Narrow-Bandwidth Television Association

We've all dealt with it, the inability to proceed with NBTV work because of work/vacationing/schooling. With the younger among us, our most exciting work with NBTV happens in the summer, during the heavenly vacation from schooling, but slowly dies off with the re-introduction of schooling. With the older and more experienced among us, our most exciting work with NBTV usually happens during the winter months, while stuck inside due to bad weather, and then slowly fades into a recession during the summer months due to taking an occasional holiday, and being able to become more mobile and do more exciting things. While the interest in NBTV work never dies, it seasonally fades. I've primarily dealt with the first, but, most have dealt with the last and soon i will be to. i've been heavy in thought about this cycle recently, not just with NBTV work, but with a multitude of things. So, just a tid-bit of my thought.

Except if your name is Harry Dalek, then you build all of the time for years haha! I really admire his efforts.

Robonz wrote:Except if your name is Harry Dalek, then you build all of the time for years haha! I really admire his efforts.

Pretty much ! 10 years of fails and a few successes that's the problem of a obsessive hobbyist ! may be i should go cold turkey ...then again Hell No

Harry Dalek wrote:may be i should go cold turkey ...

TurkeyVisor... I'd like to see that!

You hit the nail on the head! I'm only just getting back into the hobby after doing practically nothing with it all summer. The dark winter months also make it easier to do flying spot scanner work when your apartment is all windows!

thanks for pointing out harry's valiant efforts with television while everybody else takes a break, it seems to me like Klass, Harry, and Gary are some of the most active users on here, always having something to say or do. Maybe, they are all robots? That could explain how they never ends with their work!

McGee, you missed out Andrew, he has put massive hours in this year.

I am trying hard myself to finish my last televisor and get my next project underway. It really takes some extra drive as time is always precious.

Cheers
Keith

I tend to use the forum as a diary in a way to remind my future self what i have made and how.......mistakes and all failure is a road to success, if you want to read up to you ....the one i am on now will take me into next year i am still working on it till i am happy enough with it ..then staying with the camera side of things i will work on a vidicon camera Tube Troy from the forum kindly got me ...
Andrew has kindly put this forum up for us so why not use it ,,,And yes Andrew has had a massive year of construction and one very good Nipkow monitor and very detailed construction diary ..
More people on the forum the better i understand the seasonal problem of the hobby its very hot here now puts me off doing any work in my shed lucky i have a little corner in the house and a desk when its like this what else could you ask for !

My input into NBTV/SSTV is erratic, for the past 15 months or so I've hardly made any posts here. Though I do check-in at least once a day just to make sure all is well, approve new member posts etc..

The reason for my apparent absence is simply down to my work, being a freelance engineer you have to take the work when it comes along. Last year in August the ABC in Melbourne was relocated which kept me busy until March, now I'm working on a huge project in Hong Kong which probably will keep me going until the end of 2018.

I did allocate some time for 'hobby' type things but that has been swallowed up by a small circuit design job. That will complete soon so I can resume my work on the NBTV/SSTV up-converter...unless something else comes along.

Steve A.

Very good Steve.! Good to hear that you are busy, that is where it all comes from. But I can agree with Harry that we missed you. There is no hurry for the SSTV converter.

I did also several months nothing on the Robot converter, although I still want to change the position of the active window on a 625 line TV better centered in the vertical direction. That takes quite some thinking about the line numbers, blanking area and how to make that in a way that it can be built easily back to the original situation. This is for historical reasons.

Also for me, although retired, there are other tasks popping up that I like to give attention to, e.g. recently I made two websites for clubs that I am also a member of. But as well I try to look into this forum what is new, if possible every day, but at least every week. However, sometimes we are away for some time, without acces to the internet. That is still possible......

Klaas Robers wrote:...without access to the internet. That is still possible......

Yes, very true. A while ago we bought a second property which is in a rural location, very rural. The chance of having any form of cable or fibre connection is years off, even a landline telephone is a while away.

So when I'm there I have to use my mobile phone as a WiFi hot-spot so the laptop can access the Internet. But I don't like the data-roaming charges!

Steve A.

Good to see your Ok Steve .
Are you going to put a nice big work area at the new place ...sounds like you need internet access most there .

Yes, the office-cum-workshop is already defined. It's 6m x 8m in size with plenty of windows for light and air.

One of the major parts is getting the aging and unsafe Thai electrics in the house brought up to modern standards - i.e. WITH AN EARTH!! - that is three-pin outlets! Generator outhouse is being built right now, though larger, it looks like a good old fashioned Oz dunny! I hope visitors don't mistake its function! Power is not that reliable in this area.

I plan to move my Bangkok office/workshop around 15th December...here goes!

Steve A.

Steve Anderson wrote:Yes, the office-cum-workshop is already defined. It's 6m x 8m in size with plenty of windows for light and air.

One of the major parts is getting the aging and unsafe Thai electrics in the house brought up to modern standards - i.e. WITH AN EARTH!! - that is three-pin outlets! Generator outhouse is being built right now, though larger, it looks like a good old fashioned Oz dunny! I hope visitors don't mistake its function! Power is not that reliable in this area.

I plan to move my Bangkok office/workshop around 15th December...here goes!

Steve A.

Good luck Steve very much so on the earth on the socket yes need one of those .
Solar power is very big here for homes these days and charging batteries for days not so sunny ..i would think being close to the equator it would be the thing in Asia ? just wondering as you mentioned the generator .