Don't know if you guys have seen this before, but it's worth a look.
http://www.kennethkuhn.com/hpmuseum/hp_tour.htm
http://www.kennethkuhn.com/hpmuseum/hp_tour.htm
Ok, the HP guy has me beat. OTOH, I've sold off a lot of that ancient vintage HP stuff, as it's just too big to be usable. I did keep a nice rack mount audio oscillator because it was just too pretty to sell, and I don't mind the size of the 334A and vector impedance stuff. Yesterday and today I was at the Rochester hamfest, but IMO eBay has really killed the hamfest test equipment market. The commercial vendors don't show up at all anymore, and most of what's there is pretty beat. I did pick up a Phase Linear 3000 preamp that has a hum problem for $35, so that will give me something to fix up and either keep or sell.
That fan is really cool too (pun intended). Hopefully it doesn't take so much heat to run the Sterling engine that the fan blows hot air!
That fan is really cool too (pun intended). Hopefully it doesn't take so much heat to run the Sterling engine that the fan blows hot air!
Conrad Hoffman said:
Conrad,
I envy you doing Rochester. Here in Canada, I suppose as a result of our government not spending on military, we have no modern hi- tech surplus showing up at our hamfests like you Americans do. Our tax laws do not encourage corporations to keep upgrading their old equipment. I was told I had to `write-off` my 1940`s South-bend lathe over five years. I could not use it as a one year cost to manufacture a custom project I bought it to make in that year. Well I`m not an accountant, in fact I`m not even making any money so that lathe bought almost 10 years ago is still not written off. It is my own personal bought and paid for toy. You have to be from a different planet to write rules for accountants don`t you? Long story short. Our hamfests are not nearly as much fun. They look more like our neighborhood garage sales. Lots of useless/worthless junk.
Rochester was my favorite hamfest in the entire universe. Only 3-1/2 hour drive and I could sleep in my van in the RV area near the entrance putting me within easy walking distance to the grounds. Admission was cheap. I got clobbered in a not my fault highway head-on some years back and am actually really lucky to be here at all. As a result I no longer have the energy to drive that far or last through such an event. Those events are like running a marathon if you do it seriously.
Last time I went I bought a number of HP microwave BWO sweep oscillators, a UHF generator and a couple of HP 1740A, 100 MHz dual trace Delayed TB scopes for great prices. I fixed most of that lot up and use it sometimes to heat my lab.
I managed to do Dayton three times in all in the mid 90`s. That was a real tiring haul for me though. Arrive practically dead from the drive and then have to run the marathon which was the hamfest. That show is just too big to enjoy. You have to find lodging in the next state and local parking in the next county. I am exageratuing, but only slightly.
No frequent trips to your car to drop off what treasures you scored. There was some pretty amazing stuff show up at both those shows.There is another issue now also and I mention it because it is real and I have Canadian friends who share my fears. The US government is so unpredictable and paranoid now I actually fear to venture onto US soil for fear of being locked away as a `who knows what rediculous charges they will dream up`. I`d probably get locked up for possession of my prescription narcotic pain killers which I cannot function without because even though I have a doctor`s prescription and they are legitimately supplied by a liscensed Canadian pharmacy, Canadian doctors and pharmacies have no power to practise medicine in the US or grant priviledges on controlled substances. Bloody shame. The USA was a good place to visit until not very long ago. Show this post to your President and Congresspersons.
Gee I almost forgot why I`m typing a reply! Conrad, moving hot air is precisely what those stove top sterling engine powered fans are supposed to do!
They are not intended to create a cooling breeze.Hey Bob, I used to get to Dayton now and then, and have a friend who lives near there. That made the whole thing very pleasant, though it was still quite a hike around, usually carrying some insanely heavy thing I bought right after getting there. The last time it was a big Fluke voltage standard that must weigh 35 lbs. I'm working on my newly acquired preamp right now, and it has what I refer to as "technician blight". Wrong parts used, parts not soldered in correctly, and who knows what else. If I can find the right parts out in the garage, I might have it fixed up tonight. Back to bent pointers and related stuff, I failed to find anything at the hamfest with an HP 5" x 13 14" side panel, so if anybody is parting anything out, like a distortion analyzer, I'd be happy to buy a side panel.
Regards,
Conrad
Regards,
Conrad
anatech said:Hi Bob,
I've seen those in some of the larger flea markets around southern Ontario. Real ones that you even have to clean up. Authentic dirt and grime.
-Chris
Chris,
There is a fellow actually manufacturing a new stirling engine powered hot stovetop fan here in Ontario. I think a google search using term `freebreeze` may find it. It is up around $300 or that ballpark IIRC. More than I can afford.
Actually I have systems in place that work fine including a electric blower on the woodstove that work perfectly fine as long as the power doesn`t go out. When it does I have backup systems now in place after much effort. Instead of collecting appliances to duplicate those I already have for when there is a power outage I have concentrated on making power so my existing systems will continue to work.
I`m putting a system together that will use wind and sun, diesel/veggie oil and hopefully geothermal to heat and light my castle. This is a long term, ongoing effort who`s design is influenced by what parts I can drag home from the dump and wherever.
My plans got a big boost this year when I finally got 1/2 my battery storage bank in place! See pic of half of it in place now. 48 batteries on float charge now. 48 to go. I hope to have 96, 105 AH, 12 volt AGM batteries in all. I have one 2250 watt (3 kVA) 48 volt sine wave inverter now. I still need more inverters and other electrical but it is coming together!
Right now I can run my big 300B-805 SET stereo amp (draws about 400 watts) for about 72 hours off batteries. Talk about being well prepared for any emergency!
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Conrad Hoffman said:
Conrad,
I just noticed you are at Rochester area. That makes it easy doesn`t it. Hope you get your audio thing working. Technician blight, That can be an extra special curse if you have no service manual or schematic.
One year at Dayton I bought an early 1990`s model Barcodata-1001 video projector. This is a ceiling hanger that is about 4 feet long and must weigh 375 lbs. It has really fine large expensive lenses and 9 inch liquid cooled tubes. They weren`t cheap new. Somewhere around $28,000.00 US. This one was smoke free and clean, likely out of a corporate board room. It was not all that old when I got it and I knew they were a fine piece of hardaware so I took a chance at the asking price of $350.00 US and that was my score there for that year. I had to go fetch my car and drive it around outside the fence to near where the vendor was located to be able to pick it up with some help from other flea marketers, or is that free marketeers?
I did get it going and it is set up downstairs in my home theater but I had to buy another for parts and a red CRT.
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