R8. In this case, comparing the vital statistics of both
radios stated on speck sheets is worthless. And as far as attacks go,
you've made a few of them on me too. Another shot to my mid section.
Ohhhhh.... My Spleeeeen !!!!

Oh grow up. I don't see how stating the obviousness of what you posted
is an attack on your person. I'm not responsible for what you post.

Nice of you to stop the personal attacks in favor of actually supporting
your suppositions though.

Spec sheet are useless? No way I'm buying that.

So far you mention sensitivity and I don't much of a difference there.

The twin PBT tuning well I think you made your first actual point.
Congratulations.

How about the fact that the R75 has selectable filters in two IF stages?
Does that do anything for you? Maybe better image rejection?

The radios specifications just do not support your suppositions.
That's the way it is Michael.

No, that isn't the way it is. I've used both radios. I don't need a
person that is queer for Drake radios to tell me "how it is". I can
understand how upsetting and embarrassing it is to have an $1,800.00
+ radio outperformed for dx'ing and utility by a $500 radio. That is
the way it is. That being said, I could care less how many radios
Icom or Drake sell. I could care less if both companies switch to
selling whole canned chickens. Give your brain a chance. You aren't
gaining anything for yourself with your fallacious statements.

Same old line of crapola espoused by several posters in the past
riddled with inaccurate, unfounded statements.

You are an odd person to say the least to use expressions like "queer
for Drake radios." It just means you can't stand on the facts and have
to change the argument. Example is I state about the amount of false
and misleading statements about the R75 and Drake R8B in the news group
and you go to reviews in Passport.

Then you decide that "I'm queer for Drake radios" as an attack instead
of sticking to the facts. You are just more of the same old voluminous
BS by a few in-duh-vid-uals in the past.

Imp criticizing you for passing fallacious opinions off as fact with
brand
loyalty as your motive and you call it an "attack". Try to keep in mind,
there are many people that come to this newsgroup that know even less
then
you do. If that's possible. I hate the idea of one of them eating your
BS
up like sweat cream out of want for quality information.

I'm not loyal to some band as you try to unsuccessfully portray me. The
attacks on the messenger don't work. People will see through the
fallacies you portray. I don't have to do anything other then point them
out.

You are stuck on Drake vs ICOM but I'm not. Your also stuck on something
else I won't mention. This argument isn't about me either it's about the
fallacious claims made about the R75. And I'm posting BS - SHOW ME WHERE.
Just another attack on me. No factual information in support of your
contentions on the R75.


Again.... Pardon me for being crude... But in this case... For this
comparison, you can wipe your ass with spec. sheets. Really..... Im talking
practical hands on time with both radios. I know what the hell the specs
are and it would be a useless exercise for me to post links to bench marks.

This is completely unnecessary, makes you look childish, and does
nothing to support your position.

You are so concerned about what I pay for radios. What I spend on
radios is a drop in the bucket for me, it's a non-issue, just more BS
from you. Besides unlike yourself I look at specifications, reviews
from people without an ax to grind and consequently make decision I
don't regret.

I could care less about what you pay for your radio's or any other
products that you enjoy. Im pointing out that in the case of the
R75 vs. the R8 series, the retail cost of each radio in comparison
to each other isn't proportional to the respective performance of
each radio. Quite the contrary. And please don't boast about your
financial prowess. It makes you appear wanting.

Excuse me and I quote:
"I can understand how upsetting and embarrassing it is to have an
$1,800.00 + radio outperformed for dx'ing and utility by a $500 radio. "

I actually pay attention to what you post and answer your objections.
Don't give me this crap about you could care less about what I pay for
radios, I'm answering your argument not boasting about myself. Stop
changing the subject. This is attack number 5 on me instead of
supporting your position on the R75.

You consider all my deserved contradictions of your baseless positions as
"attacks". Let me be as simple as I can.... Once again... Im not going to
be a bore and post bench maks. I would not remind you of what you already
know so well. I've used both radios. The R75 is a better DX'ing rig. Get
it through your head. The R75 is simply better for resolving very poor
signals.

Your deserved contradictions from the previous post are all attacks on
my person as I listed them and no facts on supporting your contentions
so what now? Are you going to argue that you did not post the previous
reply?

I got the fact you have used both radios. I read your replies. Now can
you get it through your thick skull that your posting style does not
inspire confidence in what you post. How am I supposed to respect the
posts from someone that attacks me and wipes his butt with printed
specifications.

Remember, I don't know you from Adam and what you post is all I have to
judge you on.

A professional would not pick a Drake R8B or a ICOM 746 pro. He
would pick an RX340, one of the Watkins Johnson radios, or another
make of radio in that caliber.

I think I stated above that a WJ would be the choice of a pro.
Hypothetically speaking, if pro had to use a consumer radio, he'd
take something like a 746Pro over an R8 series.

No he wouldn't, he would pick a radio designed for the task and that is
not a Drake R8B or a Ham transceiver. Look, when you make dumb
statements and then you won't back down from them does not help your
credibility, which already suffers due to the tired re-posting the same
old crapola about the R75.

Read above where I said a pro would take a "WJ". Then... read the word
"hypothetically" as it relates to my statement regarding the 746Pro.
Cognitive thinking doesn't seem to be your strong point.

Yeah I read where you want to lead someone to yet another untenable
position.

You sound as dumb as another thread comparing cheap Chinese portables
to much better and costly receivers.


I'm not a fan of Chinese consumer electronics at this point, but I
see nothing wrong with making comparisons. Making a comparison
between radios is not an attempt to equate the performance of a
lesser radio to a better one. Only a proven half wit could come
up with that argument.

Well, what can I say to that. Nothing.

To sum up your reply
0 fact to support your position on the R75
6 attacks on Telamon
2 other diversive comments to muddy your posts points.

How sad. Apparently you have no defense on what you post about the R75.
It's all about me or some BS instead.


You need to spend more time doing hands on work with both radios.
Honestly... A little more hands on and a little less sophistry. No personal
attack intended.

So relying of published specifications is "sophistry". Well crap I do
this all the time at work professionally. Guess I'm in big trouble
there.

You have me at a disadvantage as I don't have an R75 to get my hands on
and I'm not likely to buy one given the state of the radio so by
default I would usually defer to your experience but the stridency of
your posts have put them in question I'm afraid.

Let me put it to you another way, you have been your own worst enemy
just like the other R75 supporters of the past. I'm not saying you are
as bad as some of those people as they lied unabashedly but what you
have done appears as part of a poor pattern of posts on the subject
that certainly do not inspire confidence.

You ask that I ignore specification sheets and instead fully rely on
your experience when I don't know you and your posting style does not
inspire confidence in your observations on the operation of the R75.

I realize this is a contentious issue fomented by myself at this time
by sarcastically posting the R75 makes a good door stop but I for one
did not learn much in this thread. Oh well.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

On Dec 31, 8:42 pm, David wrote:
On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:43:00 GMT, "David Eduardo"

wrote:
Back in the early 70's, I was using an adapted parametric equalizer to aid
in DXing. I had it connected to the output of my R390 by Hammarlund and
output it to a low noise amplifier that had a headphone out. This allowed me
to do some very nice things on adjacent channels, like adjusting the audio
to match the desired station and not the interfering one, or to narrow the
bandwidth of the audio to make the weaker signal less covered by splatter...
or to remove lower frequency hets that added to the interference.

At that time, the only good parametrics were designed for broadcast and
sound reinforcement use, so matching levels and impedances was a big issue,
but I found that using this sort of device (the eq can amp cost more than
the R390, which I had bought new) on MW and tropical band DX made all the
difference in the world.

- I believe only Collins made the R-390.

David,

The R-390 was designed and Made-by-Collins.
http://www.penan.net/dx/r-390a.htm
The original Contract Date was 1951
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/bapix/R390.html
NOTE - A cost-reduced Second Generation Receiver was
also Designed-by-Collins and Designated as R-390A.
Under this new Contract the R-390A was made by a
number of Manufacturers including Collins.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2480
What did "Helena Rubenstien" have to do with the
Collins R-390A ? ? ?
http://www.dxing.com/rx/r390a.htm
Over 54,000 Collins designed R-390"A" models were made
by Collins and many other manufacturers including: Motorola,
Stewart-Warner, Capehart, Amelco, Teledyne, EAC, Fowler Ind.,
Dittmore-Freimuth and Helena Rubenstein (reportedly).
http://www.fernblatt.net/390.html

Check-Out the Collins R-390A "FAQs"
Frequently Asked Questions WebPage
http://www.r-390a.net/

ABOUT - Collins Radio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins_Radio

"Collins Radio Quick Reference" by KK6HY
http://www.wa3key.com/kk6hy.html

yes more than you wanted to know ~ RHF

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

"David Eduardo" wrote in message
. net...

"Telamon" wrote in message
news:telamon_spamshield-

So relying of published specifications is "sophistry". Well crap I do
this all the time at work professionally. Guess I'm in big trouble
there.

You have me at a disadvantage as I don't have an R75 to get my hands on
and I'm not likely to buy one given the state of the radio so by
default I would usually defer to your experience but the stridency of
your posts have put them in question I'm afraid.

I have an R8 and an R75, as well as a TenTec 350... the 75 is the worst of
the lot for AM DX on Medium Wave and topical bands, even with the full
gamut of mods. It is not a bad rig, but is an order of magnitude less
effective in all aspects. I got it for a location where I do not spend
much time, so it is OK... but would never be my choice for the more
difficult DX.

If you are a dedicated DXer, and one radio will give you an ID and another
will not, how do you put a price on such a difference?

No question... The R75 isnt a good MW rig. I wouldent choose it for MW DX
either. But... I would take it over the R8 for SW DX any day of the week
!!!!

Michael

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

Telatubbie Wrote:

Oh grow up. I don't see how stating the obviousness of what you posted
is an attack on your person. I'm not responsible for what you post.
Nice of you to stop the personal attacks in favor of actually supporting
your suppositions though.
Spec sheet are useless? No way I'm buying that.
So far you mention sensitivity and I don't much of a difference there.
The twin PBT tuning well I think you made your first actual point.
Congratulations.
How about the fact that the R75 has selectable filters in two IF stages?
Does that do anything for you? Maybe better image rejection?

OK, Einstein.... One more time for you. If you spent a day in your life
with the R75, you'd have a fairly good idea of what makes the R75 perform
well. Your commenting on the R75 and so am I, so I'm taking it as a matter
of course that BOTH of us know more then just our ass from our elbow. Twin
BPT and two filters in series have been stated to the point of being a
criminal waste of bandwidth and time. You might as well state that an
Subaru is usefull because it has four wheel drive. Two idiots that know
what the hell a Suburu is dont need to say that out loud. The same applies
here. I'm also going to take it for granted that we both know that the R75
and the R8 are shortwave radios and each has a power on switch.

Your deserved contradictions from the previous post are all attacks on
my person as I listed them and no facts on supporting your contentions
so what now? Are you going to argue that you did not post the previous
reply?

I got the fact you have used both radios. I read your replies. Now can
you get it through your thick skull that your posting style does not
inspire confidence in what you post. How am I supposed to respect the
posts from someone that attacks me and wipes his butt with printed
specifications.

Remember, I don't know you from Adam and what you post is all I have to
judge you on.

I did not.... I REPEAT... Did not make a blanket statement recommending the
use of spec sheets as ass wipes. In the case of the R75 vs. the R8, I am
recommending their use as ass wipes above their use as definitive articles
for helping us with this particular comparison. The specs on both the
radios are very close. Again.... Perhaps I gave you too much credit when I
ASSumed you already had some idea of what both radios are. In this case...
And let me say it again... This case meaning (the R75 vs. the R8 for
DX'ing).... BOTH OF US UNDERSTANDING THE SPECS ARE VERY CLOSE.... BOTH OF US
KNOWING THE R75 AND THE R8 HAVE "ON" BUTTONS.... BOTH OF US KNOWING A SUBARU
IS USEFUL DUE TO 4WD.... In this case, my good man.... This SPECIFIC
question is best resolved by us swinging-dicks putting the radios to use at
length. In this case, my ear is worth more then the spec sheet.

So relying of published specifications is "sophistry". Well crap I do
this all the time at work professionally. Guess I'm in big trouble
there.

Previously you boasted about your financial prowess... Now you tell me you
cant get by at work without instruction manuals. I never read one in my
life. My first rule for technical manuals and instruction booklets. Throw
them out before starting. If something blows up get first aid and write a
strongly worded letter to the manufacturer.

Michael

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

john wrote:
just wondering i don't own a drake r8, r8a or r8b, but i am thinking of
purchasing an r8 or r8a. does anyone use this radio for dxing NDB's and
how does it perform on longwave. i'm also reading alot about the r75 as
a pure dx radio, especially with the mods, but it seems the drake never
gets the heads up vs the r75 as a pure dxer. it also seems that the
drake is the better BCB listening radio due to its better audio. i
would love to hear from someone who owns both. and has compared them in
this respect.

thx, john

It seems that Michael in his zeal to defend the R75 forgot the original
question.

"drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75."

The Drake R8 series is sensitive on "LONGWAVE" with no modifications.
The R75 needs modifications to match the R8's performance on MW and
LONGWAVE.

That said, when it has been modified, the R75 performance is good.

I have owned both and preferred the R8B.

Michael............grow up and get a life, or at least learn to respond
to the original posters question.....

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

"H. State" wrote in message
oups.com...

john wrote:
just wondering i don't own a drake r8, r8a or r8b, but i am thinking of
purchasing an r8 or r8a. does anyone use this radio for dxing NDB's and
how does it perform on longwave. i'm also reading alot about the r75 as
a pure dx radio, especially with the mods, but it seems the drake never
gets the heads up vs the r75 as a pure dxer. it also seems that the
drake is the better BCB listening radio due to its better audio. i
would love to hear from someone who owns both. and has compared them in
this respect.

thx, john

It seems that Michael in his zeal to defend the R75 forgot the original
question.

"drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75."

The Drake R8 series is sensitive on "LONGWAVE" with no modifications.
The R75 needs modifications to match the R8's performance on MW and
LONGWAVE.

That said, when it has been modified, the R75 performance is good.

I have owned both and preferred the R8B.

Michael............grow up and get a life, or at least learn to respond
to the original posters question.....

Try your best to avoid your obvious compulsion to be abusive and
antagonistic without provocation and listen up. The original post leaves
plenty of room for comment regarding the performance of both the R75 and the
R8. My post was not in defense of the R75 nor was it a hatchet job on the
R8. It doesn't take more then the sense that god gave a mule to understand
that. I've also found that individuals who use the infantile and banal
cliché "get a life" are to a man/woman, the ones lacking in accomplishments,
education and relationships. Is it your unique understanding of those
deficiencies that prompt you to use it also ???

Michael

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

Michael wrote:
"H. State" wrote in message
oups.com...

john wrote:
just wondering i don't own a drake r8, r8a or r8b, but i am thinking of
purchasing an r8 or r8a. does anyone use this radio for dxing NDB's and
how does it perform on longwave. i'm also reading alot about the r75 as
a pure dx radio, especially with the mods, but it seems the drake never
gets the heads up vs the r75 as a pure dxer. it also seems that the
drake is the better BCB listening radio due to its better audio. i
would love to hear from someone who owns both. and has compared them in
this respect.

thx, john

It seems that Michael in his zeal to defend the R75 forgot the original
question.

"drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75."

The Drake R8 series is sensitive on "LONGWAVE" with no modifications.
The R75 needs modifications to match the R8's performance on MW and
LONGWAVE.

That said, when it has been modified, the R75 performance is good.

I have owned both and preferred the R8B.

Michael............grow up and get a life, or at least learn to respond
to the original posters question.....

Try your best to avoid your obvious compulsion to be abusive and
antagonistic without provocation and listen up. The original post leaves
plenty of room for comment regarding the performance of both the R75 and the
R8. My post was not in defense of the R75 nor was it a hatchet job on the
R8. It doesn't take more then the sense that god gave a mule to understand
that. I've also found that individuals who use the infantile and banal
cliché "get a life" are to a man/woman, the ones lacking in accomplishments,
education and relationships. Is it your unique understanding of those
deficiencies that prompt you to use it also ???

Michael

You might want to take reading comprehension 101 over again. You must
be an aspiring politician, you never addressed or answered the original
question, but you danced all around it.

Bottom line, the R75 has the LW and MW frequencies attentuated and the
R8 series doesn't.

See, that wasn't so hard was it?

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

My dilemma is that I don't have experience with the R75

Bingo

Funny guy. How about the rest of the sentence.

"My dilemma is that I don't have experience with the R75 and you claim
that you do but your posts do not inspire any confidence in your
comparative claims between the radios."

You can discount anything that I offer by calling me a fraud. Given you
don't have my experience with both radios coupled with the fact that you are
arguing a fallacious point with respect to the R75 vs. the R8 for DX,
decrying me as a fraud is a very convenient thing for you to do. And you
hypocritically protest that I am the one attacking you.

Not having experience with an R75 is not in itself a dilemma. This is
just another blatant attempt to misconstrue what I posted, which shows
that you are not serious about the subject and just a Troll.

You've tried to nullify the fact that you are on the loosing side of this
exchange by calling me a fraud and now you are going to write me off as a
Troll. Once again... A convenient thing for you to do. I've stated several
times that I felt your mistaken position regarding the R75 vs. the R8 was
owed to the fact that you were lacking in real hands on experience with the
R75 side by side with the R8. I see now that I was not in error.

Just to remind you, here are a few of your own little tid-bits.

* "The R75 makes an excellent door stop to the radio room." (your statement
prior to ANY postings by myself in this thread)

* "The R75 is a tar'ed and feathered radio."

Both of those statements coming from one with admittedly little or no
experience with the R75. All the world trembles before the siring logic of
your fiery intellect.

Michael

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

My dilemma is that I don't have experience with the R75

Bingo

Funny guy. How about the rest of the sentence.

"My dilemma is that I don't have experience with the R75 and you claim
that you do but your posts do not inspire any confidence in your
comparative claims between the radios."

You can discount anything that I offer by calling me a fraud.

Where did I call you a fraud? I quote myself here.
"The name calling, digression to cars, crude language,
mischaracterizing or misconstruing what I posted, and the like do not
inspire confidence in your posted claims."

You just can't get the point that your posting style does not convey
confidence in what you post.

Given you don't have my experience with both radios coupled with the
fact that you are arguing a fallacious point with respect to the R75
vs. the R8 for DX, decrying me as a fraud is a very convenient thing
for you to do. And you hypocritically protest that I am the one
attacking you.

What fallacious point with the R75 vs. the R8 for DX have I made?

How is it convenient for me to do to decry you as a fraud instead of
discussing radio. These are just distractions that I don't care for. I
think they are convenient for you since you have no basis for your
argument.

How is pointing out that your posts were mostly attacks on me instead of
information on the radios being hypocritical?

Not having experience with an R75 is not in itself a dilemma. This is
just another blatant attempt to misconstrue what I posted, which shows
that you are not serious about the subject and just a Troll.

You've tried to nullify the fact that you are on the loosing side of this
exchange by calling me a fraud and now you are going to write me off as a
Troll. Once again... A convenient thing for you to do. I've stated several
times that I felt your mistaken position regarding the R75 vs. the R8 was
owed to the fact that you were lacking in real hands on experience with the
R75 side by side with the R8. I see now that I was not in error.

Just to remind you, here are a few of your own little tid-bits.

* "The R75 makes an excellent door stop to the radio room." (your statement
prior to ANY postings by myself in this thread)

Yep I admit to that. I already posted this myself so you are not
reminding me of anything. Do you have a reading comprehension problem or
something?

* "The R75 is a tar'ed and feathered radio."

This is factual.

Both of those statements coming from one with admittedly little or no
experience with the R75. All the world trembles before the siring logic of
your fiery intellect.

Yeah we been over this. This is a dilemma for me and a Troll for you
apparently.

You are waste of time. You won't talk radio and you won't answer my
questions and all you do is twist the meaning of what I post. There is
no excuse for this as I write in a straightforward manner. Your
misunderstanding and misconstruing follows a deliberate pattern only
displayed by one special person that posted here under another handle
Mikey.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

drake r8 line longwave dx performance and the r75.
 

You are waste of time. You won't talk radio and you won't answer my
questions and all you do is twist the meaning of what I post. There is
no excuse for this as I write in a straightforward manner. Your
misunderstanding and misconstruing follows a deliberate pattern only
displayed by one special person that posted here under another handle
Mikey.

Lets see... So far you have called me a fraud, a troll and now your accusing
me of impersonating some odd poster that you had an exchange with.

Your statement likening an R75 to a "door stop" should have been a clear
indication to me that you have limited experience with the R75 and limited
experience with the hobby in general. That absurd and inflammatory remark
was your own indictment. Being that this is a discussion group, I expect
and appreciate opposing views. Including, disparaging commentary regarding
the R75 or other good radios from posters that are compelled to malign
decent products with motives ranging from ignorance to xenophobia. When you
make your "door stop" statements, know full well that you have an audience
here for it, but part of that audience will take to task.

I will speak no more of it.

Michael