[ARC5] Vocation vs. Avocation with emphasis on the latter

[Michael Tauson]

Something that seems to be forgotten here is that this is an avocation - a
hobby - and not a vocation - business.  Were this a business, yes, things
like MHz vs. MC etc would be important (although there is a 1:1
correspondence between them so it's a trivial case) much as quarts vs.
liters, kilograms vs. pounds, apples vs. oranges etc.  In hobbies, there is
considerable latitude for a great number of things, units of measure
included.  

Each of us is here for a different reason and views the hobby differently.
As a partial result, some will, in this case and what started the
"discussion", use KC & MC and others kHz & MHz.  Every radio I have with the
exception of my East German one (which is the odd puppy anyway since it's
semiconductor) is calibrated in KC or MC so that's what I use.  (Counter to
this, I use MHz and GHz when talking about computers no matter the vintage.)
Within context, there should be no problem with this but only in context.
If someone wants to use kHz or MHz with radio equipment of the age of the
equipment supposedly discussed here, I can't see a problem with that either
but I would hope they would afford me the same courtesy in return.  Getting
all fussy about it accomplishes nothing since no one's going to change
anyone else's ways.  No one.  

It's kind of like model railroading.  There are two broad groups, scale
rails and freelancers with the former going for more prototypical equipment
and operation - often based on an existing or past road - while the latter
is a bit less true to prototype (although in railroading you can find a
prototype for practically anything), going closer to some of the smaller
branch or, in a few cases, narrow gauge roads.  These are generally depicted
as caricatures - backwoods roads operating many generation old cast offs
from bigger branch or class 1 roads modified to suit their needs and shop
built equipment to fill in the gaps.  Scale rails hate freelancers because
"they ain't prototypical" and freelancers laugh at scale rails as being
"rivet counters."  (While I was a freelancer, I always tried to find a
prototype for what I built which frustrated the scale rails no end.)  Thing
is, they're both right since it is *ONLY A HOBBY.*  

So it is here.  This is *ONLY A HOBBY.*  It's an avocation, not a vocation.
There's only one person who's business is related to this and, memory
serving, he comes down on the side of Imperial measure.  The world will not
stop turning on its axis nor will it crash into the sun if someone's
viewpoint differs from yours.  The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal will
not devour you should someone's approach not agree with yours.  And I can
guarantee that the Apocalypse will not be scheduled for next Tuesday if
someone's usage of units, their spelling or their grammar does not fall in
line with what you believe are acceptable bounds no matter how atrocious
they are.  

Continuing on a branching line of thought, finding unmodified equipment and
leaving it as such is the ideal solution for about everyone here present
although it's not always possible.  Restoring what can be restored, while
not to some people's tastes, is far better than considering it trash, or it
is in my eyes, since it is being put back as God intended it and ARC (or
someone) built it.  

While a larger number of people here don't like them, conversions exist and
all the gnashing of teeth and waving of arms can't change that.  Yes, most
of the ham conversions were trash and complete wastes of time & energy but
that wasn't realized in the 50s & 60s when surplus in general and the Type
K-derived sets in particular were a Big Thing in ham radio.  On the other
hand, some were not all that shabby and are worthy of note as is Dave
Stinson's work on operating them at much lower voltages.  (Sorry if it
sounds like I'm always picking on you, Dave.  I'm not, really.  You're one
of the geniuses here whose work I admire & appreciate greatly so I refer to
it a lot.)  These conversions taught a lot of people basic electronics and
provided a means of getting on the air for a number of people who could not
have otherwise afforded to do so.  I'm one of them and they're the reason
for the EE part of my studies.

People still convert equipment simply because they don't share the
preservationist point of view most here have.  On the positive side, there
is plenty of pre-converted equipment available at hamfests for them to play
with which improves the odds of virgin equipment remaining untouched.
Rather than get all irate, why not try education - writing articles etc
about how and why they should be preserved?  Or, like Dave did (Really, I'm
not picking in you!) and I'm working on, building displays of the equipment
in original form for what are essentially "show and tell" exhibitions?  Or
any of a number of other *positive* steps?

With that are the commercial and government conversions like Lockheed's
crystal control conversion to put BC-696s on 3105 KC & BC-458s on 6210 KC,
and Central Electronics' BC-458-based VFO.  (A BC-457 worked too with a
little convincing.)  Even the NRL got into the act with the crystal
controlled ARA/ATA equipment.  There were others but I'll have to dig
through my notes to find them.  

Oddly enough, commercial conversions are more acceptable than the better ham
conversions even though they both adapted existing equipment to fulfill a
new set of requirements.  They are both branches from the original
application thread for the equipment and are part of the overall history of
the equipment.  Not the military history, the *entire* history.  There's a
huge difference.  My interest is in the entire history not some narrow
portion of it.  This doesn't set well with others but that's their problem,
not mine.  History is a tapestry not a single thread and to follow only a
single thread without paying attention to what happened around it is missing
out on a lot of material that is still pertinent today.  

Where am I going with all this?  Very simple.  This *is* a hobby and not
everyone is going to be happy with what others do nor are they going to like
the units someone uses etc.  Trying to "correct" them isn't going to change
a thing.  All the ranting and raving in the world is not going to do
anything except generate hard feelings and generally tick people off.  So
the best thing to do is, as I said before, suck it up, Buttercup, and move
on.  

Now, on to quotes ... and, interesting enough, the two respondents to my
post were the same ones I mentioned in my first one, to wit: "Much to the
chagrin, dismay and disappointment of at least two members here, I have not
become a silent key.  Sorry about that, guys.  Better luck next time."
Funny how that works, isn't it.

-----Original Message-----
From: "J. Forster" <jfor at quikus.com>
>> Every year (or more often) this comes up and results in some form of
>> debate. WHO ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH CARES?
> Engineers. Anyone who is involved with high-dynamic range measurements.

Hmmm ... like the ones who designed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge or broke that
Mars probe a few years ago?  Or, for all that, designed the Titanic?

Guess what, John.  I AM an engineer - AE & EE with almost enough credits in
my minors (Math & Physics) to have declared them as majors instead.  (Being
married to a Math professor at the time is probably largely responsible for
that.)  When I was doing engineer stuff, I was bloody picky about units.  I
still am since it looks like I've got to pick up my sly drool again.  In
this case I'll be working with wood a lot which will be amusing since some
is measured in inches and the rest in millimeters - but only in thickness.
There will be other places where units will be mixed, not all of them metric
vs. Imperial, and I'll have to keep them straight as well.  But, y'know,
that's the nice thing about standards.  There are so many to choose from.

Take an area with which I have some familiarity, watch making & repair, more
the latter.  Let's use lathes as the first example.  Precision, even on my
turn of the century German-made Lorche 6mm, is given in inches (.00005" in
this case) and the bed length is in inches but the spindle height and collet
sizes are metric.  Even better, with all that the threads where they attach
to the drawbar go back to decimal inches again on many lathes.  Crystals are
measured in lignes while the diameter of movements can be given in any of
several units which bear no real relationship to one another.  (There is a
solution to all this but I'll leave that up to the readers.)  Even something
as simple as screws is subject to confusion with some metric (and many of
them not actually numbered accordingly) and some not related to any specific
system.  I have drills (made in France, I think) that were standard on both
sides of the Atlantic that go down to .0028" - roughly .05mm - and have been
in use for at least a century.  But this is what happens when watchmakers in
the US, England, France, Germany and Switzerland all used internal systems
without reference to the others.  Many of those "standards" are still with
us today, especially in restoration work, which makes life so much fun.
With all of that going on, watch makers managed to hand make lady's
mechanical movements which, if you've ever looked at one - even a factory
machine made one, are precision machines.  (As an aside, at one time I could
repair them but my hands shake too much now so I'm limited to cleaning and
lubricating movements to put the ones I can back in service.)  

That may not be engineering per se but it is still a real world environment
where units become chaos in short order yet calls for a high degree of
precision.  On the other hand, the degree of precision needed is something I
enjoy if having four watchmaker's lathes and a precision drill press made to
the same tolerances (.00005" to .000025") means anything.  Even my "loose"
equipment is reasonably precise being guaranteed to .0005" for the most
part.  

>> If you don't like the units someone uses, suck it up, Buttercup, and
>> move on.
> Is that a Marine slogan?

No, it's a me saying learned through a school you never attended so could
never possibly understand.  My military time was only a small part of that
school although it did add its own twists on a few things.  But then, being
homeless was as well as have numerous other experiences.  There is a broad
range of experiences behind it but I've always believed - and still believe
- it's better to be a has-been than a never-was.  I've done things, seen
things and experienced things you can't even imagine, largely because you're
so wrapped up in hiding behind your sheepskin.  In that regard, I truly feel
sorry for you.  I really do.

But with that, I'm not sure what you have against the Corps but it would
appear you're bordering on disrespect for a service to which you owe a great
deal - like not having to speak German or Japanese and having the freedom to
be who you are.  

I have never served or worked* with a finer group of men and women than
Marines - and that's coming from someone who was in the Navy.  Never.  Not
even SEALs who are in my own branch.  From the military side, there has
never been a better fighting force on this (or very likely any other world)
than the US Marine Corps nor shall there ever be one.  But these same
Marines (with Navy Corpsmen) were the first boots on the ground after the
2004 Tsunami in Indonesia with food, medical supplies and other assistance
which is also part of their purpose in life - humanitarian aid.  They were
there while other counties were squabbling over who could pledge more money
for assistance and the UN was calling meetings rather than actually doing
anything.  They were there going about the business of being Marines while
other countries - notably France - complained we weren't doing anything
because we hadn't joined in what was almost like an eBay bidding war.  These
same Marines are responsible for the annual Christmas Toys for Tots**
program and numerous other things that rarely if ever get any press.  

* "Once a Marine, always a Marine" is very true and it shows even in the
workplace.  They are always first on hand when assistance is needed with
anything and I discovered their Esprit de Corps is infectious even - or
especially - with non-Marines.  In my private life, when I needed help it
was always a Marine who provided it, whether it was building the new front
steps to my 2nd house or just someone to talk with.  

** There is nothing more fun than to watch a bunch of Marines just back from
Iraq in K-Mart's & WalMart's toy departments ... supposedly picking out toys
for the kids but having at least as much fun as the kids did later on.  What
was even better was the expressions on the various clerks' faces.

In any event, I would tread lightly.  There are several Marines here as well
as the father of two Marines who may take exception to having the Corps
treated with disrespect.  And this squid will be right there with them.
Does that make me an "honorary Marine"?  I could only hope since it was my
first choice of services.  

>> Beat on a wall, a pillow, a punching
>> bag or a disliked neighbor.  Pour yourself another drink.
> If you think that's a solution, get some help.

No, I go for the next sentence, "Do something but deal with it elsewhere."
You conveniently omitted that one.  What I do varies from taking a nap
(always a wonderful "activity" even when not being used to back away from a
situation) to taking a walk or using my exercise bands to working on any of
several projects.  One result is that I'm being disgustingly polite in this
post where I would much rather not be.  On the other hand, a key project -
building the Noelle AV Project universe - is receiving a lot of attention
which is always good.  

------------------------------
From: Mike Morrow <kk5f at earthlink.net>
> MT wrote:
>> Every ... lists ... 
> Relax.

You relax.  I'm loose and quite comfortable.  The universe is going about
its business as it should so I've no reason not to be.  My world, being part
of the universe - or at least this one, is stable and progressing at a
reasonable pace which is not as quickly as I'd like but all good things take
time.  Time is something of which I've enough to accomplish what I need to
accomplish so, again, I've no reason not to be.  

And, again, to both of you ... sorry about not being an SK.  Your objections
to this will be duly ignored with due diligence.   

Best regards,
 
Michael, WH7HG, A&P 1803851
The primary reason I am not an expert on anything is because I haven't
invented my own field. 
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NTH/index.aspx
http://wh7hg.blogspot.com/
http://kludges-other-blog.blogspot.com
Hiki Nô!