Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Kosmic]

Look what FedEx just delivered. A whole bunch of goodies. Gonna take me a while to sort thru it all.

I wanted this collection of near junk for the 4 probes with PL-259 connectors to use with the Type CA plug-in. Turns out there's three 10X P6000 probes and one 10X P6017 probe. I did a quick test and one of the P6000 probes is apparently dead and open. No big deal. Will try to fix and if not hopefully the coax/PL-259 section is OK and can cobble together a 1X probe. 

The other 3 probes with BNC's are two 10X P6060 probes and one 10X P6006 probe. Haven't given them a quick test yet.

All this for about $11 USD plus tax/shipping. 

Med, I got a P6006 with a UHF connector if you want. Was in the lot I bought last year in Vermont. I'm afraid shipping is going to be more expensive than the probe though 

[med6753]

So are we starting Discord at 2000 UTC or 2100 UTC? There appears to be some confusion because of the time changes in both EU and Oz.

[med6753]

Med, I got a P6006 with a UHF connector if you want. Was in the lot I bought last year in Vermont. I'm afraid shipping is going to be more expensive than the probe though 

Yea, thanks for the offer but by the time Canada Post and USPS get done the anal raping it just won't be worth it. 

[BU508A]

So are we starting Discord at 2000 UTC or 2100 UTC? There appears to be some confusion because of the time changes in both EU and Oz.

My understanding is that we are sticking to 21:00h UTC because it wasn't clear, what the opinion of the people from .au and .nz is about this.

Some postings before, bean wrote that 06:00h is a bit too early for him (5:30h for VK5RC).
But the early birds will be there anyway. 

[med6753]

So are we starting Discord at 2000 UTC or 2100 UTC? There appears to be some confusion because of the time changes in both EU and Oz.

My understanding is that we are sticking to 21:00h UTC because it wasn't clear, what the opinion of the people from .au and .nz is about this.

Some postings before, bean wrote that 06:00h is a bit too early for him (5:30h for VK5RC).
But the early birds will be there anyway. 

Yea, I saw that. But there was no consensus so I guess I'll split the difference and log in at 2030 UTC. 

[bd139]

Last food photos. I promise. This will put you off 

Basmati rice, boiled using the evaporation method (fry pan for lid during cooking and reasonably well measured 2:1 volumetric ratio of rice to water). Doesn't waste any water then!



This is dumped on a plate and then in goes half a can of 9 month out of date Asda chicken korma SWMNLBO bought three years ago and didn't eat (normal business) which was quite frankly fucking rancid and will not be eaten again:



The ant seasoning was appreciated 

[med6753]

Why did you go to all that trouble?  I would have just thrown all that nasty shit away. 

[bd139]

I lived with my grandfather for a couple of months once and got fed with stuff that was 5-10 years out of date and survived. Also used to buy MRE packs here which were over 10 years out of date. Thought bugger it why not. It's horrible only because it's the cheapest shit they sold not due to the date 

This is a practice run before I go out and shoot myself in the foot in the field on a couple of days out...

[nixiefreqq]

 "out of date Asda chicken korma"

isn't that dave lister's favorite?

[AVGresponding]

Look what FedEx just delivered. A whole bunch of goodies. Gonna take me a while to sort thru it all.

I wanted this collection of near junk for the 4 probes with PL-259 connectors to use with the Type CA plug-in. Turns out there's three 10X P6000 probes and one 10X P6017 probe. I did a quick test and one of the P6000 probes is apparently dead and open. No big deal. Will try to fix and if not hopefully the coax/PL-259 section is OK and can cobble together a 1X probe. 

The other 3 probes with BNC's are two 10X P6060 probes and one 10X P6006 probe. Haven't given them a quick test yet.

All this for about $11 USD plus tax/shipping. 

Med, I got a P6006 with a UHF connector if you want. Was in the lot I bought last year in Vermont. I'm afraid shipping is going to be more expensive than the probe though 

Keep forgetting to link these in. There's a few hours left.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lot-of-8-HP-Probe-Tips-and-ground-leads-NEW-NOS-for-Oscilloscope-or-Analyzer/143572652809

[Cerebus]

... those little Sterno-powered steam tables for any kind of buffet-style food service;...

The phrase you're looking for is "chafing dish".

Nope; single dishes are called that, and sometimes don't even have a water vessel. The ones used at the BBQ and Sunday brunch were actual steam tables; 4 or 6 slots in a common water tank and the whole thing powered by Sterno instead of electricity or gas.
mnem
Bleaggh. 

Chefs and other catering folk will call those chafing dishes too. If it's plumbed into the mains gas or electricity it seems to get called a bain marie, if it runs on alcohol (like the Chef) whether individual or en masse then it seems to get called a chafing dish.

I can only go by what other folks I've met in the industry call them; while I have not ever been anything like a chef, I have taken two balls-deep excursions into the food service industry. In both cases, the folks at the commercial kitchen supply called them all steam tables regardless of fuel source except the single/double unitized things used for catering.

The larger ones with soldered copper tanks are sold separately from the heat source; you buy the tank,  frame, stainless top with cutouts, stainless tubs & lids individually, then buy (or build yourself, as I did because they didn't have LP available) the modular heat source separately depending on whether your food is cooked in or only maintained at safe serving temp by the table. The same frames, tanks and stainless parts are also used with ice or plumbed with refrigerated water for salad fixins.

You may well have some knowledge of haute cuisine I don't; I know a porter from a sous chef (by role, not on sight unless the porter happens to have a broom or dirty dish in his/her hands), but only because I watched that kitchen rat movie with my son a thousand times.

mnem
"One can get too familiar with veh-geh-tah-bles, you know!!!" ~Chef Skinner

Hey you weirdos call coriander cilantro and courgettes zucchini so lord knows what you call things over there.

[bd139]

"out of date Asda chicken korma"

isn't that dave lister's favorite?

Vindaloo and lager. Been there. Wasn't pretty 

Hey you weirdos call coriander cilantro and courgettes zucchini so lord knows what you call things over there.

Also can't say oregano

[mnementh]

You think that's bad; you should see what these Canucks call a cucumber...

mnem
"No daddy, no-o-o-o-o!!!"

[mnementh]

... those little Sterno-powered steam tables for any kind of buffet-style food service;...

The phrase you're looking for is "chafing dish".

Even that is variable, e.g. my Chinese "chafing dish" is rather different, in the Mongolian style.   You put charcoal in the chimney and water in the doughnut. People select their uncooked morsels, put them in wire baskets and dunk them in the hot water. When cooked they remove their basket and add condiments. Rinse and repeat. At the end of the meal, the water has mutated into a broth/soup, which can be shared amongst all present.
It is quite a fun item to use on days like today, and makes a change from a barbecue. With appropriate ingredients, it can be low fat and lower calorie.   

Looks like a rocket-powered Bundt cake pan waiting to be loaded for lift-off... 

¹Signal-to-Lunatic Ratio

Signal to Lunatic Ratio!   Love it!   It's sad, but the ability to employ rational and critical thinking is a very rare thing these days. If anyone ever starts a discussion with "I read on facebook/the internet/some newpaper/.../" I just stop listening. Source criticism should be a part of the school curriculum and rated as a specific subject so that you can be sure people actually understood the lessons.

Amet.

From the "A Sign of the Times" Dept...

Today I TRIED to brave the thronging masses at Wally Wurlld for the sake of wifey's upcoming birthday; I REALLY did.

When I got there, the line went all the way across the front of the store to the corner; I walked over and upon seeing that the line went literally around the outside to the back end of the store, I exclaimed "Fuck this noize!!!" and turned to leave. In the second or so I took to deliberate over which of my local grocery stores to patronize instead, I saw 3 people step out of the line and start walking back towards the car lot just like me. Guess all they needed was for someone to say what they were thinking...

Of course, by the time I got to the grocery I was starving and so made some "questionable" purchases... like 5 kilos of SYSCO bacon and 2 flats of seasoned fried taters wedges along with a ginormous deli meatloaf for dinner, but I did get everything on my B-day list I hadn't already gotten from Amazon, plus cards, flowers and a iTunes gift card. No regrets.

Fuck Wally Wurlld; I only shop at The Company Store when I absolutely have no other choice anyways.

mnem
*toddles off to wrap some B-Day prezzies*

[med6753]

If you Brits are so proud of your cooking and cuisine then how come I see.....

French restaurants, Italian restaurants, Indian Restaurants, Chinese restaurants.....but have I ever seen a "British restaurant" ? Ah, no. 

[bd139]

It's a good point. The reason we invaded everyone is our food is shit and we were trying to get away from it. If it was any good we'd have stayed at home.

[mnementh]

I'll agree with that in general; tho even I would never turn my nose up at a plate of bangerzz & mash... 

mnem

[mnementh]

Last food photos. I promise. This will put you off     Basmati rice, boiled using the evaporation method (fry pan for lid during cooking and reasonably well measured 2:1 volumetric ratio of rice to water). Doesn't waste any water then!

 

This is dumped on a plate and then in goes half a can of 9 month out of date Asda chicken korma SWMNLBO bought three years ago and didn't eat (normal business) which was quite frankly fucking rancid and will not be eaten again: The ant seasoning was appreciated 

My daughter would mug you for the rice; the chicken korma, even fresh, would just get you the same disgusted look I'm making right now. 

mnem
*ka-a-a-k-k-k-k*

[bd139]

On the origin of bangers and mash, technically we got potatoes from Virginia in the late 1500's. Sausages, well they were around in 500 BC or so but I'm not sure we had them or not. The gravy we stole from the French in the middle ages.

Really about the only bloody things that are native to us is bread, dogs, oats and rabbits. I suppose we invented hot dogs although being British it would be "dog on toast" 

[tggzzz]

If you Brits are so proud of your cooking and cuisine then how come I see.....

French restaurants, Italian restaurants, Indian Restaurants, Chinese restaurants.....but have I ever seen a "British restaurant" ? Ah, no. 

There are a few, but we go out to have something that differs from home cooking. Not many people know how to make jugged hare, syllabub, or muggety pie nowadays.

One thing to realise is that English food is at its best when good local ingredients are cooked simply. My mouth waters at the thought of fried fresh pigs liver, or a truckle cheddar, or spoots, or a well hung pheasant, or a Egremont Russet, and I must get some more salt marsh lamb. Pity the poor Americans that haven't had some proper dried smoked back bacon nor bloater nor Arbroath smokie. And the best kippers are sent from Scotland.

[med6753]

And warm beer because the Lucas electrics refrigerators are always broken. 

[bd139]

Ironically I've never had a warm beer here  .

Lucas, let's not go there. I owned a Land Rover. That's as far as I'm going on that subject. Just turning the ignition on got me a nice smoke screen and fireworks display 

[tggzzz]

It's a good point. The reason we invaded everyone is our food is shit and we were trying to get away from it. If it was any good we'd have stayed at home.

Our commercial restaurant food was crap. The good stuff at home wasn't The commercial restaurant food since the 80s was much better.

Of course you have to keep your wits about you. Too many chains are like bog standard American food: large, eye candy, flavourless without addition of salt fat and sugar.

[tggzzz]

On the origin of bangers and mash, technically we got potatoes from Virginia in the late 1500's. Sausages, well they were around in 500 BC or so but I'm not sure we had them or not. The gravy we stole from the French in the middle ages.

Really about the only bloody things that are native to us is bread, dogs, oats and rabbits. I suppose we invented hot dogs although being British it would be "dog on toast" 

Rabbits are a recent introduction, by the Normans. They were kept in purpose built warrens, for the (Norman) nobility.

[med6753]

It's a good point. The reason we invaded everyone is our food is shit and we were trying to get away from it. If it was any good we'd have stayed at home.

Our commercial restaurant food was crap. The good stuff at home wasn't The commercial restaurant food since the 80s was much better.

Of course you have to keep your wits about you. Too many chains are like bog standard American food: large, eye candy, flavourless without addition of salt fat and sugar.

If you think I hold American cooking in high esteem I don't. Our cooking consists of a jar of corn syrup and fat.