This is precisely his point- which I am well aware of, having been a world traveler myself. I've visited ten foreign countries, each one with very unique things to see NOT available in the U.S. Of course you can find something to do and/or see in the U.S., that's not the point. The point is that other countries have things that the U.S. doesn't have, and unless you visit them, you live a very sheltered life.

I was thrilled with the cleanliness and views in Germany.

I thoroughly enjoyed the quaintness of France.

I got stuck in an airport for 8 hours in England, and had a blast listening to Londoners speak. (I hope to go there for a visit.)

The Canadian view of Niagara Falls beats the U.S. view hands down.

The people of Thailand earn their title "the land of 1000 smiles" with friendliness beyond anything you'd ever expect.
And I had a blast at the open air market in Bangkok! There are some ex-pats living in northern Thailand that I had
the opportunity to speak with while operating from the HS0AC club station. I fell in love with the beauty of Chiang Mai
and wanted to move there!

Vietnam feels like the U.S. did in the 1950's. I imagine Cuba isn't much different. I loved it! Yeah, the communist
propaganda exists, but you don't have to pay it much attention. I'm about as far right-wing anti-communist as
you can get. I found it curiously interesting. We took a tour of Buddhist temples that was worth every penny!

Cambodia was so poor in some areas, it made me appreciate being home in the U.S., but
the views of Angkor Wat were spectacular, and Siam Reap was very special. And our guide
was hilarious! I highly suggest seeing the "city in the lake".

South Korea is a little slice of heaven, and no Korean food in the U.S. can match it! The
architecture of the ancient areas is spectacular!

Italy was a lot of fun too, but a tad more expensive than I prepared for. The one thing that
hit me in the gut was having to pay to sit down at almost all restaurant tables. You can stand
up and eat for no charge, but if you sit in a chair, you've likely just spent 5 euros! And Italian
food is better here in the U.S. except for a chain of small restaurants called "Gnam" (I think that
was the name) that serve sausage sandwiches. YUMMY!

Out of all the countries I've visited, I'd love to go back to each and every one of them! I only
wish they weren't so far away. And I also wish some of the vaccinations and pills you have to
take weren't so expensive! Oh well- I've had about all the vaccinations anyone could get at this
point.

I've visited about 35 of the 50 states, and I do agree with you, there's always something to see or
do, but not the things you would see or do in a foreign country. Every country I've visited holds a
special place in my heart. You should try visiting a foreign country sometime! I hope some day to
get invited to participate in a major DXpedition.

73, -Web (WY3X)

Ummmm.... no. The FCC allows us the use of our frequencies because of:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
§97.1 Basis and purpose.-

The rules and regulations in this Part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.

(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communications and technical phases of the art.

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can't "contribute to the advancement of the radio art" if you're playing around making radio
connections on the internet. And it doesn't help expand the existing reservoir within the amateur
radio service of trained operators, technicians, or electronics experts. All it does is dumb down the
hobby by allowing people to punch a few codes on their radio and contact the other side of the world
without understanding a single thing about radio propagation. VOIP should never have been allowed
to gain a foothold in our hobby. It may be "fun", but our hobby isn't always about fun. Sometimes
you have to remember why we're allowed to use the frequencies we have, and expend a little good-faith
effort to meet the other requirements of Part 97.1. And just because you met the requirements of 97.1e
doesn't mean you have met the objectives of the other parts of 97.1. I think the FCC intended for us to
work on all of the parts. Sure, have fun along the way, but remember why we're here.

The use of VOIP in a contest makes about as much sense as a telephone-calling contest. This is one
of the most dimwitted ideas I've ever heard of!

73, -WY3X

Thanks Dennis, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind. By "profile", I mean what shows up on your screen if you type someone's callsign into the "CALL SEARCH" box. The link you provided doesn't show my bio or photo. I thought of trying to open "only this frame" after getting the info on my screen, hoping it would provide a direct link, but that doesn't work. Thanks, -Web (WY3X)

When looking at my callsign page, there's nothing in the URL that, if I cut and pasted the URL in an e-mail, that would direct someone to "my" callsign on eHam.net. Is there anything I can add to the URL that will take someone directly to my eHam callsign page?

Now THAT'S a novel idea! How can I get my builder to allow me to build a room that
I can fit a 27 foot long 7 element 7M Yagi inside of.... hmmm... must be 85 feet tall too
for maximum efficiency. Guess I'll have to look at "castle" plans!   

Wonder how much it would cost for such a room in the center of a 2500 sq. ft. home?
They'd probably think I wanted a lighthouse! Maybe I could activate during the Lighthouses
On The Air special event!

-WY3X
(All in jest, of course...)

I bought a used U.S. Tower. In shopping for a trucking company to pick up and deliver my tower, I contacted U.S. Tower, who put me in touch with Land something-or-other (I can't remember the name of the trucking company). I ran into multiple problems once I contracted with them for delivery of the tower. Uncertain delivery date, uncertain delivery time, calls not returned, promises that were not kept, etc. etc.

It's common knowledge that trucking companies don't normally deliver on Saturday, but for an extra charge, anything is possible.

I'm guessing the fault isn't with U.S. Tower, but with the trucking company they use.

73, -WY3X

There is a nearby paging transmitter that is obliterating a local repeater on 145.350. It's seems centered on and is much stronger on 145.340.970. It's obviously malfunctioning. What frequency would you begin searching to see if you can discover the "actual" frequency of the paging transmitter? Is there a "table" of interfering frequencies that can be referred to?

Thanks, -WY3X

Sounds like U.S. truckers using 28.085. Just a heads-up. Too weak here to be near me.

Scammers responding to eHam and QRZ ads has become quite common. Sometimes, they actually snag someone! Some of the warning signs (and if you don't like my list, or are offended by it, TOUGH! It's protected me so far, and it will work for others.)

1. If the buyer/seller uses the word "item" in the response to your ad,
specifically avoiding naming the object referenced.
2. Does not have a valid amateur callsign, or asks that payment be
sent to an address that does not match the callsign lookup.
3. Most responders to your ad from England, and ALL of the responders
to your ad from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, or any other country on the continent
of Africa. Occasionally scammers will be based in Canada, but not often.
4. Wants to send their own shipper to pick up what it is you're selling.
5. Wants you to pay in some instrument that allows you zero recourse
to a refund (like Western Union).
6. Asks for ALL your contact information in a strange manner, i.e. wants
your FAX line, phone number, street address, image of your drivers license,
all at the same time.
7. Asks that they be allowed to overpay you, and that you send them the
difference back with whatever it is they're buying.
8. Acts like the speed of the transaction is paramount, i.e. won't give you
time to allow your bank to fully vet their paper payment. Even a U.S. Postal
Service money order can be faked! If they're not willing to wait the specified
amount of time that your bank tells you it takes for a check to completely
clear before you ship, RUN AWAY! My bank specifies 14 days, but some banks
specify as long as 30 days! Yes, banks will put the money in your account
within a couple of days, but if the check eventually bounces somewhere down
the line, they can also take the money BACK OUT of your account! The process
to fully vet a financial instrument other than cash is more lengthy than most
believe! If you happen to be successful at cashing a fake money order at some
location other than your bank, and are successful at walking away with cash in
hand, then YOU could also be jailed as an accessory to a crime!
9. I know PayPal has it's detractors, but if you have them pay you via PayPal,
and move the money immediately to your bank, once the money has transferred,
it's yours. Then (and ONLY then) you can ship them what you're selling. If they
raise a stink about having already paid you and want it shipped immediately, you
can always give them a refund at their option. If they raise a stink with PayPal
and get your account closed, hopefully you don't leave a balance in there to lose!
I always let potential buyers know that a PayPal transaction takes 3 days to clear
before I will ship. That's how long it takes to move the money to my personal
checking account where PayPal can't steal it from me after shipping.

Best of luck to you, -Web (WY3X)

Subject line says it all- looked all over the internet. Google was not my friend. A scan/JPG would be fantastic! Another ham e-mailed me looking for the same manual, so I'm not alone in my want for this one. I would appreciate it if anyone has a lead on one, to let me know. Not that I don't know how to use the device, I just would like to have the instruction sheet that comes with it for my files. Thanks, -WY3X

How nice if the rest of the world would move AWAY from metric!!!

One easy way to think of metric antennas is to remember that a meter is approximately 39 inches. 39 inches is pretty close to 36 inches, which is (of course) a yard. A yard is 3 feet. So if you think of one meter being approximately 3 feet, it makes it easy to "guesstimate" the required length of an antenna (very roughly, of course). You could always subtract 3 inches for every meter for nearly exact measurements. Once you have the "overall length" (i.e. a full wavelength) you can then divide by 2 for a half wavelength or by 4 for a quarter wavelength. This "guesstimation" works to figure out the correct answers on licensing tests every time. You just have to remember that a dipole is actually two 1/4 wavelength wires so you don't get confused. ("Di" meaning "two".) The ENTIRE length of a dipole will be 1/2 wavelength, but ONE SIDE of a dipole is a 1/4 wavelength.

I hope I haven't confused anyone.

73, -Web (WY3X)

Thanks very much! In my mind, it appears to be a "stretch of the imagination" to associate this (data logging unit?) with the 4391, but there it is, right in the manual, shown connected to the 4391 in a line drawing! Looks like I have a feature I'll never use. I don't know what Bird was thinking when they designed this interface- perhaps they thought "how can we make a simple feature more complex so we can soak our buyers out of more money?". I was hoping it was serial RS-232 compatible and that some software might be available to store the measurements it takes, but I guess that was wishful thinking on my part. Thank you for your diligent expertise in finding this document!!!

73, -WY3X

Stern has a "David Letterman" sound-alike-clone on staff. What you heard is probably a comedy set-up with Stern's David Letterman voice clone. Howard has used his voice in many skits over the years.

-WY3X

I purchased a Bird 4391 RF analyst meter several years ago, and never really paid much attention to the rear panel. Today I noticed a data jack on the rear panel near the fuse, after seeing one on eBay for sale that had a blank plate across this same spot. The owners manual does not address what this jack is for, but I do see that some type of cable was sold at one time that mates to this jack, although there is zero information available on the internet about this cable and/or what the other end connects to (Computer? Some unknown accessory?). Also, there is an accessory for a recommended "yearly calibration" that I have not done since I had the meter that allows DC current to flow to the meter for calibration purposes. My questions are:

1. What is the cable for, and where might one be purchased?
Bird part number is: 4380-514 i/o cable

2. Where might I purchase the DC adapter used in calibration?
Bird part number is: 4381-050

3. If the i/o cable connects to a computer, what software is required?

Thanks, -WY3X

The 3-500Z night light project didn't work out as well as I would have hoped. I tried several different LEDs, including a really bright "jumbo" LED (all sourced from Radio Shack, the only source around these parts), and none were bright enough to create the effect I desired. So- I'm going to see about a flashlight bulb of some type. Probably not a "Krypton" bulb because they're too "white". Voltage isn't a consideration because I can build up a power supply for about any required voltage the bulb selection is. The problem is finding a bulb that is bright, puts off a yellowish/orange bright light, and is reasonably small enough to fit the hole. It also must have both power leads on the bottom, as it will be impossible to run a wire past the hot bulb safely. Also, I don't want to run a bulb past it's rated voltage/amperage requirement because reasonably long life is a consideration (it would be a royal pain to change it out because of how it's going to be installed). So- that's what I have to work with. Any suggestions for an incandescent bulb? I may try a type 44 pilot lamp if I can find one- I know I have some around here somewhere....

Thanks, -WY3X