Author Archive
Interview with the Red Hot Chili Peppers
April 1st, 2010 | 
Author: Last year, through the efforts of a fried of mine, I was able to talk to Red Hot Chili Pepper's lead vocalist, Anthony Kiedis, and bassist Mike Balzary (better known as Flea) about Amateur Radio. It hasn't been reported often, but both Anthony and Flea are hams and in between tours operate out of their California homes. We stopped over at Flea's house. In the driveway he points out his self-supporting 200 foot tower.
"I've got it loaded up for 160...the whole tower. Radials all over the [expletive] place. Damn thing was hell to put up!" he said.
Kiedis and Flea laugh as we walk inside. Flea's living room filled with old tube gear of every kind and parts are lying everywhere on tables, shelves and the floor. Amid the mess, various Hallicrafters, Collins, and Drake rigs can be seen, though Flea's affinity for Johnson equipment is obvious as it dominates the landscape.
"I love AM. A bunch of wankers told me AM was old and too wide on the band. I told 'em to [expletive] off and I went to AM and never looked back."
Flea takes us into a back room. A four bay Gates AM transmitter graces the room which is amazingly spotless in contrast with the previous room. Flea flips on a huge breaker mounted to a piece of plywood on the wall and the beast comes to life and a deafening roar of fans and tube air blowers fills the room. We go into the next room which is soundproof and contains his operating position with a mixing board and a high-end Heil microphone on a boom.
Kiedes explains that he currently doesn't have a station, though he often comes over to Flea's shack on the weekend and operates while having a few beers and grilling steaks.
(This is a brief excerpt from my upcoming book, Unknown and Undercover Amateur Radio, due out in September from Simon & Shuster.. )
"I've got it loaded up for 160...the whole tower. Radials all over the [expletive] place. Damn thing was hell to put up!" he said.
Kiedis and Flea laugh as we walk inside. Flea's living room filled with old tube gear of every kind and parts are lying everywhere on tables, shelves and the floor. Amid the mess, various Hallicrafters, Collins, and Drake rigs can be seen, though Flea's affinity for Johnson equipment is obvious as it dominates the landscape.
"I love AM. A bunch of wankers told me AM was old and too wide on the band. I told 'em to [expletive] off and I went to AM and never looked back."
Flea takes us into a back room. A four bay Gates AM transmitter graces the room which is amazingly spotless in contrast with the previous room. Flea flips on a huge breaker mounted to a piece of plywood on the wall and the beast comes to life and a deafening roar of fans and tube air blowers fills the room. We go into the next room which is soundproof and contains his operating position with a mixing board and a high-end Heil microphone on a boom.
Kiedes explains that he currently doesn't have a station, though he often comes over to Flea's shack on the weekend and operates while having a few beers and grilling steaks.
(This is a brief excerpt from my upcoming book, Unknown and Undercover Amateur Radio, due out in September from Simon & Shuster.. )
Code Requirement
Today Pope Benedict XVI announced in Rome that Morse code proficiency has been added to the requirements for being considered for recognition as a saint. In a brief statement the Pope said:
"It has been known throughout the ages that knowing and using Morse code makes one a more whole person. We today officially make it a requirement of canonization....one must know the code to be recognized a saint."The move was applauded by millions in countries throughout the world. "This should keep the quality of saints high" noted one blogger in France. One person interviewed in Times Square in New York City exclaimed "It's about time. This should keep the riff-raff out of sainthood. Several hundred years ago you had to perform real miracles to become a saint. Today you can just feed a few million starving people and, like, instantly you're considered for sainthood. Having to know Morse code will finally raise the standards back to where they need to be."
ITU Declares Texas A DXCC Entity
SWITZERLAND - The ITU has officially declared Texas a new DXCC entity. Texas's amateur radio prefix will be TX, which is currently allocated to France. French authorities have agreed to allow France to be annexed with Texas rather than giving up the prefix and angering French amateurs.
The United States FCC will no longer issue amateur radio licenses to Texans; all licenses will be issued out of the Republic of Texas government office in Houston. Texan amateur radio licenses will automatically include a concealed weapons permit and VIP parking permits for Chilis restaurants.
Texas, as part of the United States secession agreement, will also assume responsibility for the portion of national debt incurred by Texans. This has been calculated at nearly $5 trillion, or roughly 39% of the current US national debt.
The new Texan TX prefix will become active April 2 at 00:00 UTC and is eligible for DXCC credit.
The United States FCC will no longer issue amateur radio licenses to Texans; all licenses will be issued out of the Republic of Texas government office in Houston. Texan amateur radio licenses will automatically include a concealed weapons permit and VIP parking permits for Chilis restaurants.
Texas, as part of the United States secession agreement, will also assume responsibility for the portion of national debt incurred by Texans. This has been calculated at nearly $5 trillion, or roughly 39% of the current US national debt.
The new Texan TX prefix will become active April 2 at 00:00 UTC and is eligible for DXCC credit.
Once-Venerable Radio Shack For Sale?
The New York Post is reporting that Radio Shack may be courting suitors, namely electronics retailer Best Buy. If you have the cash lying around, you can pick up your very own electronics...errrr cellphone store chain for a cool $3B. Could this be the next or perhaps last chapter of our once great electronic hobbyist mecca?
Antenna Party
On Saturday I had several folks over for an antenna party. My two element 10/12/15/17/20 meter quad lost the 10 meter driven element wire over the winter and I was wanting to take the quad out of service. Quads are great antennas, perhaps magical, but from a maintenance and installation point they are a nightmare. This quad went through two ice storms and survived, but that wasn't without much gnashing of teeth. Quads are three-dimensional antennas, so one big disadvantage is they take up a lot of vertical real estate on a tower. Since originally putting this tower and quad up, I got interested in six meters but I couldn't put a six meter beam up on the tower.
Rather than hinging down the 40' (12 m) Rohn tower as usual I rented a 45' (14 m) manlift locally. This was a good decision. This model had a 500 pound (227 kg) platform capacity, so two people plus gear could fit in it. Once I figured out how to operate the controls, it was a very nimble piece of equipment. We wore harnesses and clipped into the platform railing with lanyards for safety.
Rather than hinging down the 40' (12 m) Rohn tower as usual I rented a 45' (14 m) manlift locally. This was a good decision. This model had a 500 pound (227 kg) platform capacity, so two people plus gear could fit in it. Once I figured out how to operate the controls, it was a very nimble piece of equipment. We wore harnesses and clipped into the platform railing with lanyards for safety.
Going up the first time
Removing the quad fiberglass spreaders, one by one
Six meter beam installed
The "new" HF was going to be a restored Mosley TA-33 Senior. When we got it installed I was not pleased with the way the one inch mast (which was bracketed to the main two inch mast) was flexing. We de-installed the TA-33 and decided to abort the mission with the HF antenna. We put a two meter horizontal polarization beam in its place. So I'm without a good upper HF band antenna for awhile, which is OK with me as the sunspot cycle is low and my interest in HF has been down in recent years.
Considering the success I had making a lightweight Moxon for six meters, I'm thinking of experimenting with making a 20 meter lightweight Moxon and using it from a mast or on the rooftop with a lightweight rotator. If I had my druthers I would install it on the tower at the 30 foot level with a ring rotator, but it appears there's only one company that makes these and they are outrageously expensive. If I had some tools and more mechanical skills, I would manufacture these at a reasonable price.
It's funny how not having full HF capability has sparked my interest in building an antenna. It seems the struggle and journey to getting to the station you want is often more interesting and intriguing than when you arrive at your ideal station goal.
All in all it was a good day. I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in awhile, I learned how to operate a large piece of equipment, and no one got hurt.
Amateur Radio Crucial to Healthcare Reform
Yesterday President Obama shocked everyone at a follow-up press conference on healthcare reform by acknowledging a connection between amateur radio and the healthcare reform plan just signed.
"Today the Shortwave Intelligence Task Force, a part of the CIA, intercepted radio transmissions in what is known as '80 meters', an amateur radio communications band. Several amateur radio hams discussed the details in the healthcare reform package to harvest organs from aging ham radio operators." Upon hearing this the press corp chuckled but was interrupted by Obama who raised his hand and gave a serious look across the audience. "The claims are true. Amateur radio operators are crucial to healthcare reform. A large portion of healthcare costs are due to patients with failing organs and there just aren't enough organ donations to support the growing need. Nearly every other modern civilized country in the world has universal healthcare.... and they all harvest organs from their ham radio operators."
The media, understandably, was abuzz after the announcement. CNN reported last night that they attempted to determine the exact source of the amateur radio transmissions in order to interview the radio amateurs who discovered the sinister plan, but were unsuccessful, noting the amateurs were part of a secret organization known simply as "Four Land". On Fox "News", Glenn Beck spent the first half of his daily TV show explaining the difference between broadcast radio and ham radio and them proceeded to sob uncontrollably for the remaining half hour mumbling something about his kidneys. Rush Limbaugh, who has been off the air for the past week attempting to find a new home in a country that, in his words "has running water and electricity but not socialized medicine", didn't do a live radio show but I'm curious what he has to say.
ARRL praised the plan on their website but reminded amateurs that they could not receive renumeration for donating organs while on the air.
"Today the Shortwave Intelligence Task Force, a part of the CIA, intercepted radio transmissions in what is known as '80 meters', an amateur radio communications band. Several amateur radio hams discussed the details in the healthcare reform package to harvest organs from aging ham radio operators." Upon hearing this the press corp chuckled but was interrupted by Obama who raised his hand and gave a serious look across the audience. "The claims are true. Amateur radio operators are crucial to healthcare reform. A large portion of healthcare costs are due to patients with failing organs and there just aren't enough organ donations to support the growing need. Nearly every other modern civilized country in the world has universal healthcare.... and they all harvest organs from their ham radio operators."
The media, understandably, was abuzz after the announcement. CNN reported last night that they attempted to determine the exact source of the amateur radio transmissions in order to interview the radio amateurs who discovered the sinister plan, but were unsuccessful, noting the amateurs were part of a secret organization known simply as "Four Land". On Fox "News", Glenn Beck spent the first half of his daily TV show explaining the difference between broadcast radio and ham radio and them proceeded to sob uncontrollably for the remaining half hour mumbling something about his kidneys. Rush Limbaugh, who has been off the air for the past week attempting to find a new home in a country that, in his words "has running water and electricity but not socialized medicine", didn't do a live radio show but I'm curious what he has to say.
ARRL praised the plan on their website but reminded amateurs that they could not receive renumeration for donating organs while on the air.
Imagine…
...if everyone used Yaesu FT-817s and dipoles....
(post your 'imagine' thoughts in the comments below....)
(post your 'imagine' thoughts in the comments below....)
