[ARC5] Stupid stick

[J Mcvey]

I started a bit earlier than you. First it was mechanical stuff. When I was maybe 6 years old, I was already a terror with a screwdriver. Nothing was safe from my curiosity. A few years later while rummaging around in my uncle's small junkyard, I decided to pull the radio out of a car. That was when the electronics bug bit me.
I convinced a local TV guy to let me do simple stuff around his shop, like stripping salvage parts from TV chassis and organizing them so I could learn about what all those strange looking things did. 
He taught me the basics of troubleshooting and electronics. Ironically, he never let me fix anything in his shop, though. 
>From what he taught me I was able to fix some electronics for friends and relatives ( at first the expendable things, then the good stuff when I proved myself). I also "designed" audio amps and preamps making them from salvaged junk parts. They weren't really designs, but an amalgamation of circuits I had seen before.The things often looked horrendous, but they worked!
By the time I was 15, my interests had turned to computers and robotics. i had no mentor for computers, but there were a few other like-minded guys who were messing around with small digital projects as well. collectively, we were able to get things figured out and running.
Never liked or did competitive sports ( still don't), but I was always liked to stay fit.  
The closest thing to a sport I ever did was street racing cars for money. I wish I still did it in a way, but it caused too much trouble with fights and police, etc.



 

    On Wednesday, August 30, 2017 7:53 PM, Leslie Smith <vk2bcu at operamail.com> wrote:
 

 Hello Tom,
When I was 15 years old (I was a callow youth then) a fellow called Leo
Gunther taught physics at Hobart Uni.  Leo imported boards 'rescued'
from computers (they were mainly RTL cards) but they had transistors
with HUGE heat-sinks and the transistors were good for 80m.  WOW!  I
rescued transistors for him, and he got me to test 'top hat' diodes that
he sold 'for cheap' thru a magazine called EEB.    He produced the
magazine on a roneo machine.    You know - cut a stencil, then turn the
handle once per page.! 

So I thought Leo was god, but he ruined that myth when he told me he
didn't build a working circuit until he was 21 years old.  Wow!  I
already had a Fremodyne receiver and an 80m regen receiver.  This gave
me good hope.  Now, whenever I run into a difficult circuit I remember
Leo and the 'cool' method he used to figure thru the theory to solve a
problem.  Leo was 'cool' before 'cool' was a word!!  

Leo is gone, but I always remember his kindness and generosity (in
teaching).
A great guy.

  73 de Les Smith
  vk2bcu at operamail.com

On Thu, Aug 31, 2017, at 03:13, Tom Bridgers wrote:
> And I thought I was the only one with a worn out stupid stick.  I figured
> most of you guys who posted to the list never made a mistake.  I feel
> much better now knowing that I'm in good company and fit right in!
> 
> Onward to more fun with ARC-5 radios!
> 73's,
> Tom KE4RHH
> 
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