Just some miscellaneous news from happenings over the past month…first, the good news…
I passed the oral exam on Tuesday. So, I’m officially ABD now. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Nikon released the 50mm f/1.4G AF-S SWM prime lens at the end of September. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention. This is good news for D40 owners such as myself. But, the price is almost as steep as the Sigma f/1.4 30mm and 50mm HSM lenses. The 30mm lens would be a better all-around choice. Perhaps Nikon will come out with something a little shorter by the time I’m ready to buy. Until then, I’ll keep using the 50mm f/1.4 AF-D that I have on indefinite loan from work.
I managed to destroy the drivers in my recently-repaired TS-930S. I considered swapping the drivers from my second radio into this one. But, when I took that radio apart, I found that the capacitors had swollen. So, I have parts on order to fix that. UPS says they’ll be here today. I requested a quote for the NTE236 replacement for the MRF-485 drivers. They want almost as much for the NTE236 as RF Parts does for the MRF-485. I think I’ll get the MRF-485s.
We had high winds yesterday (Sunday). I lost the 80-, 40-, and 20-meter dipoles. Sarah said, “Do you expect that (80-meter) antenna to last the winter? It just broke in September.” She’s right. I’m not sure I’ll repair it if it breaks again. It’s less than a week to the CW Sweepstakes and I only have one working radio (FT-840) and antennas for 10 and 15 meters. The forecast calls for 65 and sunny on Thursday. So, I’ll probably take the day to work on antennas.
