To contact us Click HERE
Well, I *finally* have all twelve tapes on hard-disk, a process called "Ingest" in the biz.
I had some real hair pulling moments doing this, as somewhere along the line, the audio settings in Windoze got changed, and seven of the twelve tapes recorded without sound.
ARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
After I re-recorded them and stopped the capture, Premiere Pro would hang up with a "Conforming XXXX.AVI" message, and the progress bar indicating it was saving to disk never budged. After a few minutes of this, the program would stop responding, and die.
Took me most of a day, a lot of head scratching and book reading (Yes, I *do* RTFM), and prowling the Adobe Premiere Pro forums, but I figured it out. The bit rate between what Windoze had the sound card set to, and what Premiere Pro was using, didn't match, causing a huge problem that Premier Pro tried to correct, by transcoding the audio (part of the "Conforming" process) to the bit rate used for DVD.
WELL.......if the bit rates are different enough, it can take forever to resample the original audio stream, and convert it to the new rate.
And in some cases, it simply can't be done without causing big "holes" in the data stream, which the program won't accept, and so you spiral down in flames, waiting for the job to finish.
SO, now that I have all the tapes *properly* recorded to disk, I assigned the "In Points" and "Out Points" to each of the 18 "clips" I made from the twelve tapes. The "Ins" and "Outs" are simply the points at which the video starts to play, and are used to eliminate the first few crummy/bad/distorted frames of video that the camcorder produces when it first starts to record. They're used for other things, like selecting where you want to do other stuff, but for now that's how I'm using them.
Now "all" I have to do is to assemble the clips in a sequence, add the transitions ("Fade To Black" stuff) between the clips, make sure the completed sequence will fit on a DVD, and save each sequence as a "Project".
That will complete the editing portion of the project, and I can go on to "author" the DVD using Adobe Encore, and then burn the DVDs for my brother-in-law. He says his kids, now fully grown with their own children, have never seen the tapes.
The reason I built a studio-grade PC hardware and software suite, was that I wanted to be able to capture HD video from the Component Video jacks on the back of my DirecTV box, back when I had DirecTV.
I literally bought EVERY "consumer grade" video capture device on the market, and tried them all. Some of them has S-Video inputs, and a couple had "component video" inputs, and they ALL used USB to connect to the PC.
They ALL sucked, producing at best, video that looked like a VHS tape.
So, I bit the bullet, and bought a Matrox RT.X2 video capture card, which came bundled with a full version of Adobe Premiere Pro.
While this is still a top-notch video capture and editing system, times have changed, and now there are little stand-alone boxes that will actually do HD video, and they cost a whole lot less than what I paid for my hardware.
But then again, we're paying about the same for 40MB fiber-to-the-home as I was for my dual ISDN lines that gave me 128kB back in 1997, and those dollars were a whole bunch bigger.
31 Aralık 2012 Pazartesi
CWII Waiting In The Wings?
To contact us Click HERE
The Silicon Graybeard had some links to some very interesting reading.
The first is a great piece over at Free North Carolina, and the other a piece over at Angry White Dude's place.
Go over to Graybeard's place and RTWT, as he's much better at writing about this stuff than I *ever* will be.
MY take on things?
I don't really know what will happen, but if Big Brother starts pushing too hard, I think we'll see a lot of Matt Bracken and Vince Flynn "Term Limits" stuff start to go down.
One thing to keep in mind, is that even if you back off a rattler after you've annoyed him, he still might strike.
And since the dunderheads in power are too stupid or too ideologically driven to back off......
The first is a great piece over at Free North Carolina, and the other a piece over at Angry White Dude's place.
Go over to Graybeard's place and RTWT, as he's much better at writing about this stuff than I *ever* will be.
MY take on things?
I don't really know what will happen, but if Big Brother starts pushing too hard, I think we'll see a lot of Matt Bracken and Vince Flynn "Term Limits" stuff start to go down.
One thing to keep in mind, is that even if you back off a rattler after you've annoyed him, he still might strike.
And since the dunderheads in power are too stupid or too ideologically driven to back off......
WOW! The GRPC is a real Who's Who of this civil rights movement!
To contact us Click HERE
(Dollars to donuts they find my chubby butt hiding in the back and kick me out.....)
************************************************************************************************************
27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference
September 28-30, 2012
Hyatt Regency Orlando, Florida, Airport
FRIDAY, September 28, 2012—Regency Ballroom
7:00 p.m. Registration Table Opens
7:00–9:00 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar
Co-hosted by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and Second Amendment
Foundation (SAF)
Music by the patriot rock band Madison Rising
SATURDAY, September 29, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
7:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverages hosted by Women & Guns Magazine
8:00 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator—Julianne Versnel, publisher, Journal on Firearms & Public Policy, director of operations, SAF
Color Guard—University of Central Florida, Air Force ROTC
National Anthem performed by Madison Rising
Invocation—Rev. Anthony Winfield, chaplain, Elmhurst Hospital Center, New York City
8:10 a.m. State of the Gun Rights Battle
Welcoming Remarks
The Road Traveled—Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF
The Road Ahead—Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, CCRKBA and founder, SAF
8:30 a.m. The Most Dangerous Election of Our Lifetime
Maria Heil, board member and spokesperson, National Rifle Association
8:45 a.m. Federal Affairs Briefing
Mark Barnes, president, Mark Barnes and Associates
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issues columnist
Larry Pratt, executive director, Gun Owners of America
Joe Waldron, legislative director, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
9:15 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing I
Hon. Sam Slom, Minority Leader Hawaii Senate, trustee of the Second Amendment Foundation
Sandra Barreras, Puerto Rico, Damas de la Segunda Enmienda
Jim Irvine, president, Buckeye Firearms Association
Richard Nascak, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org.
Patrick Shomo, president, Maryland Shall Issue Inc.
9:45 a.m. Beverage break hosted IAPCAR
10:00 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing II
Stephen Aldstadt, president, Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE, Inc.) NY
Thomas Bolioli, secretary, Commonwealth Second Amendment, Inc.
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Tony Montanarella, president, California Rifle & Pistol Association
Philip Van Cleave, president, Virginia Citizens Defense League
10:30 a.m. Global Gun Control: Down but Not Out
Gary Burris, founder, Lone Star Shooting Association
Sheldon Clare, president, National Firearms Association of Canada
Julianne Versnel, publisher, Women & Guns, director of operations, Second Amendment Foundation
Maj. Gen. Allen Youngman, USA (ret.), executive director, Defense Small Arms Advisory Council
11:00 a.m. “Stand Your Ground” Laws under Fire
Eric Friday, Esq., counsel for Florida Carry
Jon Gutmacher, Esq., firearms instructor, attorney and author of Florida Firearms -- Law, Use & Ownership
11:20 a.m. Protecting the Right to Protect
Mark O’Mara, Esq., defense attorney for George Zimmerman
11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Panels
12:00 Noon Recess and break to prepare for box luncheon
12:15 p.m. Awards Luncheon Hosted by CCRKBA and SAF
Speakers:
U.S. Representative. Joe Barton (R-Texas 6th Dist.)
Ambassador Donald A. Mahley
Otis McDonald, lead plaintiff, McDonald v. City of Chicago
Awards presentations
1:30 p.m. Recess Break
1:45 p.m. Fine-Tuning Arms Rights in the Courts
David Jensen, Esq., SAF counsel in Kwong vs. Bloomberg, Moore v. Madigan and Piszczatoski v. Maenza
Donald Kilmer, Esq., counsel to CalGuns Foundation and SAF
David Kopel, Esq., research director, Independence Institute, co-author, Firearms Law & the Second Amendment
Dan Schmutter, Esq., legal counsel, Association of NJ Rifle & Pistol Clubs
2:15 p.m. The Second Amendment and the Legal Community
Bobbie K. Ross, Esq., Chair, Second Amendment Civil Rights Litigation Subcommittee, American Bar Association
2:30 p.m. The Realities of Self-Defense in Washington, DC
Emily Miller, senior editorial page editor, The Washington Times and author of Emily Gets a Gun
2:45 p.m. The “Fast and Furious” Fiasco
David Workman, senior editor, TheGunMag.com, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
3:00 p.m. Beverage service hosted by KeepAndBearArms.com
3:15 p.m. Those Dangerous Gun-Free Zones
John Lott, PhD, commentator for FoxNews.com and Wall Street Journal
3:30 p.m. Breaking the Establishment Media’s Stranglehold
Robert Farago, publisher, TheTruthAboutGuns.com
Bob Harvey, host, Bullseye Radio Talk Show
Fredy Riehl, editor and press coordinator, Ammoland.com
Mark Vanderberg, Gun Rights Radio Network
4:00 p.m. How Gun Rights Are Really at Risk if They Steal the Election First
John Fund, senior editor The American Spectator and columnist for National Review Online
4:15 p.m. The 2012 Elections: A Nation at the Crossroads
Alan Gottlieb, chairman, AmeriPAC, chairman, CCRKBA
Stephani Scruggs, president, Unite in Action and national chair, The 912 Project
Kirby Wilbur, chairman, Republican Party of Washington, SAF trustee
4:45 p.m. Growing State Gun Rights Networks
Gene Hoffman, chairman, CalGuns Foundation
Brent Carlton, president, Commonwealth Second Amendment Inc.
Sean Caranna, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org
5:15 p.m. Which Case Will Be the Next RKBA Case to Go to SCOTUS?
Alan Gura, SAF chief counsel and lead attorney, D.C. v. Heller, McDonald v. Chicago and Ezell v. Chicago
5:30 p.m. Q & A on afternoon panels
6:00 p.m. Announcements and Adjournment
6:30-9:30 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar—Regency Ballroom
Hosted by Second Amendment Foundation and National Shooting Sports Foundation
Entertainment by patriotic rock band Madison Rising
SUNDAY, September 30, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
8:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverage service hosted by TheGunMag.com
8:50 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator: Peggy Tartaro, editor of Women & Guns, board member CCRKBA
9:00 a.m. Growing the Gunowner Base in the Popular Culture War
Alan Korwin, author, After You Shoot, Bloomfield Press
Richard Mgrdechian, president, Madison Rising
Neil Schulman, screenwriter, journalist, filmmaker
Peggy Tartaro, editor, Women & Guns magazine, board member, CCRKBA
9:35 a.m. The Supreme Court: A Majority of One
David Kopel, Esq., adjunct professor of Advanced Constitutional Law, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver
Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF
10:00 a.m. The Many Faces of the Second Amendment
Rev. Kenneth V. Blanchard, pastor, firearms instructor, blogger
Doug Ritter, founder and chairman, KnifeRights.org
Erik Royce, founder, TruckerGuns Foundation
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association
10:30 a.m. Is Patient Privacy Dead after Florida Court Ruling?
Timothy Wheeler, MD, director, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a project of the SAF
10:45 a.m. The Academic Front in the Gun Rights Battle
David Burnett, Students for Concealed Carry
Brian Patrick, associate professor of communications, University of Toledo
11:05 a.m. The Anti-Gunners’ Homeland Security Gambit
Charles Heller, executive director, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Benjamin Smith, director of Strategic Affairs, Unite in Action, and contributor to Breitbart and Fox News
11:25 a.m. Countering Media Bias
Don Irvine, president, Accuracy in Media
Malia Zimmerman, editor, Hawaii Reporter, director, Hawaii Rifle Association
11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Session
12:00 Noon Report of the Resolutions Committee
Genie Jennings, W&G columnist
Stephen Aldstadt, president, SCOPE, Inc.
Linda Farmer, Georgia gun rights activist
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issue columnist
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Herb Stupp, Vice Chairman CCRKBA
Miko Tempski, director, CCRKBA
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association
Robert Wiest, SAF board of trustees, Tennessee activist
1:00 p.m. Closing remarks and adjournment
Alan M. Gottlieb and Joseph P. Tartaro
************************************************************************************************************
27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference
September 28-30, 2012
Hyatt Regency Orlando, Florida, Airport
FRIDAY, September 28, 2012—Regency Ballroom
7:00 p.m. Registration Table Opens
7:00–9:00 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar
Co-hosted by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and Second Amendment
Foundation (SAF)
Music by the patriot rock band Madison Rising
SATURDAY, September 29, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
7:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverages hosted by Women & Guns Magazine
8:00 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator—Julianne Versnel, publisher, Journal on Firearms & Public Policy, director of operations, SAF
Color Guard—University of Central Florida, Air Force ROTC
National Anthem performed by Madison Rising
Invocation—Rev. Anthony Winfield, chaplain, Elmhurst Hospital Center, New York City
8:10 a.m. State of the Gun Rights Battle
Welcoming Remarks
The Road Traveled—Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF
The Road Ahead—Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, CCRKBA and founder, SAF
8:30 a.m. The Most Dangerous Election of Our Lifetime
Maria Heil, board member and spokesperson, National Rifle Association
8:45 a.m. Federal Affairs Briefing
Mark Barnes, president, Mark Barnes and Associates
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issues columnist
Larry Pratt, executive director, Gun Owners of America
Joe Waldron, legislative director, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
9:15 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing I
Hon. Sam Slom, Minority Leader Hawaii Senate, trustee of the Second Amendment Foundation
Sandra Barreras, Puerto Rico, Damas de la Segunda Enmienda
Jim Irvine, president, Buckeye Firearms Association
Richard Nascak, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org.
Patrick Shomo, president, Maryland Shall Issue Inc.
9:45 a.m. Beverage break hosted IAPCAR
10:00 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing II
Stephen Aldstadt, president, Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE, Inc.) NY
Thomas Bolioli, secretary, Commonwealth Second Amendment, Inc.
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Tony Montanarella, president, California Rifle & Pistol Association
Philip Van Cleave, president, Virginia Citizens Defense League
10:30 a.m. Global Gun Control: Down but Not Out
Gary Burris, founder, Lone Star Shooting Association
Sheldon Clare, president, National Firearms Association of Canada
Julianne Versnel, publisher, Women & Guns, director of operations, Second Amendment Foundation
Maj. Gen. Allen Youngman, USA (ret.), executive director, Defense Small Arms Advisory Council
11:00 a.m. “Stand Your Ground” Laws under Fire
Eric Friday, Esq., counsel for Florida Carry
Jon Gutmacher, Esq., firearms instructor, attorney and author of Florida Firearms -- Law, Use & Ownership
11:20 a.m. Protecting the Right to Protect
Mark O’Mara, Esq., defense attorney for George Zimmerman
11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Panels
12:00 Noon Recess and break to prepare for box luncheon
12:15 p.m. Awards Luncheon Hosted by CCRKBA and SAF
Speakers:
U.S. Representative. Joe Barton (R-Texas 6th Dist.)
Ambassador Donald A. Mahley
Otis McDonald, lead plaintiff, McDonald v. City of Chicago
Awards presentations
1:30 p.m. Recess Break
1:45 p.m. Fine-Tuning Arms Rights in the Courts
David Jensen, Esq., SAF counsel in Kwong vs. Bloomberg, Moore v. Madigan and Piszczatoski v. Maenza
Donald Kilmer, Esq., counsel to CalGuns Foundation and SAF
David Kopel, Esq., research director, Independence Institute, co-author, Firearms Law & the Second Amendment
Dan Schmutter, Esq., legal counsel, Association of NJ Rifle & Pistol Clubs
2:15 p.m. The Second Amendment and the Legal Community
Bobbie K. Ross, Esq., Chair, Second Amendment Civil Rights Litigation Subcommittee, American Bar Association
2:30 p.m. The Realities of Self-Defense in Washington, DC
Emily Miller, senior editorial page editor, The Washington Times and author of Emily Gets a Gun
2:45 p.m. The “Fast and Furious” Fiasco
David Workman, senior editor, TheGunMag.com, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
3:00 p.m. Beverage service hosted by KeepAndBearArms.com
3:15 p.m. Those Dangerous Gun-Free Zones
John Lott, PhD, commentator for FoxNews.com and Wall Street Journal
3:30 p.m. Breaking the Establishment Media’s Stranglehold
Robert Farago, publisher, TheTruthAboutGuns.com
Bob Harvey, host, Bullseye Radio Talk Show
Fredy Riehl, editor and press coordinator, Ammoland.com
Mark Vanderberg, Gun Rights Radio Network
4:00 p.m. How Gun Rights Are Really at Risk if They Steal the Election First
John Fund, senior editor The American Spectator and columnist for National Review Online
4:15 p.m. The 2012 Elections: A Nation at the Crossroads
Alan Gottlieb, chairman, AmeriPAC, chairman, CCRKBA
Stephani Scruggs, president, Unite in Action and national chair, The 912 Project
Kirby Wilbur, chairman, Republican Party of Washington, SAF trustee
4:45 p.m. Growing State Gun Rights Networks
Gene Hoffman, chairman, CalGuns Foundation
Brent Carlton, president, Commonwealth Second Amendment Inc.
Sean Caranna, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org
5:15 p.m. Which Case Will Be the Next RKBA Case to Go to SCOTUS?
Alan Gura, SAF chief counsel and lead attorney, D.C. v. Heller, McDonald v. Chicago and Ezell v. Chicago
5:30 p.m. Q & A on afternoon panels
6:00 p.m. Announcements and Adjournment
6:30-9:30 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar—Regency Ballroom
Hosted by Second Amendment Foundation and National Shooting Sports Foundation
Entertainment by patriotic rock band Madison Rising
SUNDAY, September 30, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
8:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverage service hosted by TheGunMag.com
8:50 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator: Peggy Tartaro, editor of Women & Guns, board member CCRKBA
9:00 a.m. Growing the Gunowner Base in the Popular Culture War
Alan Korwin, author, After You Shoot, Bloomfield Press
Richard Mgrdechian, president, Madison Rising
Neil Schulman, screenwriter, journalist, filmmaker
Peggy Tartaro, editor, Women & Guns magazine, board member, CCRKBA
9:35 a.m. The Supreme Court: A Majority of One
David Kopel, Esq., adjunct professor of Advanced Constitutional Law, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver
Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF
10:00 a.m. The Many Faces of the Second Amendment
Rev. Kenneth V. Blanchard, pastor, firearms instructor, blogger
Doug Ritter, founder and chairman, KnifeRights.org
Erik Royce, founder, TruckerGuns Foundation
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association
10:30 a.m. Is Patient Privacy Dead after Florida Court Ruling?
Timothy Wheeler, MD, director, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a project of the SAF
10:45 a.m. The Academic Front in the Gun Rights Battle
David Burnett, Students for Concealed Carry
Brian Patrick, associate professor of communications, University of Toledo
11:05 a.m. The Anti-Gunners’ Homeland Security Gambit
Charles Heller, executive director, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Benjamin Smith, director of Strategic Affairs, Unite in Action, and contributor to Breitbart and Fox News
11:25 a.m. Countering Media Bias
Don Irvine, president, Accuracy in Media
Malia Zimmerman, editor, Hawaii Reporter, director, Hawaii Rifle Association
11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Session
12:00 Noon Report of the Resolutions Committee
Genie Jennings, W&G columnist
Stephen Aldstadt, president, SCOPE, Inc.
Linda Farmer, Georgia gun rights activist
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issue columnist
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Herb Stupp, Vice Chairman CCRKBA
Miko Tempski, director, CCRKBA
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association
Robert Wiest, SAF board of trustees, Tennessee activist
1:00 p.m. Closing remarks and adjournment
Alan M. Gottlieb and Joseph P. Tartaro
THINK... are your 'home defense' weapons really there for you?
To contact us Click HERE
.
"I have a question" was the text I got one evening a short time ago.
Princess knew I was in an important meeting, so the text would not have come lightly. As we had just finished the goodbyes, I hit speed dial on the way back to my vehicle. "What's up?"
"I don't want you to worry, but I have a question. Is the gun in the XXXXXXX the same as the one in the XXXXXXX?"
"Huh?" I answered intelligently...
"Does it work the same?"
At this point, with a bit of anxious questioning on my part, I was informed she had heard a noise outside and, intelligent girl that she is, immediately armed herself. Not to go outside and play commando, but just as insurance while she went about her business in the home. I assured her the pistol she had next to her worked exactly the same as the one she had learned to shoot with, and was in exactly the condition she knew the others to be.
In this case.... ready to fire by one simple action. Pulling the trigger.
The conversation revealed a flaw in our home defense planning, and an inexcusable one on my part. You see, Princess is not a shooter.... but she's a bright lady and has learned to handle pistols well enough to use them for their intended purpose... self defense. Not as CCW, but most certainly around the home. She's more than demonstrated the capacity and willingness to handle (and use) weapons in her own self defense. She's a lot like the main character in 'Quigley Down Under' in that way, just after he used a Colt pistol to dispatch the evil bad guy. "Said I had no use for a pistol... didn't say I don't know how to use one".
So, it falls upon me, as the house expert, to see to home defense weapons (as well as plumbing repairs, dealing with the woodstove, and most of the dishes. In return, I never have to touch laundry... and I see that as a fair bargain).
Her question pointed out a problem. While *I* had plans, procedures, and safety checks... I hadn't made her aware of them in enough detail. With her not being a shooter, I had covered a few basics, assured her ability and judgement where safety is concerned, and left it at that.
My mistake, and one rectified as quickly as I arrived home. The noise? Some critter in the night perhaps, but never a threat or bother. She was just being careful. You can be assured... I announced myself before I walked in (g).
What I hadn't explained well enough to her was this; In my 'home defense weapon' plans, every pistol available (without unlocking something complicated) is in the same condition. In our case, having no children in the home nor adult visitors of questionable competence, we have weapons hidden well but still readily available. Each is in the same condition... round chambered, no external safety engaged, and ready to fire on pulling the trigger.
Each pistol is either a Glock pattern with a 'Safe Action', or has a long double action pull. They are highly unlikely to go off by accident, and are stored in such a way that their triggers are protected.
The idea is simple. If we need them, they are there right now, ready right now, and are safe until then. Nothing to manipulate under pressure, nothing to remember before use, no intricate puzzles to solve. Two of the pistols have laser sighting devices, but this matters little. They don't need to be switched on to have the weapons function perfectly.
The fact that Princess is a component of the plan, and is not a shooting enthusiast, has a great deal to do with the thinking behind it. Any defensive weapon in the home needs to be simple enough that she can use them well under extreme pressure. She's not going to remember to sweep the safety on a 1911 pattern, nor cycle the action on a pistol with an empty chamber. Her judgement can be trusted, and she's more than intelligent enough to keep her finger off the trigger till she needs to fire.... but she's not going to practice with any frequency nor build up instinctive muscle memory (In that... she's not much different from most of the police officers in this nation, who's shooting experience revolves around occasional mandated qualifications).
Long guns are different, and not part of any plans involving Princess. For the record, they too are stored in a specific condition. Chamber empty, safety off, ready to fire upon working the action. Guns locked in the safe? Totally different situation, totally different condition.
Should our home have children visiting, or if by chance we ever had adults staying with us who were not proven safe shooters, all would be locked safely away.
It's an important topic, and one worth considering thoughtfully. Each situation is different, and the people who occupy the home will cause any plan to be modified as required. Where a single person living in a secure area might simply leave a weapon in a nightstand drawer, another person might need something more secure, such as a coded safe. Once that's decided, further thought must be given to weapon condition. Round in the chamber, or not? Safety on, or not? Magazine in the pistol, or not?
Each situation is different, and each persons ability and training must be taken into account. Also, the possibility of split second decisions being necessary under immense life threatening pressure.... and how different people can react to that.
Are there children in the home? Is a break in while the homeowner is away a reasonable threat? Is a home invasion of an occupied house a reasonable threat? All these and more must be thought of ahead of time, and decisions made on dealing with them.
Most of all... most importantly... careful plans must be made in advance of trouble... and as I learned, everyone concerned needs to know what they are.
These are not idle thoughts... especially in a world turning more dangerous by the minute. When things go bad in a hard way, there is seldom a lot of warning. Do your planning now, and work your plan.
Thank for stopping in and spending time with 'Ol Carteach. If you are of a mind to, don't hesitate to click on some of the ads posted here and there on the site. You don't need to buy a thing, or even read them, but each click does throw a few pennies into the ammo fund.... and these days that's a lot!
.
"I have a question" was the text I got one evening a short time ago.
Princess knew I was in an important meeting, so the text would not have come lightly. As we had just finished the goodbyes, I hit speed dial on the way back to my vehicle. "What's up?"
"I don't want you to worry, but I have a question. Is the gun in the XXXXXXX the same as the one in the XXXXXXX?"
"Huh?" I answered intelligently...
"Does it work the same?"
At this point, with a bit of anxious questioning on my part, I was informed she had heard a noise outside and, intelligent girl that she is, immediately armed herself. Not to go outside and play commando, but just as insurance while she went about her business in the home. I assured her the pistol she had next to her worked exactly the same as the one she had learned to shoot with, and was in exactly the condition she knew the others to be.
In this case.... ready to fire by one simple action. Pulling the trigger.
The conversation revealed a flaw in our home defense planning, and an inexcusable one on my part. You see, Princess is not a shooter.... but she's a bright lady and has learned to handle pistols well enough to use them for their intended purpose... self defense. Not as CCW, but most certainly around the home. She's more than demonstrated the capacity and willingness to handle (and use) weapons in her own self defense. She's a lot like the main character in 'Quigley Down Under' in that way, just after he used a Colt pistol to dispatch the evil bad guy. "Said I had no use for a pistol... didn't say I don't know how to use one".
So, it falls upon me, as the house expert, to see to home defense weapons (as well as plumbing repairs, dealing with the woodstove, and most of the dishes. In return, I never have to touch laundry... and I see that as a fair bargain).
Her question pointed out a problem. While *I* had plans, procedures, and safety checks... I hadn't made her aware of them in enough detail. With her not being a shooter, I had covered a few basics, assured her ability and judgement where safety is concerned, and left it at that.
My mistake, and one rectified as quickly as I arrived home. The noise? Some critter in the night perhaps, but never a threat or bother. She was just being careful. You can be assured... I announced myself before I walked in (g).
What I hadn't explained well enough to her was this; In my 'home defense weapon' plans, every pistol available (without unlocking something complicated) is in the same condition. In our case, having no children in the home nor adult visitors of questionable competence, we have weapons hidden well but still readily available. Each is in the same condition... round chambered, no external safety engaged, and ready to fire on pulling the trigger.
Each pistol is either a Glock pattern with a 'Safe Action', or has a long double action pull. They are highly unlikely to go off by accident, and are stored in such a way that their triggers are protected.
The idea is simple. If we need them, they are there right now, ready right now, and are safe until then. Nothing to manipulate under pressure, nothing to remember before use, no intricate puzzles to solve. Two of the pistols have laser sighting devices, but this matters little. They don't need to be switched on to have the weapons function perfectly.
The fact that Princess is a component of the plan, and is not a shooting enthusiast, has a great deal to do with the thinking behind it. Any defensive weapon in the home needs to be simple enough that she can use them well under extreme pressure. She's not going to remember to sweep the safety on a 1911 pattern, nor cycle the action on a pistol with an empty chamber. Her judgement can be trusted, and she's more than intelligent enough to keep her finger off the trigger till she needs to fire.... but she's not going to practice with any frequency nor build up instinctive muscle memory (In that... she's not much different from most of the police officers in this nation, who's shooting experience revolves around occasional mandated qualifications).
Long guns are different, and not part of any plans involving Princess. For the record, they too are stored in a specific condition. Chamber empty, safety off, ready to fire upon working the action. Guns locked in the safe? Totally different situation, totally different condition.
Should our home have children visiting, or if by chance we ever had adults staying with us who were not proven safe shooters, all would be locked safely away.
It's an important topic, and one worth considering thoughtfully. Each situation is different, and the people who occupy the home will cause any plan to be modified as required. Where a single person living in a secure area might simply leave a weapon in a nightstand drawer, another person might need something more secure, such as a coded safe. Once that's decided, further thought must be given to weapon condition. Round in the chamber, or not? Safety on, or not? Magazine in the pistol, or not?
Each situation is different, and each persons ability and training must be taken into account. Also, the possibility of split second decisions being necessary under immense life threatening pressure.... and how different people can react to that.
Are there children in the home? Is a break in while the homeowner is away a reasonable threat? Is a home invasion of an occupied house a reasonable threat? All these and more must be thought of ahead of time, and decisions made on dealing with them.
Most of all... most importantly... careful plans must be made in advance of trouble... and as I learned, everyone concerned needs to know what they are.
These are not idle thoughts... especially in a world turning more dangerous by the minute. When things go bad in a hard way, there is seldom a lot of warning. Do your planning now, and work your plan.
Thank for stopping in and spending time with 'Ol Carteach. If you are of a mind to, don't hesitate to click on some of the ads posted here and there on the site. You don't need to buy a thing, or even read them, but each click does throw a few pennies into the ammo fund.... and these days that's a lot!
.
Beginning the test... DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster
To contact us Click HERE
The Fat Man has a few pistols designed for pocket carry, but till now never really used a holster to do same. They just got slid into pants/jacket/vest pocket and away we went.
Today begins the Carteach testing of the DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. In fact, it's loaded up and in my pocket as this is typed, and shall be all day. After that, daily use in various formats as I explore it's quality and usefulness.
Mine was NOT given by DeSantis as a T+E unit, but purchased from Amazon.com.
DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster
As typical on this shooting blog, I test and report as honestly as I can.... you decide from there on. So far, first impressions wise.... I like it. The Nemesis holds the pistol surprisingly securely, and is made of materials such that it tends to stick in the pocket, allowing a clean draw. Re-holstering is much easier than I expected, and so far remains a one handed job while the holster is left in the pocket.
The holster is designed to do two important functions. One, and most important for me, it keeps the pistol properly oriented for a no-snag draw. Two, and a feature probably important to many, the holster breaks up the 'GUN!' outline on the wearers clothing typical of pocket carry.
Today I wear the holster in a pants pocket, but have already tested it in both vest and jacket pockets as well. In each case it performed it's job without fuss or headache.... so far.
Stay tuned. I'll report back in a month or two, and give notice whether the Nemesis holster will remain in service, or be just another addition to the 'Big Box 'O Holsters' every shooter seems to have.
The Fat Man has a few pistols designed for pocket carry, but till now never really used a holster to do same. They just got slid into pants/jacket/vest pocket and away we went.
Today begins the Carteach testing of the DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. In fact, it's loaded up and in my pocket as this is typed, and shall be all day. After that, daily use in various formats as I explore it's quality and usefulness.
Mine was NOT given by DeSantis as a T+E unit, but purchased from Amazon.com.
DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster
As typical on this shooting blog, I test and report as honestly as I can.... you decide from there on. So far, first impressions wise.... I like it. The Nemesis holds the pistol surprisingly securely, and is made of materials such that it tends to stick in the pocket, allowing a clean draw. Re-holstering is much easier than I expected, and so far remains a one handed job while the holster is left in the pocket.
The holster is designed to do two important functions. One, and most important for me, it keeps the pistol properly oriented for a no-snag draw. Two, and a feature probably important to many, the holster breaks up the 'GUN!' outline on the wearers clothing typical of pocket carry.
Today I wear the holster in a pants pocket, but have already tested it in both vest and jacket pockets as well. In each case it performed it's job without fuss or headache.... so far.
Stay tuned. I'll report back in a month or two, and give notice whether the Nemesis holster will remain in service, or be just another addition to the 'Big Box 'O Holsters' every shooter seems to have.
27 Aralık 2012 Perşembe
THINK... are your 'home defense' weapons really there for you?
To contact us Click HERE
.
"I have a question" was the text I got one evening a short time ago.
Princess knew I was in an important meeting, so the text would not have come lightly. As we had just finished the goodbyes, I hit speed dial on the way back to my vehicle. "What's up?"
"I don't want you to worry, but I have a question. Is the gun in the XXXXXXX the same as the one in the XXXXXXX?"
"Huh?" I answered intelligently...
"Does it work the same?"
At this point, with a bit of anxious questioning on my part, I was informed she had heard a noise outside and, intelligent girl that she is, immediately armed herself. Not to go outside and play commando, but just as insurance while she went about her business in the home. I assured her the pistol she had next to her worked exactly the same as the one she had learned to shoot with, and was in exactly the condition she knew the others to be.
In this case.... ready to fire by one simple action. Pulling the trigger.
The conversation revealed a flaw in our home defense planning, and an inexcusable one on my part. You see, Princess is not a shooter.... but she's a bright lady and has learned to handle pistols well enough to use them for their intended purpose... self defense. Not as CCW, but most certainly around the home. She's more than demonstrated the capacity and willingness to handle (and use) weapons in her own self defense. She's a lot like the main character in 'Quigley Down Under' in that way, just after he used a Colt pistol to dispatch the evil bad guy. "Said I had no use for a pistol... didn't say I don't know how to use one".
So, it falls upon me, as the house expert, to see to home defense weapons (as well as plumbing repairs, dealing with the woodstove, and most of the dishes. In return, I never have to touch laundry... and I see that as a fair bargain).
Her question pointed out a problem. While *I* had plans, procedures, and safety checks... I hadn't made her aware of them in enough detail. With her not being a shooter, I had covered a few basics, assured her ability and judgement where safety is concerned, and left it at that.
My mistake, and one rectified as quickly as I arrived home. The noise? Some critter in the night perhaps, but never a threat or bother. She was just being careful. You can be assured... I announced myself before I walked in (g).
What I hadn't explained well enough to her was this; In my 'home defense weapon' plans, every pistol available (without unlocking something complicated) is in the same condition. In our case, having no children in the home nor adult visitors of questionable competence, we have weapons hidden well but still readily available. Each is in the same condition... round chambered, no external safety engaged, and ready to fire on pulling the trigger.
Each pistol is either a Glock pattern with a 'Safe Action', or has a long double action pull. They are highly unlikely to go off by accident, and are stored in such a way that their triggers are protected.
The idea is simple. If we need them, they are there right now, ready right now, and are safe until then. Nothing to manipulate under pressure, nothing to remember before use, no intricate puzzles to solve. Two of the pistols have laser sighting devices, but this matters little. They don't need to be switched on to have the weapons function perfectly.
The fact that Princess is a component of the plan, and is not a shooting enthusiast, has a great deal to do with the thinking behind it. Any defensive weapon in the home needs to be simple enough that she can use them well under extreme pressure. She's not going to remember to sweep the safety on a 1911 pattern, nor cycle the action on a pistol with an empty chamber. Her judgement can be trusted, and she's more than intelligent enough to keep her finger off the trigger till she needs to fire.... but she's not going to practice with any frequency nor build up instinctive muscle memory (In that... she's not much different from most of the police officers in this nation, who's shooting experience revolves around occasional mandated qualifications).
Long guns are different, and not part of any plans involving Princess. For the record, they too are stored in a specific condition. Chamber empty, safety off, ready to fire upon working the action. Guns locked in the safe? Totally different situation, totally different condition.
Should our home have children visiting, or if by chance we ever had adults staying with us who were not proven safe shooters, all would be locked safely away.
It's an important topic, and one worth considering thoughtfully. Each situation is different, and the people who occupy the home will cause any plan to be modified as required. Where a single person living in a secure area might simply leave a weapon in a nightstand drawer, another person might need something more secure, such as a coded safe. Once that's decided, further thought must be given to weapon condition. Round in the chamber, or not? Safety on, or not? Magazine in the pistol, or not?
Each situation is different, and each persons ability and training must be taken into account. Also, the possibility of split second decisions being necessary under immense life threatening pressure.... and how different people can react to that.
Are there children in the home? Is a break in while the homeowner is away a reasonable threat? Is a home invasion of an occupied house a reasonable threat? All these and more must be thought of ahead of time, and decisions made on dealing with them.
Most of all... most importantly... careful plans must be made in advance of trouble... and as I learned, everyone concerned needs to know what they are.
These are not idle thoughts... especially in a world turning more dangerous by the minute. When things go bad in a hard way, there is seldom a lot of warning. Do your planning now, and work your plan.
Thank for stopping in and spending time with 'Ol Carteach. If you are of a mind to, don't hesitate to click on some of the ads posted here and there on the site. You don't need to buy a thing, or even read them, but each click does throw a few pennies into the ammo fund.... and these days that's a lot!
.
"I have a question" was the text I got one evening a short time ago.
Princess knew I was in an important meeting, so the text would not have come lightly. As we had just finished the goodbyes, I hit speed dial on the way back to my vehicle. "What's up?"
"I don't want you to worry, but I have a question. Is the gun in the XXXXXXX the same as the one in the XXXXXXX?"
"Huh?" I answered intelligently...
"Does it work the same?"
At this point, with a bit of anxious questioning on my part, I was informed she had heard a noise outside and, intelligent girl that she is, immediately armed herself. Not to go outside and play commando, but just as insurance while she went about her business in the home. I assured her the pistol she had next to her worked exactly the same as the one she had learned to shoot with, and was in exactly the condition she knew the others to be.
In this case.... ready to fire by one simple action. Pulling the trigger.
The conversation revealed a flaw in our home defense planning, and an inexcusable one on my part. You see, Princess is not a shooter.... but she's a bright lady and has learned to handle pistols well enough to use them for their intended purpose... self defense. Not as CCW, but most certainly around the home. She's more than demonstrated the capacity and willingness to handle (and use) weapons in her own self defense. She's a lot like the main character in 'Quigley Down Under' in that way, just after he used a Colt pistol to dispatch the evil bad guy. "Said I had no use for a pistol... didn't say I don't know how to use one".
So, it falls upon me, as the house expert, to see to home defense weapons (as well as plumbing repairs, dealing with the woodstove, and most of the dishes. In return, I never have to touch laundry... and I see that as a fair bargain).
Her question pointed out a problem. While *I* had plans, procedures, and safety checks... I hadn't made her aware of them in enough detail. With her not being a shooter, I had covered a few basics, assured her ability and judgement where safety is concerned, and left it at that.
My mistake, and one rectified as quickly as I arrived home. The noise? Some critter in the night perhaps, but never a threat or bother. She was just being careful. You can be assured... I announced myself before I walked in (g).
What I hadn't explained well enough to her was this; In my 'home defense weapon' plans, every pistol available (without unlocking something complicated) is in the same condition. In our case, having no children in the home nor adult visitors of questionable competence, we have weapons hidden well but still readily available. Each is in the same condition... round chambered, no external safety engaged, and ready to fire on pulling the trigger.
Each pistol is either a Glock pattern with a 'Safe Action', or has a long double action pull. They are highly unlikely to go off by accident, and are stored in such a way that their triggers are protected.
The idea is simple. If we need them, they are there right now, ready right now, and are safe until then. Nothing to manipulate under pressure, nothing to remember before use, no intricate puzzles to solve. Two of the pistols have laser sighting devices, but this matters little. They don't need to be switched on to have the weapons function perfectly.
The fact that Princess is a component of the plan, and is not a shooting enthusiast, has a great deal to do with the thinking behind it. Any defensive weapon in the home needs to be simple enough that she can use them well under extreme pressure. She's not going to remember to sweep the safety on a 1911 pattern, nor cycle the action on a pistol with an empty chamber. Her judgement can be trusted, and she's more than intelligent enough to keep her finger off the trigger till she needs to fire.... but she's not going to practice with any frequency nor build up instinctive muscle memory (In that... she's not much different from most of the police officers in this nation, who's shooting experience revolves around occasional mandated qualifications).
Long guns are different, and not part of any plans involving Princess. For the record, they too are stored in a specific condition. Chamber empty, safety off, ready to fire upon working the action. Guns locked in the safe? Totally different situation, totally different condition.
Should our home have children visiting, or if by chance we ever had adults staying with us who were not proven safe shooters, all would be locked safely away.
It's an important topic, and one worth considering thoughtfully. Each situation is different, and the people who occupy the home will cause any plan to be modified as required. Where a single person living in a secure area might simply leave a weapon in a nightstand drawer, another person might need something more secure, such as a coded safe. Once that's decided, further thought must be given to weapon condition. Round in the chamber, or not? Safety on, or not? Magazine in the pistol, or not?
Each situation is different, and each persons ability and training must be taken into account. Also, the possibility of split second decisions being necessary under immense life threatening pressure.... and how different people can react to that.
Are there children in the home? Is a break in while the homeowner is away a reasonable threat? Is a home invasion of an occupied house a reasonable threat? All these and more must be thought of ahead of time, and decisions made on dealing with them.
Most of all... most importantly... careful plans must be made in advance of trouble... and as I learned, everyone concerned needs to know what they are.
These are not idle thoughts... especially in a world turning more dangerous by the minute. When things go bad in a hard way, there is seldom a lot of warning. Do your planning now, and work your plan.
Thank for stopping in and spending time with 'Ol Carteach. If you are of a mind to, don't hesitate to click on some of the ads posted here and there on the site. You don't need to buy a thing, or even read them, but each click does throw a few pennies into the ammo fund.... and these days that's a lot!
.
A problem with my Rock River Arms National Match upper.......
To contact us Click HERE
What you see in the image above is what I see when I shoot my brand new National Match Rock River Arms. It begins to chamber, and then stops dead, out of battery. The cartridge has obviously not centered on the bolt face properly, so it cannot chamber and the bolt cannot lock home. This happens about every 4th or 5th round.
Now, the image above shows what I believe is the cause. The ejector is sharp shouldered, and extends MUCH farther than the one on the Bravo Company bolt shown alongside it. Swapping the bolts eliminates the issue in the rifle.
It now falls to a phone call to RRA to see how this will be handled. I can fix it myself, or I can send it back to them. We shall see, and I shall report.
What you see in the image above is what I see when I shoot my brand new National Match Rock River Arms. It begins to chamber, and then stops dead, out of battery. The cartridge has obviously not centered on the bolt face properly, so it cannot chamber and the bolt cannot lock home. This happens about every 4th or 5th round.
Now, the image above shows what I believe is the cause. The ejector is sharp shouldered, and extends MUCH farther than the one on the Bravo Company bolt shown alongside it. Swapping the bolts eliminates the issue in the rifle.
It now falls to a phone call to RRA to see how this will be handled. I can fix it myself, or I can send it back to them. We shall see, and I shall report.
CT Shooting
To contact us Click HERE
I am a vocal proponent of gun rights- and have been asked to engage in a number of 'debates' over the last few days about guns and gun rights- I say 'debates' because really the anti-gun people wanted someone to berate and I'm fairly certain at least one of them had an erection during the conversation.
My honest to G-d opinion on how to reduce these spree killing events- what I really think will save kids lives that the .Gov can actually do to save people is this:
1-mandate electronic medical records so that people who are labeled mentally disturbed or adjudicated cannot pass the NICS background check to buy guns.
2-employ men under the age of 25. the unemployment rate for men in the US who are recent college grads is over 16%. Men 18-25 are the most violent segment of any population. That is why we export them in our military.
Both of these things are hard, so they won't be done. but I believe this would go a long way to lowering the problem.
All lot of people will disagree with me- but if you want to spend a dollar to really help people, do these things. This is literally a huge part of my livelihood I rarely talk about my profession here, but I am a graduate student who researches and publishes real academic papers on how information spreads during SPREE SHOOTINGS AND CAMPUS MASSACRES. I know more about shooter profiles, actions, and outcomes than most Americans, and I really believe, after doing honest, published academic research, these things will help.
Edited to add. Due to the asinine comments I'm getting from anonymous posters, I feel I need to clarify things using smaller words. 18-25 year old men are violent. This does not mean entering the armed service makes you a violent person, or only violent people enter the armed forces. That is the difference between a correlation and a causation based relationship. If your family tree has branches, that is evident to you. I am merely pointing out that historically, if you do not keep this demographic of men busy with something (often times military service when no other options are present) they will create issues in the form of rebellion or violent crime.
If that offends you, I suggest two things- first- go fuck yourself. Second - read a different blog.
My honest to G-d opinion on how to reduce these spree killing events- what I really think will save kids lives that the .Gov can actually do to save people is this:
1-mandate electronic medical records so that people who are labeled mentally disturbed or adjudicated cannot pass the NICS background check to buy guns.
2-employ men under the age of 25. the unemployment rate for men in the US who are recent college grads is over 16%. Men 18-25 are the most violent segment of any population. That is why we export them in our military.
Both of these things are hard, so they won't be done. but I believe this would go a long way to lowering the problem.
All lot of people will disagree with me- but if you want to spend a dollar to really help people, do these things. This is literally a huge part of my livelihood I rarely talk about my profession here, but I am a graduate student who researches and publishes real academic papers on how information spreads during SPREE SHOOTINGS AND CAMPUS MASSACRES. I know more about shooter profiles, actions, and outcomes than most Americans, and I really believe, after doing honest, published academic research, these things will help.
Edited to add. Due to the asinine comments I'm getting from anonymous posters, I feel I need to clarify things using smaller words. 18-25 year old men are violent. This does not mean entering the armed service makes you a violent person, or only violent people enter the armed forces. That is the difference between a correlation and a causation based relationship. If your family tree has branches, that is evident to you. I am merely pointing out that historically, if you do not keep this demographic of men busy with something (often times military service when no other options are present) they will create issues in the form of rebellion or violent crime.
If that offends you, I suggest two things- first- go fuck yourself. Second - read a different blog.
Smelting Ingots- part 1 of casting bullets
To contact us Click HERE
With the price of lead bullets hitting $60 dollars or more in most calibers, reloading is getting to be an expensive proposition, despite the savings over purchasing factory ammunition. One way to battle the increasing costs of components is to produce as many of them as you can in house. Making cast bullets is a simple process. I have talked briefly about casting before, but I think I will start a new series that covers the process in depth. I will try to break out prices where I can, so you can calculate savings to determine if casting is right for you.
First, for casting bullets one needs a source of lead. I generally scrounge automotive shops, but even estate sales, steel mills, bearing factories, and hospitals throwing out old lead shielding can be fruitful locations to score some Pb. Prices vary by location, but expect to pay 20+ dollars per 5 gallon bucket for lead wheel weights when you can find them. A full bucket will weigh about 130 lbs, and I'd go up to about 30-35 bucks before I got hesitant. Much more than that and you may be just as well served to go to a recycle facility so you know the quality of the material you are purchasing. The lead I smelted today was 2 partial buckets weighing a grand-total of 128 lbs that I paid 25 dollars total for.
With lead secured, you need a way to heat it up and clean it. This is the smelting process. You can go straight into the casting mode from wheel weights, but I don't advise it as the additional cleaning and manipulation that needs to be done to the melt really prevents you from hitting a good bullet producing rhythm.
To smelt, I use a turkey fryer and an old cast iron skillet I got at a yard sale for 2 bucks. My turkey fryer on the heat I need yields me 12-13 hours of burn time from a freshly filled 20 lb tank that is actually filled to capacity, no the short-change 14lb fills you get at wal-mart or home depot. Today I fired the fryer for just over 2 hours, so I consumed about 3 dollars worth of propane (local fill prices are just over 14 dollars). I paid 40 bucks for the turkey fryer at wal-mart a few years ago. Cheaper ones can be had, but we use the burner for a number of things and it has been a worthwhile investment.
As you heat the lead up, you will need several more things, first- a way of removing debris from the lead. For this I like a slotted spoon. Second- you will need a way of transferring the lead from the smelting pot to a mold, as the pot itself is unwieldy, and that would be a huge waste of heat resources. I use a cast iron ladle. Both the slotted spoon and ladle cost me a total of $1 dollar at a yard sale.
As the lead melts, debris in the form of metal clips, valve stems, allen wrenches, and anything else people can fit into a 5-gallon bucket will rise to the top of your lead. You will want to skim off this debris without taking the lead with it- this is where the slotted spoon comes in. At right, you can see me working of the pot with my debris bucket on the right side of the burner. Save the steel clips, as you can scrap these later (not much value, but hey its money).
After you have the molten lead free of foreign matter, you need to 'flux' the lead to pull out impurities. You can buy flux, and it works well. I use saw-dust. It was free and as long as it is dry, it works great. The dry part is very important. Lead will react very poorly to water in its molten state, and you need to NEVER get molten lead and water into the same work space. The reaction is an energetic 'explosion' where the water quickly converts from a liquid to a gaseous state, expanding quickly in volume. If that water is under the surface of the melt, it will displace the liquid 800 degree lead so that it may expand more freely.
With fluxing out of the way, your melt will be a clean, shiny silver. We now need a container in which to place the molten lead to let it cool. You can be cheap here and use something like old tuna cans, but honestly I don't think it is advisable. I spent 50 cents and got an old muffin tin at a yard sale. My other ingot molds were made by a caster on the CASTBOOLITS forum. I honestly forgot what I spent on them, but you really don't need as many as I have. The muffin tin worked fine as my only ingot mold for a couple years and is still going strong.
The lead takes a considerable amount of time to cool down, and you really should wait about 10-12 minutes between pours to have them be nice, solid, and safe to handle. In the interim, refill your smelting pot and begin the fluxing process again.
You will notice when ladling lead, you never remove all the lead from your smelting pot. This is a good thing. That liquid lead allows you the maximum amount of surface area possible when adding more, not yet molten lead to your pot. I usually drain my pot 2/3 of the way before refilling with more wheel weights.
For just over two hours worth of work, I was rewarded with about 100 lbs of clean, usable lead ingots. depending on the weight of the bullet I cast, this will yield approximately 3.2-6.5k bullets. Casting the actual bullet takes me just over 2 hours per 1,000 bullets (using 6 cavity molds, and no I do not cast quickly) start to finish. Sizing the bullets takes another hour per 1,000.
Just as an investment of time, you can expect 4 hours to go from bucket to ready to load bullets per 1,000 projectiles you intend to create. That is based on the time it takes me to smelt, cast, and size projectiles.
Cost just to Smelt lead breaks down as follows:
25 bucks for the lead
40 bucks for the turkey fryer
00.50 for the ingot mold
01 for the skimming equipment
03 in propane / fuel
All told, 69.50 for 100 lbs of clean, usable lead ready to go for bullets. That amortizes out the full cost of equipment in the first shot, and then subsequent smelts need only cost you the fuel plus the price of the lead.
That means that my cost (with my equipment having long since paid for itself) is actually only 28 dollars for 100 lbs of clean usable lead. So for about the cost of 1,000 factory lead bullets, you can reasonably expect to set yourself up with significantly more lead than is needed to produce that many projectiles, and also absorb all the associated costs with the set up. This does not cost the price of bullet molds though- which we will cover in the next installment of this series.
First, for casting bullets one needs a source of lead. I generally scrounge automotive shops, but even estate sales, steel mills, bearing factories, and hospitals throwing out old lead shielding can be fruitful locations to score some Pb. Prices vary by location, but expect to pay 20+ dollars per 5 gallon bucket for lead wheel weights when you can find them. A full bucket will weigh about 130 lbs, and I'd go up to about 30-35 bucks before I got hesitant. Much more than that and you may be just as well served to go to a recycle facility so you know the quality of the material you are purchasing. The lead I smelted today was 2 partial buckets weighing a grand-total of 128 lbs that I paid 25 dollars total for. With lead secured, you need a way to heat it up and clean it. This is the smelting process. You can go straight into the casting mode from wheel weights, but I don't advise it as the additional cleaning and manipulation that needs to be done to the melt really prevents you from hitting a good bullet producing rhythm.
To smelt, I use a turkey fryer and an old cast iron skillet I got at a yard sale for 2 bucks. My turkey fryer on the heat I need yields me 12-13 hours of burn time from a freshly filled 20 lb tank that is actually filled to capacity, no the short-change 14lb fills you get at wal-mart or home depot. Today I fired the fryer for just over 2 hours, so I consumed about 3 dollars worth of propane (local fill prices are just over 14 dollars). I paid 40 bucks for the turkey fryer at wal-mart a few years ago. Cheaper ones can be had, but we use the burner for a number of things and it has been a worthwhile investment.As you heat the lead up, you will need several more things, first- a way of removing debris from the lead. For this I like a slotted spoon. Second- you will need a way of transferring the lead from the smelting pot to a mold, as the pot itself is unwieldy, and that would be a huge waste of heat resources. I use a cast iron ladle. Both the slotted spoon and ladle cost me a total of $1 dollar at a yard sale.
As the lead melts, debris in the form of metal clips, valve stems, allen wrenches, and anything else people can fit into a 5-gallon bucket will rise to the top of your lead. You will want to skim off this debris without taking the lead with it- this is where the slotted spoon comes in. At right, you can see me working of the pot with my debris bucket on the right side of the burner. Save the steel clips, as you can scrap these later (not much value, but hey its money). After you have the molten lead free of foreign matter, you need to 'flux' the lead to pull out impurities. You can buy flux, and it works well. I use saw-dust. It was free and as long as it is dry, it works great. The dry part is very important. Lead will react very poorly to water in its molten state, and you need to NEVER get molten lead and water into the same work space. The reaction is an energetic 'explosion' where the water quickly converts from a liquid to a gaseous state, expanding quickly in volume. If that water is under the surface of the melt, it will displace the liquid 800 degree lead so that it may expand more freely.
With fluxing out of the way, your melt will be a clean, shiny silver. We now need a container in which to place the molten lead to let it cool. You can be cheap here and use something like old tuna cans, but honestly I don't think it is advisable. I spent 50 cents and got an old muffin tin at a yard sale. My other ingot molds were made by a caster on the CASTBOOLITS forum. I honestly forgot what I spent on them, but you really don't need as many as I have. The muffin tin worked fine as my only ingot mold for a couple years and is still going strong.
The lead takes a considerable amount of time to cool down, and you really should wait about 10-12 minutes between pours to have them be nice, solid, and safe to handle. In the interim, refill your smelting pot and begin the fluxing process again.You will notice when ladling lead, you never remove all the lead from your smelting pot. This is a good thing. That liquid lead allows you the maximum amount of surface area possible when adding more, not yet molten lead to your pot. I usually drain my pot 2/3 of the way before refilling with more wheel weights.
For just over two hours worth of work, I was rewarded with about 100 lbs of clean, usable lead ingots. depending on the weight of the bullet I cast, this will yield approximately 3.2-6.5k bullets. Casting the actual bullet takes me just over 2 hours per 1,000 bullets (using 6 cavity molds, and no I do not cast quickly) start to finish. Sizing the bullets takes another hour per 1,000.
Just as an investment of time, you can expect 4 hours to go from bucket to ready to load bullets per 1,000 projectiles you intend to create. That is based on the time it takes me to smelt, cast, and size projectiles.
Cost just to Smelt lead breaks down as follows:25 bucks for the lead
40 bucks for the turkey fryer
00.50 for the ingot mold
01 for the skimming equipment
03 in propane / fuel
All told, 69.50 for 100 lbs of clean, usable lead ready to go for bullets. That amortizes out the full cost of equipment in the first shot, and then subsequent smelts need only cost you the fuel plus the price of the lead.
That means that my cost (with my equipment having long since paid for itself) is actually only 28 dollars for 100 lbs of clean usable lead. So for about the cost of 1,000 factory lead bullets, you can reasonably expect to set yourself up with significantly more lead than is needed to produce that many projectiles, and also absorb all the associated costs with the set up. This does not cost the price of bullet molds though- which we will cover in the next installment of this series.
Browning Hi Power ORDERED
To contact us Click HERE
Previously, I mentioned I was selling guns to fund new projects. I sold one of my Security sixes, and was planning on ordering an FEG Hi power. The gun I had planned on ordering was a 250 dollar, good condition hi power from Hungary. That would have left me sufficient funds to also pick up a 1911 frame and even have some parts money left over.
Obviously, there was no chance of that actually happening as I had hoped. Of course, when I called Sarco they were sold out. So what was I to do? I already have a total of 3 New York State legal BHP mags I've been collecting in preparation for this purchase- and now I had about 400 bucks of disposable income.
So I did what any reasonable consumer would do. Blew my budget by an extra 50 bucks and ordered a Belgian FN Hi Power from Cole Distributing. The gun appears to be a Mk II, due to the lanyard ring, ambi-safety, and spur hammer in addition to the non-flush bushing on the muzzle. I am not a hi power expert though, and until I see if the gun has a top rib I cannot confirm this suspicion. If you want to order one from Cole, they are NOT on their website. You have to search gun broker. Their handle is gcolecoledist. I will not watermark their photo, but this is the gun I purchased.
I won the auction today around 2:30pm Eastern, and sent them an email asking how they would like their monies. I will update as the process plays out. Total price, after shipping and transfer will be right around 500 dollars. Counting the pre-ban mag in the Cole gun, I'll have a total of 4 good quality BHP standard capacity magazines. If I get lucky, maybe I'll eventually find a NYS legal 20 rounder from mecgar- but I'm not going to hold my breath on that.
Edited to add: Total price with shipping was $461.90. I'm not sure on current transfer fees at my shop, but this gun might actually come in under my $500 projection
Obviously, there was no chance of that actually happening as I had hoped. Of course, when I called Sarco they were sold out. So what was I to do? I already have a total of 3 New York State legal BHP mags I've been collecting in preparation for this purchase- and now I had about 400 bucks of disposable income.
So I did what any reasonable consumer would do. Blew my budget by an extra 50 bucks and ordered a Belgian FN Hi Power from Cole Distributing. The gun appears to be a Mk II, due to the lanyard ring, ambi-safety, and spur hammer in addition to the non-flush bushing on the muzzle. I am not a hi power expert though, and until I see if the gun has a top rib I cannot confirm this suspicion. If you want to order one from Cole, they are NOT on their website. You have to search gun broker. Their handle is gcolecoledist. I will not watermark their photo, but this is the gun I purchased.
I won the auction today around 2:30pm Eastern, and sent them an email asking how they would like their monies. I will update as the process plays out. Total price, after shipping and transfer will be right around 500 dollars. Counting the pre-ban mag in the Cole gun, I'll have a total of 4 good quality BHP standard capacity magazines. If I get lucky, maybe I'll eventually find a NYS legal 20 rounder from mecgar- but I'm not going to hold my breath on that.Edited to add: Total price with shipping was $461.90. I'm not sure on current transfer fees at my shop, but this gun might actually come in under my $500 projection
20 Aralık 2012 Perşembe
SHTF Electronics Part 1 - Basic Tools
To contact us Click HERE
SHTFElectronics Basic Tools
PART ONE: Small Hand Tools
After I wrote up the little“SHTF Radio” article for wirecutter, I started to think a little bit further,and started to think about how I could support other people who might haveelectronics problems after the SHTF. I started to think about what’s in mytoolbox, and on my bench, sort of like the “What’s In YOUR Range Bag” articles that my fellow bloggers have posted.
Now, I’m sure most of youreading this already have quite an assortment of tools. People like us, whetherwe work on old cars, guns, airplanes, or just tinker around the house, havetools. Lots of tools. My wife used to say TOO MANY tools until she saw me pullsome weird looking stuff out of one of my toll boxes, and fixed a problem onher car in 15 minutes that the dealer wanted all day and $450 to fix.After that episode, wheneverI say I’m buying another special tool for something, she just smiles.
A lot of the common toolsmost of you have are “kinda sorta” suitable for electronics use, but buyingsome specialized items will make your electronics hobby far more pleasurable,and will surprisingly come in handy for a lot of other things, too.
I’ll start with small handtools first, and move on up to the more expensive, specialized stuff later.
As a general rule, I stay FARaway from “pre-packaged electronics technician’s tool kits” sold by companieslike Jensen Tools and others. Over the years I’ve found their assortments to belacking in variety, they include tools you’ll rarely (if ever) use, the qualityquestionable, and the prices outrageously high.
Build your own tool kit, onepiece at a time, and buy only the highest quality tools you can afford.
When I mention a specifictool company, keep in mind that I get NO kickbacks, free tools, or otherinducements. I’m just recommending tool companies that I’ve used, and own,tools from, and I’ve been doing this stuff for 50 years now. I know what works,what breaks, and what you can get away with!
Gee, where have we heardthings like that before?
And BTW....sorry for the crappy formatting of the pictures, and their placement. This damn blogger interface won't let me size and place things where I want to!
Looks like I'll have to crack out the HTML books again, and start doing it that way.
I have a very nice Micro$oft Word document, but when I imported it, it dropped ALL the pictures.
Oh, well........
PLIERS
You need some GOOD QUALITYlong nose, or ‘needle nose’ pliers, about 4-1/2 to 6” long. There are manydifferent kinds (smooth jaw, chain nose, serrated jaw, end nipper, flat jaw,curved jaw, etc), and the Xcelite catalog has SEVEN PAGES of long nose pliers!
The same applies to sidecutters. You NEED a good, sharp pair of them. If you do a lot of circuit boardwork, get a pair of flush cut pliers. They clip the leads off right at thesolder joint, and don’t leave a sharp point of the cut off lead sticking up,just waiting to snag your hands as you maneuver the board around on the bench.The Xcelite catalog also has seven pages of side cutters.
For long nose pliers, Iprefer the Xcelite ELN54 thin long nose model, and for more delicate work, Ilike their LN542 plier
ELN54 LN542
Get the “Cushion Grip”handles if you can. Your hands will thank you!
For side cutters, I use theMS549J flush cut with a small head for restricted spaces, and the MS54J forgeneral use. For cutting larger leads, I use the S54NS, which have a coilspring to force them back open.
MS549J MS54J
Keep in mind that these smallpliers are NOT to be used for cutting, bending, or forming anything other thansoft copper wire! I loaned a pair to a guy at a job site once who brought themback with a series of round dents in the jaws, complaining that they wouldn’tcut anything. After I calmed down a bit that he’d ruined my $20 pliers, I askedhim what he was cutting, and he said “Wire, why?”. He showed me the “wire” hewas trying to cut, and it was copper-plated STEEL wire for his MiG welder. Thepliers looked like he’d tried to cut small screws with them, and they werecompletely useless for their intended purpose. If you want to install Cotterkeys (“Split Pins”) in your car, use your big old honkin’ Craftsman pliers, NOTyour rather delicate Xcelite electronics pliers!
You can download the entireXcelite catalog at:
www.apexhandtools.com/PDFs/Xcelite%20Catalog%20550620.pdf
WIRE STRIPPERS
Please, don’t use your teethto strip wire on a regular basis! When I was 10 years old or so, I was havingmy teeth cleaned, and the Dentist dug out a small piece of red plastic, andwondered out loud what I’d been “eating”. I looked at the piece, and told himit was from some small wire I had to strip, and his jaw about hit the floor.Besides running the risk of aself-extraction of your incisors, remember what Mom always said…”You don’t knowwhere that’s been!”, and keep your teeth for eating things.
While you can strip wire with your side cutters,it takes skill and experience to do so, and you’ll wind up cutting the end offa LOT of wire before you get the hang of it!
I have two differentstrippers, for different sizes of wire. They’re not with me now, but one pairwill handle up to #10 wire, while the other pair goes down to #24. They overlapa few sizes, but nobody makes a single pair that covers all the wire sizes Iwork with, so I have two pair.
They look like this:
The pictured ones are made byKlein Tools, whose catalog you can download from here:
http://www.kleintools.com/content/tool-catalog
You can also use one of the“Automatic” wire strippers if you have the room to do so, and these are reallynice if you’re stripping a lot of wires, like to make a wire harness. You’veprobably seen them, and they look like this:
These are made by IdealIndustries, and go by the name of “Stripmaster”. I’ve been using these since myhigh-school days in the 60’s, and if they’ve been around that long, they musthave something going for them!
Ideal is another fine toolmaker, and you can download their catalog here:
http://www.idealindustries.com/support/catalogs/
Snap Ring Pliers
You won’t need these veryoften when working with electronics, but when you do, you’ll need them. Get a smallpair, with changeable tips, and you should be good to go. Most consumerelectronics uses “E-rings” or “C- clips”, but occasionally you’ll find smallsnap rings used, especially in military equipment.
The dreaded “E-Ring” or “C-Clip”
I’ve never seen the two-piececlip in the center, but I’ll bet it’s fun to remove/install. Most of the onesyou’ll find are similar to the two in the upper right of the picture. You canpop them off using a small flat blade screw driver, and snap them back on withsome long nose pliers.
Be care, or they’ll go flyingacross the room, leading to their other name, a “Jesus clip”!
That’s it for this chapter.I’ll cover things like nut drivers, precision screwdrivers, hex keys, splinekeys, ball drivers, and other “drivers” in the next chapter.
SHTFElectronics Basic Tools
PART ONE: Small Hand Tools
After I wrote up the little“SHTF Radio” article for wirecutter, I started to think a little bit further,and started to think about how I could support other people who might haveelectronics problems after the SHTF. I started to think about what’s in mytoolbox, and on my bench, sort of like the “What’s In YOUR Range Bag” articles that my fellow bloggers have posted.
Now, I’m sure most of youreading this already have quite an assortment of tools. People like us, whetherwe work on old cars, guns, airplanes, or just tinker around the house, havetools. Lots of tools. My wife used to say TOO MANY tools until she saw me pullsome weird looking stuff out of one of my toll boxes, and fixed a problem onher car in 15 minutes that the dealer wanted all day and $450 to fix.After that episode, wheneverI say I’m buying another special tool for something, she just smiles.
A lot of the common toolsmost of you have are “kinda sorta” suitable for electronics use, but buyingsome specialized items will make your electronics hobby far more pleasurable,and will surprisingly come in handy for a lot of other things, too.
I’ll start with small handtools first, and move on up to the more expensive, specialized stuff later.
As a general rule, I stay FARaway from “pre-packaged electronics technician’s tool kits” sold by companieslike Jensen Tools and others. Over the years I’ve found their assortments to belacking in variety, they include tools you’ll rarely (if ever) use, the qualityquestionable, and the prices outrageously high.
Build your own tool kit, onepiece at a time, and buy only the highest quality tools you can afford.
When I mention a specifictool company, keep in mind that I get NO kickbacks, free tools, or otherinducements. I’m just recommending tool companies that I’ve used, and own,tools from, and I’ve been doing this stuff for 50 years now. I know what works,what breaks, and what you can get away with!
Gee, where have we heardthings like that before?
And BTW....sorry for the crappy formatting of the pictures, and their placement. This damn blogger interface won't let me size and place things where I want to!
Looks like I'll have to crack out the HTML books again, and start doing it that way.
I have a very nice Micro$oft Word document, but when I imported it, it dropped ALL the pictures.
Oh, well........
PLIERS
You need some GOOD QUALITYlong nose, or ‘needle nose’ pliers, about 4-1/2 to 6” long. There are manydifferent kinds (smooth jaw, chain nose, serrated jaw, end nipper, flat jaw,curved jaw, etc), and the Xcelite catalog has SEVEN PAGES of long nose pliers!
The same applies to sidecutters. You NEED a good, sharp pair of them. If you do a lot of circuit boardwork, get a pair of flush cut pliers. They clip the leads off right at thesolder joint, and don’t leave a sharp point of the cut off lead sticking up,just waiting to snag your hands as you maneuver the board around on the bench.The Xcelite catalog also has seven pages of side cutters.
For long nose pliers, Iprefer the Xcelite ELN54 thin long nose model, and for more delicate work, Ilike their LN542 plier
ELN54 LN542
Get the “Cushion Grip”handles if you can. Your hands will thank you!
For side cutters, I use theMS549J flush cut with a small head for restricted spaces, and the MS54J forgeneral use. For cutting larger leads, I use the S54NS, which have a coilspring to force them back open.
MS549J MS54J
Keep in mind that these smallpliers are NOT to be used for cutting, bending, or forming anything other thansoft copper wire! I loaned a pair to a guy at a job site once who brought themback with a series of round dents in the jaws, complaining that they wouldn’tcut anything. After I calmed down a bit that he’d ruined my $20 pliers, I askedhim what he was cutting, and he said “Wire, why?”. He showed me the “wire” hewas trying to cut, and it was copper-plated STEEL wire for his MiG welder. Thepliers looked like he’d tried to cut small screws with them, and they werecompletely useless for their intended purpose. If you want to install Cotterkeys (“Split Pins”) in your car, use your big old honkin’ Craftsman pliers, NOTyour rather delicate Xcelite electronics pliers!
You can download the entireXcelite catalog at:
www.apexhandtools.com/PDFs/Xcelite%20Catalog%20550620.pdf
WIRE STRIPPERS
Please, don’t use your teethto strip wire on a regular basis! When I was 10 years old or so, I was havingmy teeth cleaned, and the Dentist dug out a small piece of red plastic, andwondered out loud what I’d been “eating”. I looked at the piece, and told himit was from some small wire I had to strip, and his jaw about hit the floor.Besides running the risk of aself-extraction of your incisors, remember what Mom always said…”You don’t knowwhere that’s been!”, and keep your teeth for eating things.
While you can strip wire with your side cutters,it takes skill and experience to do so, and you’ll wind up cutting the end offa LOT of wire before you get the hang of it!
I have two differentstrippers, for different sizes of wire. They’re not with me now, but one pairwill handle up to #10 wire, while the other pair goes down to #24. They overlapa few sizes, but nobody makes a single pair that covers all the wire sizes Iwork with, so I have two pair.
They look like this:
The pictured ones are made byKlein Tools, whose catalog you can download from here:
http://www.kleintools.com/content/tool-catalog
You can also use one of the“Automatic” wire strippers if you have the room to do so, and these are reallynice if you’re stripping a lot of wires, like to make a wire harness. You’veprobably seen them, and they look like this:
These are made by IdealIndustries, and go by the name of “Stripmaster”. I’ve been using these since myhigh-school days in the 60’s, and if they’ve been around that long, they musthave something going for them!
Ideal is another fine toolmaker, and you can download their catalog here:
http://www.idealindustries.com/support/catalogs/
Snap Ring Pliers
You won’t need these veryoften when working with electronics, but when you do, you’ll need them. Get a smallpair, with changeable tips, and you should be good to go. Most consumerelectronics uses “E-rings” or “C- clips”, but occasionally you’ll find smallsnap rings used, especially in military equipment.
The dreaded “E-Ring” or “C-Clip”
I’ve never seen the two-piececlip in the center, but I’ll bet it’s fun to remove/install. Most of the onesyou’ll find are similar to the two in the upper right of the picture. You canpop them off using a small flat blade screw driver, and snap them back on withsome long nose pliers.
Be care, or they’ll go flyingacross the room, leading to their other name, a “Jesus clip”!
That’s it for this chapter.I’ll cover things like nut drivers, precision screwdrivers, hex keys, splinekeys, ball drivers, and other “drivers” in the next chapter.
SHTF Electronics Part 1 - Basic Tools (continued)
To contact us Click HERE
SHTFElectronics Basic Tools
PART ONE: Small Hand Tools (continued)
Now that I’ve covered pliers,I’ll go on to ‘screwdrivery’ things. BTW, if you think I’ve missedany tools, or have a favorite in the categories I’m covering, please let meknow, and I’ll include it in an update to this.A good set of screwdrivers isessential for living our day-to-day lives. Just witness how many are stored inthe “junk drawer” in your kitchen! If you’re at all serious about working on carsor guns, you already have a good set of screwdrivers, both flat-blade andcross-point. While most electronics items can be taken apart and reassembledwith the smaller versions from your existing tool box, there are times whenyou’ll need what’s commonly called a Precision Screwdriver. These tend to be more slender in comparisonwith the smallest ones you’ll find in your tool box, and the better ones have ahandle with a rotating knob on top so that you can hold the top, while spinningthe body.
Wiha makes excellent smallscrewdrivers, and I’ve been using them for years. They’re not cheap, but if youdon’t lose or abuse them, you’ll have them for life.
Besides flat-blade andcross-point, you can also get them with hex, Torx, PoziDriv, and “ball driver”ends in standard and metric sizes.
Wiha has all their offeringshere: http://www.wihatools.com/
They make VERY nice tools.
A WORD ABOUT SCREW HEADS AND SCREW DRIVE TYPES
A while back I had an articleabout the different types of screw heads. Everybody is familiar with the typethat takes a flat-blade screwdriver to turn (“Slotted”), and everybody has usedcross-point (“Phillips head”) screws, along with hex (“ALLEN head”), and Torx(“star”).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_drive
And for all the differenttypes of Screw Head shapes, here’s the entry for that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_screw#Screw_head_shapes
NUTDRIVERS
Nutdrivers are one of thosegreat inventions that you won’t realize how handy they are until you’ve usedthem a few times. Then, when you don’t have a set handy, and have to dig outyour ¼” drive socket set, and fumble around for some loose bits, you’ll wonderhow you got along without them. This is especially true if you do a lot ofradio work like I do.
I like the complete sets fromXcelite, as shown below.
I’ve been using a set likethis since high-school, and if you buy a new set today, they look, feel, andeven smell like the ones I’ve beenusing for 40+ years now. There’s something about the plastic handles that has avery “distinct” odor. When I bought a new set a few years ago and opened themup, I was right back in Mr. Shaw’s Electricity Shop class!Get both the standard size,and the metric size, and you’ll be set for years.
BALL DRIVERS
I’m convinced that balldrivers are one of the better inventions in the tool world. If you’ve never usedone, and then somebody loans you a set, you’ll be running out to buy them assoon as you return the loaned set.Basically, they’re a hexdriver with the end ground into a “ball” shape so that you don’t have to insertthe tool straight into the screw you’re trying to turn, as shown in the picturebelow.
They work amazingly well forgetting at socket head cap screws in odd positions where you don’t have a‘straight shot’ at the top of the screw.A few years ago I saw theregular L-shaped “Allen keys” with the ball end on both the long and short legsof the wrench, and it was one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” moments.
As usual, get both a standardset and metric set, and buy good ones. Cheap ball drivers will have the “ball”break off, leading to a stupefying amount of labor to get the busted ball outof the screw!
Bondhus makes nice sets, andyou can get their catalog here:
http://www.bondhus.com/index.html
Tuning/Alignment Tools a.k.a “Tweakers” or “DiddleSticks”
IF you do a lot of radiowork, you’re going to need a set of “tuning tools”. These are plastic shaftswith hex or screwdriver type ends. Some of them will have a small metal bladeso that the plastic doesn’t get chewed up when you run across a stuck slug in acoil or a stuck variable capacitor. The reason they’re made out of plastic, isthat if you sick a metal hex tool down into a coil slug, it will alter theinductance of the coil, making it impossible to tune.The same goes for trying toadjust small “trimmer” capacitors. A metal tool held by your hand will addenough capacitance-to-ground to throw off the circuit, making it verydifficult, or impossible, to tune properly.GC Electronics makes goodkits of these, and you can get them direct, through Amazon, and probably eBay.I’ve had mine for so long that I haven’t had to replace them, so I’m not up onwhere to buy them, other than my favorite little Hole-In-The-Wall electronicsstore. Radio Shack *used* to sell them, but I can’t find them on their website.
http://www.gcelectronics.com/
OTHER DRIVERS
Xcelite also makes a niftyset of hex drivers, and spline and Bristol drivers (VERY handy for Hallicrafters andCollins Radio work!) that look like these:
The spline and Bristol driver sets looksidentical, except the shaft of the bit is spline-shaped or Bristol-shaped,rather than hex.Yes, you can use the hexdrivers (“Allen Keys”) that look like the letter “L”, but these are far betterfor getting into tight spots, and have a much longer reach.Again, get both the standardand metric sizes. Bristolis a world of it’s own!
Other Miscellaneous Tools
One tool which I came acrossis a specialty tool used to remove the circular knurled nuts that hold thingslike switches or phone jacks to panels. You can get them in different sizes, so besure you know what size you’ll need, or you’ll wind up with multiples of thesame size, like I have.
Here’s what they look like, andthis one is from Stewart-MacDonald Company, a place that sells tools forstringed instrument repair.
Screw and Nut Starters
The most common screwstarters are the ones that have a “split blade” which wedges the blade into theslot on the screw, like below:
This one will do both slottedand cross-point screws. One tip I’ve used in the past has been to put a pieceof double-sided tape on the end of my finger, and stick the nut/screw to it.
Heathkit and Knight-Kit used to include a nice little plastic tube that would hold small hex nuts while you inserted the screw from the other side. I had a pair of these, but lost them quite some time ago. In a pinch, you can use a length of heat shrinkable tubing that fits the nut, although that starts to get expensive if you have a lot of small hex nuts to install.
That’s it for thisinstallment. Next time I’ll cover soldering and desoldering.
SHTFElectronics Basic Tools
PART ONE: Small Hand Tools (continued)
Now that I’ve covered pliers,I’ll go on to ‘screwdrivery’ things. BTW, if you think I’ve missedany tools, or have a favorite in the categories I’m covering, please let meknow, and I’ll include it in an update to this.A good set of screwdrivers isessential for living our day-to-day lives. Just witness how many are stored inthe “junk drawer” in your kitchen! If you’re at all serious about working on carsor guns, you already have a good set of screwdrivers, both flat-blade andcross-point. While most electronics items can be taken apart and reassembledwith the smaller versions from your existing tool box, there are times whenyou’ll need what’s commonly called a Precision Screwdriver. These tend to be more slender in comparisonwith the smallest ones you’ll find in your tool box, and the better ones have ahandle with a rotating knob on top so that you can hold the top, while spinningthe body.
Wiha makes excellent smallscrewdrivers, and I’ve been using them for years. They’re not cheap, but if youdon’t lose or abuse them, you’ll have them for life.
Besides flat-blade andcross-point, you can also get them with hex, Torx, PoziDriv, and “ball driver”ends in standard and metric sizes.
Wiha has all their offeringshere: http://www.wihatools.com/
They make VERY nice tools.
A WORD ABOUT SCREW HEADS AND SCREW DRIVE TYPES
A while back I had an articleabout the different types of screw heads. Everybody is familiar with the typethat takes a flat-blade screwdriver to turn (“Slotted”), and everybody has usedcross-point (“Phillips head”) screws, along with hex (“ALLEN head”), and Torx(“star”).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_drive
And for all the differenttypes of Screw Head shapes, here’s the entry for that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_screw#Screw_head_shapes
NUTDRIVERS
Nutdrivers are one of thosegreat inventions that you won’t realize how handy they are until you’ve usedthem a few times. Then, when you don’t have a set handy, and have to dig outyour ¼” drive socket set, and fumble around for some loose bits, you’ll wonderhow you got along without them. This is especially true if you do a lot ofradio work like I do.
I like the complete sets fromXcelite, as shown below.
I’ve been using a set likethis since high-school, and if you buy a new set today, they look, feel, andeven smell like the ones I’ve beenusing for 40+ years now. There’s something about the plastic handles that has avery “distinct” odor. When I bought a new set a few years ago and opened themup, I was right back in Mr. Shaw’s Electricity Shop class!Get both the standard size,and the metric size, and you’ll be set for years.
BALL DRIVERS
I’m convinced that balldrivers are one of the better inventions in the tool world. If you’ve never usedone, and then somebody loans you a set, you’ll be running out to buy them assoon as you return the loaned set.Basically, they’re a hexdriver with the end ground into a “ball” shape so that you don’t have to insertthe tool straight into the screw you’re trying to turn, as shown in the picturebelow.
They work amazingly well forgetting at socket head cap screws in odd positions where you don’t have a‘straight shot’ at the top of the screw.A few years ago I saw theregular L-shaped “Allen keys” with the ball end on both the long and short legsof the wrench, and it was one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” moments.
As usual, get both a standardset and metric set, and buy good ones. Cheap ball drivers will have the “ball”break off, leading to a stupefying amount of labor to get the busted ball outof the screw!
Bondhus makes nice sets, andyou can get their catalog here:
http://www.bondhus.com/index.html
Tuning/Alignment Tools a.k.a “Tweakers” or “DiddleSticks”
IF you do a lot of radiowork, you’re going to need a set of “tuning tools”. These are plastic shaftswith hex or screwdriver type ends. Some of them will have a small metal bladeso that the plastic doesn’t get chewed up when you run across a stuck slug in acoil or a stuck variable capacitor. The reason they’re made out of plastic, isthat if you sick a metal hex tool down into a coil slug, it will alter theinductance of the coil, making it impossible to tune.The same goes for trying toadjust small “trimmer” capacitors. A metal tool held by your hand will addenough capacitance-to-ground to throw off the circuit, making it verydifficult, or impossible, to tune properly.GC Electronics makes goodkits of these, and you can get them direct, through Amazon, and probably eBay.I’ve had mine for so long that I haven’t had to replace them, so I’m not up onwhere to buy them, other than my favorite little Hole-In-The-Wall electronicsstore. Radio Shack *used* to sell them, but I can’t find them on their website.
http://www.gcelectronics.com/
OTHER DRIVERS
Xcelite also makes a niftyset of hex drivers, and spline and Bristol drivers (VERY handy for Hallicrafters andCollins Radio work!) that look like these:
The spline and Bristol driver sets looksidentical, except the shaft of the bit is spline-shaped or Bristol-shaped,rather than hex.Yes, you can use the hexdrivers (“Allen Keys”) that look like the letter “L”, but these are far betterfor getting into tight spots, and have a much longer reach.Again, get both the standardand metric sizes. Bristolis a world of it’s own!
Other Miscellaneous Tools
One tool which I came acrossis a specialty tool used to remove the circular knurled nuts that hold thingslike switches or phone jacks to panels. You can get them in different sizes, so besure you know what size you’ll need, or you’ll wind up with multiples of thesame size, like I have.
Here’s what they look like, andthis one is from Stewart-MacDonald Company, a place that sells tools forstringed instrument repair.
Screw and Nut Starters
The most common screwstarters are the ones that have a “split blade” which wedges the blade into theslot on the screw, like below:
This one will do both slottedand cross-point screws. One tip I’ve used in the past has been to put a pieceof double-sided tape on the end of my finger, and stick the nut/screw to it.
Heathkit and Knight-Kit used to include a nice little plastic tube that would hold small hex nuts while you inserted the screw from the other side. I had a pair of these, but lost them quite some time ago. In a pinch, you can use a length of heat shrinkable tubing that fits the nut, although that starts to get expensive if you have a lot of small hex nuts to install.
That’s it for thisinstallment. Next time I’ll cover soldering and desoldering.
*MY* Favorite Christmas Song
To contact us Click HERE
Blame Borepatch....he started it!
Enjoy!
.
"Bah, humbug!" No, that's too strong
'Cause it is my favorite holiday
But all this year's been a busy blur
Don't think I have the energy
To add to my already mad rush
Just 'cause it's 'tis the season.
The perfect gift for me would be
Completions and connections left from
Last year, ski shop,
Encounter, most interesting.
Had his number but never the time
Most of '81 passed along those lines.
So deck those halls, trim those trees
Raise up cups of Christmas cheer,
I just need to catch my breath,
Christmas by myself this year.
Calendar picture, frozen landscape,
Chilled this room for twenty-four days,
Evergreens, sparkling snow
Get this winter over with!
Flashback to springtime, saw him again,
Would've been good to go for lunch,
Couldn't agree when we were both free,
We tried, we said we'd keep in touch.
Didn't, of course, 'til summertime,
Out to the beach to his boat could I join him?
No, this time it was me,
Sunburn in the third degree.
Now the calendar's just one page
And, of course, I am excited
Tonight's the night, but I've set my mind
Not to do too much about it.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Hardly dashing through the snow
Cause I bundled up too tight
Last minute have-to-do's
A few cards a few calls
'Cause it's r-s-v-p
No thanks, no party lights
It's Christmas Eve, gonna relax
Turned down all of my invites.Last fall I had a night to myself,
Same guy called, halloween party,
Waited all night for him to show,
This time his car wouldn't go,
Forget it, it's cold, it's getting late,
Trudge on home to celebrate
In a quiet way, unwind
Doing Christmas right this time.
A&P has provided me
With the world's smallest turkey
Already in the oven, nice and hot
Oh damn! Guess what I forgot?
So on with the boots, back out in the snow
To the only all-night grocery,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
In the line is that guy I've been chasing all year!
"I'm spending this one alone," he said.
"Need a break; this year's been crazy."
I said, "Me too, but why are you?
You mean you forgot cranberries too?"
Then suddenly we laughed and laughed
Caught on to what was happening
That Christmas magic's brought this tale
To a very happy ending! "
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Couldn't miss this one this year!
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Couldn't miss this one this year!
.
.
Enjoy!
.
"Bah, humbug!" No, that's too strong
'Cause it is my favorite holiday
But all this year's been a busy blur
Don't think I have the energy
To add to my already mad rush
Just 'cause it's 'tis the season.
The perfect gift for me would be
Completions and connections left from
Last year, ski shop,
Encounter, most interesting.
Had his number but never the time
Most of '81 passed along those lines.
So deck those halls, trim those trees
Raise up cups of Christmas cheer,
I just need to catch my breath,
Christmas by myself this year.
Calendar picture, frozen landscape,
Chilled this room for twenty-four days,
Evergreens, sparkling snow
Get this winter over with!
Flashback to springtime, saw him again,
Would've been good to go for lunch,
Couldn't agree when we were both free,
We tried, we said we'd keep in touch.
Didn't, of course, 'til summertime,
Out to the beach to his boat could I join him?
No, this time it was me,
Sunburn in the third degree.
Now the calendar's just one page
And, of course, I am excited
Tonight's the night, but I've set my mind
Not to do too much about it.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Hardly dashing through the snow
Cause I bundled up too tight
Last minute have-to-do's
A few cards a few calls
'Cause it's r-s-v-p
No thanks, no party lights
It's Christmas Eve, gonna relax
Turned down all of my invites.Last fall I had a night to myself,
Same guy called, halloween party,
Waited all night for him to show,
This time his car wouldn't go,
Forget it, it's cold, it's getting late,
Trudge on home to celebrate
In a quiet way, unwind
Doing Christmas right this time.
A&P has provided me
With the world's smallest turkey
Already in the oven, nice and hot
Oh damn! Guess what I forgot?
So on with the boots, back out in the snow
To the only all-night grocery,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
In the line is that guy I've been chasing all year!
"I'm spending this one alone," he said.
"Need a break; this year's been crazy."
I said, "Me too, but why are you?
You mean you forgot cranberries too?"
Then suddenly we laughed and laughed
Caught on to what was happening
That Christmas magic's brought this tale
To a very happy ending! "
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Couldn't miss this one this year!
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Couldn't miss this one this year!
.
.
Ugh....DEAD Battery and NO MORE AUTOZONE FOR ME!
To contact us Click HERE
The wife and I went out to my Jeep last night on our way out to dinner.
I put in the key, turned it on, and BRAAAAAAAAP!
The lovely sound of a solenoid *trying* to engage, and the battery not having enough juice to pul it in, and crank the engine.
I didn't leave any of the lights on, so, rather mystified, we took her car to dinner.
I put my charger on it when we got back home, and it proceeded to max out the charger at 10 Amps. I left it sit for a couple of hours, and when I checked it again, it was still pumping 10 Amps into the battery, so I let it charge all night long.
This morning it had dropped down to around 2 Amps, so I pulled the charger off, and checked the resting voltage.
Uh-oh....11.48 Volts!
It was enough to start the car with (barely!), and after it started I put the voltmeter back on the battery, and it showed 14.6 Volts, indicating the alternator was doing it's best to pump some charge back into the battery.
I let it run for about 30 minutes, and checked the engine off voltage, and it was back to ~11.5 Volts.....NOT a good sign.
Came back in the house, and started battery shopping on line.
Since this car has the 5.7 L Hemi, AND the Class-IV trailer towing package, it came with the heavy-duty cooling system, an oil cooler, a 160 Amp alternator, and the biggest battery I've ever seen outside of a Cat Diesel.
Since I always use a Deep Cycle battery due to the radio gear I carry, and Optima does NOT make a Group 72 size battery I was pretty limited in where I could buy a battery.
I wound up going to (UGH!) AutoZone.
BUT.....since I also needed a better charger, wiper blades for our 4 cars (it's rainy season out here), some washer fluid, and a bunch of other miscellaneous auto stuff, I went down the street to O'Reilly's to buy all the other stuff.
When I took the defunct battery out of the car, I noticed the end of the case by the positive post was HOT, much hotter than the other end of the case, and it was bulged out, so it looks like that cell developed a short, or very high leakage. This is probably a result of my leaving my Kenwood TM-D710 radio and GPS connected while I was gone for 3 weeks last year on a launch, and had a completely dead battery when I got back.
Standard automotive ("SLI", for Starting, Lighting, and Ignition) batteries do NOT take kindly to
1) Having a slow, constant drain on them
and
2) Being discharged and LEFT discharged for any length of time.
They're designed to put out a huge blast of current to start the engine, and then get recharged immediately.
Now here's where it gets interesting. When I took the dead battery back for my $12 core credit, there was an AutoZoner pushing a cart back in the store that he had previously used to help a young lady carry her stuff out to her car. I asked the guy if He could lug the battery inside for me, and he said he was "too busy".
DUH!
So, I lug all 55 pounds of DEAD battery into the store by myself.
I'm in line at the "Parts" counter, where I had picked up the battery earlier, balancing it on a display rack. Then this guy behind the parts counter says "All of you people, the line starts over there", pointing to where the normal checkout line for people that get their own stuff go.
And there's about 25 people in line!
So I start to come forward so I can put the battery on the counter, and the guy goes "Go to the END OF THE LINE!". I say I just want to put the battery on the counter because its heavy, and he says again "Go to the END OF THE LINE!", and he seems to be getting testy.
I say again that I just want to put the battery on the counter because it's really heavy, and he spouts off "I don't care. GO TO THE END OF THE LINE. NOW!".
By this time some of the other people are saying to just "Let the old guy put the battery down, fer Pete's sake", and the guy starts yelling.
"NO! THE END OF THE LINE IS THERE! GO GET IN THE LINE!"
About this time (a good 15 minutes) I decided I'd had enough. I dump the battery down on the floor and state "KEEP the damn core charge. I will NEVER set foot in an AutoZone again!", and start walking out.
A couple of people applauded, and one of them held the door for me.
From now on O'Reilly's gets ALL my auto parts business.
.
.
I put in the key, turned it on, and BRAAAAAAAAP!
The lovely sound of a solenoid *trying* to engage, and the battery not having enough juice to pul it in, and crank the engine.
I didn't leave any of the lights on, so, rather mystified, we took her car to dinner.
I put my charger on it when we got back home, and it proceeded to max out the charger at 10 Amps. I left it sit for a couple of hours, and when I checked it again, it was still pumping 10 Amps into the battery, so I let it charge all night long.
This morning it had dropped down to around 2 Amps, so I pulled the charger off, and checked the resting voltage.
Uh-oh....11.48 Volts!
It was enough to start the car with (barely!), and after it started I put the voltmeter back on the battery, and it showed 14.6 Volts, indicating the alternator was doing it's best to pump some charge back into the battery.
I let it run for about 30 minutes, and checked the engine off voltage, and it was back to ~11.5 Volts.....NOT a good sign.
Came back in the house, and started battery shopping on line.
Since this car has the 5.7 L Hemi, AND the Class-IV trailer towing package, it came with the heavy-duty cooling system, an oil cooler, a 160 Amp alternator, and the biggest battery I've ever seen outside of a Cat Diesel.
Since I always use a Deep Cycle battery due to the radio gear I carry, and Optima does NOT make a Group 72 size battery I was pretty limited in where I could buy a battery.
I wound up going to (UGH!) AutoZone.
BUT.....since I also needed a better charger, wiper blades for our 4 cars (it's rainy season out here), some washer fluid, and a bunch of other miscellaneous auto stuff, I went down the street to O'Reilly's to buy all the other stuff.
When I took the defunct battery out of the car, I noticed the end of the case by the positive post was HOT, much hotter than the other end of the case, and it was bulged out, so it looks like that cell developed a short, or very high leakage. This is probably a result of my leaving my Kenwood TM-D710 radio and GPS connected while I was gone for 3 weeks last year on a launch, and had a completely dead battery when I got back.
Standard automotive ("SLI", for Starting, Lighting, and Ignition) batteries do NOT take kindly to
1) Having a slow, constant drain on them
and
2) Being discharged and LEFT discharged for any length of time.
They're designed to put out a huge blast of current to start the engine, and then get recharged immediately.
Now here's where it gets interesting. When I took the dead battery back for my $12 core credit, there was an AutoZoner pushing a cart back in the store that he had previously used to help a young lady carry her stuff out to her car. I asked the guy if He could lug the battery inside for me, and he said he was "too busy".
DUH!
So, I lug all 55 pounds of DEAD battery into the store by myself.
I'm in line at the "Parts" counter, where I had picked up the battery earlier, balancing it on a display rack. Then this guy behind the parts counter says "All of you people, the line starts over there", pointing to where the normal checkout line for people that get their own stuff go.
And there's about 25 people in line!
So I start to come forward so I can put the battery on the counter, and the guy goes "Go to the END OF THE LINE!". I say I just want to put the battery on the counter because its heavy, and he says again "Go to the END OF THE LINE!", and he seems to be getting testy.
I say again that I just want to put the battery on the counter because it's really heavy, and he spouts off "I don't care. GO TO THE END OF THE LINE. NOW!".
By this time some of the other people are saying to just "Let the old guy put the battery down, fer Pete's sake", and the guy starts yelling.
"NO! THE END OF THE LINE IS THERE! GO GET IN THE LINE!"
About this time (a good 15 minutes) I decided I'd had enough. I dump the battery down on the floor and state "KEEP the damn core charge. I will NEVER set foot in an AutoZone again!", and start walking out.
A couple of people applauded, and one of them held the door for me.
From now on O'Reilly's gets ALL my auto parts business.
.
.
New Little SHTF Radio! The Kaito KA600 Voyager Pro
To contact us Click HERE
Kaito makes some decent radios for the money, as does Tecsun. I have a Tecsun PL-660, and I really like it. I think it's a bit more sensitive than my little Grundig G3, but I forgot to take it with me the last time I went out to sea. I *will* take it out on the next launch, though.
So the other day I received an email from KaitoUSA with a special offer to buy one of their new radios at an introductory price, with free shipping.
Even though I have plenty of receivers (just ask my wife!), I figured for $60 and free shipping, what did I have to lose?
The newest addition here is the Kaito KA600 "Voyager Pro", and man, does this thing have features!
It covers the AM radio band, the FM radio band (stereo with the included ear buds), all of the NOAA Weather Radio channels, with a "Severe Weather Alert" function, and it covers the shortwave bands from 2.3MHz to 23.0MHz, all nicely divided up, and available as "Meter Bands" for those that don't speak frequency.
It has both a hand-crank dynamo for charging it's own NiMH battery pack (included), and a solar cell that will run the radio without any batteries at all. AND...it takes 3 "AA" batteries to run the radio with, something that an awful lot of these "Solar/Hand Crank" radios won't.
It has a very bright 3-LED flashlight in one side, and the back of the fold-out solar panel has a reading light.
And it has a standard clock/alarm/calendar function with multiple timers, a snooze button, and a temperature/humidity display.
The neat thing about this one is that it has USB jack on the back panel that you can use to charge your cellphone using the built-in hand-crank, -OR- you can charge the radio the radio's internal battery by plugging it into your PC.
So far I've just checked out the AM, FM, and NOAA Weather Radio functions, and it seems to do the job very well, even with the telescopic antenna all the way down.
The only downside to this little guy, at least to me, is that it doesn't have a BFO, so you can't listen to Amateur Radio operators, or any other group that uses Single Sideband.
Considering all the other things it does, and the fact that you can get it for $80 on Amazon, I think it's money well spent, and if you've had an "Emergency Radio" on your list, then get this one.
I highly recommend it!
.
.
So the other day I received an email from KaitoUSA with a special offer to buy one of their new radios at an introductory price, with free shipping.
Even though I have plenty of receivers (just ask my wife!), I figured for $60 and free shipping, what did I have to lose?
The newest addition here is the Kaito KA600 "Voyager Pro", and man, does this thing have features!
It covers the AM radio band, the FM radio band (stereo with the included ear buds), all of the NOAA Weather Radio channels, with a "Severe Weather Alert" function, and it covers the shortwave bands from 2.3MHz to 23.0MHz, all nicely divided up, and available as "Meter Bands" for those that don't speak frequency.
It has both a hand-crank dynamo for charging it's own NiMH battery pack (included), and a solar cell that will run the radio without any batteries at all. AND...it takes 3 "AA" batteries to run the radio with, something that an awful lot of these "Solar/Hand Crank" radios won't.
It has a very bright 3-LED flashlight in one side, and the back of the fold-out solar panel has a reading light.
And it has a standard clock/alarm/calendar function with multiple timers, a snooze button, and a temperature/humidity display.
The neat thing about this one is that it has USB jack on the back panel that you can use to charge your cellphone using the built-in hand-crank, -OR- you can charge the radio the radio's internal battery by plugging it into your PC.
So far I've just checked out the AM, FM, and NOAA Weather Radio functions, and it seems to do the job very well, even with the telescopic antenna all the way down.
The only downside to this little guy, at least to me, is that it doesn't have a BFO, so you can't listen to Amateur Radio operators, or any other group that uses Single Sideband.
Considering all the other things it does, and the fact that you can get it for $80 on Amazon, I think it's money well spent, and if you've had an "Emergency Radio" on your list, then get this one.
I highly recommend it!
.
.
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