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HP 3456A Repair

I acquired this HP 3456A voltmeter at the Dayton Hamvention. When I first plugged it in it displayed .OL for overload and failed the built-in self test. Watch the video to see how I fixed it.

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National NC300 Receiver

I spent some time checking out this National NC300 receiver that I recently acquired. A really nice old receiver! Check out the video below for more details.

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Hamvention 2019

I recently attended Hamvention 2019 in Xenia, Ohio. This was my first time there and I was really impressed with the size and scope of this event. This is the biggest gathering of amateur radio operators in the U.S. – in 2018 attendance was over 28,000 and although the 2019 attendance figures are not out yet many felt that this year’s attendance was even larger.

Here’s a short video where I try to convey the entire event in less than 5 minutes – hang on and hope you don’t get dizzy!

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

For those of you in the Madison Wisconsin area, this is a shout-out for a wonderful play coming to the Bartell Theatre in downtown Madison.

The play focuses around fifteen-year-old Christopher who has an extraordinary brain – he is exceptional at mathematics, but ill equipped to interpret everyday life. When his neighbor’s dog is killed with a garden fork, Christopher finds himself under suspicion and is determined to solve the mystery.

The play deals with issues of autism, and helps us to see beyond a person’s limitations and focus on what they can really accomplish.

Here is a link to a recent article in the Wisconsin State Journal that goes into much more detail. And there is a radio interview at WORT-FM – look for the “8 O’Clock Buzz” show on Monday May 6. The interview starts at the 33:30 time mark.

Check out https://www.strollerstheatre.org/ where you’ll find a link to more details and to buy tickets.

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What’s happening in the lab?

The lab

This last month has been about setting up the infrastructure of the lab – furniture, internet access, WiFi, printer, network storage, etc.

On the furniture front, I’ve been a frequent visitor at the local university surplus where I’ve picked up multiple tables, a couch section, end table, equipment rack, and several smaller items.

I now have cable internet set up and chose the Ubiquiti AmpliFi HD Mesh Router for WiFi and network routing. So far I just have the base station and haven’t added any of the mesh nodes, it seems to cover the area quite well with just the base station.

Ubiquiti AmpliFi HD Router

So now I get to come in every day and decide what I want to learn about or work on. Lately it’s been video production. If that pans out perhaps you’ll see more on the YouTube channel soon. Stay tuned!