The Amateur Amateur

Click to read “The Amateur Amateur”

I’ve enjoyed reading Gary Hoffman’s, KB0H, “The Amateur Amateur” on the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) web site for years.  The ARRL no longer publishes Gary’s articles, but he still writes them.  In Gary’s own words:

The Amateur Amateur is a column about my experiences in ham radio. Since I have little technical expertise and not much knowledge of electronics, I make a lot of mistakes. I consider myself to be just an amateur amateur radio operator, but I keep pressing on and trying new things. This column details my triumphs – and foibles – and I try not to take myself too seriously. Whether you are an experienced ham or new to the hobby, I hope you find these chronicles of my efforts to be entertaining.

Gary Ross Hoffman, KB0H

Gary’s “The Amateur Amateur” columns are available HERE.
Enjoy! -John, K7JM

HELP, The Transistor Poles Are Exploding

Since I have a sick sense of humor, I find these kind of things entertaining.  A large area of Helena, MT lost its power yesterday because… “A TRANSISTOR POLE EXPLODED”.  I read it in the news paper, it HAS to be TRUE. 🙂  Here it is…

Click the article to got the the Helena Independent Record‘s web site.

Resistors, Insulators, and Conductors

Recently, our family made our annual trek up to Glacier Bible Camp. Two of the speakers were Rudi & Sharon Swanepoel.  Rudi and Sharon have a vibrant ministry and are missionaries FROM South Africa to the United States.  Yes, we have come full circle as being founded as a Christian Nation to the sad state that we are in now.

Rudi and Sharon’s web site has an article that caught my eye.  Resistors, Insulators, and Conductors.  It makes one think.  What are YOU?  A Resistor, an Insulator, or a Conductor?

John

QRP-L and the Global Warming Hoax

qrp-l_logo

I am susbcribed to the QRP-L mail list. The discussions on the list are usual QRP variety with a sometimes off topic post or two.  The last couple of days, an interesting flair-up of off topic posts about “Earth Hour” and “Earth Day”.  It has been an interesting topic to follow.  Today, Dave, N0IT sent a great post that about sums up the whole deal.

Message: 23
Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:53:09 -0500
From: “sjolin” <sjolin@swbell.net>
Subject: Re: [QRP-L] Earthday
To: “edward kacura” <ekacura@yahoo.com>,    <QRP-L@mailman.qth.net>

I attended the first Earthday Celebration at Northwestern University in 1970. What a joke! For all the hyperbole about the world coming to an end for this reason and that, non of the calamities the alarmists preached about almost forty years ago ever occurred. Oh yeah, that same year Time Magazine ran a cover story about the new ice age and global cooling. Couldn’t sell that so they switched around and tried global warming.

If there was no money in this for the alarmists, for the scientists “investigating” it, the alternative energy companies that are economically untenable without government subsidies, the governments that drool over the tax revenue from cap & trade, and foremost money for the UN and third world politicians who hope to benefit from “our guilt”, there would be no talk of global warming. Money and control are what is behind climate change paranoia. Enjoy being duped, go right ahead and send your money to the UN. Leave ours alone.

Whenever a little greenie college kid comes to my door to tell me how bad things are today, I laugh in their face. When I was a kid you couldn’t breath when driving near Gary Indiana even with the windows up and the vents closed. And as far as water is concerned, Cleveland I believe had a river that caught fire because of all the pollution.

Tell me with a straight face that we are destroying our environment and I will laugh in your face. If you folks destroy our economy and democracy with your pseudo religion, then your kids and grandkids will be the big losers.

—– Original Message —–
From: “edward kacura” <ekacura@yahoo.com>
To: <QRP-L@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2009 11:53 AM
Subject: [QRP-L] Earthday

> > Too bad so many of you supposed intelligent people think global warming
> > and earthday is a joke.Well folks,the jokes on you,go ahead and waste more
> > time and resources ignoring the climate change,and what could be done to
> > help!You are condemning your children and their children for years to
> > come,this has nothing to do with politics or Al Gore.You poor folks have
> > my sympathy,lets hope you open your eyes and minds before it’s too
> > late!Have a nice Earthday,and long live QRP!72/73 de Ed N7EDK.