Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[nixiefreqq]

am thinking about slapping a $20 yellow sticky on this monster and taking it to a hamfest tomorrow.

portascope my ass!  (Dumont 765H).

30 years ago a buddy gave it to me as compensation for wrecking my yamaha 535.  told him we were even since he spent two weeks in the hospital and probably took a bullet meant for me.  he also used to put roadkill snakes in my top center desk drawer, but stopped because he knew i felt sorry for the snakes.

the smokin'and drinkin' finally took him to where ever big reckless wildmen wind up.

so maybe its time to let go of this hulking non-HP 25Mhz pos?

[Brumby]

Ow.  My back hurts just looking at that thing.

[nixiefreqq]

Ow.  My back hurts just looking at that thing.

yep.

they musta' grabbed the biggest sumbitch they could find for that picture.

[med6753]

Portascope my ass!  Although in it's day Dumont was good stuff. That scope looks a lot like an HP. Is it just rebranded or was it built by Dumont?

[bd139]

That guy looks like my 5 year old trying to carry a Tek 465 

[nixiefreqq]

Portascope my ass!  Although in it's day Dumont was good stuff. That scope looks a lot like an HP. Is it just rebranded or was it built by Dumont?

am pretty sure it was a genuine Dumont product.  later ones were badged Fairchild according to the manual.

they were very proud that it was "solid state"......BUT the front end used nuvistors.

[med6753]

Bd139, I have to give you kudos in rebuilding that D83. That's not something I would tackle. Looking forward to seeing it complete.

In other news....this weekend (Memorial Day) is a 3 day weekend and the unofficial start of Summer. So it's time for family get togethers, picnics, cookouts, etc. But apparently there are families who should stay away from each other. I do a lot of listening on a Police/fire scanner. Starting last night the police have been EXTREMELY busy with domestic (family) disputes. It has continued right thru this morning and I expect it to get worse as the alcohol takes effect. Not a fun weekend to be a cop.       

[med6753]

Portascope my ass!  Although in it's day Dumont was good stuff. That scope looks a lot like an HP. Is it just rebranded or was it built by Dumont?

am pretty sure it was a genuine Dumont product.  later ones were badged Fairchild according to the manual.

they were very proud that it was "solid state"......BUT the front end used nuvistors.

Yep, many Teks of that vintage used nuvistors in their front end until suitable FET's were available.

[mnementh]

My under bench lighting has revealed something I didn't want to think about .... The dust collection in the far corners looks like there was an explosion in a felting class.

It's something I just can't unsee ... 

I'm just wondering what will travel up the hose if I get the vacuum out......

Dust elephants, not dust bunnies... a common infestation in that region. You'll need the BIG Shop-Vac, some brain bleach and a 24-inch crowbar in case there's a bull and it decides to charge. 


mnem
You mighht want to get the .303 out of the closet just in case they stampede...   

[mnementh]

Wouldn't it be easier to just clean up and recap the original board with the bodge wire? 

mnem
 

I thought about that but the original board actually had electrolyte soak into it and it was oozing out of the sides as well. I think that one is a write off. The other board was in perfect condition just a bit dusty. Also it was attached to the chassis that had an IEC socket instead of the weird as hell 1970s proprietary inline thing they the other one had. Ergo I decided to take the hard road and make a frankenscope!

Edit: plus I actually enjoy doing things the sick twisted and hard way

Hmmm... I remember reading back in the day an article about this problem Nuts & Volts maybe. The solution presented was to cook the board in a solution of vinegar & water to neutralize the borax, then cook/scrub in distilled water, then soak in alcohol to clean everything and leech out the ethylene base. Obviously this is a process you want to watch carefully on a populated board.

And of course the hard way is always the most rewarding; even if only for the sense of relief when it's over.


mnem
"...Oh, I beat my knee with a monkey wrench; 'cuz it feels so good when I stop..."

[bd139]

I think i proabably would have made a new board before doing that

Having a day off the scope today to play with my HF radio....

[Cerebus]

My under bench lighting has revealed something I didn't want to think about .... The dust collection in the far corners looks like there was an explosion in a felting class.

It's something I just can't unsee ... 

I'm just wondering what will travel up the hose if I get the vacuum out......

Dust elephants, not dust bunnies... a common infestation in that region. You'll need the BIG Shop-Vac, some brain bleach and a 24-inch crowbar in case there's a bull and it decides to charge. 


mnem
You mighht want to get the .303 out of the closet just in case they stampede...   

That just makes a neat hole and they carry on charging. You need a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with No. 10 shot, you have to disperse them back into free floating fluff.   

[nixiefreqq]

Portascope my ass!  Although in it's day Dumont was good stuff. That scope looks a lot like an HP. Is it just rebranded or was it built by Dumont?

am pretty sure it was a genuine Dumont product.  later ones were badged Fairchild according to the manual.

they were very proud that it was "solid state"......BUT the front end used nuvistors.

Yep, many Teks of that vintage used nuvistors in their front end until suitable FET's were available.

did not know that about the early teks.  used to carry a 465 on the road a lot but...... they were on a hand receipt from an army tool room.  only ever owned a tek for about a week myself (my brother found a 465 in a girl friends attic and didn't know what it was).  could not find anything in need of repair, so it went to an old boss who is a tek guy.

scopes that actually made it down into the basement are mostly hp 1740 series.........and that monster dumont.

[med6753]

My under bench lighting has revealed something I didn't want to think about .... The dust collection in the far corners looks like there was an explosion in a felting class.

It's something I just can't unsee ... 

I'm just wondering what will travel up the hose if I get the vacuum out......

Dust elephants, not dust bunnies... a common infestation in that region. You'll need the BIG Shop-Vac, some brain bleach and a 24-inch crowbar in case there's a bull and it decides to charge. 


mnem
You mighht want to get the .303 out of the closet just in case they stampede...   

Personally I hate dust/dirt. Brumby, don't know if these are available where you are but they are great for light dusting. Once a week my entire place gets a going over.

[mnementh]

That guy looks like my 5 year old trying to carry a Tek 465 

I was thinking the same thing about my son and my 454... LOL

Though still not as prehistoric as my first 'scope; a half-finished Eico kit I picked up at my first hamfest in Pittsburgh as a schoolage kid. I got lit up a few times on that thing; taught me a healthy respect for tube electronics and the related bias voltages, I tell you what. 


mnem
*tzzzzt* and a half...

[med6753]

Portascope my ass!  Although in it's day Dumont was good stuff. That scope looks a lot like an HP. Is it just rebranded or was it built by Dumont?

am pretty sure it was a genuine Dumont product.  later ones were badged Fairchild according to the manual.

they were very proud that it was "solid state"......BUT the front end used nuvistors.

Yep, many Teks of that vintage used nuvistors in their front end until suitable FET's were available.

did not know that about the early teks.  used to carry a 465 on the road a lot but...... they were on a hand receipt from an army tool room.  only ever owned a tek for about a week myself (my brother found a 465 in a girl friends attic and didn't know what it was).  could not find anything in need of repair, so it went to an old boss who is a tek guy.

scopes that actually made it down into the basement are mostly hp 1740 series.........and that monster dumont.

As far as I know the 465 always had FET front ends. But older portables such as the 453 and 454 when they first came out had nuvistor tubes. I think they were 6CW4's or the industrial equivalent. One plug in for the big 500 series such as the 1A1 and 1A2 also initially had nuvsitor front ends then FET's.

[Specmaster]

Bd139, I have to give you kudos in rebuilding that D83. That's not something I would tackle. Looking forward to seeing it complete.

In other news....this weekend (Memorial Day) is a 3 day weekend and the unofficial start of Summer. So it's time for family get togethers, picnics, cookouts, etc. But apparently there are families who should stay away from each other. I do a lot of listening on a Police/fire scanner. Starting last night the police have been EXTREMELY busy with domestic (family) disputes. It has continued right thru this morning and I expect it to get worse as the alcohol takes effect. Not a fun weekend to be a cop.     

Well you see, you can choose your friends but not your family[emoji6]

From mobile device so predictive text might have struck again [emoji83]

[bd139]

Well you see, you can choose your friends but not your family[emoji6]

You can choose your family. They just don’t like it when you do 

As far as I know the 465 always had FET front ends. But older portables such as the 453 and 454 when they first came out had nuvistor tubes. I think they were 6CW4's or the industrial equivalent. One plug in for the big 500 series such as the 1A1 and 1A2 also initially had nuvsitor front ends then FET's.

I had a whole crate of bits a while ago that appeared to have come out of a number of 1A1’s. Turns out nuvistor sockets are seriously valuable even if used!

That guy looks like my 5 year old trying to carry a Tek 465 

I was thinking the same thing about my son and my 454... LOL

Though still not as prehistoric as my first 'scope; a half-finished Eico kit I picked up at my first hamfest in Pittsburgh as a schoolage kid. I got lit up a few times on that thing; taught me a healthy respect for tube electronics and the related bias voltages, I tell you what. 


mnem
*tzzzzt* and a half...

I never will forget my first zap off some tube kit. I was 9. I exclaimed “Jesus Christ!” immediately after brushing my hand on a 300v HT line. No one would blink an eye now but I was at my catholic grandmother’s house so this was immediately followed by me being chased up the garden with a broom handle for blaspheming.

This might also have contributed somewhat to my current following of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

[mnementh]

Dust elephants, not dust bunnies... a common infestation in that region. You'll need the BIG Shop-Vac, some brain bleach and a 24-inch crowbar in case there's a bull and it decides to charge. 


mnem
You might want to get the .303 out of the closet just in case they stampede...   

That just makes a neat hole and they carry on charging. You need a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with No. 10 shot, you have to disperse them back into free floating fluff.   

Now where's the fun in that?

mnem
Maxim 37: There is no "Overkill." There is only "Open fire!!!" and "I need to reload."

[Specmaster]

Well you see, you can choose your friends but not your family[emoji6]

You can choose your family. They just don’t like it when you do 

As far as I know the 465 always had FET front ends. But older portables such as the 453 and 454 when they first came out had nuvistor tubes. I think they were 6CW4's or the industrial equivalent. One plug in for the big 500 series such as the 1A1 and 1A2 also initially had nuvsitor front ends then FET's.

I had a whole crate of bits a while ago that appeared to have come out of a number of 1A1’s. Turns out nuvistor sockets are seriously valuable even if used!

That guy looks like my 5 year old trying to carry a Tek 465 

I was thinking the same thing about my son and my 454... LOL

Though still not as prehistoric as my first 'scope; a half-finished Eico kit I picked up at my first hamfest in Pittsburgh as a schoolage kid. I got lit up a few times on that thing; taught me a healthy respect for tube electronics and the related bias voltages, I tell you what. 


mnem
*tzzzzt* and a half...

I never will forget my first zap off some tube kit. I was 9. I exclaimed “Jesus Christ!” immediately after brushing my hand on a 300v HT line. No one would blink an eye now but I was at my catholic grandmother’s house so this was immediately followed by me being chased up the garden with a broom handle for blaspheming.

This might also have contributed somewhat to my current following of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

As if the zap didn't shake you enough, they also wanted to beat the shit out of you with the broom handle [emoji6]

From mobile device so predictive text might have struck again [emoji83]

[nixiefreqq]

[/quote]

I never will forget my first zap off some tube kit. I was 9. I exclaimed “Jesus Christ!” immediately after brushing my hand on a 300v HT line. No one would blink an eye now but I was at my catholic grandmother’s house so this was immediately followed by me being chased up the garden with a broom handle for blaspheming.

This might also have contributed somewhat to my current following of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
[/quote]

are you orthodox or do you only wear the pasta strainer on special occasions?  (like visiting the dept of motor vehicles photo center)

[nixiefreqq]

Dust elephants, not dust bunnies... a common infestation in that region. You'll need the BIG Shop-Vac, some brain bleach and a 24-inch crowbar in case there's a bull and it decides to charge. 


mnem
You might want to get the .303 out of the closet just in case they stampede...   

That just makes a neat hole and they carry on charging. You need a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with No. 10 shot, you have to disperse them back into free floating fluff.   

Now where's the fun in that?

mnem
Maxim 37: There is no "Overkill." There is only "Open fire!!!" and "I need to reload."

why do I get the feeling that mnem has wrecked a few scooters in his time...….and still does not like wearing a damn helmet.

[Specmaster]

Just got back from Clacton, meter stashed away in boot for the journey as the former owner made a lovely wooden case for it and lined it with some sort of foam to protect it and it stinks. Cracked the meter open and boy o boy, the D cell has corroded nicely, as has the PP3 so that area need some attention before I can power it up and see if it does work. So the sellers notion of it working must have been based on the fact the meter movement swings back sideways when rocking the meter, er Yeh.

On the plus side the rest of the meter appears to be OK, and the range switch is thing of beauty, pure TEA porn it is, I'll pop some pictures up later. It has all the hall marks of being a factory build rather a kit, every thing is so precise in its location and presentation, a joy to see.

[mnementh]

That guy looks like my 5 year old trying to carry a Tek 465 

I was thinking the same thing about my son and my 454... LOL

Though still not as prehistoric as my first 'scope; a half-finished Eico kit I picked up at my first hamfest in Pittsburgh as a schoolage kid. I got lit up a few times on that thing; taught me a healthy respect for tube electronics and the related bias voltages, I tell you what. 


mnem
*tzzzzt* and a half...

I never will forget my first zap off some tube kit. I was 9. I exclaimed “Jesus Christ!” immediately after brushing my hand on a 300v HT line. No one would blink an eye now but I was at my catholic grandmother’s house so this was immediately followed by me being chased up the garden with a broom handle for blaspheming.

This might also have contributed somewhat to my current following of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

OMG... I just flashed on a memory from about the same time; I was messing around with the cover off of the Yaesu FT-101EX I inherited from HB (the M-80 + "You better run!" fellow from that story I recalled a few weeks ago); my buddy Brian and I were futzing around on Children's Band (hey - we WERE kids then) trying to reach his dad doing a long haul in his truck upstate.

I was trying to trim the multiband antenna that came with the rig (imagine your favorite "two buddies drinking story", complete with one of them nose buried in an instruction pamphlet) and he noticed the glowing 6JS finals...

"Hey... whadda these do..."
*I look up just in time to see him pointing towards one shiny exposed anode cap*
"DON'T TOUCH TH..."
*ZZZZZZZZAAAAAAPPPPP!!!*
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

RF burns are the WORST.   


mnem
I too have been touched by his noodly appendage. No, not THERE, you PERV.

[mnementh]

Now where's the fun in that?

mnem
Maxim 37: There is no "Overkill." There is only "Open fire!!!" and "I need to reload."

why do I get the feeling that mnem has wrecked a few scooters in his time...….and still does not like wearing a damn helmet.

I have wrecked more than a few, but I ALWAYS wear a brain bucket. I used to be one of those crazy BMX/freestyle kids; then I graduated to YZ250s/KX250s, H1s, H2s and KZs and a GPZ1100 which I literally wore out (bought new, sold 3 rebores later and I got almost as much when I sold it after riding it for almost 10 years).

I HATE the sticky/sweaty/fogging glasses... but I love my (slightly foggy) brain better.


mnem
We have a special name for other 'cyclists who don't wear a helmet: " Organ Donor ".