Saturday, July 10, 2010

Hamfest Update

...In brief: I passed up several very nice glow-in-the-dark radios (I have...well, a lot, already), bought mucho kewl parts and small items (xtals for 80 and 40m!), saw the same wondrous Pilot Super-Wasp* I saw at Dayton...for about the same pricetag, $650 (!!! probably worth it, but still -- !!!), met a very tiny gray-and-cream tabby kitten who lives near a dumpster, fed half a hot dog and gave a bottle of water to same (the kitten has bowls, but they were empty), and, ummm, what's a skatebike? I own one now. Needs a new front truck. The one on it is hoze-ed to the max. Or whatever it is the kids are saying nowadays.

Updateder: So, I went to Rise Skateboard Shop (an' prolly fomenters of anarchy?), where the kind of guys Tam tells me are called "skate wanks" proved to be friendly, competent, and mildly interested in the middle-aged housewife's strange vehicle. They decided all it really needed was new bushings on the truck, so twenty minutes -- and $2.00, yes, two bucks! -- later, I was good to go. So far, my longest ride on the thing has been about ten feet and I'm not gonna push it. (Big surprise: it appears skateboarders wear some darned nice shoes...except for a few who prefer to practice their hobby in socks!)
_____________________
* Holy cow, if you're into old ham gear, you have got to see the page that's from -- look for links to it to show up at Retrotechnologist. W2ZM, wotta guy!

8 comments:

Turk Turon said...

That Super-Wasp is beautiful.

sam said...

Be careful with the new "wheels," m'dear.

We wouldn't want you to break your pretty neck!

Shermlock Shomes said...

Oh man, you've gotta have Tam record you riding that thing and post here!

Ed Skinner said...

The Pilot Super-Wasp looks like something you'd scrap to build a Jacob's Ladder. Any hope of making it actually work (as a radio)?

Don M said...

We used to refer to the old tubed wonders as "boat anchors". Back in the B-2 days there was a 70 foot club,for those who had antennas that were 70 foot high.

Matt G said...

Wear a helmet, please. I'm fond of perusing what drips out of what it might protect.

Roberta X said...

I'm looking for a proper helmet -- my old "skid-like" bicycle helmet gave up the ghost and I loathe the pointy things they sell now.

Roberta X said...

Ed: the basic Super-Wasp design is quite a good radio; I have built many regen sets with similar circuitry, the classic 1-V-1 (One stage of RF amplifier, one detector Valve, one audio amp).