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micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>: Oct 12 02:32PM -0400 In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 06:09:17 -0700 (PDT), >> > CP   >> Mpffff... This is an easy one. If you are looking, primarily, for good reception over top-notch sound (mostly wasted on AM anyway), and this is to be a single-purpose device, look for something like a solid-state GE "Super Radio" or similar. They are fair-enough sounding and far better than average at AM DXing capabilities. Low in cost for very good results.   >> http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GE-SUPERADIO-SUPER-RADIO-LONG-RANGE-AM-FM-HI-PERFORMANCE-VERY-NICE-/401419473964?hash=item5d7677142c:g:e9AAAOSwbRJZvvX8 I keep one of these at our summer house that is no slouch at all. The AM band is pretty busy, especially at night.   I've heard of the GE Superradio, but didn't think I needed anything more at that time. Is it especially good on FM as well as AM?       >> A step up from there would be a multi-band radio such as a Zenith TransOceanic. Of those, the ne-plus-ultra would be the RD7000Y - and why that one? All silicon, has the tunable weather band, and will give you some amusing shortwave capacity.   >> https://www.ebay.com/dsc/i.html?_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=19027&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=200&_nkw=Zenith+RD7000Y&_ex_kw=&_in_kw=1 One of these has lived at my work desk for over 20 years.   I still have my 1930 Hallicrafter shortwave, not divided by bands as such, but 4 positions of the switch and continuous tuning from one to another. >> Hard-Core would be a Communications Receiver, something in the Hallicrafters, Collins or National lines - which are a whole different can of worms, do want an outside antenna, and likely will contain tubes rather than transistors.   I don't have the best antenna. I took 4-wire phone line, solder two pair together at one end and one pair at the radio-end so it goes down and back twice and it was stretched down the stairs. I think I should more it to the attic.   >> Peter Wieck >> Melrose Park, PA   >The old Vega/Ocean radios are very cheap dx sets. Some mericans might not like their origins. But don't worry, they don't run Kaspersky.   I run Kaspersky but I lie about what I'm doing so when they report back, it will just confuse the Kremlin.

tabbypurr@gmail.com: Oct 12 12:28PM -0700 On Thursday, 12 October 2017 19:32:11 UTC+1, micky wrote: > pair together at one end and one pair at the radio-end so it goes down > and back twice and it was stretched down the stairs. I think I should > more it to the attic.   I've used lengths of plastic twine at the ends as insulators. Effective, always to hand, easy, cheap.     > >The old Vega/Ocean radios are very cheap dx sets. Some mericans might not like their origins. But don't worry, they don't run Kaspersky.   > I run Kaspersky but I lie about what I'm doing so when they report back, > it will just confuse the Kremlin.   :)

etpm@whidbey.com: Oct 12 12:52PM -0700 On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:32:06 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com> wrote:     >I run Kaspersky but I lie about what I'm doing so when they report back, >it will just confuse the Kremlin.   >>NT I thought all phone line wire was twisted pair. If that's the case then I would think your setup would tend to keep radio waves, AKA interference, out. Maybe that's why your antenna isn't working very well. Eric

oldschool@tubes.com: Oct 12 02:39PM -0500 On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:31:26 +1100, Trevor Wilson   >I had one on the bench last year. Surprisingly impressive and quite >sophisticated (even has a synchronised detector!) AM section. A bit much >for a cabin radio though.   I was thinking about using a car radio too. But why limit yourself to AM. Get an AM-FM. AM radios these days are mostly talk shows and religious programming. You;ll get more music on FM. If you know someone who has a junked car, offer them a few bucks for the radio. I'd get the antenna too. Then all you need is a 12V power supply. Those can easily be found. In the 70's nearly everyone had one of them, so they could use an auto CB radio in their house.   If your cabin has no electricity, any car battery can be used to power this radio, as long as you can charge it. (Use your car to charge it, if need be).   You can mount the car antenna on the roof, but you'll need an extension cable for it. The cords on those car antennas have always been a special cord, and I am not sure what to use to extend it. Maybe someone knows this.....   However, a long wire outside is still superior for an antenna.

Foxs Mercantile <jdangus@att.net>: Oct 12 03:45PM -0500 > cable for it. The cords on those car antennas have always been a special > cord, and I am not sure what to use to extend it. Maybe someone knows > this.....   It's RG-62 and it's a pain in the ass to work with.     -- Jeff-1.0 wa6fwi http://www.foxsmercantile.com

bruce2bowser@gmail.com: Oct 12 02:00PM -0700 J.B. Wood wrote: >Just kidding. In addition to the advice already provided by others, you >might want to check with a seller like C.C. Crane. I assumed by "AM" >you meant the medium wave (535-1700 kHz) band.   Right, the AM band, which, regarding radio, is an abbreviation for 'Amplitude Modulation' as opposed to FM (Frequency Modulation). Unless you confuse AM (Ante Meridian) here in this thread to mean morning-time only radio use.

Trevor Wilson <trevor@SPAMBLOCKrageaudio.com.au>: Oct 13 08:18AM +1100 > antenna too. Then all you need is a 12V power supply. Those can easily > be found. In the 70's nearly everyone had one of them, so they could use > an auto CB radio in their house.   **Almost ANY radio that has an FM section has a really crappy AM section (excepting the Sansui I referenced earlier). Since the early 1970s, manufacturers have pretty much ignored AM radios. There are exceptions, of course, but they are very rare. Here in Australia, for instance, FM transmissions did not begin until the mid 1970s. Hence, there was a thriving business for manufacturers building high quality AM tuners. And trust me: They were very good indeed. Back then, it was possible to deliver sound quality that rivaled FM (mono) under ideal reception conditions. In fact, I have such an AM tuner in my workshop. I never use it, of course. For good AM, you need to find an AM only tuner that was built before FM was really popular.   FWIW: The best AM radio I ever heard was my very own, valved, 4 stage TRF, radio, which used an infinite impedance detector. The design was taken from a long-departed New Zealand electronics magazine. I built it as a teenager and the thing sounded glorious. So good, in fact, that I called my local radio station to complain about their 'B' turntable, because I could clearly hear that the stylus was worn/chipped. They thought I was nuts, but swapped out the faulty stylus anyway.       -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au

Foxs Mercantile <jdangus@att.net>: Oct 12 05:24PM -0500 On 10/12/2017 4:18 PM, Trevor Wilson wrote: > **Almost ANY radio that has an FM section has a really crappy AM section   Quite so, I had a Kenwood "system" with separate components. The AM/FM tuner was absolute shit on AM. Single IC "AM subsystem" both sensitivity and selectivity were marginal.   When I was "gifted" a Technics home entertainment system, I threw the Kenwood in the trash where it belonged.     -- Jeff-1.0 wa6fwi http://www.foxsmercantile.com

micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>: Oct 12 09:46PM -0400 In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 12:52:42 -0700, >>>> > CP   >>>> Mpffff... This is an easy one. If you are looking, primarily, for good reception over top-notch sound (mostly wasted on AM anyway), and this is to be a single-purpose device, look for something like a solid-state GE "Super Radio" or similar. They are fair-enough sounding and far better than average at AM DXing capabilities. Low in cost for very good results.   >>>> http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GE-SUPERADIO-SUPER-RADIO-LONG-RANGE-AM-FM-HI-PERFORMANCE-VERY-NICE-/401419473964?hash=item5d7677142c:g:e9AAAOSwbRJZvvX8 I keep one of these at our summer house that is no slouch at all. The AM band is pretty busy, especially at night.   I've heard of the GE Superradio, but didn't think I needed anything more at that time. Is the GE Superradio especially good on FM as well as AM?     >>and back twice and it was stretched down the stairs. I think I should >>more it to the attic.   >>>> And, one of these will truly separate fly-poop from pepper. Give it an 80' longwire and you will be getting AM from Hawaii - or thereabouts.   Counting back and forth twice, it's 80' or a little more. Maybe I should shorten it to 80' ???   >>I run Kaspersky but I lie about what I'm doing so when they report back, >>it will just confuse the Kremlin.   >I thought all phone line wire was twisted pair.   All the indoor phone wire I've seen has been 4-wire untwisted. Red, yellow, black, and green.   >interference, out. Maybe that's why your antenna isn't working very >well. >Eric   Thanks but it's not twisted. My next-door neighbor is, but that's another story.

micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>: Oct 12 10:00PM -0400 In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:39:48 -0500, >cable for it. The cords on those car antennas have always been a special >cord, and I am not sure what to use to extend it. Maybe someone knows >this.....   https://www.ebay.com/i/191802218181?chn=ps&dispItem=1 12 Foot Auto Antenna Extension Cord Male Female $6.49 and free shipping to the US but he also ships to Shipping to: United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, Korea, South, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Russian Federation, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Republic of, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica   Although then he excludes the whole world: Excludes: Africa, Asia, Central America and Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, North America, Oceania, Southeast Asia, South America   OR   https://www.ebay.com/i/141820947090?chn=ps&dispItem=1 20FT ANTENNA EXTENSION CABLE CAR STEREO MALE FEMALE PLUG AM/FM $9.60 Free Shipping   Another one on ebay was 24 feet.   https://www.amazon.com/Metra-44-EC204-204-Inch-Antenna-Extension/dp/B0007WQ8MU Metra 44-EC204 204-Inch Antenna Extension Cable $9.27 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. (sort of like the drug dealers that give you the first one free.)   >However, a long wire outside is still superior for an antenna.   We don't know where the cabin is. Or what kind of programming the OP wants to listen to.   I'd get am/fm to because I listen to talk mostly. If he's in the hills or mountains he might have great line-of-sight.

oldschool@tubes.com: Oct 13 01:28AM -0500 On Fri, 13 Oct 2017 08:18:13 +1100, Trevor Wilson >called my local radio station to complain about their 'B' turntable, >because I could clearly hear that the stylus was worn/chipped. They >thought I was nuts, but swapped out the faulty stylus anyway.     I can understand what you're saying, but to enjoy it, you first need radio stations worth listening to. You may have it completely different in Australia, but where I live, AM is just talk radio (mostly politics), or religious stuff. For that, who needs quality sound?   I do have to compliment a local station though. For years there were about a dozen FM stations that all played country music. (It seems that when you live in a rural area, they think everyone listens to country music). That station recently started an AM station that plays oldies rock, pop, and some country too. All from the 50s thru the 90s. Thats the first time I listened to AM in many years.   Since wer are talking AM radio. I recall back in the 90s or was it the early 2000s, they were working on AM Stereo. What ever happened to that? I have not heard anything about it in years.   Ok, now i have to ask..... What kind of music do the kangaroos prefer to listen to in Australia? :)   They claim that cattle prefer country music in America, but when I was working for a dairy farm, I changed the radio to a rock station and the cows seemed happier..... (However, the owner of the farm was not real pleased).

oldschool@tubes.com: Oct 12 02:27PM -0500 I have a 300W, 12VDC to 120VAC inverter. It's worked fine in my car for years, to power my laptop computer, a medical device I need when I am "on the road", and even some small power tools. Recently it started acting weird. Sometimes it wont turn on, (LED is lit). Or it keeps cycling on and off. Often, I have to plug it into the cig lighter in my car repeated times to get it to work.   I tore it apart the other day and after removing it from the aluminum case, I carefully checked for loose solder joints, using a magnifying glass, wiggling parts, looking for any burnt or other obvious bad parts. Everything looked ok.   With it out of the case, I plugged it in, and found it worked perfectly. I used it numerous times out of the case, and it worked each and every time. However, I was careful not to load it too hard, because the case is used as a heatsink, and outside the case, the transistors are not heat sinked, and I could feel them getting warm, but not hot, becuase the load was low.   After several days of working perfectly, I put it back in the case, and immediately it failed to work. I was careful to make sure the power cord was not applying pressure to the circuit board, and everything else was correctly mounted into the case.   One thing I noted is that the board slides into slots on that molded alum case, and there are solder joints extremely close to that edge.   My thinking is that even though it worked fine for years, one of them solder joints is touching the case and grounding out. But why it did not do that in the past makes little sense. If I could, I'd put some electrical tape along that edge, but it slides into a groove with no spare room.   Since I need this badly, for medical needs, I decided to just buy a new one . I got a 400W, and thought that would work fine. However, that one has a built in buzzer which is loud and extremely annoying. As soon as I plug it in, it "screams" at me until it's "settled". Besides annoying, I often use these inverters when I go camping, with a portable 12V battery, and having this think scream in the middle of the night is not acceptable. Needless to say, I'm returning it for a refund.   So, until I am able to find one without that annoying buzzer, I need to use my old one. All I can think is to leave it out of the original case, mount some heat sinks to the transistors and put it into a non-conductive case, made of plastic or wood.   I am posting this because I wonder if anyone knows what else could cause it to fail to work inside the case, yet work perfectly outside. The amount of work and cost of another case is almost not worth all the trouble to re-case it, but it seems that most of the new ones have those annoying buzzers. Why they have that, is beyond me, but I refuse to have to cope with that noise.

mjb@signal11.invalid (Mike): Oct 12 09:17PM +0100 In article <l6evtctgagakgrk9k02lajs45n649vlf73@4ax.com>, >has a built in buzzer which is loud and extremely annoying. As soon as I >plug it in, it "screams" at me until it's "settled".   Simple Answer: 1) Desolder buzzer leg. Deluxe answer: 2) Put a switch inline with buzzer   Either that or chewing gum strategically inserted to reduce volume ... -- --------------------------------------+------------------------------------ Mike Brown: mjb[-at-]signal11.org.uk | http://www.signal11.org.uk

"pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com>: Oct 12 01:46PM -0700 Options:   Purchase an inverter that alarms only when actually needed - after all, alarms are there for a reason. Low battery voltage will damage both the inverter and sulphate the battery, altogether a stupid, wasteful idea. Go up to at least 500 watts. Most inverters do not like being run at even 50% of rating. And the incremental cost is tiny. Furthermore, the closer an inverter is run to its rating, the greater the lost-to-use ratio. So, by going to a lower-rated inverter, you are draining your battery that much faster.   https://www.potekelec.com/power-inverters/power-inverter-500w-potek-classic?gclid=CjwKCAjwpfzOBRA5EiwAU0ccNyZav1oQ6bXRrUgUXn2KJq3hpNe2Nd4KBmOwE2s_YSoS_tw2UNL8zhoCGIwQAvD_BwE   https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01N5LUMDF/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new   Purchase 'resist' lacquer and coat both the slots on the case and the traces on the board. This can be done as either a spray or a pen. This may salvage your existing device.   It is really not a good idea from a life-safety position to run an inverter without the cover. A modified square wave is far more damaging than a pure sine-wave - and you are no more than a 10,000 ohm, 1/4 watt resistor assuming you are otherwise entirely healthy with no compromising medical condition.   Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Mike Paff <paffm@yahoo.com>: Oct 12 02:29PM -0700 >do that in the past makes little sense. If I could, I'd put some >electrical tape along that edge, but it slides into a groove with no >spare room.   Maybe try painting the case and/or solder joints to insulate them?

mike <ham789@netzero.net>: Oct 12 03:11PM -0700 > Since I need this badly, for medical needs, I decided to just buy a new > one . I got a 400W, and thought that would work fine.   One thing to watch out for is standby current drain. I've found a huge difference in no-load power consumption of different inverters. This can make a huge difference in low-load run time. Or if you don't turn it off between uses.

mike <ham789@netzero.net>: Oct 12 03:15PM -0700 > trouble to re-case it, but it seems that most of the new ones have those > annoying buzzers. Why they have that, is beyond me, but I refuse to have > to cope with that noise.   The transistors are likely insulated from the case. Check for insulator failure. Painting the board to insulate it from the slots in the case is unlikely to last for long. Use something more robust like Kapton tape.

micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>: Oct 12 10:31PM -0400 In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:27:20 -0500, >acting weird. Sometimes it wont turn on, (LED is lit). Or it keeps >cycling on and off. Often, I have to plug it into the cig lighter in my >car repeated times to get it to work.   I found out about 20 years ago that power tools need a lot more current than I imagined, when I was out in the woods trying to use a drill with a $20 converter. It wouldn't spin at all.   But as to your laptop, or at least as to my laptop, I just use something that plugs into the cigarette lighter. IIUC there is substantial or even great waste of power converting DC to AC just so it can be changed in the laptop back to DC.   Of course how the 12 volts in the car is raised to 19v, I don't know????? Nor do I *know* if it wastes power but I think it wastes very little. The one below says, and I haven't measured it but I believe it, "Power: Input 12V-16V/ 10AOutput: 19.5V 4.62A 90Watt;"   This was for the used laptop I bought this summer: Car Charger for Dell Latitude 13 131l 2100 2110 D400 D420 D430 D500 D520 D530 D531 D600 D620 D630 D630 XFR D631 D820 D830 E4200 E4300 E4310 E5400 E5410 E5500 E5510 E6400 E6400 ATG E6410 E6500 X300 Xt https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VVPPCNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   They have them for just about everything.   I haven't tried this one yet, because I'm not taking any car trips until November, but I used my Acer several times with a similar charger and everything was fine. I would park in front of a bank, McDonalds, or on two occasions a hotel and use their wifi. All but one of these times was at night so there was no place where I could actually go inside, and come to think of it McDonalds was at 7 or 8AM and they weren't open yet.   But the point is that the power supply worked and the power monitor even said the battery was being charged.   Also, using this has helped me cut down on my smoking.

micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>: Oct 12 10:33PM -0400 In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 22:31:03 -0400, micky >D530 D531 D600 D620 D630 D630 XFR D631 D820 D830 E4200 E4300 E4310 E5400 >E5410 E5500 E5510 E6400 E6400 ATG E6410 E6500 X300 Xt >https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VVPPCNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   And only $17.50, so even if I used a converter, I'd want to have this rathher small thing in case the converter failed.

bruce2bowser@gmail.com: Oct 12 01:07PM -0700 >So maybe Toyota says it will be more quiet but it's just a gimmick. If >so, that would just be my second choice, "to impress people".   >I still have the previous car until I get the new one repaired if necessary >and inspected, so if I can, I will take out both the old and new >antenna however, and the fad seems to have gone away. The custom of >slashing tops and tires of cars whose owner one doesn't know and even >when not trying to steal eanything seems to have also disappeared.   Today, those youngsters seem to have given-up on keying cars and graffiti and even being outdoors at all any more. Who knows? I guess that drugs and being in front of computer screens have finally become THAT absolutely addictive.

micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>: Oct 12 09:39PM -0400 In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 13:07:28 -0700 (PDT), >>slashing tops and tires of cars whose owner one doesn't know and even >>when not trying to steal eanything seems to have also disappeared.   >Today, those youngsters seem to have given-up on keying cars and graffiti and even being outdoors at all any more. Who knows? I guess that drugs and being in front of computer screens have finally become THAT absolutely addictive.   That must be it. At least some good has come from it.

tabbypurr@gmail.com: Oct 12 10:26AM -0700 > The analogy I would use is that I am not required to use single-weight non-detergent oil, paper oil filters (if any at all) and non-resistor plugs in a vintage automobile. Nor am I required to use gutta-percha gaskets or leather belts - that is if I actually wish to drive it.   > Peter Wieck > Melrose Park, PA   US fluorescent lighting is different to UK in many ways. All our historic switchstart ballasts work fine with T12, T8 and a lot of LED tubes.     NT

"pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com>: Oct 12 10:57AM -0700 > US fluorescent lighting is different to UK in many ways. All our historic switchstart ballasts work fine with T12, T8 and a lot of LED tubes.     That would explain a lot of your attitude. But, your electrical power is, on average, 50% more costly than power in the US - one would think that energy efficiency would would be of greater concern to you than it seems to be. We operate a 464 square meter center-hall colonial built in 1890 for US$239/month (180 GBP). And we heat in the winter and cool in the summer. This includes heat, hot water, electricity, cooking, drying, and municipal water and sewer. Yes, we use a clothes line in the summer. But energy is dirt-cheap in the US relative to the rest of the world - not to suggest we waste it, but the only incandescent lamps we own are in the chandeliers. They too, are slowly giving way to LEDs.   Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

tabbypurr@gmail.com: Oct 12 11:09AM -0700 > That would explain a lot of your attitude. But, your electrical power is, on average, 50% more costly than power in the US - one would think that energy efficiency would would be of greater concern to you than it seems to be. We operate a 464 square meter center-hall colonial built in 1890 for US$239/month (180 GBP). And we heat in the winter and cool in the summer. This includes heat, hot water, electricity, cooking, drying, and municipal water and sewer. Yes, we use a clothes line in the summer. But energy is dirt-cheap in the US relative to the rest of the world - not to suggest we waste it, but the only incandescent lamps we own are in the chandeliers. They too, are slowly giving way to LEDs.   > Peter Wieck > Melrose Park, PA   At the risk of stating the obvious, a person that buys an ancient piece of lighting isn't looking for the peak possible energy efficiency. It already has linear fluorescent lights so is quite efficient anyway. Iron ballasts on a small low power light only used some of the time consume a trivial amount.   If the OP were desperate to save another £1 a year for some reason he could always fit LED tubes with a wire fitted to short the ballasts. I can't see any compelling reason to though.     NT

"pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com>: Oct 12 12:47PM -0700 Yabbut...   I take the Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen attitude: A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it is real money!   We actually had honorable politicians mores-so-than-not back in the day. Sure, they still screwed by the numbers and stole what they could - but they also took their jobs fairly seriously. And it was DDE that created the term "Military Industrial Complex", and as a warning, not a description.   An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.   Simon Cameron US financier & politician (1799 - 1889)   Peter Wieck Melrose Park PA

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