-=> On 10-01-97  21:27, Steve Brack said to Ivy Iverson,<=-
-=>"About Small AF Amps...,"<=-
-=> * In a message to Steve Brack on 09-30-97, IVY IVERSON said:
 
Hi, Steve;
 
 II> The amp I am referring to was a PC board about 1 1/2 X 3 inches, and you
 II> could feed a microphone into it, (I used small loudspeakers and output
 II> transformers connected in reverse), and it would put out a couple of
 II> watts - plenty to drive 4 speakers in different areas to reasonable
 II> volume in two buildings.  (It was an all-call system which used the
 II> black-yellow pair in the phone wiring).
 SB> Well, I haven't seen that item in my store.  Sorry.
 
I think RS dropped it over 10 years ago!  Just like they did the sensitive
little relay used for starting/stopping a casette recorder when a phone is
picked up/placed off-hook.  I used several of them, including adding a
standard phone to a key phone PAX system, (where you have to close an
independant pair of contacts to turn on the busy lights in all the other
phones).  I used another for recording my own phone.  But that little
relay hasn't been sold by RS for over 10 years.
 
 II> But I guess RadShack doesn't think that people actually BUILD things
 II> any more!
 
 SB> Of course, we do!  In fact, there are more kits available now
 SB> than ever before.  Our Radio Shack Unlimited in-store catalog
 SB> carries many kits of various levels of difficulty.
 
Kits... ya, right.  "Build 12-15-24-36-however many different things
with this kit..."  Stuff for cub- and boy-scouts.  And you have lots of
parts, (but it never seems to be what _I_ need TODAY).  Do you have a
kit for a BCB-30 MHz receiver that's more than a TOY?  I don't mean a
2-3 transistor toy, I mean something that looks and works like a real
radio when it's finished?  Somehoe I doubt it.
 
Sorry if I'm a little sour on RatShack tonight, I bought something
today, (a HTX-404, Cat. No. 10-1140, on close-out that I COULD NOT
afford), that has more damn functions in those 24 controls than the
whole Space shuttle has in it's cockpit and it's rear flight deck
combined!  And the 47 page "manual" was NOT written to be understood by
a normal HUMANS!  (I am no dummy: I have a strong background in
electronics, including Chief Engineer of an FM station.  I have managed
to receive the 3 440 MHz rptrs in the area on it, but can't hit a d___
one of 'em!  Yes, the PL is set properly, the offset is set properly,
running it off of 12 volts so it should be putting out around 5 watts,
set for high power etc etc etc... I KNOW it's transmitting, (I can hear
the hum in the stereo and a FS meter shows a potent signal when I key it),
but I SHOULD be able to hit at least ONE of those rptrs with NO difficulty
on the duck!  But after OVER SIX SOLID HOURS of total frustration, I'm
getting ZIP!  It acts like it's far enough off frequency that it's outside
of the repeater's passband.  I never would have bought the thing, but I
need it for ARES.  I bought one HT, (an old 2-channel Motorola), that just
was not working out.  (Don't ask.)  Then yesterday I got the RS flyer that
had this thing for $100 off and I got it.  I hope I don't continue
regreting it, because as it is, there are some utility bills that are
going to be late because of it.
 
Sorry, I don't mean to rag on you, but I'm so mad at the thing that I
could very cheerfully slam it as hard as I can into the cement retaining
wall outside my back door.
 
 II> I don't care to etch PC boards unless I have to, (it's messy and the
 II> chemicals are poisonous and I don't want my cats to get into it)...
 , but I
 II> would like to be able to pick up an occasional module, such as a small
 II> ... (Heck, you can never have too many small AF amps lying around!):->
 
 SB> True enough. 8-)  My favorite (in-store) module right now is
 SB> the IC voice record/playback module.  I had a woman install
 SB> one in her son's teddy bear.  Now, every time he pushes its
 SB> (nose?), mom tells him he's loved.  Pretty neat, IMO.
 
Yes, those are cute, but, unless I wanted to build a voice IDer for the
radio or a repeater or some similar application, I doubt I have any use
for such a toy right now.
 
73 DE KB9QPM
   Ivy
 
 
PS: I just had a contact on 446.000 simplex, so something works.  :-}
 
 
... "Hailing frequencys are open..."
 
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