Greg Smith, KX0S, Amateur Radio Operator, Audiophile, Soldier, and Teacher

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List of Things

A few lists of mine:

The type of people I like:

Those that don't lie, cheat, or steal.
Those that are kind to those in need.
Optimistic people.
Don't start every sentence with the word no.
Understand the importance of learning.
Are kind to animals.
Don't believe they speak for God.
Are not politicians.

I dislike:
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Bad Ref's

Some Audiophile beliefs of mine:

Most people  have no idea how good
music reproduction can sound. Nor do
they care.

Bigger is not better, better is better.

Most downloaded music sounds terrible on a good system.
All MP3's sound bad on a good system.

There is a huge difference between a $300(-) CD deck
and a $1000(+) one.

No $100 amplifier can produce 500 clean watts.

Thump, thump, double thump, is not what real bass sounds like.

The inside of a car may be the worst acoustic
environment known to man.

What the devil is a digital ready speaker? Does it
play one tone for a zero and another for a one?

The most important things to me.

My faith in the Lord.
The love of my wife.
The love of my children.
My family in the South.
Enjoying my work.
Having a sense of humor.

  Of all the Country songs ever made, I believe this one
symbolizes Country Music more than any other.
The opening
sounds of the steel guitar are unmistakable. The singer 
and co-writer is the greatest legend of the genre.

The Country song:

The best radio microphone ever made. I posted a review of it on eHam.net. It's compression circuitry allows your audio to punch through. It isn't Hi-Fi, but is very clear and accurate. I own over 60 microphones. If I had to pick only one to keep for radio usage, the Turner +3 would be it. In second place there is a tie in my mind. Depending on the conditions: Bad conditions the Astatic amplified D-104. Somewhat bad conditions the Shure 526T. Good conditions the Astatic non-amplified 10-DA. This is just a short list for radio microphones. My studio condenser or dynamics all have much better fidelity than any of these. Also, the Heils are good with the HC-4 and HC-5 depending on conditions, and the Marshall MXL-90 sounds far better than it's price would indicate. The Heil PR-40 is another excellent microphone, but expensive. The best looking microphone I own? The Astatic Golden D-104 and the Shure 55SH, with a nod to the Nady Gold RSM-2. I am giving my opinions on microphones I own only. OK, here it is; what so many CB operators want to know. The D-104 (amplified) vs the Turner Plus 3. Using a Swan WM-3000 meter,a 23 channel tube CB and tube 130 watt amp into a Cantenna, I observed the following: Both did an excellent job. The Astatic would swing between 60 and 125 watts. The turner kept the needle around 110 to 130 watts. The compression circuits of the Plus 3 gave a higher average power out. Listening to the audio using a device from Clean RF, they both sounded good. The Astatic was slightly higher in pitch (good in bad conditions), and the Turner had a little more bottom end, but little dynamic range. Both sounded fine. Either one is a very good CB (or Ham) microphone. Neither is a high quality sound reproduction device. In my opinion the Astatic (Silver Eagle edition) looks better. Both will quickly overdrive the modulation on AM (splatter, harmonics, nasty sound), so turn them down low and sound clear and clean. For somewhat better fidelity, with amplification, go with the Shure 526T. It is an excellent microphone. I personally prefer non-amplified microphones. The mic gain on modern amateur transceivers is more than enough to pump up the audio. That and the compression circuit makes an amplified microphone redundant, and most amplified models are somewhat deficient in fidelity anyway. These are my opinions. I am sure that others have theirs and will disagree with me. Judging radio microphones can be highly subjective and every operator has their favorites. I have posted my opinions on many microphone in the equipment reviews at eham.net.

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Turner Plus 3, circa 1975.

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My favorite Beers:
  I lived in Germany for 10 years. I never had a German beer that wasn't better than Bud, Coors, and other beer flavored water like that. However, living in the good ole U.S. doesn't have to be all bad when it comes to beer. These are my favorites that I can buy here:
1. Guinness Draught
2. Newcastle Brown Ale
3. Sam Adams Boston Lager
4. Michelob Original Lager(less expensive than the others)
5. 1554 Enlightened Black Ale (price is good too)
6. Shiner Bock or Black Lager
7. Anchor Steam Beer
8. Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale (seasonal)
9. Leinenkugel Oktoberfest, Fireside Nut Brown, and especially their 1888 Bock. Their Creamy Dark is a lighter version of Guinness.
Light Beers (except for Sam Adams)are not even considered except during the heat of July and August. May as well have some alcohol in the ice water. At Christmas time, when it is 15 degrees and snow has covered the ground, it should be illegal to drink any beer but dark ales and lagers. Every now and then, Coors Winterfest is not too bad either. The 1996 brew was especially good. I suppose that living in a cold climate may have something to do with my preference for dark beers. Then again, maybe they just taste better to me. I am going to go get me a six pack of 1554 today. I haven't listened to the tube stereo since the new flooring was installed. I had to remove the speakers and stands. Then the stands didn't match the new carpet. The ever resourceful wife covered the stands with woodgrain contact paper, and Saturday (11/27/10) I reinstalled them. Tube sound and 1554 are on the way!

Bo the cat, and Vegas. Fall 2007.
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Bo is chewing on my #!*&^$ antenna guy rope.

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Lil' Guy has claimed the chair. Summer 09'

The Best Rock Band Ever



The things or people I really dislike:

Anyone that would harm a child.
Anyone that is cruel to others.
Anyone that is cruel to animals.
Large government and high taxes.
Those that refuse to learn and enjoy ignorance.
Drivers using cell phones and driving poorly.
Those that lie, cheat, or steal.
Those that think they're superior due to their skin color or sex.
Those that believe that crude acts in public are cute.
Politicians.


Maybe the saddest song I ever heard. Of course,
I may think so only because I lived it, twice, in 1973 & 1980.The quality is not the greatest, as
this is a cassette recording from a record I literally
wore out. I can't find the record on CD, so it's all
I have.

Sad song, I ain't lyin'

There have been many great Country songs
written. To me, this is the greatest Country song
ever
. Also, it takes on a greater poignancy when we
realize that the line is, "like me he's lost the will to live",
instead of "that means he's lost the will to live."

The Best:

Some of the things I've learned in 58 years.

Honesty is always best.
Self-pity is a waste of time.
Everything will change, then change again, and again.
Let those you love know it.
Time is your friend and enemy.
The innocent love of a child is to be cherished.
Bad choices made when young, will alter your life's course.
Loving, and being loved, is life's greatest gift.
We all make mistakes, admit to them and learn from them.
Life is not a zero-sum game.
Today's decision is tomorrow's reality.
Never under estimate the power of a smile.
We don't know half as much as we think we do.
It's what we learn after we know it all that's really important.