Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) : Discussion and Group Therapy Thread

[Specmaster]

Well, it turns out they did send Mother in Law home this afternoon, I just hope and prayer that Sister in Law is able to deal with her OK if anything should happen, she is looking after her single-handed, I'm dead on my feet had a few chips and curry for dinner, my favourite but unable to finish it.

[mnementh]

mnem
*Santy Claws wipes milk & cookie crumbs from his maw and toddles off to ded*

[mnementh]

mnem
at 05:30 in the freaking AM...

[Specmaster]

I was so cold last night that I put the heating on continuous, turns out not to be the smartest move I've ever made, in the middle of the night I needed to pop to the bathroom but was completely unable to stand freaking out SWMBO who them promptly called an ambulance. Anyway, 7 hours later it arrived the crew explained my mistake, because my infection was making my core hotter than normal, fighting the infection, it had the effect of making extremities like hands and feet feel colder, and me putting extra blankets on the bed just made my core temperature rise again. Anyway after checking my sats, temperature, blood pressure and giving me an ECG, then checking my blood sugar levels, some of which were borderline and needed hospital intervention, but the crew really didn't want to take me away, so the tried opening windows, and directing a fan on me for a few minutes and repeated their tests, and all the readings came back as normal so a trip to hospital was averted. Now I have to take paracetamol every 4 hours.

Any way, Happy Christmas fellow freaks and your Christmas be eventful for all right reasons.

[mnementh]

Wobbly knees, wifey freaking out, ambulances and paramedics oh my!!!

Glad you're stabilized; if it's any comfort, we had just such a incident with my son when he was 11. He wasn't feeling well so took a nice steamy shower, then, unbeknownst to the parental units, put the water all the way cold and passed out in the shower, ripping the curtain and all like something out of a movie.

We feared the worst as he'd been having frequent severe nosebleeds, so called the ambulance, etc. He was awake but groggy when they arrived; all his vitals were low so they whisked him away but he was literally normal by the time they got him to the hospital. They did some bloodwork and declared him fit to go home with no evidence of any chemical imbalance, and that the fainting was caused by low blood pressure from the hot shower followed by rapid cooling.

Take care of yourself and don't forget to feed yourself small amounts of protein and carbs at frequent intervals (in know it's often hard to keep down any large meal) to keep your blood sugar stable; you're burning a lot of calories with that fever going.

mnem
*casts a prayer to Ifni for friends far away*

[mnementh]

"Not a creature was stirring, not even a reptile of unusual size..."


Welp, we survived another Christmas Morning, though not without incident. Wifey laid her thumb open quite well with the small blade of my MacGyver knife, trying to cut a freaking zip-tie idiotically placed on a toy suitcase for the little girl. A little old-school bandaging with gauze and white adhesive tape patched her up, but there was terror in the kitchen with the females all crying and hugging for several minutes.

Seriously... packaging of Christmas stuffs gets more and more senselessly difficult and wasteful every year.

One of the little grrl's favorite YoobChoob personalities is Ryan, and all his shit is essentially a $5 polypropylene egg/box/treasure chest with $5 worth of Chinesium plastic toys and figures, and $30-70 worth of fucking plastic trays and baggies, and all sealed in ginormous shrink-wrap. Literally 90% waste by volume.

That moronic shit needs to be fucking outlawed a lot more than NiCd batteries do, I swear.

mnem
Dumbassery begets dumbassery.

[tggzzz]

Any way, Happy Christmas fellow freaks and your Christmas be eventful for all right reasons.

Mine has been, so far, better than it might have been, partly due to Messers Packard and Hewlett. (Just watched daughter deliberately pour a small amount of brandy cream on her lounge floor!)

But your plight is more dire on several levels. All I can say is that aborting and rescheduling Christmas seems like a sensible option (i.e. That's what I would have done), and that the first responsibility of "rescuers" is not to get themselves into a position where they need rescuing.

Best wishes, for what it is worth.

[mansaxel]

Since we've been through everything Christmas here already (Yesterday was nice, even if both my and wifes mothers are ill and were absent.) and at the moment are reliving it by eating leftovers, I'm restarting the TE-related portions of the thread. Oh, horror.

I've fixed up my antenna panel in the study. I got hold of an obsolete 12x BNC panel at work. It's stuffed with 50Ω insulated bulkheads(0) which aren't useful at work anymore, because in 3G-SDI systems the impedance bump from 50Ω bulkheads (which are sturdier than proper 75Ω ones and therefore were common in analog video infrastructure) is Bad Form. Of course, on top of that, I've got one F connector for broadcast TV and VHF FM radio that I need conveying. And my F bulkhead was for a 9mm hole (because 3/8"-UNEF), not a 1/2" one as the BNCs are. Also, not insulated. So, I went off and increased one BNC hole to 16mm and then threaded two small holes adjacent for M3. The M3 holes then are used to hold a piece of Perspex in which there's a 9mm hole making the F bulkhead insulated too. I got to use the IXXION drill press (step drills are almost criminally practical), the M3 tap, and in general make some mechanical mayhem. I felt completely happy while doing that. Finding the M3 tap was something of a issue; it was hidden well under my rather large BSW / BSF / BA / UNC / UNF / UNEF stash of taps and dies. I'm living in a metric country but I've got a lot more archaic thread gear than standard stuff...

There's some tidying-up to do, and I need to see about signs and so forth. But it's coming along nicely. And the TV works!



(0) A "bulkhead" here is shorthand for a female-female BNC coupler with a threaded waist to go in a panel/bulkhead.

[mnementh]

Xmas ham-pie.jpg

Ahhhh, the joys of a house with a baker's kitchen...

mnem
*pats his belly; now full of glazed ham, smashed topatoes, green bean casserole, baked 5-cheeses macaroni and a shameful number of Kings' Hawaiian rolls with butter*

"I think I'm gonna go slip out of these tight pants, and slip into something more comfortable... like a coma."

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urrrrrrrrrrp.

[mansaxel]

There's some tidying-up to do, and I need to see about signs and so forth. But it's coming along nicely. And the TV works!

Aaaand, as soon as we've got some darkness going, I can take Droitwich at 198KHz on the Lowe HF-150 with good fidelity and decent noise floor. There's no S-meter on the HF-150, but the signal is subjectively very good. With sun above horizon there's only SMPS noise. This all in spite of the horrible random wire I've got hanging in the garden, with a 6:1 unun in one end and a ground wire adjacent. The impedance curve looks like a bloody rollercoaster. One should not transmit into that.

The NanoVNA is a most useful little toy here; allowing me to quickly identify which in the rats nest of .400" cables is which; I've got a couple Sirio GP antennas (155MHz and 430MHz) and a Diamond dual-bander for 144 and 430 on the roof. The distinct impedance patterns are really easy to pick out.
I'm a bit on the fence for what I'm going to put up in terms of HF antenna. I'd really like something along the lines of a T2FD or such; allowing broadband tx and rx with minimal fuss. But the garden is not large. Takes a lot of work to find a couple trees with the right distance. Another idea is to use the antenna split function on my IC-735

and put up a small active RX antenna and a whip with an auto-tuner, the latter for TX.

[Zucca]

Hey Rob, this is for you....

2022-12-25 23_53_47-Window.jpg

My first Pico! 6403D.

Quick one... why they put the "tuned probe TA150" in the label, can't I just use the 10:1 probe I want? Sure I will compensate them....

[Peter_O]

Visited my 92 and 86 years old parents yesterday. They live 100 km away and I visit them all 4 to 6 weeks.

Up till now they managed to keep going idependently most of the time, but over the last two weeks Pa got that much older and weak, that it seems a matter of days more than weeks, that he will no longer be able to stand up. Think i have to pace up to get things arranged for nursing support or a nursing home as a fall back szenario, as my mother naturally would be not able to lift him.

First thing might be to get the status certified as kind of an entrance card to any nursing service. Think I have to intensify the research how it's done best.

[Robert]

Hey Rob, this is for you....

2022-12-25 23_53_47-Window.jpg

My first Pico! 6403D.

Quick one... why they put the "tuned probe TA150" in the label, can't I just use the 10:1 probe I want? Sure I will compensate them....

Ohh, very nice. Better bandwidth than any of my picoscopes. The "tuned" probe model on the label just to let peope know what of their probes is suitable. I guess it's easier than explaniing about bandwidth and compensation range. It can actually be quite difficult for newbies to select a suitble probe, they all look the same.
Now you just need a 12 or i6 bit Picoscope....

Robert.

[Zucca]

Now you just need a 12 or i6 bit Picoscope....

Stop spending my money!

Anyway the four TA150 I got do not have all the accessories, and I am allergic to that.
I am thinking to flipping them on Ebay and get nice Probe Master 5900 oscilloscope probe kits.

The only difference it could matter is the compensation range
TA150: 10 pF to 25 pF
5900: 6.5 pF to 15 pF

but I do not think it will create a problem....

[MED6753]

Add me to the list of those who were sick over the holidays. Nothing real serious, just annoying and miserable at times. Extreme sniffles and a cough. No fever. No muscle aches. So it wasn't the flu but simply a nasty cold, although I was told it could have been mild Covid. So being over 65 and a Medicare member I ordered and just received 4 free Covid tests. But since I'm nearly recovered no sense in testing myself this time but I will have them on hand if needed.

But having a sore nose from constant sniffles sure beats last Christmas when I was in the hospital.

[Zenith]

Me too. Aches, cough with phlegm, runny nose, general feeling of being unwell. I spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day in bed. It might have been Covid. I've had similar things in the past and would have put it down as a winter bug. It was nowhere near as bad as a serious dose of flu or norovirus (winter vomiting bug).

[AVGresponding]

Add me to the list of those who were sick over the holidays. Nothing real serious, just annoying and miserable at times. Extreme sniffles and a cough. No fever. No muscle aches. So it wasn't the flu but simply a nasty cold, although I was told it could have been mild Covid. So being over 65 and a Medicare member I ordered and just received 4 free Covid tests. But since I'm nearly recovered no sense in testing myself this time but I will have them on hand if needed.

But having a sore nose from constant sniffles sure beats last Christmas when I was in the hospital.

If you mean dry and chapped nostrils, petroleum jelly can help with that, helps prevent the skin drying out so much.

[Specmaster]

This is the state of our NHS, horror story to tell once I can back on PC.

Photo is me holding waiting for the 111 service to respond.

IMG_20221227_100920.jpg

[mnementh]

eeeeeeek!

mnem

[Specmaster]

They say the NHS is safe in their hands, well I have my doubts, the public message about the 111 service is certainly a lie, that they can get you sorted in as little 90 seconds, look at this video taken today, the 931221 on the screen is the answers to 6 short recorded questions posed to you, I was then put in the queue for the next available call handler and this is the message I kept listening to in hope that I was, as you will see I was in that queue for over 90 minutes, then an interviewer asks you a series of questions which take a while to process, DOB, who you are calling, postcode, address, Doctors Practise and details of why you called etc. Then they say some will call you back, as in last night, within the next 2 hours from the local out of hours Doctor. So I was expecting call by about 10pm at the latest.
Family all went bed about 11pm and I sat about waiting for the phone call, 3.30am, still waiting so I tried to make a go of changing my dressing myself, using totally the wrong dressings but I managed it.
Today I did get a phone call back from the out of hours doctor after speaking 111 for well over 90 minutes, explained everything again , like I did with the operater on 111 who remember, asked all of these questions about address, what the problem was etc. He said that was sending the district nurse round to see me, well that was then about 11:15am, still I’m still waiting.
When my Mother was in her last days a few years ago I had course then to use the 111 service and it was much better than it is today, so no I don’t believe them when they the invested more money in the NHS, they put more contracts out to private companies, taking any money that put in as profits, it is going backwards in real terms from my experience.

https://youtu.be/dffsMrT8A6I

[tggzzz]

The problem of outsourced remote "services" is nothing new. Indeed, it is almost guaranteed, since the contract will be given to the lowest bidder.

I remember a GP visiting my mother at home maybe a decade ago. She phoned for some backup information, didn't get an answer in 30mins, and gave up. That wasn't the first time she had had that experience.

[Robert]

They say the NHS is safe in their hands, well I have my doubts, the public message about the 111 service is certainly a lie, that they can get you sorted in as little 90 seconds, look at this video taken today, the 931221 on the screen is the answers to 6 short recorded questions posed to you, I was then put in the queue for the next available call handler and this is the message I kept listening to in hope that I was, as you will see I was in that queue for over 90 minutes, then an interviewer asks you a series of questions which take a while to process, DOB, who you are calling, postcode, address, Doctors Practise and details of why you called etc. Then they say some will call you back, as in last night, within the next 2 hours from the local out of hours Doctor. So I was expecting call by about 10pm at the latest.
Family all went bed about 11pm and I sat about waiting for the phone call, 3.30am, still waiting so I tried to make a go of changing my dressing myself, using totally the wrong dressings but I managed it.
Today I did get a phone call back from the out of hours doctor after speaking 111 for well over 90 minutes, explained everything again , like I did with the operater on 111 who remember, asked all of these questions about address, what the problem was etc. He said that was sending the district nurse round to see me, well that was then about 11:15am, still I’m still waiting.
When my Mother was in her last days a few years ago I had course then to use the 111 service and it was much better than it is today, so no I don’t believe them when they the invested more money in the NHS, they put more contracts out to private companies, taking any money that put in as profits, it is going backwards in real terms from my experience.

https://youtu.be/dffsMrT8A6I

While I sympathise with your situation and hope you all get sorted soon, I would point out, that for the "adverts" I've heard the claim of being directed to the right place in 90 seconds is for the ONLINE 111 service, not the phone.
SWMBO was having NHS treatment today.

Robert

[Specmaster]

Sometimes it's not even the lowest bidder, but one who promises a lot and delivers next to nothing, maximising the bottom line.

[Specmaster]

[
While I sympathise with your situation and hope you all get sorted soon, I would point out, that for the "adverts" I've heard the claim of being directed to the right place in 90 seconds is for the ONLINE 111 service, not the phone.
SWMBO was having NHS treatment today.

Robert

That's true but not happened yet. Pleased that SWMBO is getting treatment today from the NHS, it was always a given years ago and a much respected career, and I believe rewarded just as it should, a NHS career.is a noble one. Still waiting for District Nurse visit though.

[tggzzz]

Sometimes it's not even the lowest bidder, but one who promises a lot and delivers next to nothing, maximising the bottom line.

Yeah

But that is simple fraud.