[Hallicrafters] "Looking Back"

Sat Aug 20 18:09:15 EDT 2005

Bill, 	

Well that explains that funny glint in your eyes and that "UL" insignia smack
between your eyebrows! (chuckle)	

There is only one good way for a totally blind person to make such inside the
cabinet tests, get a sighted person to do it!	

Back in 1972 I had a 'legal' home-brew CB amplifier that I used for heavy
traffic operation. AKA splatter from the moron on the next channel who had a
dirty amp and a so called Tweetie Bird! Somebody named "Sparks" built this
beast. I have no clue what it ran for finals, probably sweep tubes, but I do
know that there were four of them mounted horizontally. It had a fan that blew
air over said tubes.	

I had just acquired this hernia inducing piece of gear and was troubled by the
metal heavy screen cover that rattled constantly. I unplugged it and took the
screws holding the cover on out. I lifted the cabinet off and stuck my right
hand in, palm down, fat part near the wrist first, fingers pointing toward the
sky, so as to let the fan blade, in case it was still turning, hit my hand and
stop.    	

I managed to put the middle finger of my right hand on the metal tip of one of
those four output tubes! Ker-Pow! Blind man in low Earth orbit!	

The electrical shock startled me, naturally, so I yanked my hand out and jumped
back. However, my involuntary nervous system was faster and it caused my muscles
to react to the electrical shock and literally hurled me across the room, off
the plastered wall, into a wooden door and onto the bed. Well, sort of, as part
of me was on the bed and the rest was underneath it! 	

I was home alone, the XYL was at work. I pulled myself out from under the bed
and felt my right hand. it was tingling like it had been used for target
practice in a needle hurling contest using compressed air power carbines! I
called my parents and one came over to see what damage their fearless, sometimes
arguably senseless, blind son had done to himself this time. 	

The skin on the right middle fingertip was white, quite dead! So off to the
doctor's I got taken, despite protests.			

He did an EKG to be sure I had not done any damage to my heart from the severe
electrical shock. Said it was fine. Looked at my right hand and told me how in
six to eight weeks most of the dead skin would fall off, but it would leave scar
tissue and I had managed to probably permanently impair my sense of touch. Now
had I been a NY Cab driver, this could have been job threatening, as with my
right middle finger's ability to communicate impaired ... Some Cab drivers would
be left speechless!	

I learn quickly. Got the XYL to check the tubes for me. I tried to tell her to
take that 14K Gold ring with diamond setting off first,  but she said the only
way that wedding ring was ever coming off was if she died and somebody chopped
it off. 	

Did I mention that was my first wife?	

DBF	

----------
From: Bill Gerhold <k2wh at optonline.net>
To: Hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Hallicrafters] "Looking Back"
Date: Saturday, August 20, 2005 3:53 PM

I learned very quickly and painfully, to never reach in a HV plate supply,
3000 vdc or 2300 vac, 1KVA to feel if the open core transformer windings
were getting too hot!  Thank GOD, my elbow of the same hand was on the
chassis.  Felt like someone stepped up and whacked my lower arm with a
baseball bat.

Like you, I never had any of the luxuries except poor mans meters, lamps
both incandescent and neon.

BTW, who amongst us was never fascinated by the arc one could pull off the
horizontal output tube with a screwdriver blade?

K2WH

-----Original Message-----
From: hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of John King
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 3:01 PM
To: Hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Hallicrafters] "Looking Back"

In keeping with Glenn Zooks reflections I am amazed
that I survived my Novice and early General days.

I had no VOM or VTVM. I built an AC pwr supply for my
AM modulator (pair of 6L6s) with a Navy Surplus pwr
xfrmer purchased from Barry electronics and choke from
same source shipped from NY to my rural Louisiana
home. The caps were a large box of canned
electrolytics given to me by someone. I had no
knowledge of the amount of voltage the supply was
producing so I just tacked in caps and used them until
they gave off that sickening putrid chemical smell and
if I was lucky I got them out before they EXPLODED!!!

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