Questions on modern radial 'lytics and PS resistors

[Leo_Gnardo]

Gave up on the Shack after "we can't see why anyone needs a part rated for more than 50 volts." Snarky comments from the counterman "Whaddy'a, makin' a bomb or sumpin'?" Now where's your job, wise guy?

Mouser has another location near San Diego, up the hill a bit in El Cajon, right next door to Taylor Guitar factory. They used to have a depot in north NJ, and parts would arrive the next day, but that miracle of course had to come to an end. Now I ask the phone order taker to wave at my friends at Taylor, that gets a laugh.

[J M Fahey]

Snarky comments from the counterman "Whaddy'a, makin' a bomb or sumpin'?"

Don't be so hard on the guy, he was just being a good American.

Somebody posted here the FBI flyer asking Electronics shops attendants to ring local FBI office if "somebody buys unusual Electronics components" .

Sadly, only half joking here, because said flyer is real

[Chuck H]

Don't be so hard on the guy, he was just being a good American.

Somebody posted here the FBI flyer asking Electronics shops attendants to ring local FBI office if "somebody buys unusual Electronics components" .

Sadly, only half joking here, because said flyer is real

I've often told my wife that I no longer have the option of becoming a "bad guy" even if I wanted to because I fly under the radar, stay off mailing lists, don't vote and most of my traceable purchases could be considered questionable or at least curious. If I'm not being monitored by now I'd be surprised. Maybe I'm giving myself too much credit but if "I" were in charge of national security I'd watch a guy like me. And you too Juan

[Justin Thomas]

Sorry, not meaning to misrepresent you... just thought it was a funny combination. I can separate them. I know you're not equating television with living! Too busy making noise and playing with chemicals for that! But to get two classic lines in the same day!
I've tried educating a few Radio Shackers about what I do, they usually say something like "wow, you're hardcore!" Some hear me and take an interest, even if they'll never pursue it; some express that they thought helping folks like me would be most of their job; a lot just say, "we sell phones." But that the "Components" warehouse doesn't know what a scope is? They have every fricking kind of meter, spectrum analyzers, just crazy NASA stuff, but no scopes? WTF?

Hear you about being traced, too... long hair, tend not to shave, work outside... strange behavior, pay cash for gas & groceries... don't like banks...

Look, blowing things up & playing with fire is part of being an American to me. It's the intent to harm others that isnover the line. But this whole "nobody can have any more fun" and signs over the beltway saying "don't be afraid to rat out your friends and neighbors!" is just too far. I would think that improvisation, independence, and self-reliance would be encouraged in this country, but that doesn't feed the right people. So now the American way is buy the cheap prefab plastic crap imported from who knows where. Oh well. I'll fight as well as I can as long as I can.

Justin

[Leo_Gnardo]

Don't be so hard on the guy, he was just being a good American.

Somebody posted here the FBI flyer asking Electronics shops attendants to ring local FBI office if "somebody buys unusual Electronics components" .

Sadly, only half joking here, because said flyer is real

I think the FBI, Secret Service, NSA, DSA and BATF should all be notified about businesses that SELL unusual electronics components. And radio-controlled planes, helicopters, fireworks, gunpowder, reloading equipment, rockets, sparklers, gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, fertilizer, wire, switches, heating elements, pipe fittings, stove gas, batteries, candles, cameras, maps, compasses, radios, shoes, hats, sunglasses, binoculars, telescopes, microscopes, magnifying glasses, aluminum foil, paper, computers, cell phones, knives, scissors, glue, pots, pans, spoons, towels, nylons, undershirts, soup, spaghetti, bricks, blocks, rocks, vitamins, toothbrushes, stuffed toy animals, water, etc etc etc. Goodness knows how much mayhem . . . arr, ahem, harrumph.

- - - - -

Early part of the millenium, after George W Bush started up his Security Theatre AKA Homeland Security, I had the job of carrying my personal pet pop star's guitar thru the airports. The old geezers with new "security" paychecks used to ask me as I passed shoeless and beltless thru the x-ray check "Is that a Thompson?" Funny thing, they can joke, but if I do, it's 10 years in Club Fed. "No sir, it's a Gibson." We repeated this about every week at the local airport. I remembered they asked dozens of times - I doubt their memories were so good - for alzheimers patients like that every day's a new start.

[Chuck H]

And NOBODY can break music gear better than the sadist at the airport! They bashed up my guitar case so bad one of those hemispherical chrome feet was punched through the plastic shell and the handle was broken off on one side! I once packed an amp chassis wrapped in a blanket in a cardboard box with 3/8" plywood against all six interior sides and they still managed to hit it hard enough to implode a toggle switch. That amp arrived for presentation the morning of the 2009 winter NAMM show! Hurray for Radio Shack that day A friend who tours has gone through two flight cases for his axe! You know, the enormous blue ones with aluminum railings all the way around. Two of them. This stuff can handle being transported and used by by drug impaired rockers for decades, but one trip through the airport...

[Justin Thomas]

The only time I ever flew with a guitar was on a tiny prop plane, no more than 25 seats. The flight attendantess took the case out of my hand, since I wanted to carry it on (1996, it was...). But the Captain saw the light blue, said, "is that a Martin, or a Martin case?" I told him it was a 74 D-12-28, and he took it from the stewardess and said, "it's too big to carry on, so I'll put it in the cockpit." I doubt that any guitar today would get that, but it helps if the captain's a New England Folkie... now I just drive everywhere.

Justin

[eschertron]

The Rat Shack here still has a few drawers devoted to components.

I went into the nearest RS where I live (I'm not sure about your area, but they are dropping like flies here!) to get some deep discount parts... and the 'drawers' that held the stuff were GONE! All the caps and whatnot had been dumped into boxes and bins, and not in any sense of order. Next stop, landfill!

I did pick up a filament supply 6.3-0-6.3, amp or two, for about $5. That was the highlight of my shopping trip.

[g1]

Parts are a major reason that I try to focus on repairing a few specialty items. Unless I want to go broke paying freight, it's going to take a week or more to get the parts I need. It's possible to stock a few regular parts, like standard value caps. I ordered parts from Mouser, Antique Radio, Jameco, and eBay on March 3. None has arrived yet.

Digi-key has next day delivery for 8 bucks. I'm told some of their prices can be higher but I haven't run into anything significant yet.

[patlaw]

Digi-key has next day delivery for 8 bucks. I'm told some of their prices can be higher but I haven't run into anything significant yet.

Digikey must get priority treatment from its carriers. It has never taken more than two days to get an order from them regardless of how it was shipped. Orders placed with Mouser and Jameco on March 3 have not arrived yet. One from Antique Radio did arrive, and the parts have been installed.

[J M Fahey]

The old geezers with new "security" paychecks used to ask me as I passed shoeless and beltless thru the x-ray check "Is that a Thompson?" Funny thing, they can joke, but if I do, it's 10 years in Club Fed. "No sir, it's a Gibson." We repeated this about every week at the local airport. I remembered they asked dozens of times - I doubt their memories were so good - for alzheimers patients like that every day's a new start.

It's not Alzheimer, but standard police procedure.
Cops never know (how could they?) what "truth" is, so they ask the same questions 1000 times and record the answers.

The idea is that if you say the truth, you will repeat it forever, but if you lie, someday you may forget your part and say something else, then they grill you about that.

Just 30 minutes ago a new set of Coast Guard guys who patrol my street "casually" were sitting in my doorsteps and "just to talk about something" proceeded to ask who lives in my house, who owns the one above mine (different door and street number), what kind of Family I have and what do I do for a living ....... obviously mixed with a ton of small talk about the weather, house architecture, neighbours, public transport and sports results.

Just for fun I got to know where they are from, where they live, how long will they stay, whether they pay rent for the "base" they have just across the street, what do they eat and how they pay for it, how they get their discounted public transport cards and whether they get new cellphone numbers while on duty here or keep the original ones they had in their home province.

Just for sport, and to keep my mind agile.
I bet by now they must be mildly wondering "why did I freely give so much personal information to this guy?" .

[Chuck H]

It's not Alzheimer, but standard police procedure.
Cops never know (how could they?) what "truth" is, so they ask the same questions 1000 times and record the answers.

The idea is that if you say the truth, you will repeat it forever, but if you lie, someday you may forget your part and say something else, then they grill you about that.

Just 30 minutes ago a new set of Coast Guard guys who patrol my street "casually" were sitting in my doorsteps and "just to talk about something" proceeded to ask who lives in my house, who owns the one above mine (different door and street number), what kind of Family I have and what do I do for a living ....... obviously mixed with a ton of small talk about the weather, house architecture, neighbours, public transport and sports results.

Just for fun I got to know where they are from, where they live, how long will they stay, whether they pay rent for the "base" they have just across the street, what do they eat and how they pay for it, how they get their discounted public transport cards and whether they get new cellphone numbers while on duty here or keep the original ones they had in their home province.

Just for sport, and to keep my mind agile.
I bet by now they must be mildly wondering "why did I freely give so much personal information to this guy?" .

Because everything they told you is a carefully rehearsed lie! They are establishment moles spying on you! Trust no one!

[Leo_Gnardo]

It's not Alzheimer, but standard police procedure.
Cops never know (how could they?) what "truth" is, so they ask the same questions 1000 times and record the answers.

The idea is that if you say the truth, you will repeat it forever, but if you lie, someday you may forget your part and say something else, then they grill you about that.

Just 30 minutes ago a new set of Coast Guard guys who patrol my street "casually" were sitting in my doorsteps and "just to talk about something" proceeded to ask who lives in my house, who owns the one above mine (different door and street number), what kind of Family I have and what do I do for a living ....... obviously mixed with a ton of small talk about the weather, house architecture, neighbours, public transport and sports results.

Just for fun I got to know where they are from, where they live, how long will they stay, whether they pay rent for the "base" they have just across the street, what do they eat and how they pay for it, how they get their discounted public transport cards and whether they get new cellphone numbers while on duty here or keep the original ones they had in their home province.

Just for sport, and to keep my mind agile.
I bet by now they must be mildly wondering "why did I freely give so much personal information to this guy?" .

Naah, those were old geezers "triple dipping." Getting pensions and social security while collecting paychecks for their security theatre chair-warming positions. For which they will receive yet another pension should they live long enough. If there was a Thompson (M1928 .45cal submachine gun) in that case, it sure would be making my arm stretch more than a Gibson ES-225. And it sure would have shown up on the x-ray, Tommy guns are hard to disguise. And I sure would have to be a king size dope to carry such a thing there. Just another windup, smiles and winks all around, you rich lazy "security" stiffs. I'm onto your game.

Yeh I know about the "friendly chat." Had plenty of them. One of these days I'll have to FOIA my FBI file for fun & giggles, see if any of my dezinformazia made it in there. And what they'll redact: things I shouldn't know about my own history.

Good on you for turning their game on themselves, even if they gave you false info. "Out-G the G" - good advice from Col. David Hackworth. At least they figure you're not hostile, maybe they'll come back to play again. There's enough intrigue going on in BA, I'm keeping up with the reports in NY Times and NPR.

[J M Fahey]

Oh, we happily traded "rotten meat" , local nickname for bad or dubious info

That said, I volunteer some info so they feel less hungry and don't try to dig more on their own.

I'm used to it, I used to live in an appartment building where the then President's brother also had an appartment, a Military president at that who got power through a coup, not elections, and in the middle of the "dirty war" against leftist guerrilla, so I got to know them well.

We had to reach an agreement: customers complained that when they rang the street intercom, they were suddenly surrounded by the "florist", the "newspaper seller", the "street sweeper", even an incredibly clean and healthy "homeless/beggar" guy and all kinds of assorted people who were actually undercover SS guys pulling guns, not kidding, set there to protect the President's brother, a juicy guerrilla target.

I had to tell him to f*ck off , to stop annoying my customers, and that his bodyguards were stupid: those guys with "weird hairdos", leather jackets, biker or Texan boots, shaven heads, chest length beard, tatoos, piercings, long black overcoats and white makeup and black or deep red lips and, of course, instrument cases and/or amp heads or even Anvil rack cases were absolutely harmless MUSICIANS, and that the guys who were actually going to kidnap or kill him would be smartly dressed, clean shaven, looking like Lawyers, Accountants, or even like the unmistakable military-in-civilian-clothes.

He got the point and they never annoyed my customers again.

So compared to them, these Keystone Kops are no big deal.

Funny thing is that they get replaced every 1 to 3 months, and the new set always goes through the exact same drill.

Oh well.

As of fresh Buenos Aires conspiracy news, how about the State Prosecutor who appeared "suicided" inside his locked-from-inside appartment, in a high security building, with some 50 cameras all over the place and chock full of state appointed bodyguards, from a gunshot to the head, with no powder marks in his hand, no fingerprints (not even his own) on a cheap borrowed .22 pistol which was the "suicide" weapon, while on his desk he had his Government issued Browning Hi Power plus his own Glock .40 .

Oh, he's just a Jew investigating the 1994 AMIA (Jewish self relief organization) car bomb, which killed 85 people and wounded 300, accusing Iran through Hezbollah of doing the deed and all Argentine Presidents since covering it up in exchange of juicy Swiss Bank deposits.

Hollywood would have turned it into a blockbuster movie but here it's just (boring) daily News
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...QnQdbZLJBqc5Ug

This version is for the Aussies

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1227251725262

[Leo_Gnardo]

Oh, we happily traded "rotten meat" , local nickname for bad or dubious info

That said, I volunteer some info so they feel less hungry and don't try to dig more on their own.

I'm used to it, I used to live in an appartment building where the then President's brother also had an appartment,

< snip for brevity's sake>

He got the point and they never annoyed my customers again.

Crikeys what a tale! None of those customers were carrying a Thompson either, I'll bet.

Around here all you need to do is cover your door/windows with NRA, PBA, FOP, if your in Connecticut "100 Club" stickers, a "Guns, God, Guts, Glory" bumper sticker pasted up at eye height, keep a screen visible outdoors tuned to FOX, a radio speaker with Rush Limbaugh rattling on, they'll leave you alone no matter what you're doing inside. Also cops, judges, etc their relatives & friends get away with anything they want. Everything from decorating the neighborhood with their wrecked cars to activities that would earn anyone else a long long sentence in state greybar hotel or Club Fed.

So compared to them, these Keystone Kops are no big deal.

My o my how far we've veered off the thread... let's hope they don't care about hi voltage caps or anything else you need for biz.