-=> On 10-10-97  08:05, Steve Brack said to Ivy Iverson,<=-
-=>"About Small AF Amps...,"<=-
-=> * In a message to Steve Brack on 10-04-97, IVY IVERSON said the 
ollowing:
 
Hi, Steve;
...
 
 II>  II> But I guess RadShack doesn't think that people actually BUILD 
hings
 II>  II> any more!
 II>  
 SB> Of course, we do!  In fact, there are more kits available now
 SB> than ever before...
 II>  
 II> Kits... ya, right.  "Build 12-15-24-36-however many different things
 II> with this kit..."  Stuff for cub- and boy-scouts...
 SB> No, those are the "Science Fair" line of kits stocked in the
 SB> stores.  I'm talking about the build-it-yourself kits that
 SB> involve circuit boards, soldering, & schematics, producing a
 SB> finished product like an FM transmitter, or an AM/FM receiver.
 SB> They are available via direct order from any Radio Shack store
 SB> for delivery to your door as soon as the next day.
 
I'm going to have to check into that...
 
 II> Sorry if I'm a little sour on RatShack tonight, I bought something
 II> today, (a HTX-404, Cat. No. 10-1140, on close-out that I COULD NOT
 II> afford), that has more damn functions in those 24 controls than the
 II> whole Space shuttle has in it's cockpit and it's rear flight deck
 II> combined!  And the 47 page "manual" was NOT written to be understood by
 II> a normal HUMANS!  (I am no dummy: I have a strong background in
 II> electronics, including Chief Engineer of an FM station...
...
 
 SB> A couple of things to remember.  The 70cm HT we sell has, as I
 SB> reacll, a CTCSS encoder & decoder built in.  It may seem
 SB> obvious, but I've helped at least one ham out by pointing out
 SB> that he was changing the decoder PL instead of the encoder PL.
 
Both PL's were correctly set.  (Step-by-step through the manual)... after
about another 3 hours of frustration, (not counting a few hours of doing
something else), I FINALLY managed to get everything working, though to
hit all 3 repeaters solid I had to build an external antenna for it: a
co-linear J-pole made from an old set-top TV rabbit ears!  (Modeled after
my outdoor 2M one, exactly 1/3 the size of the 2M version).
 
 SB> ... Lastly, try taking it back to Radio Shack.  Ask if
 SB> they have a frequency counter, and, if not, ask them to find
 SB> out which store(s) in your area stock them.
 
HAH!  The only freq counter I would expect to find at there would be if
the only Ham that works there happened to have one, (probably an MFJ),
at home.  Sorry, but the local outlet is NOT of "big city" size.  But
then this town has a population of maybe 25,000, so I wouldn't it to be
as big as one in Chicago.   :-/
 
 II> Sorry, I don't mean to rag on you, but I'm so mad at the thing that I
 II> could very cheerfully slam it as hard as I can into the cement retaining
 II> wall outside my back door.
 
 SB> I've seen customers feeling quite a bit more agitation than
 SB> you've displayed here.
 
Believe me, I was holding back and keeping a civil toungue when I wrote
the origional message.  I can assure you the air around here had a bluish
tinge to it!
 
The main problem is that the manual must have been written by an engineer
that can't write, or by a writer that knew NOTHING about the thing...
working from scattered notes from the engineer.  I wound up re-writing
the manual so that it can be understood by someone who knows no more than
being able to figure out how to turn it on and set the squelch.  In my
version of the manual, things are arranged in a logical order - you just
go from one step to the next instead of having to go back-and-forth-and-
back-again 25 times to program the thing.
 
When engineers are required to write in English, you will find that
Engineers CAN NOT write in English!   :-/
 
 SB> I only hope I've helped.  There is
 SB> also product technical support available from 1-800-THE-SHACK,
 SB> 9AM-5PM CT, if you can't find a knowledgable source at a local
 SB> store.
 
Hmmm... Must be the best-kept secret in the RadShack orginization!  I
just went through the whole book and that number did not appear!
 
 SB> *grin*  Keep pluggin' away.  The 2M & 70cm HTs are so
 SB> feature-packed as to daunt many users.  You're not alone.
 
Heh heh... that HAS to be the understatement of the month!
 
TNX ES 73 DE KB9QPM
   Ivy
 
 
 
... What can you do at 3 AM?  PSSSTTT - got a HAM Radio?
 
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