September 2020

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society September 2020

Greetings to all!!

I hope all of you found a safe way to enjoy Labor Day with the restrictions that have so altered our lives still in place. At this time there is no change in the requirements concerning our building. The last update received from Alabama Power Company indicates the first phase of their three part reopening plan has not started and no date was given when it might begin. We continue to have a small number of our members present on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but only for a short time. The requirements for all to wear masks and maintain safe distancing continues to apply. Please follow these rules!!! We are the tenant, but the landlord makes the rules.

There is not much to report from the shop. A few smaller donations have been received. Some items can be purchased now if any of you are interested. Come by and look over these items and take a few with you for a good price PLEASE!!!! We will have an auction for the better items, sometime in the future, when possible.

Dave Cisco will present a virtual program on September 14, 2020 at 4:00 PM for the IEEE meeting. The program, History of Radio in Birmingham, can be viewed by our members as well. The information about how to participate in this event was sent in a previous email. If you did not receive the instructions please email us and we will send them to you.

The executive committee is still considering future Society projects, every though they are on the back burner because of the virus. We have approached officers of both the Birmingham Record Collectors Club and the Alabama Record Collectors Association. We proposed some type of joint event, when the virus threat abates. They expressed great interest in such an endeavor. The details are yet to be worked out, but the possibilities are endless. The display project at the State of Alabama Museum in Montgomery is still a possibility. The Society also needs to locate and apply for available grants for ongoing and new projects such as the reconfiguration and signage for the shop display, cataloging the library inventory, purchase of books and radios of special significance and other projects. If you are interested in helping with any of these projects please contact Steven Westbrook at (205) 305-0679 or email him at spwestbro@bellsouth.net.

We would like to hear from any of you about how you are staying busy during these unprecedented times. Please contact me at (205) 999-7178 or send some photographs and /or an article we can publish in the next Superflex newsletter.

That’s all for now. Stay safe and I hope to see you at the shop in the near future, when possible!!

Dave

The Story of Hop-a-long Capacity

This unrectified criminal, Hop-a-long Capacity dissipated (discharged himself) from a Western prism where he was held in soliton confinement in a primary cell, clamped in ions awaiting the quartz decision between the gauss chamber or death by lethal induction. He tunneled through the schottky barrier and punched-through an insulated gate, thus avoiding the mesa's guard ring. He then beta swift retreat in a stolon alpha. His last mea was to have been erg and pawn curie . He was charged with the interference, impedance and induction of an 18 turn air-core bobbin, n-sine Millie Henry who was found choked, gapped and robbed of valuable joules, which really erged her and caused her brother Mike O. Henry to re-coil concerned that she had lost phase. Though still fit for continuous duty the attendants opted to carrier away on a liter (her CO2 had centiliter). She exhibited reluctance to being shunted away like an invalid, crying "I'm not dyne" Though later she emitted "It really Hertz." Capacity had even stooped to peltier with rocks. Hop-a-long, who said he couldn't resistor, is armed with a carbon rod heater, has high mobility and is a potential killer.

The cholesteric Capacity is also charged with driving a dc motor open-loop over a Wheatstone bridge and refusing to let a band-pass. Use cation if encountered, he has the capacitance to offer series resistance. If beta captured tie with a phase lock loop, conduct him to the nearest secondary cell and transmitter wire to the police. The localized force, officers Newton and Slug, were catalyzed and spent the night probing for him in a magnetic field, where he had gone to earth. They report nothing positive and believe he has returned ohm via an unintended ground loop path. They are anxious to run him to ground so he can be passivated and recharged with nu crimes.

Please contact them with feedback no matter watt-hour, especially if you hear shot noise. A native of PN Junction, Hop-a-long will often on a faraday ride a cyclotron or rho an arc with his short girl friend Eddie Current who plays a harmonic. He drives with a heavy photon the accelerator. He may flyback to his ohm town.

PS:
.. Years later they found him discharged and leaking. "Foiled at last! Erg! It Hertz! I'm dyne!" He was decaying fast. "It's ether you or me!" Poynting his electron gun, Capacity cycled for one final surge. But the interference was too great. He became static. He diode.

Anonymous

“Hoist with one’s own petard”

An Editorial

Submitted by Steven Westbrook

These words by playwright William Shakespeare, in his work Hamlet, have meaning for us today. In the play these words refer to the maker of bombs to breach the gates of an enemy’s castle in medieval times, who is killed by his own bomb.

In our case it sheds light on safety concerns for all members.

Several months ago, before the virus took over our lives, I was checking the shop before setting the alarm and leaving the building. Per protocol, I left only one bank of lights on in the backroom. While inspecting the room I saw the pilot light of a power supply. The unit had been left on by a member after completing his work that day. After turning the unit off, I continued the inspection by feeling all the soldering irons. In the semi-darkness, I grabbed the business end of a hot soldering iron rather than the cord. The iron had been left on by a member. Burning my figure was my fault. I should know the proper and safe way to inspect an iron.

The point of this article is to remind the members that personal safety is the responsibly of each, and every member, including, but not limited to, equipment safety, trip hazards and building security. The issue of safety awareness can be extended to the personal safety of you and your family members during this crisis.

Wear your mask, wash your hand and be safe wherever you go and whatever you do. Take personal responsibility for the safety of yourself and others.

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 9:00 a.m., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Birmingham, AL 35203). Use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

Saturday meeting have been suspended due to coronavirus

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. until around 11:30 a.m. when we go to Marilyn's Deli and Dog for lunch next door. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Tuesday workshops have been suspended due to coronavirus

We meet on the fourth Monday night of each month, too, at 7:00 p.m. Please come join us!

Regular meetings have been suspended due to coronavirus

One more great benefit from becoming a member of AHRS--free Electronic classes!

Classes are taught the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on what Saturday).

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram. There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Electronics classes at the ship have been suspended due to the coronavirus. Check you emails for ZOOM classes.

Membership dues are $25 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham AL 35213.

Be sure and check out our website at https/www.alabamahistoricalradiosociety.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information