WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.779 This episode of HamTalk Live is brought to you 00:00:02.779 --> 00:00:06.339 by Tower Electronics. For connectors, cables, 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.939 and more, visit them at a hamfest near you or 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:18.379 call 920 -435 -2973 or online at pl -259 .com. 00:00:51.179 --> 00:00:53.939 Good evening, everyone live from Bloomington, 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:58.640 Indiana and the sound of a snoring cat Sam talk 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:03.899 live episode number 113 We're going shopping 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:08.819 at hamvention with Bob w50 v Recorded live on 00:01:08.819 --> 00:01:13.099 Thursday, May 3rd 2018. I'm your host Neil rap 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:16.780 WB 9v PG Thanks for tuning in to this episode 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:20.340 of ham talk live tonight. We're joined by Bob 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:24.780 Naumann, W5OV from DX Engineering, and we will 00:01:24.780 --> 00:01:29.000 take your calls live in just a few minutes. Last 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:32.939 week here on HamTalk Live, Carol Perry, WB2MGP, 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:37.450 and Mason Matrezzo, KM4SWI. They were here to 00:01:37.450 --> 00:01:40.370 talk about the Youth Forum coming up at Hamvention. 00:01:40.549 --> 00:01:43.370 So if you missed that, you can still catch that 00:01:43.370 --> 00:01:47.409 whenever you want at HamTalkLive .com or on a 00:01:47.409 --> 00:01:51.969 podcast app near you. We're also over on YouTube 00:01:51.969 --> 00:01:57.189 and you can find that show and tune in. And for 00:01:57.189 --> 00:01:59.650 those of you who were out in the Walmart parking 00:01:59.650 --> 00:02:02.750 lots last week, I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly 00:02:02.750 --> 00:02:05.349 did and we look forward to talking about that 00:02:05.349 --> 00:02:09.439 more. a little bit later, but tonight we're continuing 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:13.199 our Hamvention preview on the show and we will 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:15.740 do that every week until the Dayton Hamvention 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:19.599 coming up. Before you know it, it's May 18th 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:22.280 through the 20th and we'll preview an event that 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:25.860 is happening each evening. And don't forget our 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:28.680 Hamvention Eve episode where we'll give you all 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:32.400 the information you need for your journey. out 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:36.599 to Xenia. Traffic, weather, parking and more 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:40.539 will be live from the Spring Hill Suites Dayton 00:02:40.539 --> 00:02:43.560 South Miamisburg in the meeting room and if you 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:45.659 haven't made your hotel reservations yet and 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:48.659 you need a place well Spring Hill Suites has 00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:52.900 a few rooms remaining so Be sure to give them 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:58.599 a call at 888 -850 -6391 or you can register 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:02.240 online at Marriott .com. Spring Hill Suite, Dayton, 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.780 South Miamisburg is the official Hamvention home 00:03:05.780 --> 00:03:09.960 of HamTalk Live. Well, get your shopping questions 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.780 ready to go after we talk to Bob for a little 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:15.719 bit. We'll give you a chance to call in. I'll 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:17.280 go ahead and give you the phone number. We're 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:20.280 not ready for you just yet, but we'll give you 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:22.539 that phone number so you have your dialing fingers 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:30.419 ready. It's 812 -NET -HAM -1 812 -638 -4261 or 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:32.780 you can Skype us at HamTalk Live or of course 00:03:32.780 --> 00:03:37.000 you can tweet us. We're at HamTalk Live on Twitter. 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:39.719 And if you're on Spreaker, you can put a comment 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:42.419 in there and that'll pop up on the screen here. 00:03:42.460 --> 00:03:46.300 So we'd love to hear your questions tonight about 00:03:46.300 --> 00:03:48.840 shopping at Hamvention. So I'll be back right 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:51.840 after this word from Tower Electronics right 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:55.840 here on HamTalk Live. This episode of HamTalk 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:58.900 Live is brought to you in part by Tower Electronics. 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:01.539 Tower Electronics has been the Ham's Dime Store 00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:04.939 since 1978. When you need connectors, mobile 00:04:04.939 --> 00:04:08.199 and handheld antennas, cables, or adapters, visit 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:11.780 Scott or Jill at a HamFest near you. Or you can 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:17.980 order online at pl -259 .com or call 920 -435 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:23.000 -2973. Stock up on those supplies like PL259 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:26.279 and end connectors, SMA adapters, audio cables, 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:29.709 soldering supplies, mobile antennas, and hamsticks. 00:04:29.990 --> 00:04:32.089 Their silver -plated end connectors are even 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:34.769 used on the International Space Station. Tower 00:04:34.769 --> 00:04:38.589 Electronics carries MFJ, Comet, Daiwa, OPEC, 00:04:38.829 --> 00:04:42.089 Workman, and HamPro products. And don't miss 00:04:42.089 --> 00:04:46.149 their 0 % off sale going on now. Tower Electronics 00:04:46.149 --> 00:04:50.410 online at PL -259 .com. Proud to sponsor this 00:04:50.410 --> 00:04:54.610 episode of HamTalk Live. Your host, Neil Rapp, 00:04:54.870 --> 00:04:57.470 may be too radial short of a full ground system, 00:04:57.910 --> 00:05:19.230 but he's back now with more HamTalk Live. Thanks 00:05:19.230 --> 00:05:22.269 to Scott and Jill at Tower Electronics for sponsoring 00:05:22.269 --> 00:05:25.329 the show again tonight. They help bring you HamTalk 00:05:25.329 --> 00:05:28.790 Live each and every week. Coming up, HamFest 00:05:28.790 --> 00:05:31.009 -wise, Saturday, May 5th, there's Cedarburg, 00:05:31.009 --> 00:05:36.110 Wisconsin, and Sunday, May 6th, Sandwich, Illinois. 00:05:36.810 --> 00:05:40.149 And of course, they'll be at HamVenture May 18th 00:05:40.149 --> 00:05:43.089 through 20th. They'll be in building three, spot 00:05:43.089 --> 00:05:48.269 3501. They've got four spots there. at 3501 and 00:05:48.269 --> 00:05:51.930 then outside they're also on the curve just to 00:05:51.930 --> 00:05:56.750 the east building 3 at 9113 and just look for 00:05:56.750 --> 00:06:01.009 the big yellow blimp and you can also call if 00:06:01.009 --> 00:06:07.649 you need some of their stuff it's 920 -435 -2973 00:06:07.649 --> 00:06:12.209 or online at pl -259 .com if you can't make it 00:06:12.209 --> 00:06:15.149 to Hamvention you can check them out that way. 00:06:15.689 --> 00:06:19.449 Well, our guest tonight is Bob Nauman, W5OV. 00:06:19.829 --> 00:06:24.529 First licensed in 1973 and on the air he enjoys 00:06:24.529 --> 00:06:29.310 contesting, VHF, DXing and digital modes and 00:06:29.310 --> 00:06:31.610 rag chewing pretty much in that order, I believe. 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:35.129 He occasionally operates from Antigua, where 00:06:35.129 --> 00:06:41.069 his call sign is V260. He's operated from Bonaire 00:06:41.069 --> 00:06:44.970 as well, and he enjoys riding motorcycles, playing 00:06:44.970 --> 00:06:48.589 bass guitar, taking digital photography, and 00:06:48.589 --> 00:06:52.529 fishing some fresh water. And Bob's a life member 00:06:52.529 --> 00:06:55.069 of A -R -R -L, member of Radio Club of America, 00:06:55.269 --> 00:06:59.430 QCWA, North Texas Ton Test Club, Lone Star DX 00:06:59.430 --> 00:07:03.279 Association, SOC, Smirk and Fist. And he's on 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:06.759 the CQ Worldwide Contest Committee. And Bob is 00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:10.259 the National Sales Manager for DX Engineering. 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:13.920 So he's one of those lucky people that ham radio 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:18.139 is his job, too. I wish I could get that gig. 00:07:18.220 --> 00:07:20.779 Good evening, Bob, and welcome to HamTalk Live. 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:25.540 Hi, Neil. Great to be here. And yeah, ham radio 00:07:25.540 --> 00:07:28.879 has pretty much been my entire life since I became 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:34.350 aware of it. I'm glad to talk about it and glad 00:07:34.350 --> 00:07:37.610 to be here with you tonight. Well we're going 00:07:37.610 --> 00:07:40.389 to talk some shopping tonight and of course you're 00:07:40.389 --> 00:07:44.610 on the selling end of things and and so you know 00:07:44.610 --> 00:07:47.310 we see that side but we want to talk a little 00:07:47.310 --> 00:07:52.110 bit about what to look for so You've got some 00:07:52.110 --> 00:07:54.490 insight on some of the new things that are going 00:07:54.490 --> 00:07:58.949 to be coming out and things to look for that 00:07:58.949 --> 00:08:02.129 maybe we haven't seen before or maybe haven't 00:08:02.129 --> 00:08:06.009 noticed before at Hamvention. So what do you 00:08:06.009 --> 00:08:09.110 know about what to look for that's going to be 00:08:09.110 --> 00:08:13.509 new this year? Well, there's going to be lots 00:08:13.509 --> 00:08:16.129 of things new. And, you know, that's what everybody 00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:21.990 goes to Dayton for or now Xenia. is to see what 00:08:21.990 --> 00:08:25.870 is new and You know a lot of new things are announced 00:08:25.870 --> 00:08:29.970 there. Many of them are not pre -announced You 00:08:29.970 --> 00:08:33.029 may have seen the ad from Kenwood radio. For 00:08:33.029 --> 00:08:38.549 example, they've shown a draped box of some sort 00:08:38.549 --> 00:08:40.990 hinting that they're coming out with a new radio, 00:08:41.029 --> 00:08:45.730 but we really don't know And in QST, I've been 00:08:45.730 --> 00:08:50.470 trying to rip that cover off of the radio And 00:08:50.470 --> 00:08:54.230 it just didn't work. That's right. It just ripped 00:08:54.230 --> 00:08:58.950 up the magazine. So I'm anxiously awaiting that 00:08:58.950 --> 00:09:01.830 one to see what they have. Yeah. Well, there's 00:09:01.830 --> 00:09:04.009 a lot of people are, and of course, you know, 00:09:04.289 --> 00:09:07.549 at DX Engineering, we get phone calls every day 00:09:07.549 --> 00:09:11.710 from people and they figure we must know, you 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:15.429 know, because we sell Kenwood. So they figure 00:09:15.429 --> 00:09:18.700 we must have some you know, some insight as to 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:21.559 what's going to be under that cover. And we've 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:25.940 been told nothing. And I mean that literally. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:27.720 I mean, we weren't even told they were going 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:31.740 to put the ad in with the shroud over whatever 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:37.240 it is. But they'll have some new stuff. Many 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:39.980 other manufacturers will. And that's part of 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:43.820 the fun of hunting around to see what is new. 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:47.379 And every year we have people who come to our 00:09:47.379 --> 00:09:49.679 booth. And of course, you get to know people 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:53.360 after a while. I've been going to Dayton myself 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:58.519 every year since 1980. And I've been working 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:05.179 there for the past 12 or 15 years. And so I've 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:08.679 gotten to know a lot of people. from both just 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:12.019 casual attendance as well as working and so you 00:10:12.019 --> 00:10:14.519 make you know some acquaintances where you see 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:17.080 people once a year and it's always nice to get 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:20.740 reacquainted but they often say hello and then 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:25.019 they say what's new and so you know we spend 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:28.320 a lot of time showing people what's new and that's 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:32.620 what we try to focus our rather considerably 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:36.559 sized booth on is showing off our new products. 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:42.240 DX Engineering has got a bunch this year. We've 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:46.340 added the Clifton Laboratories products to our 00:10:46.340 --> 00:10:49.740 product line with preamps and high performance 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:57.519 preamps and so forth. So that's one thing. We've 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:02.399 got a lot of other new products, some stuff for 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:09.039 tower work, some switching devices, and you name 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:14.299 it, bandpass filters, all kinds of things. And 00:11:14.299 --> 00:11:17.259 we'll be showing all those off. And of course, 00:11:17.259 --> 00:11:19.940 we have some publicity coming out about most 00:11:19.940 --> 00:11:25.159 of that stuff just before Dayton. And so people 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:28.100 can kind of have a guide of what to look for. 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:33.299 We do have some new antenna models. We've got 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:39.720 a new 160 modification kit for extending the 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:43.960 range of an 80 meter vertical to 160, which a 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:47.580 lot of people have been clamoring for for a long 00:11:47.580 --> 00:11:51.340 time. And that's a nifty device that we'll be 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:55.519 showing off there. We've got a new prototype 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:59.019 of a rotator shock absorber. That we're going 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:02.679 to be showing and looking to get comments on 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:08.320 for people as well as You know, we've got some 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:10.759 some other enhancements. We've got some upgrades 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:14.740 for your rotators some heavy -duty bolt kits 00:12:14.740 --> 00:12:22.340 and Some new Nivus NVIS type antenna kits that 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:27.929 are in demand and so we're hoping to meet some 00:12:27.929 --> 00:12:31.350 needs from the folks that are doing that communication 00:12:31.350 --> 00:12:38.389 mode, as well as some other really, really cool 00:12:38.389 --> 00:12:42.610 high -tech stuff that I can't really reveal yet, 00:12:42.710 --> 00:12:45.389 but the information on that will be out very 00:12:45.389 --> 00:12:49.149 soon and we'll be showing some very, very cool 00:12:49.149 --> 00:12:54.710 things at our booth. Now, if it's a handheld 00:12:54.710 --> 00:13:00.789 radio that does D -Star and DMR and P25 and Fusion, 00:13:02.149 --> 00:13:07.909 that would be wonderful. Not asking for much, 00:13:08.190 --> 00:13:13.230 am I? No, not at all. You know, there are some 00:13:13.230 --> 00:13:17.929 devices available that allow you to actually 00:13:17.929 --> 00:13:21.710 interface between those different digital systems. 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:26.580 Unfortunately for me, you know, being involved 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:31.299 in this game for 45 years, you know, all this 00:13:31.299 --> 00:13:36.220 new high -tech digital VHS stuff is not really 00:13:36.220 --> 00:13:41.679 my bailiwick, but it's some pretty cool technology. 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:46.700 It's very complex. And, you know, the capabilities 00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:52.740 of networking over those systems is pretty impressive. 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:57.240 You know, I've seen them demonstrated, but sadly, 00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:01.100 you know, we've got multiple standards and none 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:04.840 of them talk directly to each other. But my understanding 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:06.940 is that there are some new devices that allow 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:13.299 you to navigate that impasse. And so I'm sure 00:14:13.299 --> 00:14:15.379 there'll be some things around about that as 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:20.549 well. Well, that's something we'll look for and 00:14:20.549 --> 00:14:26.389 I still remember telling this story. I was six 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:28.909 years old when I got my technician and we got 00:14:28.909 --> 00:14:33.809 a Kenwood TR -7400A and it had a synthesizer 00:14:33.809 --> 00:14:38.210 in it. It wasn't limited by crystals. You could 00:14:38.210 --> 00:14:40.970 dial in the frequency and I was talking to my 00:14:40.970 --> 00:14:43.690 dad and I said, you know, it would be really 00:14:43.690 --> 00:14:46.980 cool if they had a handheld. that you can punch 00:14:46.980 --> 00:14:51.159 that in. Oh, they'll never be able to get a synthesizer 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:55.539 that small. They'll never have that. It's just 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:59.840 never going to work. And now we've got all these 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:04.700 hand -helds that are a tenth of the size of that. 00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:09.279 You just punch it in and you go. So maybe someday 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:12.419 we'll get one with all that on it. Of course, 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:14.700 there'll be 20 other standards by then, too. 00:15:16.110 --> 00:15:19.289 Well, I'm kind of hoping that they'll pull it 00:15:19.289 --> 00:15:22.590 all together and we can have people using the 00:15:22.590 --> 00:15:24.929 different brands of radios capable of talking 00:15:24.929 --> 00:15:28.690 to each other in a meaningful way, but that's 00:15:28.690 --> 00:15:32.610 that's not happening yet, but It's it's pretty 00:15:32.610 --> 00:15:36.370 cool. I know the you know, the D star network 00:15:36.370 --> 00:15:40.970 that you know an icon and Kenwood radios is all 00:15:40.970 --> 00:15:45.389 over the world and I've got friends in Germany 00:15:45.389 --> 00:15:49.649 that are very avid users of those systems and 00:15:49.649 --> 00:15:52.289 they carry on conversations with people here 00:15:52.289 --> 00:15:57.269 in the states all the time. I think that kind 00:15:57.269 --> 00:16:01.309 of networking capability is really impressive. 00:16:02.529 --> 00:16:06.990 I'm kind of hopeful that that sort of sophisticated 00:16:06.990 --> 00:16:11.059 technology may be something that might attract 00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:15.580 some younger folks back into our hobby. When 00:16:15.580 --> 00:16:19.840 I got started, I was 14, and back around the 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:25.460 same time you got started, Neil, I guess, I remember 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:31.360 that Kenwood 7400A with the rotating dials for 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:36.399 each 10 kilohertz and so forth positions of the 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:39.840 dial. Um, and I had a similar radio. Mine was 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:44.879 an icon 230. Yeah. Back in 19, uh, well that 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:50.259 was 1976. I think when I got my icon 230, um, 00:16:51.220 --> 00:16:53.519 and that was, uh, actually was a very good quality 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:58.059 radio, but it was limited to 146 and 147. Yeah. 00:16:58.139 --> 00:17:03.600 And I remember this. It was, uh, it became obsolete 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:06.619 pretty quick when they added one 45 to the repeater 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:10.140 bands. Yeah, it did. And I remember the 7 ,400. 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:13.480 That was one of the big selling points was it 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:17.099 had that and the other ones didn't. And that's 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.720 exactly when I got into hammer radio was 76. 00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:25.250 So Yeah, we've come a long way and thankfully 00:17:25.250 --> 00:17:33.809 so. I've got my eye on that shroud over the Kenwood 00:17:33.809 --> 00:17:38.609 box and then I've got the drool already running 00:17:38.609 --> 00:17:43.250 over the ICOM 7610. So we're going to have to 00:17:43.250 --> 00:17:48.650 check that out over at Hamvention. Well, let's 00:17:48.650 --> 00:17:54.720 move on to some some deals. So what, what, you 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.259 know, for somebody who's looking for a deal, 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:04.799 why do you suggest that might be the best deals 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:09.779 at Hamvention this year? Well, that's a, that's 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:12.339 a good question. I, you know, honestly, I think 00:18:12.339 --> 00:18:16.000 the best deals to be had are probably out in 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:22.099 the flea market. Um, the, uh, Inside with the 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:27.660 commercial vendors, the prices are generally 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:33.420 about as low as they can possibly be until a 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:37.319 vendor decides to actually sell stuff below cost. 00:18:38.660 --> 00:18:44.200 The margins on radios are very small and there 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:47.920 may be a few dollars discount one way or the 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:53.859 other at Hamvention. But I think the big bargains 00:18:53.859 --> 00:18:56.539 are looking for some really good used equipment 00:18:56.539 --> 00:19:02.440 out in the flea market. But there are some deals 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:06.700 to be made on new equipment. For example, the 00:19:06.700 --> 00:19:10.160 approach that we at DX Engineering take is that 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:16.980 we offer a discount on a dollar value purchase. 00:19:17.220 --> 00:19:21.140 If you purchase over X dollars, you get you know 00:19:21.140 --> 00:19:25.900 why dollars off and it's not on a specific piece 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:29.400 of equipment so you can apply that that deal 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:34.220 to whatever you might want to purchase and so 00:19:34.220 --> 00:19:38.420 we it makes it actually makes it easier for us 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:42.299 and I think it makes it easier for for our customers 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:45.599 because they can apply that discount to anything 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:51.240 they want and but there's all kinds of neat stuff 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:57.740 available there and I hope that this year I'll 00:19:57.740 --> 00:20:01.000 actually get a chance to get out and do some 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:05.079 rummaging through the fleet market and see what's 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:09.380 out there and as you know we're all of us who 00:20:09.380 --> 00:20:12.859 are involved in putting on the Hamvention are 00:20:12.859 --> 00:20:18.099 all you know, hoping for the best as far as the 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:24.220 weather is concerned. And, you know, the results 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:28.740 last year were pretty good considering how awful 00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:32.400 the weather was. So, you know, it doesn't have 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:36.000 to improve much to be a whole lot better. That 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:39.799 is true. Yeah. I mean, honestly, it couldn't 00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:42.420 have been much worse. I mean, I guess we would 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:46.539 have had to have you know, tornadoes actually 00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:49.339 touching down on the Green County fairgrounds 00:20:49.339 --> 00:20:52.059 for it to be any worse than it was. I mean, I 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:54.000 don't think we could have gotten any more water. 00:20:55.579 --> 00:21:00.240 So let's hope we don't have that this year. Yeah, 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.680 absolutely. And we already put in that order, 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:07.140 so hopefully that weather will, shipment will 00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:14.589 come in. Speaking of shipping, Should people 00:21:14.589 --> 00:21:19.289 look for Hamvention and then what might just 00:21:19.289 --> 00:21:24.170 be better to just call up and order it and have 00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:27.710 it shipped? What would be your suggestion on 00:21:27.710 --> 00:21:32.589 that? Yeah, that's a really good question. It's 00:21:32.589 --> 00:21:35.829 something that we get a lot of phone calls. You 00:21:35.829 --> 00:21:38.250 know, people want to know, well, what kind of 00:21:38.250 --> 00:21:39.930 deals are you going to be offering there and 00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:44.450 should I wait? And, you know, it's really hard 00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:49.849 to say because, you know, the market is very 00:21:49.849 --> 00:21:54.430 dynamic. And, you know, we don't know what our 00:21:54.430 --> 00:21:58.089 competitors' pricing is going to be, usually 00:21:58.089 --> 00:22:02.630 until the first day of the show. And, you know, 00:22:02.630 --> 00:22:07.759 so they kind of set the price. for a specific 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:10.819 model of radio and you know everybody seems to 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:15.039 follow suit you know for following whoever has 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:18.140 the lowest price because you don't want to miss 00:22:18.140 --> 00:22:21.019 a sale because you're not willing to cut to the 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:26.920 same level but one of the things that a lot of 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:32.420 people do and you know we encourage this actually 00:22:32.730 --> 00:22:36.269 especially for folks who don't live in Ohio, 00:22:37.829 --> 00:22:43.990 is to not take merchandise home with you and 00:22:43.990 --> 00:22:49.450 instead have it shipped to your home state outside 00:22:49.450 --> 00:22:55.109 of Ohio. And by doing so, you avoid the Ohio 00:22:55.109 --> 00:22:59.579 sales tax. uh... and uh... which uh... you know 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:03.220 the uh... state of ohio is uh... very diligent 00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:07.500 about uh... trolling the uh... convention grounds 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:11.799 and uh... you know the uh... as with most states 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:16.259 that uh... have a sales tax uh... uh... nowadays 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:20.400 there uh... very very intent on uh... collecting 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:25.450 all of that that they can and uh... So that's 00:23:25.450 --> 00:23:29.430 one reason to consider Having your stuff shipped 00:23:29.430 --> 00:23:33.069 even though you place your order there You know 00:23:33.069 --> 00:23:35.730 if it's shipped to your home state, you know, 00:23:35.730 --> 00:23:43.589 you don't have to pay sales tax but we Also have 00:23:43.589 --> 00:23:46.829 some folks who come in from from outside the 00:23:46.829 --> 00:23:49.829 United States and You know, their mission is 00:23:49.829 --> 00:23:52.410 to get something to take home with them on the 00:23:52.410 --> 00:23:56.569 plane So, you know, we offer the opportunity 00:23:56.569 --> 00:23:59.970 for people to call ahead of time. And we have 00:23:59.970 --> 00:24:04.970 a cutoff of next week Friday where, you know, 00:24:04.970 --> 00:24:08.150 if they want to pick something up at the Hamvention, 00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:10.930 they place an order by next Friday. We'll have 00:24:10.930 --> 00:24:18.509 it there ready to go. And a lot of our DX friends 00:24:18.509 --> 00:24:24.819 take advantage of that type of a situation. And 00:24:24.819 --> 00:24:29.680 they're, you know, more concerned about the safety 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:36.380 of transporting a fragile item or perhaps avoiding, 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:42.740 you know, even greater costs of importing stuff 00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:47.319 through normal carriers into some foreign countries. 00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:54.240 So there's a lot of different ways to get the 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:59.180 best deal as far as avoiding unnecessary costs. 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:08.039 But there's always a deal at the show. A lot 00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:11.420 of products you don't get special pricing on. 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:16.910 As I said, we don't generally do special dating 00:25:16.910 --> 00:25:22.150 pricing on individual products. But we have a 00:25:22.150 --> 00:25:25.230 thing that if you're at the show and you're in 00:25:25.230 --> 00:25:29.910 our booth, you're eligible for a percentage discount 00:25:29.910 --> 00:25:33.029 on your purchase over a certain dollar threshold. 00:25:33.890 --> 00:25:37.009 And that'll be announced at the show, of course. 00:25:38.569 --> 00:25:42.349 And we have a lot of people who come and see 00:25:42.349 --> 00:25:45.259 us. It's strange. The only time they purchase 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:50.740 anything from us is at Dayton. And we have all 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:54.099 of their records available to us while we're 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:58.299 online. And we say, oh, let me type in your call 00:25:58.299 --> 00:26:00.319 sign here, Joe, and look at your account. And 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:03.339 sure enough, the last purchase was a year prior 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:08.220 at Hamvention. Well, it's pretty cool that you 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:12.309 can Pull that up there at Hamvention and and 00:26:12.309 --> 00:26:15.490 find out all that information and save some time 00:26:15.490 --> 00:26:19.609 and Some some good ideas there. Well one last 00:26:19.609 --> 00:26:21.569 thing here before we go to the break and we do 00:26:21.569 --> 00:26:25.430 need to get to the break here but You know, this 00:26:25.430 --> 00:26:28.450 is the second year the Greene County Fairgrounds 00:26:28.450 --> 00:26:33.529 Do you have a strategy? For somebody coming in 00:26:33.529 --> 00:26:37.029 saying, you know, okay. What is it that I absolutely 00:26:37.029 --> 00:26:41.309 have to see? uh... because you know the old place 00:26:41.309 --> 00:26:43.990 we we knew oh yeah this person's over here in 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:46.529 this place is over there and you turn and you 00:26:46.529 --> 00:26:49.329 turn left the cheesecake on a stick and you know 00:26:49.329 --> 00:26:53.910 it itself yes now we don't know all that yet 00:26:53.910 --> 00:26:56.930 we got a better idea of what what's your strategy 00:26:56.930 --> 00:27:01.730 here for uh... doing some shopping well uh... 00:27:01.730 --> 00:27:04.049 you know i think the uh... the strategy hasn't 00:27:04.049 --> 00:27:07.359 changed that uh... You know, the one I developed, 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:11.480 like I said, since 1980, when I've been going 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:16.980 to the Hamvention, is my first thing is to look 00:27:16.980 --> 00:27:21.640 around at the commercial exhibits in, you know, 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:26.960 now in Buildings 1, 2, and 3, to see, you know, 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:31.160 the major manufacturers and dealers and see what's 00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:36.259 going on there. Kind of get that out of the way 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:42.039 first And then then I try to get out and spend 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:46.099 time in the flea market and Really spend some 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:50.119 time looking carefully at what's available out 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:55.960 there You know over the years, you know the assortment 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:59.259 and quality of things has Changed a little bit, 00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:02.839 but you know Dayton is still a place where you 00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:08.460 can find anything in ham radio and that flea 00:28:08.460 --> 00:28:13.759 market is you know likely to produce You know 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:18.940 a big Transmitting tube for an amplifier you 00:28:18.940 --> 00:28:25.490 might have or a common zest line or You know 00:28:25.490 --> 00:28:28.509 a special microphone adapter that you can't find 00:28:28.509 --> 00:28:30.930 anymore that you know the company might have 00:28:30.930 --> 00:28:35.410 gone out of business and You know the the the 00:28:35.410 --> 00:28:38.809 flea market there is known for having a great 00:28:38.809 --> 00:28:42.869 assortment of stuff and So I would say commercial 00:28:42.869 --> 00:28:47.349 exhibits Flea market if the weather's bad go 00:28:47.349 --> 00:28:52.019 back inside to the commercial exhibits And if 00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:54.960 it lightens up again, right back out there in 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:59.039 the flea market. And take your time. I think 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:03.680 it's, you know, if you walk too fast, you'll 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:09.359 miss stuff. And there's a lot to be seen. There's 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:12.460 a lot of neat people out there. And that's another 00:29:12.460 --> 00:29:15.859 thing, is that, you know, the people at Hamvention 00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:20.509 is really what make it all. memorable thing to 00:29:20.509 --> 00:29:23.930 do and you know say hello to some of the people 00:29:23.930 --> 00:29:27.430 who are selling stuff and You never know you 00:29:27.430 --> 00:29:29.470 might might make a new friend while you're there, 00:29:30.910 --> 00:29:34.869 too sounds like a good plan and That's against 00:29:34.869 --> 00:29:40.369 kind of what I've tried to do is hit those commercial 00:29:40.369 --> 00:29:43.690 buildings first and then and look around so sounds 00:29:43.690 --> 00:29:45.869 like a good plan well, we're gonna take a break 00:29:45.869 --> 00:29:48.559 and when we come back, we're gonna Talk about 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:51.519 some upgrades for your station that you might 00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:54.319 be looking at and we'll take your calls live 00:29:54.319 --> 00:29:58.819 and see what you all have to say about doing 00:29:58.819 --> 00:30:02.500 some shopping at Hamvention. So I'll be back 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:05.500 with Bob right after this word from the National 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:08.940 Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting and Amateur 00:30:08.940 --> 00:30:12.240 Radio Newsline right here on HamTalk Live. The 00:30:12.240 --> 00:30:14.859 National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, 00:30:15.420 --> 00:30:18.599 located in Westchester, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati, 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:23.079 is only two minutes off I -75. The museum is 00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:25.720 the former home of the Voice of America Bethany 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:29.099 Relay Station. Tours are now available every 00:30:29.099 --> 00:30:31.720 Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p .m. Eastern 00:30:31.720 --> 00:30:35.779 time. You can see the control room. a 200 ,000 00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:38.740 watt transmitter, and the most comprehensive 00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:41.900 collection of inventions by the iconic Powell 00:30:41.900 --> 00:30:46.039 -Crosley Jr. Also on display is a huge antique 00:30:46.039 --> 00:30:49.740 radio exhibit and R .L. Drake's personal collection 00:30:49.740 --> 00:30:53.829 of most every Drake amateur rig ever made. This 00:30:53.829 --> 00:30:57.089 is a unique opportunity to see amateur radio 00:30:57.089 --> 00:30:59.750 in action and have a chance to get on the air 00:30:59.750 --> 00:31:06.190 from WC8VOA. Admission is only $5 a person. The 00:31:06.190 --> 00:31:10.130 museum is located close to historic WLWAM and 00:31:10.130 --> 00:31:13.250 tons of shopping and restaurants. Take a trip 00:31:13.250 --> 00:31:18.170 to the VOA museum or visit us online at voamuseum 00:31:18.170 --> 00:31:21.420 .org. Nominations are now open for the amateur 00:31:21.420 --> 00:31:24.640 radio news line, Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF Young 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:27.960 Ham of the Year Award. I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW. 00:31:28.099 --> 00:31:30.539 Since 1986, we've had the honor of celebrating 00:31:30.539 --> 00:31:32.539 the accomplishments of Youth and Ham Radio when 00:31:32.539 --> 00:31:34.240 we want to know about your exceptional Young 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:36.619 Ham. You'll find the rules and a nominating form 00:31:36.619 --> 00:31:39.920 by clicking the Y -H -O -T -Y tab on ARNewsline 00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:42.849 .org. Fill it out, send it in, and we'll see 00:31:42.849 --> 00:31:44.990 you and an amazing young ham at the Huntsville 00:31:44.990 --> 00:31:48.349 Alabama Ham Fest in August. Thanks and 73 from 00:31:48.349 --> 00:31:52.170 Amateur Radio Newsline. Let's have an eyeball 00:31:52.170 --> 00:31:57.990 QSO in Dayton. You're listening to Ham Talk Live 00:31:57.990 --> 00:32:03.319 with Neil Rapp. Join the conversation. Call us 00:32:03.319 --> 00:32:06.640 on voice with Skype at HamTalk Live or give us 00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:13.319 a call at 812 -NET -HAM -1. That's 812 -638 -4261. 00:32:13.880 --> 00:32:34.410 Now here's more HamTalk Live. The Voice of America 00:32:34.410 --> 00:32:37.269 Museum of Broadcasting has their special Hamvention 00:32:37.269 --> 00:32:41.210 Hours. They're gonna be open Thursday May 17th 00:32:41.210 --> 00:32:45.150 from 1 to 4, Friday evening May 18th from 5 to 00:32:45.150 --> 00:32:48.910 9, Saturday May 19th from 1 to 9, and Sunday 00:32:48.910 --> 00:32:52.049 May 20th from 1 to 4. You can check them out 00:32:52.049 --> 00:32:56.390 at voamuseum .org. And again, the Young Ham of 00:32:56.390 --> 00:32:58.549 the Year Award that's coming up at the end of 00:32:58.549 --> 00:33:01.480 the month is the deadline, so... Coming down 00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:04.500 to crunch time to get those nominations in if 00:33:04.500 --> 00:33:08.039 you're gonna do that Well ham talk live is on 00:33:08.039 --> 00:33:10.220 the air every Thursday night at 9 p .m. Eastern 00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:13.140 time right here at ham talk live comm be sure 00:33:13.140 --> 00:33:16.279 to check us out on all the social media Facebook 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:18.920 Twitter and Instagram and that kind of thing 00:33:18.920 --> 00:33:22.720 and It's time for your calls now. So if you have 00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:27.240 a question for Bob about shopping here tonight 00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:32.799 give us a call that phone number is 812 net ham 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:39.140 one eight one two six three eight four two six 00:33:39.140 --> 00:33:43.099 one now is the time to call or you can tweet 00:33:43.099 --> 00:33:46.279 us we're at ham talk live on Twitter or if you're 00:33:46.279 --> 00:33:49.950 on Spreaker listening live you can Comment and 00:33:49.950 --> 00:33:53.089 that'll pop up here on the screen. So I'd love 00:33:53.089 --> 00:33:57.690 to hear from you tonight and Join the conversation 00:33:57.690 --> 00:34:00.769 with us. Uh, we're with Bob W five O V from DX 00:34:00.769 --> 00:34:04.509 engineering, talking about shopping at Hamvention. 00:34:04.730 --> 00:34:07.910 So now let's shift gears a little bit. Bob, while 00:34:07.910 --> 00:34:10.349 we're waiting, uh, to see if we have, uh, some 00:34:10.349 --> 00:34:13.730 questions out there, uh, about station upgrades, 00:34:13.909 --> 00:34:17.210 what are some things that you would suggest for 00:34:17.210 --> 00:34:22.489 somebody who has a basic HF station, but, um, 00:34:22.710 --> 00:34:26.590 looking to, to bump the station up a little bit 00:34:26.590 --> 00:34:31.309 more to make those those, you know, DX stations 00:34:31.309 --> 00:34:37.070 just a little bit better. Well, you know, there's 00:34:37.070 --> 00:34:41.329 a lot of things that people could do, you know, 00:34:41.449 --> 00:34:45.849 from upgrading their radio to a newer model or, 00:34:46.070 --> 00:34:48.389 you know, as you mentioned earlier, you know, 00:34:48.429 --> 00:34:53.860 the new icon 7610 is very popular and is really 00:34:53.860 --> 00:35:01.940 a fantastic value. In dollars, it's actually 00:35:01.940 --> 00:35:07.539 cheap for the performance level you get. The 00:35:07.539 --> 00:35:13.619 standard upgrade stuff is new antennas, adding 00:35:13.619 --> 00:35:18.250 an amplifier to your HF station. Is a you know 00:35:18.250 --> 00:35:22.010 great way to boost your transmitted signal level 00:35:22.010 --> 00:35:26.150 And in that order that is improve your antenna 00:35:26.150 --> 00:35:29.610 first and then put a good amplifier behind it 00:35:29.610 --> 00:35:34.190 And then of course, there's all kinds of station 00:35:34.190 --> 00:35:39.809 accessories That just improve, you know your 00:35:39.809 --> 00:35:43.909 creature comforts in your shack You know, this 00:35:43.909 --> 00:35:47.920 is something that you find a lot of at the Hamvention. 00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:51.480 You know there's a lot of little manufacturers, 00:35:52.619 --> 00:35:57.179 guys who are building stuff in their basements 00:35:57.179 --> 00:36:00.880 or their garages perhaps or they're trying to 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:04.940 start up a new company and you can find these 00:36:04.940 --> 00:36:07.119 things in Dayton because they know that's where 00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:10.500 they're going to find tens of thousands of potential 00:36:10.500 --> 00:36:15.340 customers. So, you know, new products by new 00:36:15.340 --> 00:36:20.119 vendors get launched there pretty much every 00:36:20.119 --> 00:36:26.280 year, you know, from headsets and microphones 00:36:26.280 --> 00:36:32.280 and foot switches, keyers, you know, amplified 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:37.349 and noise reducing speaker systems. You know 00:36:37.349 --> 00:36:41.730 there's a company in the UK called BHI who makes 00:36:41.730 --> 00:36:49.329 a really top quality noise reducing DSP type 00:36:49.329 --> 00:36:54.230 speaker systems and they'll be in from the UK 00:36:54.230 --> 00:36:57.730 and we'll have a booth there in building one, 00:36:57.949 --> 00:37:02.949 the same building that DX Engineering is in and 00:37:02.949 --> 00:37:07.039 you know that's just one example of you know, 00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:11.579 the types of accessory items you can find. I 00:37:11.579 --> 00:37:17.420 know, for example, that NRAD that's associated 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:23.039 with VibroPlex is going to be announcing a new 00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:26.880 headset, you know, headphones with a microphone 00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:32.760 attached for contesting and DXing that I understand 00:37:32.760 --> 00:37:37.260 is very high quality. and it will be at a competitive 00:37:37.260 --> 00:37:42.639 price. Of course, the industry standard Hile 00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:47.639 headsets and microphones will be on display there. 00:37:48.260 --> 00:37:52.840 Bob Hile will have his normal show with all their 00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:56.860 latest products on display and hooked up so you 00:37:56.860 --> 00:38:01.400 can test them out and see the performance of 00:38:01.400 --> 00:38:05.159 the various microphones. how they differ and 00:38:05.159 --> 00:38:13.699 headsets and uh check oh we've lost bob and we 00:38:13.699 --> 00:38:18.659 picked up carl here so carl hang on just a minute 00:38:18.659 --> 00:38:22.679 all right and we'll see if we can get bob back 00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:35.789 on the line live radio at its best Okay, there 00:38:35.789 --> 00:38:38.309 we go. Okay. We've got Bob back on the line now. 00:38:38.389 --> 00:38:43.789 Sorry, Bob. We had a call come in and Skype decided 00:38:43.789 --> 00:38:51.110 to take one and not the other. So you were telling 00:38:51.110 --> 00:38:57.769 us about some of the Hile products. Okay. Well, 00:38:57.769 --> 00:39:02.550 you know, I'm not sure where I cut out, but the 00:39:03.150 --> 00:39:07.710 You know, Bob Heil will have his full show there 00:39:07.710 --> 00:39:10.889 with live demonstrations of all of their products. 00:39:11.489 --> 00:39:15.750 And I was talking about how good it is to actually 00:39:15.750 --> 00:39:21.210 see and be able to touch the products yourself. 00:39:21.349 --> 00:39:24.969 And this is another great reason to go to Hamvention, 00:39:25.789 --> 00:39:28.369 to see all this really great stuff that you might 00:39:28.369 --> 00:39:34.619 see on the internet. or in the magazines, but 00:39:34.619 --> 00:39:37.059 you never actually get your hands on it, and 00:39:37.059 --> 00:39:41.760 you can at Hamvention. So that's a great reason 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:46.460 to go, and seeing Heil equipment is just one 00:39:46.460 --> 00:39:51.519 of the regular stops on the tour of the commercial 00:39:51.519 --> 00:39:56.760 exhibits for me. All right, very good. 812 -638 00:39:56.760 --> 00:40:02.539 -4261 is the telephone number and Carl KD9HQT 00:40:02.539 --> 00:40:06.380 had tried to call in. Try the phone number there 00:40:06.380 --> 00:40:12.239 Carl if you would. 812 -638 -4261 and we'll make 00:40:12.239 --> 00:40:16.380 sure that we know that works. So try the phone 00:40:16.380 --> 00:40:22.300 number there if you would. 812 -638 -4261 And 00:40:22.300 --> 00:40:25.500 we'll see if we can get his question in before 00:40:25.500 --> 00:40:28.840 we take off. And if anyone else wants to jump 00:40:28.840 --> 00:40:34.559 in, again, 812 -638 -4261, or you can tweet us. 00:40:34.679 --> 00:40:39.860 We're at HamTalk Live. And we'll try to get your 00:40:39.860 --> 00:40:44.260 questions in. What about a contest or what kind 00:40:44.260 --> 00:40:48.599 of an upgrade would you think that maybe an active 00:40:48.599 --> 00:40:52.940 contest or should be looking for? Well, you know, 00:40:52.940 --> 00:40:56.940 this is a specific area that DX engineering is 00:40:56.940 --> 00:41:01.300 focused on you know, many of our key clients 00:41:01.300 --> 00:41:05.280 are contesters and DXers and You know, we have 00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:08.860 all sorts of products that are tailored for that 00:41:08.860 --> 00:41:16.420 market and we're announcing a device this year 00:41:16.420 --> 00:41:21.090 called the RX share or receiver sharing device, 00:41:22.110 --> 00:41:27.409 which is a very high quality system that allows 00:41:27.409 --> 00:41:31.590 for more than one operator to listen to a radio 00:41:31.590 --> 00:41:38.409 with high quality balanced audio levels and the 00:41:38.409 --> 00:41:44.449 ability to actually tie two radios into the one 00:41:44.449 --> 00:41:50.530 system. That's something we're going to be showing 00:41:50.530 --> 00:41:57.369 this year and I hope I'm still there. Yep, you're 00:41:57.369 --> 00:42:03.409 still here. Okay, because I saw Carl was trying 00:42:03.409 --> 00:42:12.690 to come in somehow. But that's one product that 00:42:12.690 --> 00:42:15.949 I know of for sure because that's one we're bringing. 00:42:16.800 --> 00:42:20.019 But there's going to be many, many, many others. 00:42:21.519 --> 00:42:25.500 And so no one's going to run short on opportunities 00:42:25.500 --> 00:42:32.139 to spend some money. All right. Well, that's 00:42:32.139 --> 00:42:36.250 what... Hamvention is about is seeing people 00:42:36.250 --> 00:42:42.989 and spending money. So that's, uh, that's some 00:42:42.989 --> 00:42:45.130 good stuff there. All right. Well, let's see 00:42:45.130 --> 00:42:48.809 if we've got, uh, do we have Carl on the line 00:42:48.809 --> 00:42:55.090 here? Yeah. There we go. Sorry about that. Uh, 00:42:55.090 --> 00:42:58.380 we were uh... having some problems with skype 00:42:58.380 --> 00:43:01.579 with uh... with the group call so uh... go ahead 00:43:01.579 --> 00:43:03.860 with your question this is carl katie nine h 00:43:03.860 --> 00:43:09.579 q t a m bob this is carl katie nine h q t i don't 00:43:09.579 --> 00:43:12.440 live that far from neil so he lives so i live 00:43:12.440 --> 00:43:16.239 uh... uh... down the street from him but anyways 00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:19.440 i have a couple of questions actually uh... this 00:43:19.440 --> 00:43:22.360 is about the vendor prices and this is one of 00:43:22.360 --> 00:43:26.539 the things i know and most at Any other Hanfest 00:43:26.539 --> 00:43:32.619 is besides Hanvention, and it's about competition 00:43:32.619 --> 00:43:44.679 with prices. If there's a 12 -pack of TL259s 00:43:44.679 --> 00:43:48.920 for 10 -pack of 259s, one vendor is going to 00:43:48.920 --> 00:43:51.380 sell for 12 .50, and the other is going to sell 00:43:51.380 --> 00:43:57.159 for 20, it's the same product. for the same quality. 00:43:58.820 --> 00:44:02.380 So sometimes it's very hard to choose which vendor 00:44:02.380 --> 00:44:06.840 is the best vendor. And also the other question 00:44:06.840 --> 00:44:12.400 is that it's about who should you trust about 00:44:12.400 --> 00:44:19.579 equipment -wise, especially with my... Used equipment. 00:44:22.420 --> 00:44:26.579 I don't want to keep this too long, but my miserable 00:44:26.579 --> 00:44:32.199 experience at Dougher. Should I trust somebody, 00:44:32.840 --> 00:44:38.039 like who is selling a faulty equipment that has 00:44:38.039 --> 00:44:45.300 not very much equipment displayed, like not very 00:44:45.300 --> 00:44:52.250 many rigs and whatever. I don't want to keep 00:44:52.250 --> 00:44:59.989 this too long. Yeah, Carl, let me address a couple 00:44:59.989 --> 00:45:05.190 of things. First, thanks for calling. But as 00:45:05.190 --> 00:45:11.010 far as pricing of individual parts and things 00:45:11.010 --> 00:45:15.389 like that, like a bag of PL 259s, that's part 00:45:15.389 --> 00:45:18.380 of the fun of going to Hamvention. You have so 00:45:18.380 --> 00:45:24.420 many different choices there. And you can run 00:45:24.420 --> 00:45:29.000 around and visit the different vendors and make 00:45:29.000 --> 00:45:33.179 note of what price the various vendors are selling 00:45:33.179 --> 00:45:36.679 different products for and compare them. And 00:45:36.679 --> 00:45:39.900 you probably can do a little bit of playing one 00:45:39.900 --> 00:45:45.280 against the other. saying, hey, well, those guys 00:45:45.280 --> 00:45:48.420 over there are selling the exact same thing for 00:45:48.420 --> 00:45:52.800 10 % less. What are you going to do for me? That 00:45:52.800 --> 00:45:59.340 kind of thing. So you can do that. And I would 00:45:59.340 --> 00:46:02.099 think that that would be a successful way to 00:46:02.099 --> 00:46:06.340 get the best deal. But take some running around 00:46:06.340 --> 00:46:10.460 and doing some homework. But if you've got your 00:46:10.460 --> 00:46:13.550 sights set on a particular thing, You know, it 00:46:13.550 --> 00:46:18.849 may provide you the best value. But the other 00:46:18.849 --> 00:46:22.429 thing I wanted to say about things like PL 259s, 00:46:22.570 --> 00:46:28.590 be careful what you're buying. You know, one 00:46:28.590 --> 00:46:32.369 bag of PL 259s is not necessarily equivalent 00:46:32.369 --> 00:46:36.710 to what appears to be the same thing for somebody 00:46:36.710 --> 00:46:40.030 else. So, you know, you have to know what you're 00:46:40.030 --> 00:46:45.170 looking at. And that applies to used equipment, 00:46:45.750 --> 00:46:55.250 too. If you don't have a real good comfort level 00:46:55.250 --> 00:47:01.030 with a particular piece of equipment, and let's 00:47:01.030 --> 00:47:05.389 say you're not familiar with it enough so that 00:47:05.389 --> 00:47:08.489 you can assess its condition by just looking 00:47:08.489 --> 00:47:16.300 at it, I would say if you have any doubts, just 00:47:16.300 --> 00:47:23.860 keep on walking. I think it has a lot to do with 00:47:23.860 --> 00:47:29.699 how you interact with the seller. There are a 00:47:29.699 --> 00:47:33.360 lot of people there who are selling things in 00:47:33.360 --> 00:47:37.050 the flea market who are very well known. You 00:47:37.050 --> 00:47:40.670 know, they're not all faceless, call signless 00:47:40.670 --> 00:47:45.630 people that you don't know. Many of them have, 00:47:45.630 --> 00:47:50.710 you know, long standing, you know, used equipment, 00:47:52.230 --> 00:47:56.510 dealerships, if you will, in the ham radio world 00:47:56.510 --> 00:47:59.150 and, you know, are very well known and they have 00:47:59.150 --> 00:48:04.400 a reputation to maintain. So, You know, while 00:48:04.400 --> 00:48:08.579 there may be some unscrupulous, you know, rip 00:48:08.579 --> 00:48:11.719 -off artists out there, they're not all that 00:48:11.719 --> 00:48:15.699 way. There are some good people earning a living 00:48:15.699 --> 00:48:20.980 and doing an honest day's work out there. And 00:48:20.980 --> 00:48:24.500 so I would say, you know, the way you really 00:48:24.500 --> 00:48:29.340 have to make a decision is based on your comfort 00:48:29.340 --> 00:48:32.849 level with the seller. your comfort level with 00:48:32.849 --> 00:48:37.190 the particular product you're looking at, and 00:48:37.190 --> 00:48:44.829 your own awareness of what constitutes a good 00:48:44.829 --> 00:48:50.250 or maybe not so good purchase decision. Let's 00:48:50.250 --> 00:48:52.530 just say, for example, something that I bought 00:48:52.530 --> 00:48:56.849 in Dayton many, many years ago was an antenna 00:48:56.849 --> 00:49:04.599 tuner. I bought a Drake MN -2000, which they 00:49:04.599 --> 00:49:11.039 stopped making decades ago, of course. But the 00:49:11.039 --> 00:49:13.420 seller was willing to open it up and let me look 00:49:13.420 --> 00:49:16.480 inside, and I could see that it didn't have any 00:49:16.480 --> 00:49:19.179 damage, and the price was decent, so I bought 00:49:19.179 --> 00:49:22.860 it. I used it for years and years and years after 00:49:22.860 --> 00:49:27.989 that. So, you know, I felt very comfortable spending 00:49:27.989 --> 00:49:34.809 that money. So it's a personal thing and, you 00:49:34.809 --> 00:49:37.289 know, use your best judgment is really how I 00:49:37.289 --> 00:49:42.070 would sum it up, Carl. Oh, yes. Yes. Especially 00:49:42.070 --> 00:49:47.050 when I bought that power supply. It was a Yeezy 00:49:47.050 --> 00:49:52.929 power supply that I got from. It's a very offensive 00:49:52.929 --> 00:50:04.989 word. douger but um but um um yeah the the dugger 00:50:04.989 --> 00:50:07.750 i meant the um the power supply carried more 00:50:07.750 --> 00:50:12.849 than 40 volts so it should be um 13 .7 not 40 00:50:12.849 --> 00:50:15.550 so when i when i hooked up the the the power 00:50:15.550 --> 00:50:21.309 supply to my uh yadu fd857 um it just fried the 00:50:21.309 --> 00:50:25.539 um the um the powering circuits in the in the 00:50:25.539 --> 00:50:32.099 rigs so get them my dad now but um but um um 00:50:32.099 --> 00:50:36.079 so so for future um hand festives i'm just not 00:50:36.079 --> 00:50:41.639 gonna go to dugger anymore because well unfortunately 00:50:41.639 --> 00:50:46.400 that happens from time to time but uh you know 00:50:46.400 --> 00:50:49.780 sometimes intentional sometimes not but it does 00:50:49.780 --> 00:50:55.119 it does uh You know doesn't always end well and 00:50:55.119 --> 00:50:57.960 then unfortunately that's That's what happened 00:50:57.960 --> 00:51:01.599 with this one. And so like he like Bob says, 00:51:01.599 --> 00:51:05.400 you know It's a good idea to check it out. And 00:51:05.400 --> 00:51:08.739 I know at hamvention. They've had some I don't 00:51:08.739 --> 00:51:11.260 I'm not sure if they have maybe maybe Bob will 00:51:11.260 --> 00:51:14.159 know they had some test benches at one point 00:51:14.159 --> 00:51:17.920 so you can check things out before you left yes, 00:51:18.340 --> 00:51:25.920 and Also, many of the sellers, if they're in 00:51:25.920 --> 00:51:27.980 the flea market, they may have a generator where 00:51:27.980 --> 00:51:31.639 you can plug stuff in and test it out. Or some 00:51:31.639 --> 00:51:34.659 of the guys will let you take a piece of equipment 00:51:34.659 --> 00:51:37.480 over to one of the commercial buildings where 00:51:37.480 --> 00:51:39.599 you can find an outlet and plug it in and make 00:51:39.599 --> 00:51:43.260 sure the thing lights up, that kind of thing. 00:51:45.900 --> 00:51:48.320 You know, it's a, it's a mixed bag out there, 00:51:48.320 --> 00:51:50.480 but it sure is a lot of fun looking through it 00:51:50.480 --> 00:51:57.360 all. All right, Carl. Okay. All right. Thanks 00:51:57.360 --> 00:52:01.239 Neil. Yeah. Thanks for calling in Carl. Appreciate 00:52:01.239 --> 00:52:06.820 you calling. No problem. We'll see you soon. 00:52:07.980 --> 00:52:12.659 All right. All right. Well, I think that's going 00:52:12.659 --> 00:52:16.710 to, uh, Finish things up with Bob tonight, but 00:52:16.710 --> 00:52:19.510 thanks for coming on. And if you have more questions 00:52:19.510 --> 00:52:22.170 for Bob, uh, tell them how they can get ahold 00:52:22.170 --> 00:52:27.190 of you. Well, um, I can, um, uh, contact me at 00:52:27.190 --> 00:52:32.329 the DX engineering. My call sign w five O V at 00:52:32.329 --> 00:52:36.869 DX engineering .com is the easiest way. And, 00:52:37.510 --> 00:52:41.880 um, I check my email every day and. be glad to 00:52:41.880 --> 00:52:46.079 answer any questions anyone might have. All right, 00:52:46.239 --> 00:52:48.559 well that's going to finish it up for tonight. 00:52:48.679 --> 00:52:52.679 That is a wrap. for this week's episode of ham 00:52:52.679 --> 00:52:56.679 talk live thanks to bob nowman w50 v and everyone 00:52:56.679 --> 00:53:00.420 out there in cyberspace for listening and calling 00:53:00.420 --> 00:53:04.300 in and come back next thursday night at 9 p .m 00:53:04.300 --> 00:53:07.440 our last show before the the ham vince and eve 00:53:07.440 --> 00:53:11.119 traffic and parking and weather special michael 00:53:11.119 --> 00:53:13.760 kalter is going to be back w8 ci and he's going 00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:17.969 to give us the latest updates on how the the 00:53:17.969 --> 00:53:21.110 work on the grounds is going and all the last 00:53:21.110 --> 00:53:24.809 minute. updates, the latest information that 00:53:24.809 --> 00:53:29.230 we can get before Hamvention takes off. So make 00:53:29.230 --> 00:53:33.289 sure you give us a listen for that and see how 00:53:33.289 --> 00:53:35.809 things are progressing out there at the Green 00:53:35.809 --> 00:53:38.010 County Fairgrounds. And for a list of all of 00:53:38.010 --> 00:53:41.389 our upcoming guests, visit HamTalkLive .com. 00:53:41.409 --> 00:53:44.710 And I do want to ask one thing, if you can, please 00:53:44.710 --> 00:53:49.210 leave us a review on iTunes. We need some reviews 00:53:49.210 --> 00:53:52.840 there to kind of boost us. in some of the searches 00:53:52.840 --> 00:53:56.500 so that people will find the show and so if you 00:53:56.500 --> 00:54:00.300 could leave us a review, we'd greatly appreciate 00:54:00.300 --> 00:54:02.940 it. So for now, this is Neil Rapp, Now Will You 00:54:02.940 --> 00:54:08.219 B9 VPG, saying 7 -3, 7 -5, and may the good DX 00:54:08.219 --> 00:54:25.530 be yours. Thanks for watching!