[SFDXA] A few interesting articles from the ARRL Contest Update

[Bill Marx]

I picked a few interesting articles from the ARRL Contest Update:
Full Newsletter at http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2011-11-09

*Web Site of the Week* - Could it be cool again to be a hands-on 
tinkerer? A recent /Christian Scientist Monitor/ article 
<http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech/2011/1101/Maker-Faire-Mad-science-for-the-masses> 
about the "Maker" movement - also known as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) - is 
attracting a lot of kids to the workbench. Corporate America is 
noticing, with tools and parts selling well. Ham radio, being intensely 
hands-on, would seem to be a natural part of the DIY world - if only we 
can bring ourselves to participate in it! Look for a "Hackerspace" near 
you - or is that "Shackerspace"?

The latest EDN /Ham Radio Today 
<http://www.edn.com/article/519742-Ham_radio_in_the_21st_century.php>/ 
column by Doug K1DG is a good survey of the amateur service for 
technical folks. You might want to bookmark this page for future 
reference when someone asks, "Do you still do that?"

TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATIONHow to get that deeply-buried PL-259 
loosened? With so many cables and connectors packed into a station, it 
can be almost impossible to turn the shell of a PL-259 in the midst of a 
packed panel. Several readers have contributed ideas but the best I 
found involve a tool for the purpose. Mike W3MC and Mark N1UK recommend 
the Knipex "Micro Cobra 
<http://chadstoolbox.com/8701125knipexmicrocobra.aspx>" style pliers, 
nylon-jawed if you can find them. Your editor has found that heavy-duty 
spark plug boot pullers 
<http://www.amazon.com/OEM-25542-Spark-Plug-Pliers/dp/B0014WIUQY> also 
work and are available at a local auto-parts store. These can turn not 
only the UHF shells but N, BNC, and even F!