Blog - Page 2 of 11

Connector Installation Secret Revealed!

Written on December 26, 2020.

Connector Installation Secret Revealed! No matter how many youtube videos I watched… no matter what type of connector… no matter how many times I did it… I always mess up something when I install a connector. My rule when buying connectors: for every one I need, buy another because I’m going to mess one up. The screw-ups...

Don’t let the radio man frighten you. He’s just trying to help.

Written on December 26, 2020.

Don’t let the radio man frighten you. He’s just trying to help. The vast majority of ham operators are excited to see new people get into the hobby. They will readily jump in with advice. They’ll drive to your house to help you set up. But they forget what it was like to be a newbie. A couple of years ago, while still a newbie myself, shortly...

Free ham radio class! On-line! But why?

Written on December 22, 2020.

Free ham radio class! On-line! But why? Stuck in your house during COVID? Want to talk to people but don’t want them to see your sequestration hair-do or lack thereof? Wishing you had done more to properly learn electronics? Too much dust on your voltmeter and soldering iron – if you can find them? Think a ham radio license would...

COVID Closure Extended

Written on December 22, 2020.

COVID CLOSURE EXTENDED – WE’RE GOING ON-LINE The City of Richmond Hill, our hosts at the David Dunlap Observatory, are anticipating keeping all community centres closed until June 2021. The DDO is managed as a community centre, so that puts our activities there on hold until then. Ylab members have been meeting on-line, including our...

Update on the DDO Restoration

Written on November 29, 2020.

New paint job on the dome Ylab’s home at the DDO has been undergoing an extensive restoration since the spring. As scaffolding is starting to come down, it’s looking amazing. The work has been extensive. Removing all the old lead paint without getting it in the environment. Carefully restoring all the windows to their original...

Tool warranty honored. Finally.

Written on November 29, 2020.

We’ve had post or two about problems with certain MasterCraft tools. We also posted about it on facebook where Canadian Tire responded, asked us for contact info, and then… crickets. So just to show that I’m not just a whining complainer… I’ve had a Craftsman ratchet for… decades. Let’s not give...

Another fix-it night. Sorry, Crappy Tire.

Written on November 7, 2019.

We just happened to pick this one Our recent fix-it night posts here and here seem to have a common thread: crappy Crappy Tire tools that need repairing. This week… well, we didn’t intend to pick on them. It was just the luck of the draw. Small 12V tire compressors – the type that plugs into the cigarette lighter 12V...

Closing up the desktop project

Written on November 3, 2019.

Case closed. Desktop too. We posted earlier about our project to make a lockable enclosure for the reception desk of our home, the David Dunlap Observatory. We left that post with a pretty crappy picture. Protective plastic was still covering it. Test usage showed an area for improvement. Sliding everything into place would work better...

More tool repair

Written on October 31, 2019.

Nose to the grindstone Last week we posted about our evening repairing crappy Crappy Tire tools. One tool could not be fixed. Here once again is our picture of a pair of side-cutters that broke simply doing what side-cutters are supposed to do. Reminds us of the old mechanic’s joke about there being two types of tools – Snap-On...

Ylab Final Fall Update: New materials. New possibilities.

Written on October 26, 2019.

Persistence pays off. For our last bit of catching up on what’s been happening over the last few months, we get to show off some of the new materials ylab members have introduced to our maker space at the David Dunlap Observatory. The laser cutter is always the touchiest thing. Before any new material goes on there, we look into the safety...