[R-390] Re: clock??

[Bill Hawkins]

Advertising has taught us that you can increase the value of
anything with a good story, if you aren't constrained by the
truth.

Put in your pencil sharpener and array of lights. Paint the
front panel International Orange. Make up an etched tag that
says it was a special order for the commander of a top-secret
military group. Then make up a story about how the receiver
got separated from the commander. Any military thriller novel
should give you some good ideas.

Don't forget to put "L@@k!! Rare!!" in the listing title.

Happy (and creative) New Year
Bill Hawkins
 

-----Original Message-----
From: 2002tii
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 9:16 PM

C'mon, folks, surely we can do better than that.  Here are eleven
suggestions to get the discussion started:

How about a little CRT (or these days, LCD) that shows signal strength
on the vertical axis and instantaneous frequency +/- the center of the
IF on the horizontal axis, like the Marantz 10B FM tuner?  (Yes, I know,
such a display isn't nearly as useful on an AM receiver, but it would
look way cool.)  Or a 6E5 tuning eye?  (Looks almost as cool, but much
easier to design and implement.)  Or an electric pencil sharpener, so
your logbook will always look neat.  (You DO keep a logbook, don't you?)
Or a video camera hooked to your computer so all your friends can go to
your website and watch you twiddle the knobs?  (You DO have friends,
don't you?  Sorry, I forgot -- you're a radio operator. . . .)  Or a
bottle opener.  (Your beer DOESN'T have twist-off caps, does it?)  When
the radio is full of bottle caps, it is time to empty it and perform
periodic maintenance.  Or an altimeter (so you know how high you are.)
Or an automotive cigarette lighter?  Or a big, military-looking switch
with a safety lockout, labeled "DETONATE" (whether, and how, you
implement the rest is up to you).

How about a little speaker, in case you want to use your 390 as a
portable receiver and don't want to have to lug around that big, heavy,
external speaker?  Or a whip antenna that pulls out, hinges up, and
extends to six feet or so (similar to the one on a Drake SW8)?  (This is
the answer for all those occasions when you've said, "I'd love to bring
my 390 over to your place, but it's just too much effort to move the
twin sloper. . . .")  Or an automotive ignition switch wired in series
with the power switch, so nobody can use your 390 when you're not there?

How about a display for a digital frequency readout?

Now it's y'all's turn.  And use a little imagination this time!   ;-)

Best regards,

Don