Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Where's Paul Thompson?

This is topic Where's Paul Thompson? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=003091

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-30-2004, 10:44 PM:

What happened to Paul, Anyone heard from him lately? He was not at Showest this year and that surprised me a bit...I hope all is well with him.

Mark

P.S. Not to worry Paul, I ate your share of the Hot Dogs [uhoh]

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 03-30-2004, 11:28 PM:

Hmmm - He showed up as online in my AIM list for a short while last night.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-30-2004, 11:40 PM:

Still here. Very busy at the radio stations, hardly have time to do anything else. [Smile]

I don't spend too much time on line like I used to. I just got home from a trip to Hoqueim to pick up a 1,250 pound Collins 820D-2 1KW AM broadcast transmitter. Only paid 200 bucks for it, and burned 60 bucks worth a Diesel to get it home. That'll keep me more busier. Might rebuild it into a HAM radio transmitter.... [Wink]

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 03-31-2004, 01:45 AM:

That the old KBKW box, Paul? They also had a 250 watt Raytheon at one time. It could out-modulate the Collins, even with shot tubes.

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 03-31-2004, 05:55 AM:

Paul, lot of guys putting old BC rigs on amateur radio these days. Seems the majority are on 160 meters for simplicity of modification. However more and more are getting three band conversions: 160-80-40 meters. Good luck with your project. That heavy iron will sound good on the air! Major diference from the DX-60 - HT-45 controlled carier combo I run. 73 Jeff W9GY

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 03-31-2004, 07:26 AM:

Howdy, Paul.

Good to hear from you. I noticed you had become scarce, too. [thumbsup]

Jeff: I have *all* of your movies! [Big Grin]

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 03-31-2004, 08:28 AM:

Manny, I think that you mean Stryker? Oh yeah, I see what confused you. Similar looks, maybe? [Razz]

Paul: What kind of voltage requiremend does this new transmitter require? I figure 220.. Single phase? I have a pal in Atlanta that aquired an xmitter recently.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-31-2004, 11:21 AM:

Jack, if that was the Spencer boys that owned that radio station, that was the place. This Collins is of 1979 vintage and is really in excellent shape. It is a hybrid thing. It has 4 bottles, the rest is solid state. The bottles are 5-500's.

Now I have to get that thing in the house. I brought in a couple of transformers last night, but the plate transformer and the modulation transformer were too heavy for me to safely lift. Getting the transformers and transmitter in the house is tomorrow's project.

Bruce, it can be strapped to 220, 230, or 240 single phase power.

Jeff, that's the plan.... [Smile]

I always had a strong interested in HAM radio since I was 15 years old. Never could make it happen, though. It took money and space, and that is something I really didn't have in those days.

When I get it in here, I'll reassemble it, make it nice and pretty, and post a picture of it. [Smile]

Hi, Mark, Manny, and Mike.

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 03-31-2004, 12:00 PM:

Manny --- I'm not in show biz, but thanks for the promotion [Wink]

Paul --- That transmitter is going to make one fine rig. A decent receiver, antenna, and a little audio gear and away you go! [thumbsup]

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 03-31-2004, 03:50 PM:

Manny, you are mixing up your "Jeff's". The one your thinking of is spelled "Stryker."

>>> Phil

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 04-01-2004, 09:46 AM:

I haven't seen a post from Gracia in a while either.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-01-2004, 10:37 AM:

quote:
always had a strong interested in HAM radio since I was 15 years old. Never could make it happen, though.

The code requirement was a stumbling block for most people, so they came up with the lame "no code" license. When that didn't increase the ranks sufficiently, they lowered the requirement to a measly 5 wpm for all higher classes, to further reduce the gripes.

If you wait a little longer, I hear they're trying to eliminate the code requirement entirely - the wimps.

de KJ5KX (where 5 wpm IS "no-code"!)

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-01-2004, 10:50 AM:

Hey, ya can't knock the folks with post tramatic stress disorder that can't do morse.

5 wpm morse reminds me that my dial-up connection isn't the slowest thing in the world, but still just barely.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-01-2004, 07:50 PM:

5 wpm sux! I cannot "read that slow".

It's strange, but at around 12-20 wpm it starts sounding like I'm "hearing" a language and don't have to "think" about the di-dah's. I seem to hear words not "code".

An interesting side note: The Capitol Records building here in Hollywood, the one shaped like a stack of records, blinks it's "spindle" aircraft obstuction light in Morse code that spells "HOLLYWOOD".

>>> Phil

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 04-01-2004, 08:26 PM:

5 wpm sucks? How 'bout 3 wpm then? [Big Grin]

That's what we pilots get stuck with, trying to identify VOR stations... [Razz]

Paul
Former Technician Plus N7FJF (Fat Japanese Flyer)

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-01-2004, 08:29 PM:

You mean you're not supposed to just follow the arrow and then look for a water tower?

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-01-2004, 08:36 PM:

Paul, you are kiddin'... I cannot even write that slow!

>>> Phil

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-01-2004, 08:39 PM:

It's that slow so that you can do other things at the same time... like fly to the next VOR. [Big Grin]

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 04-01-2004, 09:09 PM:

Daryl, that's what I teach in the nav class I've got this semester. [Big Grin]

IFR--I Follow Roads/Rivers/Rails...

Water towers... "Dammit! The only thing it said on the side of that schoolbus was "schoolbus!"

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-01-2004, 09:13 PM:

All this coming from a Certified F'in Idiot. [Big Grin]

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-02-2004, 01:09 AM:

quote:
t's strange, but at around 12-20 wpm... I seem to hear words not "code".

Yeah, me too, especially with Farnsworth weighting at a slightly higher value than the target wpm. When you hear whole words, that's when you've "got it". [Wink]

quote:
An interesting side note: The Capitol Records building here... spells "HOLLYWOOD".

Oh, that's cool! I saw that building when I was driving by on the freeway a couple months ago, but it was in the daytime.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-02-2004, 09:15 PM:

My latest "Sanity" (or shall I say, "Insanity") project. This is after I re-installed all the transformers. I left all the covers off so you can see what I am goofing around with. [Smile]

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 04-03-2004, 02:46 AM:

Wait a minute...
That's the old KGHO transmitter. It replaced an old Gates box back about then. Tom Cauthers sold it to Ernie Linnenkohl & Buzz Barr.

You're right... it is a good box. KITZ has one in Silverdale, though they don't use it much since they replaced their Bauer with a Gates 1. Decent Eimac 5-500 jars were getting a bit hard to get, too... I think.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-03-2004, 05:27 AM:

Paul! You lucky dog! That is sooooo cool!

>>> Phil

Posted by Luciano Brigite (Member # 1104) on 04-04-2004, 10:35 PM:

No glowing plates this time,I hope [Smile]

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 04-04-2004, 11:16 PM:

Oh, they glow all right... but you need a solid state box to out-modulate it... it's a real screamer.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-05-2004, 12:00 AM:

I don't have to worry about the plates glowing red in the ITA. At about 0300 this morning, it caught fire and self distructed. She is total junk. The HV choke melted down, the bias supply transformer is burned up, an oil filled capacitor blew up, a couple of relays were melted into a pile of goo, and a major wiring loom got burned up. There was some smoke damage to the transmitter room air conditioner, but the old 10KW Collins escaped damage. We are on the air.

A strange phenomona happened...KBRC went off the air and the Gentner alerted the program director who came down to get the computer system in sync. When he approached the building, there was smoke pouring out of the transmitter room. He discovered the ITA was actually on fire, and he shut down the breakers and transmitter and called the fire department.

KBRC is not remotely tied into the ITA KAPS transmitter whatsoever.

Had not for KBRC going off the air, I think we would have seen the entire building in one huge pile of ashes at daybreak.

The insurance adjuster will be on site tomorrow, and soon as I get clearence from the inspector to do so, I am going to dismantle what is left of the transmitter and salvage anything that might still be good. The remaining bones will be hauled off to the scrap yard.

I am going to be very busy for the next couple of weeks or so, as we have a Harris DX-10 coming in to replace the Collins 10KW and the old burned out 1KW ITA.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 04-05-2004, 01:33 AM:

WOW... you really do have your hands full!

I was going to suggest you keep quiet about your Collins box... but you'll probably be able to get every power level you'll ever need out of the DX-10!

Good luck, Paul!

Posted by Oscar Neundorfer (Member # 458) on 04-05-2004, 07:05 AM:

quote:
It's strange, but at around 12-20 wpm it starts sounding like I'm "hearing" a language and don't have to "think" about the di-dah's. I seem to hear words not "code".

When I was in high school, my best friend's Dad was always using CW on the HAM bands. He was a former Navy code operator, and that guy was amazing. He could sit at his rig, drinking his coffee, carrying on a conversation with his son and I, and be copying what had to be at least 35 to 45 wpm code buried in noise so bad I could barely even hear the code. To him, it was just another language in which he was exceptionally fluent.

I never got much past 15 wpm, although on a good day, when listening to machine produced code, I could go a little faster, maybe close to 20.

I downloaded a very nice Morse code practice program a while back. This is the download url if anyone is interested:

Morse code practice program

It is named:
CW3, An International Morse Code Practice Program
by William A. Thompson
Copyright 1999

Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 04-05-2004, 05:02 PM:

I thought that the VOR identifier was something that was used to drive either a cfii or examiner nuts. Simply turn up the nav volume to identify the station, leave it up for say 10 minutes or so and the right seat get real annoyed.
lance