[Elecraft] [K3] One Last Hearing Story
I tell this story every so often, and a recent thread about hearing reminded me of it. It is directed primarily to those of us that, thank God, still have most of our hearing. Many of you know of Rick Campbell, KK7B, who is an avid QRPer and backpacker, brilliant engineer and designer of the famous R1 and R2 series of direct-conversion receivers. About 14 years ago, when he worked at TriQuint in Oregon, I happened to be visiting there on business the day Rick was scheduled to speak to the ham club to encourage its members to homebrew a simple project. I was invited to stay for the lunchtime meeting. He handed out a 1-page schematic of a simple receiver he designed -- which I still have-- and showed us how he had layed it out on a plank of wood using brass nails and bare wire, 1924-style. Though a young man himself it was obvious that he had tremendous respect for the ham pioneers of the early days, not only for their homebrewing spirit but also because of their 'ears' -- their ability to copy fantastically weak signals. As he talked and told stories of those early days, he casually stripped some wire. He talked some more while stringing the wire through the room, and some more as he hooked up a battery and headphones to his little rig. Having thus completed a 40 meter dipole he then invited us to go up and slip the headphones on to hear how the receiver's single 2N audio stage sounded. The first guy to listen pulled off the phones after about a minute and said in a frustrated tone, "Gee, Rick, how can you hear anything coming out of that thing?" Well, that was Rick's cue. He then went on a rant about how we abuse our ears by playing the radio, the TV, our rigs and everything else way too loudly, and about how precious the gift of hearing is and how we should cherish it. "You get in your car and turn on the radio," he said. "Then when you get on the highway you have to turn up the volume some more. Further down the road, you find you need to turn it up even more, and what you don't realize is that little by little, you're making yourself deaf!" He exhorted us to practice the art of listening by turning down the volume of our receivers until almost inaudible... just like in 1924. He said that's how he would practice and hone his 'ears'. It was an impassioned and moving speech given by a guy who appreciates the magic of radio and wants to enjoy it as long as he can. I was impressed that a man so talented and so respected could find value in the simple act of sitting and listening with Zen-like concentration. Then again, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the guys in 1924... they would just call it 'wireless'. We live in a world that is far too loud under normal circumstances, but when I think of all the times I cranked the volume, whether I was listening to loud music in a closed car or to 40 meters in a noisy shack or sat through a ridiculously loud concert, I am ashamed at how I have treated my poor ears. I hope that they have enough left to allow me to enjoy the gift of hearing and the magic of radio for a long time to come. Al W6LX __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] [K3] One Last Hearing Story
Very interesting story! I recall Rick's R2 (I think it was called) which was an analog precursor to the SDR of today. I think the lesson is well put. To improve your abilities you have to "train"! That has to be done at or beyond the limits. So to hear better train yourself with "weak signals". To improve your CW push your speed. To qualify as a Marine Recon or NAVY Seal, well good luck! You know they train beyond the limits. I have been lucky to work alongside both who were retired vets! My hearing is very poor, not from rock music but industrial noise. In the 1950-60's no one bothered with hearing protection. But I do know my ability can be improved with training at levels I want to succeed at. Thanks for the story. 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com dubus...@gmail.com "Kits made by KL7UW" __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] One Last Hearing Story
Well maybe second to last. :-) (But I doubt it.) The most important thing I can do with my fading hearing (I'm 69 and fading hearing goes with the age) is to eliminate background noise. I'm sitting in my shack and I can hear the jackhammer outside, cars on the street, my wife walking in the living room, the freezer humming away, and the backup drive on my desk seeking as Time Machine does a backup. One of the greatest blessings is when we have a power failure and most of that background noise stops. I use headphones which helps reduce the audio QRM. The CM-500 headphones help a lot, but what really works wonders are my Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones. Turn them on and the noise just disappears. I have used them while working ARES/RACES for the Los Gatos Christmas Parade. They help there too, although a lot of the parade noise still comes thru. Cheers - Bill, AE6JV -- Bill Frantz| There are now so many exceptions to the 408-356-8506 | Fourth Amendment that it operates only by www.pwpconsult.com | accident. - William Hugh Murray __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] One Last Hearing Story
Bill Frantz wrote > ...but what really works wonders are my > Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones. "Sennheiser NoiseGard™ 2.0 technology provides up to 90% active noise cancellation" http://en-us.sennheiser.com/noise-cancelling-headphones 90% reduction may sound good but it's only ~10 dB, which is typical for most active noise cancelling headphones. If you're serious about noise reduction, you should be looking for 30 dB, which is available in both "in-ear" and "over-the-ear" style passive headphones: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.html http://www.extremeheadphones.com/products/ex-29-headphones 73, Bill W4ZV -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-One-Last-Hearing-Story-tp7579040p7579054.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] One Last Hearing Story
I forgot the URL: http://en-us.sennheiser.com/professional-dj-headphones-noise-cancelling-hd-280-pro I like the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, which claims "up to 32 dB of ambient noise attenuation." I have Bose QC2 active noise cancellation too but prefer the Sennheiser. They seal out amplifier blower noise and noise from a furnace and water heater's exhaust fan that are about 20' away. The sound is crisp, they sit around my ears, not on them, and are comfortable for many hours in a contest. I realize the limitations of eHam reviews, though they score well - http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2951 . 73, Jim N7US -Original Message- Bill Frantz wrote > ...but what really works wonders are my Sennheiser noise-canceling > headphones. "Sennheiser NoiseGard™ 2.0 technology provides up to 90% active noise cancellation" http://en-us.sennheiser.com/noise-cancelling-headphones 90% reduction may sound good but it's only ~10 dB, which is typical for most active noise cancelling headphones. If you're serious about noise reduction, you should be looking for 30 dB, which is available in both "in-ear" and "over-the-ear" style passive headphones: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.html http://www.extremeheadphones.com/products/ex-29-headphones 73, Bill W4ZV __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] One Last Hearing Story
I like the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, which claims "up to 32 dB of ambient noise attenuation." I have Bose QC2 active noise cancellation too but prefer the Sennheiser. They seal out amplifier blower noise and noise from a furnace and water heater's exhaust fan that are about 20' away. The sound is crisp, they sit around my ears, not on them, and are comfortable for many hours in a contest. I realize the limitations of eHam reviews, though they score well - http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2951 . 73, Jim N7US -Original Message- Bill Frantz wrote > ...but what really works wonders are my Sennheiser noise-canceling > headphones. "Sennheiser NoiseGard™ 2.0 technology provides up to 90% active noise cancellation" http://en-us.sennheiser.com/noise-cancelling-headphones 90% reduction may sound good but it's only ~10 dB, which is typical for most active noise cancelling headphones. If you're serious about noise reduction, you should be looking for 30 dB, which is available in both "in-ear" and "over-the-ear" style passive headphones: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.html http://www.extremeheadphones.com/products/ex-29-headphones 73, Bill W4ZV __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] One Last Hearing Story
I have and like the hmd280, With the boom mic !! Hmd dynamic or hme electret' However I just bought a comfy stereo boom headset w electret at frys for 9.99$, Perfect for the kx3 , or k3 rear plug ins. Bill. At the w9dxcc convention Sent from my iPad On Sep 19, 2013, at 10:07 AM, "Jim N7US" wrote: > I like the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, which claims "up to 32 dB of ambient noise > attenuation." I have Bose QC2 active noise cancellation too but prefer the > Sennheiser. > > They seal out amplifier blower noise and noise from a furnace and water > heater's exhaust fan that are about 20' away. The sound is crisp, they sit > around my ears, not on them, and are comfortable for many hours in a contest. > > I realize the limitations of eHam reviews, though they score well - > http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2951 . > > 73, Jim N7US > > > > -Original Message- > > Bill Frantz wrote >> ...but what really works wonders are my Sennheiser noise-canceling >> headphones. > > "Sennheiser NoiseGard™ 2.0 technology provides up to 90% active noise > cancellation" > http://en-us.sennheiser.com/noise-cancelling-headphones > > 90% reduction may sound good but it's only ~10 dB, which is typical for most > active noise cancelling headphones. If you're serious about noise reduction, > you should be looking for 30 dB, which is available in both "in-ear" and > "over-the-ear" style passive headphones: > > http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.html > http://www.extremeheadphones.com/products/ex-29-headphones > > 73, Bill W4ZV > > > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html