HRO is the first dealer I've seen with a price for the TS-990.

I bought a used TS-570SG from them about a decade ago. Fair price. Great condition. I would buy from them again, new or used.

If you're ever in the KC area, their store is worth a visit.

It's probably only a matter of time before Amazon makes one or more Kindle models available for free to Prime members because they'll recoup the subsidy through sales of digital media.

It depends on whether the book has published. For example, I preordered the 2013 WRTH, and if the price has declined at the time it's ready to ship, then I automatically get the lower price. But if the book has already published, then you need to place the order as soon as it hits the price you're willing to pay because that price won't stick.

Having Prime is helpful because it gives you more flexibility. Suppose that you wanted to order the ARRL Operating Manual, and you find that it's suddenly discounted to $19.99. If you don't have Prime, you'd have to either pay a few bucks for shipping or try to find enough other products to get your order over $25, where free shipping kicks in. But with Prime, you get free shipping at any price. The only catch is that the book or product must be Prime-eligible. Many radio books are, in my experience.

Hope that helps.

The trick is to put a book in your cart and then leave it there for a few weeks or longer. Typically prices fluctuate significantly over the course of a few days or even 24 hours. For example, sometimes a discount will be 25 percent one day and then 35 percent the next.

As it happens, there will be a pier about 6 feet from the panels and meter. That pier also is where the shack is. So augmenting literally wouldn't be a stretch. But based on the drawbacks that the other posts identify, I'm leaning toward using the existing meter ground.

Thanks, everyone.

Why not?

I've purchased several ARRL books from Amazon, as well as each new edition of the World Radio TV Handbook.

In a few months, I'll have part of my foundation piered due to settlement, For a variety of reasons, most of the work will be done from the inside, which is a finished basement. The piering process involved cutting a hole in the slab, running a pier down to bedrock or solid soil and then filling the hole with concrete: www.foundationrepairofmissouri.com/foundation-repair/foundation-repair-products/pier-system.html.

My shack is in the area that will be piered. I'm looking for input regarding the pros and cons of using this project as an opportunity to install a ground system. Before they fill the hole closest to my operating position, I'm considering running a ground rod into the earth as deep as I can and then leaving the top six inches or so above the slab to connect the ground cable. There's a built-in cabinet in this location now, and it will go back once the work is done, so the rod end wouldn't be sticking up where it's visible or a trip hazard.

Are there any disadvantages to this plan? If not, is it okay for the ground rod to make contact with the concrete? Also, there will be at least two pier holes by my operating position, so should I consider installing a ground round in each of them?

Thanks in advance.

Here are some of the reasons for, and extent of, the premature-failure problem: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/why-efficient-light-bulbs-fail-to-thrive

I didn't have an antenna at my previous house. I currently have an OCF dipole about 30 feet away. I never run more than 95 W.

I don't know, but CFL lifespans have been a problem in both of my homes.

That's impressive. I've had quite a few that based on the date of manufacture, could have run 24/7/365 and still failed before their advertised lifespan.

Small world. I grew up in New York but lived in KC for nine years. Where in NY did you go to high school? I went to Longwood, which is on Long Island.

I've been using CFLs for about 10 years but am in the process of switching back to incandescents. No matter what brand they are, I rarely have a CFL that lasts anywhere near its advertised life. Apparently this is a common complaint because many vendors offer a refund.

Hopefully LED bulbs are better quality. But after the CFL experiment, it's going to be a while before I'll consider them. On the plus side, I've never had RFI problems with CFLs.