Made it another year & computer is still working
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 10:51 pm
Well, the computer made it to another year and even shows the correct date and time. Wonders never cease.\
Too bad updating radios didn't go as smooth. Maybe, just maybe the radio companies might just think more about the customers and not so much for their bank accounts. There have been way too many customers getting ripped off and sold features, extra tower sites, encryption and the likes just to push the bottom line higher.
There use to be a whole lot more radio companies around years back that have died off along the way for different reasons. Link and RCA come to mind. Then there were some that were swallowed up in mergers or out right purchases like Daniels, GE, EF Johnson, Mobat and a number of others.
Every now and then I pull out one of the bench drawers and see the pile of keys there from some of these, past into history, radio companies. Makes me think back to the days when radios had tubes in them. If you go back a little further, they had these funny looking motors inside the cases that made this whirring sound when you keyed the mic. Even made the headlights dim at night time when you pressed that PTT button on the mic. Most of the radios were on low band in those days. If you were in New England, you probably had a problem talking with your dispatcher on some summer days and nights. But you could talk to a dispatcher out in California with no problem.
Yup, those were the days. Didn't have any fancy computer to do all the work for you and tell you what was wrong with the radio on the bench. You had better learn real fast where not to let your fingers drift to inside the transmitter back then. Otherwise you might find yourself sitting on the floor after this flash of light in front of your eyes. You had this funny taste in your mouth from the training lesson you just received.
There was a tool called a diddle stick used to poke and prod with that was made out of an insulating material for good reason. One end might have a small flat piece of metal used to turn threaded shafts on the cans that the tuning coils were mounted in. The other end might have a flat surface like a screw driver. The shaft was about the size of a pencil. If you ever opened up a radio technicians tool box, there were always several of these sticks in them.
So much for dreaming about traveling down the yellow brick road years ago. Today, the radio service business is a dying element of progress and changes in how we communicate. Haven't made it to the Dick Tracey watches, but we are not that far off. There are very few small two way radio shops left. You use to find many one and two person run radio service places all around the country. Now today, unless you have very large customers with large fleets of radios that you maintain, there is no way your going to come out putting money into the bank every week.
Well so much thinking about how it was 25 or more years ago. Between cellular phones and surface mount component radio construction today, us radio techs are slowly going the way of the dinosaurs. Even many of the earlier cellular companies are no longer around. Look at the paging industry. It too has fallen by the wayside. Not sure what will be around in even 10 years from now.
Anyway, just thought I would check to see if my computer was still working going into the new year. It surprised me and is still going strong.
Jim
Too bad updating radios didn't go as smooth. Maybe, just maybe the radio companies might just think more about the customers and not so much for their bank accounts. There have been way too many customers getting ripped off and sold features, extra tower sites, encryption and the likes just to push the bottom line higher.
There use to be a whole lot more radio companies around years back that have died off along the way for different reasons. Link and RCA come to mind. Then there were some that were swallowed up in mergers or out right purchases like Daniels, GE, EF Johnson, Mobat and a number of others.
Every now and then I pull out one of the bench drawers and see the pile of keys there from some of these, past into history, radio companies. Makes me think back to the days when radios had tubes in them. If you go back a little further, they had these funny looking motors inside the cases that made this whirring sound when you keyed the mic. Even made the headlights dim at night time when you pressed that PTT button on the mic. Most of the radios were on low band in those days. If you were in New England, you probably had a problem talking with your dispatcher on some summer days and nights. But you could talk to a dispatcher out in California with no problem.
Yup, those were the days. Didn't have any fancy computer to do all the work for you and tell you what was wrong with the radio on the bench. You had better learn real fast where not to let your fingers drift to inside the transmitter back then. Otherwise you might find yourself sitting on the floor after this flash of light in front of your eyes. You had this funny taste in your mouth from the training lesson you just received.
There was a tool called a diddle stick used to poke and prod with that was made out of an insulating material for good reason. One end might have a small flat piece of metal used to turn threaded shafts on the cans that the tuning coils were mounted in. The other end might have a flat surface like a screw driver. The shaft was about the size of a pencil. If you ever opened up a radio technicians tool box, there were always several of these sticks in them.
So much for dreaming about traveling down the yellow brick road years ago. Today, the radio service business is a dying element of progress and changes in how we communicate. Haven't made it to the Dick Tracey watches, but we are not that far off. There are very few small two way radio shops left. You use to find many one and two person run radio service places all around the country. Now today, unless you have very large customers with large fleets of radios that you maintain, there is no way your going to come out putting money into the bank every week.
Well so much thinking about how it was 25 or more years ago. Between cellular phones and surface mount component radio construction today, us radio techs are slowly going the way of the dinosaurs. Even many of the earlier cellular companies are no longer around. Look at the paging industry. It too has fallen by the wayside. Not sure what will be around in even 10 years from now.
Anyway, just thought I would check to see if my computer was still working going into the new year. It surprised me and is still going strong.
Jim