Category: General

Storm preparations underway

Last night, I went to bed and all was well with the world. This morning, I woke up and, Hey Now!  It would seem there is trouble brewing out in the ocean.  The weather people are talking of some superstorm, a combination of a category two hurricane and a winter blizzard with a tsunami and a bit of dust bowl thrown in for good measure.  Okay, I made up the dust bowl part.

Here is the five-day forecast:

Hurricane Sandy five day
Hurricane Sandy five day

It looks like the Mid-Atlantic coast is in for a direct hit, but the probabilities include coastal NY, NJ, and CT.  Thus, storm preparation has begun.  Today’s list is as follows:

  1. Check All backup generators, and refuel as needed.  Check oil, water, battery water, etc.  Make sure the generator starts from the remote command.
  2. Check all backup transmitters, where installed.
  3. Check other backup systems, such as STLs, sump pumps, etc.
  4. Make sure that buildings are secure and any loose items are secured.

Perhaps this storm will be one of those over-hyped non-events.  Only time will tell, however.  If it continues on its present course, then personal preparation will consist of:

  1. Procuring a good flashlight with fresh batteries for the tool kit (perhaps several).
  2. Taking care of household needs for the storm.
  3. Full set of mechanical tools.
  4. Some extra food and water in the work truck.
  5. A change of dry clothes in the work truck, including shoes or boots.
  6. Sleeping bag in the work truck.

Better to be prepared than to sit in wet clothes wishing it wasn’t so.  More updates to follow.

Saturday, 8 am Update:

During Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, it was the rainfall that did the most damage.  Looking at the current rainfall predictions, it appears the worst of it will be to the south by a good bit:

Hurricane Sandy Rainfall prediction
Hurricane Sandy Rainfall prediction

These things can change as the storm progresses, continuing with preparations.

Update, Sunday afternoon, 3pm:

The storm is still progressing more or less along the forecast track. Further to the south and in coastal areas, there is a strong possibility of flooding. Around this area and north, it looks like it will be a mostly wind event, with only 3-4 inches of rain predicted. Preparations are being finalized, I have added the chain saw to the truck inventory.

At what price do we pay our mortgages?

Political content warning: This post will contain statements that may include political points of view and/or be contrary to the narrative currently espoused by the corporate media outlets.

Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin

This election season, all the stops have been pulled out.  Massive amounts of money have flowed into the accounts of political candidates for nearly every office though out the land.  Over and over again, we hear political advertisements about this, that or the other candidate doing something unethical or just plain wrong.  Is it true? Is it a lie?  Does it matter?  What effect does this have on the general population?  If psychological studies are correct, hearing the same statement repeated several times, people will tend to believe it, even if they are not paying attention.  As George W. Bush once said while he was President of the United States:

“See in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.”

This is the same mechanism used to brainwash people into religious cults.

Are we merely electing people because they have enough money to pay for the advertising required?  Are they qualified to figure out how to fix and get the economy going again, or are they simply rich enough to buy the election?

At what point do we look at our own employment and our roles at various media outlets and wonder what connection it has with the current political and economic conditions in the US?  For myself, I almost never listen to the radio stations that I do work for, other than to evaluate technical quality.  As far as the programming content, I honestly could not tell you whether station X plays polka or top forty.  However, even with that limited listening and knowledge, it is impossible not to miss the political propaganda on the airwaves.

What role has the current media model played in the election of corrupt (or at least inept) public officials? What role is the current media model playing in the partisan, divide and conquer, keeping the masses distracted while they finish the looting scheme?  When do we become concerned that, even in a small supporting role, we are enabling the brainwashing of the general public?

We all have our own financial responsibilities, and that is true.  However, perhaps it is time to step back and look at the big picture.  There are many parallels in the history of humanity between the current situation in the US and other, long-gone governments like Rome, The Ottoman Empire, The Weimar Republic, and the former USSR.  It’s time to ask, where are we going and what is going to happen when we get there?

The Gates BC1H

In my never-ending fascination with broadcast transmitters, I bring you the Harris/Gates BC1H. This is an updated model of the BC1G, the main difference being the solid-state audio and oscillator sections in the later H model. This design uses the simple 833 parallel final and 833 push-pull modulator

Sales brochure, click to download the four-page .pdf

Harris/Gates BC1H AM transmitter
Harris/Gates BC1H AM transmitter

Schematic:

Gates/Harris BC1H overall schematic diagram
Gates/Harris BC1H overall schematic diagram
Harris/Gates BC1H
Harris/Gates BC1H

Harris/Gates BC1H Transmitter running at 1,000 watts into the antenna.  Like many old tube transmitters, this sounds great on the air.  The transmitter was made in 1975 and is in backup service.  For a 37 year old transmitter, it runs like a champ and comes on consistently.  Like the preceding Gates BC-1 models, this transmitter is rugged and reliable.   My only comment is the transistors in the solid-state driver section are no longer available.  If that were to become an issue, one can always look up the tube audio driver from previous versions (T and H models).  It would be a shame to throw away a good transmitter for lack of a couple of transistors, but I know some who have done just that.