-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Could you post?
Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 16:47:51 -0800
From: Fred Jensen <
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Reply-To:
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To: Eric Swartz <
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Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
> Like the engineer who was developing magnetron power oscillators
> for radar systems in the 1940's and discovered that the chocolate
> bar in his nice white shirt pocket had melted and made a mess.
> Curious, he investigated why. The first Microwave Oven was the
> result - sold as the "Radar Range".
Aww ... I thought I invented the microwave oven around 1960 while a
student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. I was employed as a relief
engineer at KSBY-TV, then the only channel available to the area
(Station motto: "If you don't like what we broadcast, you're SOL since
we're all you got"). A buddy and I discovered that if we poked a hot
dog into the waveguide of our CBS/NBC network link, it would get hot.
It caused a little snow in the pix (OK ... a lot of snow, but then,
remember the station motto) and unfortunately, the grease ran down the
waveguide and slowly coated the mica window at the bottom, ultimately
requiring a degreasing job and the end of nuked hot dogs.
They paid me $50 to change the tower clearance lights every 6 months --
FAA rule, change them even if they're still lit. Visual power was 20KW
into the 3 1/2" hardline, aural power was half that (I think that's
right ... we boasted in our ID's that we were "full power television for
the California Central Coast, 100,000 watts from San Luis Obispo" and I
seem to recall the antenna had 7 dB gain or something like that). I
could climb inside the tower, but being on a ridge near the top of
Cuesta Grade, there was a lot of wind, and it got pretty cold even in
the summer, until I got to the top set of lamps just below the turnstile
antenna. There, I got quite warm if I dallied around changing the
bulbs. My wife maintains that it affected my brain, but then, she will
certify that I'm crazy to anyone. Tossing the light bulbs off the tower
in the wind was cool, however, lots of stupid things are cool when
you're 20 years old and immortal.
Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw
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