Hobbies Other than cars

[Kidd-7]

Slot cars (ideal TCR), guitars (vintage) and minibikes (flathead powered).

Got this in my email today:

 

[massacre]

The Ideal TCR cars are "slotless", they can switch lanes.

The jam car forces passing. I have tractor trailers and some rare track pieces that make it really fun- jumps and bridges and 4 lane wide track pieces. Also have the electronic super booster which is a total game changer makes the cars much faster.

 

[Grog6]

I had a set in the 60's, but there wasn't the options there are today.

 

[Derphound01]

Finally got my better radio installed in the Edge. This one was in our Land Cruiser until I sold it last year. It has mapping and SMS capabilities. As long as I'm in range of an APRS digipeater (which is rare not to be), I can send SMS messages to cell phones and other radios. I can also use it to beacon out my location and navigate to other beacons. TL,DR: it's wonderful for emergencies when cell phones don't work.

I can also hook it to a Windows tablet and the car's hotspot to use EchoLink wherever I want. EchoLink is a digipeater that allows me to talk to other 2m/70cm users across the world. If I'm in range of an EchoLink-equipped repeater, I can dial up the node of the tower I want to connect to. If not, I can dial up the destination through the internet.

The actual radio box is under the driver's seat with the control head mounted on the top of the windshield. Microphone connects to the main box and is sitting in the cupholder for now. Perfect placement to operate it while in the car and not obstruct the GPS antenna in it. Antenna is still mounted to the plastic spoiler and grounded to the body at the liftgate strut.

 

[Grog6]

I always liked the ham guys that came into the shop; dealing with the cb crowd was tough, lol.
I'd see the fcc guys regularly; The truckstops in knox sold mexican 1000W linears for cb band.
a 1000w linear on a fiberglass antenna at 20:1 swr will burn the end off the antenna off, lol.
They would notice after it was burnt, and want a new one under warranty. I'd say, "No, and you are an idiot.)
Give me $20 and I won't tell the fcc what you're doing"...

 

[Derphound01]

CB guys can't read well enough to know the rules so they just assume the rules don't apply to them. Useless cowboys.

These days, Ch.19 is just a bunch of rednecks parroting whatever Alex Jones said that day.

 

[supergordo]

Got this in my email today:
View attachment 3283

Ah! AFX, loved their tracks as a kid.

 

[97 30th]

I collect pinball machines. Currently restoring one for a buddy of mine.

 

[theterminator93]

Funny you mention pinball machines... the mother-in-law recently picked up a pair of machines from Stern. Pricey, but well made.

 

[Grog6]

My first job was repairing stuff for an amusement co. Pinball machines, video games, pool tables, gambling machines. It was cool, $20 an hour, under the table, illegal for a 14yo. I played tempest and digdug to where I can't stand them now. I had to play them until they errored out, then me and the old guy would figure out what the deal is. I have the winning sequence figured out for some of the gambling machines. I can beat the hell out of them, if they have the original roms. I found a transistor to fix the tempest monitors, and we sold the fix to other gaming companies, I got $500 cash for that.