I'm getting too old for this stuff

[WB5HQH]

I know I have always had a communication problem with the rest of the human race but lately it has gotten worse. I emailed an amplifier manufacture to ask "How much current does your amp draw when it is idle and not being driven" the reply "if your tubes are drawing current while not being driver, you have a short in the grid". I had to ask again. "Not reading the meter on the amp, how much does it draw from the wall plug while idle."

Ok I thought, that understandable, he was expecting a real technical question and replied as such.

In past years the local Hamfest listed which dealers had committed to be on site during the event. This year there was none on the webpage. Yesterday I sent an email and I am going to quote it "Do you have a list of dealers signed up??". The reply "Yes. Don't have exact count but should in the area of 30-40 dealers."

While informative, it didn't tell me a thing. I guess I should have been more blunt and said "Send me a list."
My girlfriend says I don't communicate well with her, or something like that.:p

[N2EY]

The problem I see is that the questions aren't specific enough. They're too open to interpretation. The answer you got is reasonable for the question you asked.

OTOH, I get bothered by these sorts of exchanges:

"How far is it to Costco?"

"Twenty minutes"


"How much did that cost?"

"It was on sale, I saved $30"

73 de Jim, N2EY

[WB5HQH]

Back from the hamfest, got a new 811H for $800 total. They even carried it to the car.
Sure glad all the TV is off the lower channels now. TVI a thing of the past.

[K9STH]

EY:

It is very common for people in urban and suburban areas to use time as a measure of distance rather than mileage. From my house Costco is about 10-minutes away. Now in mileage, it is about 5-miles. But, it takes about 10-minutes to get there with "normal" traffic and, at least around here, people are more concerned with how long it takes to get to a specific location than the actual physical distance.

Glen, K9STH

[N2EY]

It is very common for people in urban and suburban areas to use time as a measure of distance rather than mileage. From my house Costco is about 10-minutes away. Now in mileage, it is about 5-miles. But, it takes about 10-minutes to get there with "normal" traffic and, at least around here, people are more concerned with how long it takes to get to a specific location than the actual physical distance.

I know, Glen.

My point was about people not answering the question that was asked. The question was about distance, not time. If I wanted to know time, I'd have asked how long it takes to get to Costco.

What really bugs me (and I've dealt with this directly):

Tell a relative that Thanksgiving dinner is at 4 PM. Explain that means we're sitting down to eat at 4 PM, so they should arrive about 3 PM.

Tell them that it's 100 miles from their house to ours, and that every time we've done the trip, no matter the route, it has taken at least 2 hours. So they should leave by 1 PM

They say OK, they've come to our house many times.

On the actual day, after getting voicemail a couple times, get a call at 3:30 PM saying they're just leaving, and they only have to make two stops on the way. No apology or explanation, no "don't wait for us".

73 de Jim, N2EY



73 de Jim, N2EY

[WA4BRL]

"How far is it to Costco?"

"Twenty minutes"


My point was about people not answering the question that was asked. The question was about distance, not time.
So they turned it into a word problem. Follow up by asking their rate. Rate X Time = Distance.

Maybe they just don't remember 8th grade math.

[AE1PT]

On the actual day, after getting voicemail a couple times, get a call at 3:30 PM saying they're just leaving, and they only have to make two stops on the way. No apology or explanation, no "don't wait for us".

Then don't. This is not Argentina, where an invitation to arrive at 3PM actually means 4PM--and to arrive at 3 would be rude and a faux pas. If it's Thanksgiving, I am sure that some cranberry sauce and soggy dressing will be left to sate their hunger.

We spend far too much time accommodating rude, stupid, and inconsiderate people...

[WB2WIK]

If someone asks me how far it is to COSTCO, I tell them about 40 minutes.

It's actually about 2 miles away, but when I go there I walk, so it does take 40 minutes.:o

[K9STH]

My father's eldest sister and her family were always at least 2-hours late for gatherings like Christmas and they had to come only like 2-miles to get to my grandparents' house. Finally, they were told the gathering would be 2-hours before the actual time and they still would be like 1/2 hour late! But, that was a whole lot better than their normal 2-hours, or more, late!

Glen, K9STH

[KC7YRA]

2 hours to Costco for me.

As a side note, we here give distances as time. Since everything is more than 100 miles apart, we are more concerned if that mileage is over dirt roads or interstate.

So, Denver is 5 hours from here. Billings is 4.5 hours from here. The nearest town where you could actually shop and have your vehicle worked on is 2 hours from here.

[KL7AJ]

I know I have always had a communication problem with the rest of the human race but lately it has gotten worse. I emailed an amplifier manufacture to ask "How much current does your amp draw when it is idle and not being driven" the reply "if your tubes are drawing current while not being driver, you have a short in the grid". I had to ask again. "Not reading the meter on the amp, how much does it draw from the wall plug while idle."

Ok I thought, that understandable, he was expecting a real technical question and replied as such.

In past years the local Hamfest listed which dealers had committed to be on site during the event. This year there was none on the webpage. Yesterday I sent an email and I am going to quote it "Do you have a list of dealers signed up??". The reply "Yes. Don't have exact count but should in the area of 30-40 dealers."

While informative, it didn't tell me a thing. I guess I should have been more blunt and said "Send me a list."
My girlfriend says I don't communicate well with her, or something like that.:p


An AMPROBE is your friend. Just clamp it around one leg of your AC line, )They even have adapters to make this really convenient) and measure the current at idle and with the pedal to the metal.

You might also try the AMPROBE on your girlfriend, but the results may be unpredictable.

Eric

[N2EY]

Then don't. This is not Argentina, where an invitation to arrive at 3PM actually means 4PM--and to arrive at 3 would be rude and a faux pas. If it's Thanksgiving, I am sure that some cranberry sauce and soggy dressing will be left to sate their hunger.

We spend far too much time accommodating rude, stupid, and inconsiderate people...

I finally learned to do exactly that. Not in a rude way, we just did what we said we'd do, and there were plenty of leftovers for late comers.

The funny part was that we only had to do it a couple times, and then they magically figured out how to get here on time. Amazing.

73 de Jim, N2EY

[N2EY]

My father's eldest sister and her family were always at least 2-hours late for gatherings like Christmas and they had to come only like 2-miles to get to my grandparents' house. Finally, they were told the gathering would be 2-hours before the actual time and they still would be like 1/2 hour late! But, that was a whole lot better than their normal 2-hours, or more, late!

I tried that on some other relatives and it worked exactly once. Then they started being 3 hours late.

73 de Jim, N2EY

[KB3LAZ]

Costco must be like a walmart. Asking me a distance would be futile. I dont pay attention. But, at a guess 5 miles.

[AE1PT]

Costco must be like a walmart. Asking me a distance would be futile. I dont pay attention. But, at a guess 5 miles.

Kind of. It's like Walmart's "Sams Club". One pays a yearly membership fee and in exchange gets discount pricing on what they stock. Lots of small businesses, restaurants, and larger families use them to buy bulk quantities. Rarely does one buy one jar of peanut butter. Four are shrink-wrapped together. Not a bad deal if one shops there regularly. Many have optical departments, auto supplies (tires, batteries), and even pharmacies. The selections are much more limited than what one finds in the regular stores though.

[G0GQK]

The problem is the world is populated by planks. Some similar questions

What does the speedometer on your new model Ford indicate when the car is stationary.? Correct answer Er..... nuthin'

Do you have a list of Ford dealers signed up to sell the new model. Yes sir, we have 30-40 dealers. Correct answer Yes, about 30-40, we'll SEND you a list

[KB4QAA]

2 hours to Costco for me.

As a side note, we here give distances as time. Since everything is more than 100 miles apart, we are more concerned if that mileage is over dirt roads or interstate.

So, Denver is 5 hours from here. Billings is 4.5 hours from here. The nearest town where you could actually shop and have your vehicle worked on is 2 hours from here.
I call Kansas home. It is pointless to talk about mileage when discussing going anywhere. Everything was at least '2 hours away", Kansas City, Tulsa, Wichita, Kansas City... ;)

[KB3LAZ]

Kind of. It's like Walmart's "Sams Club". One pays a yearly membership fee and in exchange gets discount pricing on what they stock. Lots of small businesses, restaurants, and larger families use them to buy bulk quantities. Rarely does one buy one jar of peanut butter. Four are shrink-wrapped together. Not a bad deal if one shops there regularly. Many have optical departments, auto supplies (tires, batteries), and even pharmacies. The selections are much more limited than what one finds in the regular stores though.

Ohh! That would be good for holiday times. Sadly we dont have a Sam's close to us. That aside, I shop daily. However, as I said that would be great for holidays. I make a lot of food during the holidays.

[WA6TKD]

Took the wife to Costco yesterday, a normal monthly chore. When I finally caught up with the wife at the check out stand ( I hang out at the books section until she is done shopping) I took one look at the cart and said, bet it's $240. She said no way. The guy helping load the stuff onto the checkout belt said "no way, $200 tops". Final cost including two hot dogs with cokes ($3.00) from the take-out window (which we order at check out time) was, wait for it......$242.50, I was 1.1% low on my estimate. If we didn't get the dogs I would have been .3% off.


Don't claim any expertize, mostly luck this time, but we have been to Costco a whole lot of times over the last 20 years and we never get out under $150.

[KA9VQF]

When I worked in Mt Morris Illinois my supervisor asked me one day how far a way did I live. I told him 41.7 miles.

That was not the answer he wanted. He wanted it in the time it took me to travel the distance.

So I told him sometimes on my way to work I make it in just under 30 minutes other times especially going home it can take an hour or more.

He asked about that and I told him on the way home I am in no rush and traffic is usually very light so I do not try to break the world land speed record.

Its kinda like the old joke where the city feller asks the old farmer how far it is to the next town. The old farmer points off in a direction with his pipe and says “Bout 6 miles that’a away as the crow fly’s, the city fellow looks the farmer straight in the eye and says “How far is it if the crow is rolling a flat tire?”

[K9STH]

My wife and I go to Costco for "over the counter" medicines, spices, tea bags, and a number of foodstuffs.

Our Costco actually has a very good selection of products and brand names. I suspect that the amount of things stocked, and number of brands represented, varies from location to location depending a lot on the the area in which the Costco is located. The Costco near me is in a pretty "upscale" area. It is the same with the Walmarts, those stores tend to have a better selection than that which is available at other Walmarts.

It is about equal distance to either a Sam's Club or Walmart. We definitely prefer Costco.

Glen, K9STH

[KB3LAZ]

My wife and I go to Costco for "over the counter" medicines, spices, tea bags, and a number of foodstuffs.

Our Costco actually has a very good selection of products and brand names. I suspect that the amount of things stocked, and number of brands represented, varies from location to location depending a lot on the the area in which the Costco is located. The Costco near me is in a pretty "upscale" area. It is the same with the Walmarts, those stores tend to have a better selection than that which is available at other Walmarts.

It is about equal distance to either a Sam's Club or Walmart. We definitely prefer Costco.

Glen, K9STH

I think our walmart is a surplus from other walmarts within the area. Seems we always have the stuff that didnt sell in the town over. :P

[WA4BRL]

And Costco sells Morse Code wines (or at least used to.)

http://www.iainclaridge.co.uk/studio/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/morsecode_wine.jpg

[KB3LAZ]

And Costco sells Morse Code wines (or at least used to.)

http://www.iainclaridge.co.uk/studio/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/morsecode_wine.jpg

That's cool!

[WA6TKD]

That's cool!

No, room temperature is recommended.

[AE1PT]

No, room temperature is recommended.

Only for the red...

[KB3LAZ]

No ty, I'll stick with chilled wine. Then again, I dont drink red at all. Dry white.

[WD5JOY]

Kind of. It's like Walmart's "Sams Club". One pays a yearly membership fee and in exchange gets discount pricing on what they stock. Lots of small businesses, restaurants, and larger families use them to buy bulk quantities. Rarely does one buy one jar of peanut butter. Four are shrink-wrapped together. Not a bad deal if one shops there regularly. Many have optical departments, auto supplies (tires, batteries), and even pharmacies. The selections are much more limited than what one finds in the regular stores though.

Sam's Club and Costco were created by an inventive mind well versed in "impulse buys". Give 'em a discount - but, charge 'em for the right to obtain said discount - they will still suck-up the items they use on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis and be happy little folks because money was saved.:)

These folks will then take some, all or more than the "saved total", add approximately 26% MORE to said amount and buy one or more items which they would NEVER BUY had they not been so fortunate to become a member of the "discount club"!

In the end many of these folks run credit cards sky high, cannot figure out why they have a monthly outstanding balance and resultant finance charges. To "save the money" to "pay the interest" they buy more ........... at "the discount clubs". The guy who came up with the idea to exploit folks lack of self control is rich rich rich and has a LOT of money to boot!:eek::cool:

Oh yes, lest I forget. It is approximately 10 miles to Costco and five-miles to Sam's Club. Each trip takes approximately three hours due to my obsessive-compulsive need to 'shop 'till I drop'!:o However, it IS good that ya' asked! Time is obviously 'money'!:p

[KJ6LFD]

If someone asks me how far it is to COSTCO, I tell them about 40 minutes.

It's actually about 2 miles away, but when I go there I walk, so it does take 40 minutes.:o?

How do you walk home with a 55 gallon drum of Tabasco Sauce? :)

[WF7A]

You roll it. :)