Hobby Thread - February 14, 2026 [TRex]

20160227-Saint_Teresa_of_the_Child_Jesus_Catholic_Church_(Springfield,_Ohio)_-_stained_glass,_heart-cross-anchor.jpg

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) a spin and it landed on stained glass.

[Top photo: Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church (Springfield, Ohio)]

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What are you hobbying?

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. Discussion of current events, religion and politics can elsewhere. Pants are optional. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.

Play nice. Don't be a troll and do not feed the trolls.

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Are you wise in the ways of making projects with stained glass? Do you restore old stained glass? Would you like to try?

Do you have any stained glass treasures or trinkets?

Do you have favorite churches or other locations that feature stained glass?

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Ambitious first stained glass project!

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Soldering skills:

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Making stained glass spinners:

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Japanese stained glass mastery:

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How to cut glass:

Tech (water jet cutter) versus cutting by hand:

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Victoria and Albert Museum project:

Restoring a broken and damaged window:

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Trinity Church stained glass:

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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an decoupage and resin theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

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Notable comments from last week:

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Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

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If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Welcome Hobbiests

Posted by: Skip at February 14, 2026 05:30 PM (Ia/+0)

2 This stained glass thing is a little opaque to me.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 14, 2026 05:32 PM (uQesX)

3 Do you have favorite churches or other locations that feature stained glass?

I like the ones in Normandy.

Posted by: Ike at February 14, 2026 05:33 PM (uQesX)

4 Had a great time at Cold Wars historical game convention last weekend.
Won a game of Brandywine form the American Revolutionary War
These are not my figures, the game master sets everything up and all I do is show up
https://tinyurl.com/2npu8rm5

Posted by: Skip at February 14, 2026 05:34 PM (Ia/+0)

5 The parents did stained glass back in the '80's. Or should I say my father did. Mom laid out the design, but dad had to cut/chip/crack the glass, and do all the soldering.

Mom basically layed out the pattern and pulled the lead channel off the spool.

DO NOT get me started on our internal family dynamics. Like most families, there's good and there's WTAF IS HAPPENING HERE.

-SLV

Posted by: Shy Lurking Voter at February 14, 2026 05:37 PM (7kJyR)

6 I watched that first Pask Makes video a while ago when I was on a hobby video binge. Considering he had no background, I thought he did an amazing job.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at February 14, 2026 05:37 PM (FEVMW)

7 6 I watched that first Pask Makes video a while ago when I was on a hobby video binge. Considering he had no background, I thought he did an amazing job.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at February 14, 2026 05:37 PM
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Agreed - especially with the adjustment mid-way through on the layout sizing.

Posted by: TRex - glassy dino, not gassy dino at February 14, 2026 05:40 PM (IQ6Gq)

8 5 The parents did stained glass back in the '80's.

Posted by: Shy Lurking Voter at February 14, 2026 05:37 PM
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What did they make using the stained glass?

Posted by: TRex - artist-in-residence dino at February 14, 2026 05:41 PM (IQ6Gq)

9 One of our nieces recently started stained glass as a hobby. Have to let her know about the thread. Good timing, TRex.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 05:44 PM (yTvNw)

10 On the hobby front, painting a pinewood derby car for the grandson.

Finally found the perfect use for the 3d printed ball vise.

It’s a perfect turntable for painting.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 14, 2026 05:46 PM (XV/Pl)

11 I wrecked a stain glass hanging lamp and broke it running into it at work. Still have it and never used the broken lamp Would be easy to.fix if one knew how.

Posted by: Skip at February 14, 2026 05:48 PM (Ia/+0)

12 Trinity Church in Copley Square, Boston has some beautiful stained glass windows. At the other end of the square is the Boston Public Library which is full of murals by John Singer Sargent.

Posted by: JackStraw at February 14, 2026 05:48 PM (viF8m)

13 I'm currently building a 1/48 scale Lindbergh Me-262. This kit is very rough with excessive flash and unclear instructions. It would test the patience of a master modeler, which I am not.

Posted by: Will Robinson at February 14, 2026 05:48 PM (VxFiM)

14 Willowed: Is it me, or are Maine Coons starting to look weird and overbred? Elongated faces/chins, etc.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes
*
Not just you. Maine Coon faces have definitely changed over the last 15 - 20 years to a more lion like look. When they are bred well, the look is very cool, but when you get a kitty mill one, it gets way out of proportion and there is something about the eyes that just looks off to me.
Posted by: Piper at February 14, 2026

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And they are considerably different from the MCs of forty years ago. I have a regionally published book, That Yankee Cat: The Maine Coon by Marilis Hornidge, from 1986. The pics of Coons in it do not look like the exaggerated creatures we see at cat shows now. There are no paintbrush ear tips, for instance, and their faces and bodies are in good proportion. They look more like my Dagny La Siberienne and my late Arizona.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 14, 2026 05:49 PM (wzUl9)

15 Thanks for the mighty dandy Hobby Thread, TRex!

Stained glass is beautiful and should be treasured.

Never had the urge to try to make stained glass. This gal's gotta know her limitations.

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at February 14, 2026 05:51 PM (kB9dk)

16 As a yoot I knew Jeff Speeth, a stained glass artist. Had a purpose built old bldg in L A. Floor littered with beer cans. Did a phone booth, album cover, etc.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at February 14, 2026 05:51 PM (Kt19C)

17 I love stained glass. Maybe I'll play with that after I retire.

In them meantime, I have some lovely glass to admire in this old Victorian house.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 14, 2026 05:51 PM (h7ZuX)

18 Many years ago when I did features for the local newspaper (long gone like many small town newspapers) I interviewed a woman who did stained glass as a business. All hand made to the customer's needs: door inserts, business windows, and decorative pieces. Aside from the skill, she took real delight in the colors and designs.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 05:51 PM (yTvNw)

19 'm currently building a 1/48 scale Lindbergh Me-262. This kit is very rough with excessive flash and unclear instructions. It would test the patience of a master modeler, which I am not.
Posted by: Will Robinson at February 14, 2026

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That was pretty much my reaction many years ago to Lindberg kits in general. Revells were better, even Aurora kits were. When I later discovered Tamiya and other Japanese model kits, I was astonished at how good the scale detail could be.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 14, 2026 05:51 PM (wzUl9)

20 Ancient stained glass is awesome. The color has settled into the bottom.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at February 14, 2026 05:53 PM (Kt19C)

21 If doing taxes were a hobby, then I could say I was working on my hobby.

Sounds better than performing an annual and much hated ritual...

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at February 14, 2026 05:54 PM (kB9dk)

22 For JTB and other pipe lovers: Today I bought some Cornell & Diehl Redburn tobacco. Reviews on the 'Net indicate it's got a nice suggestion of rum and maple to it. I haven't cracked the tin yet; maybe tomorrow morning. Has anybody smoked it? Is it strong stuff?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 14, 2026 05:55 PM (wzUl9)

23 I did twelve and a half hours working HF this week. 136 contacts, 16 countries outside the USA. Got pounced by RU3SD in Ryazan; my favorite kind of DX is when the DX calls me, instead of the other way round! Heard EX7CQ Kyrgyzstan, but not loud enough to work. Heard TJ1GD Cameroon all week long, but he couldn't hear me; he needs to fix his rcvr

Also did a bunch of electronic lab bench stuff. I tested a cheap Chinese logic analyzer, $7 shipped (from Walmart!) It works!! 8 input channels, and runs plenty fast enough for my work. Installation on Win is a giant PITA, but people swear it can be done. I installed it on Debian with one single command. Use it with free Pulseview software. I got super torqued up on caffeine and nicotine, and stayed up until 5AM Monday playing with that thing.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 05:56 PM (N8ZBc)

24 Wolfus,

I saw you took a tumble the other day. Hope you are okay and didn't break a good pipe in the process.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 05:57 PM (yTvNw)

25
Do you have any stained glass treasures or trinkets?

We have a large (2 ft x 2 ft) stained-glass Borzoi lightcatcher that Lacey won at the 2004 Rocky Mountain Borzoi Club specialty.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at February 14, 2026 05:57 PM (tgvbd)

26 gp, every word of that was like another language to me.

What is it you're describing? Is it ham radio?

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 14, 2026 05:58 PM (h7ZuX)

27 We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) a spin and it landed on stained glass.
- - - - -

Well, that snot-nosed kid in the neighborhood keeps staining everybody's windows, but I don't think that's what you meant...

Posted by: (wink ;-) at February 14, 2026 05:58 PM (SlhzX)

28 Do you have favorite churches or other locations that feature stained glass?

I like the ones in Normandy.
Posted by: Ike
**********
We went in 2014 for the 70th anniversary. Intend to return, too. The stained glass windows in the Church in St Mere Eglise were unbelievable. One at the end of the war, and the other for the 25th anniversary. "They have returned." We were treated like royalty, only place in Europe that still loves Americans.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at February 14, 2026 05:59 PM (IQ6Gq)

29 Own several stained glass pieces. My favorite is a half circle that originally graced the entry door to a bank in PA. Traded a roll of wool carpet for it and another piece at an antique shop. It’s suspended above our bedroom window.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at February 14, 2026 06:00 PM (2NHgQ)

30 Nice work, gp. No radio for me this weekend, between obligations and rainy weather.

Posted by: PabloD at February 14, 2026 06:00 PM (3VXNH)

31 Wolfus,

I saw you took a tumble the other day. Hope you are okay and didn't break a good pipe in the process.
Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026

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Thanks! I wasn't clenching a pipe at the time -- damned good thing, as it would have damaged me seriously when I went down. I received a fat upper lip, and my left hand was feeling sore. Both are going away.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 14, 2026 06:01 PM (wzUl9)

32 I seem to remember a fad a few decades ago for hobby-making Tiffany lamps from stained glass. The trick was to wrpa the edges of the glass in self-adhesive copper tape, and then flow solder over the tape to join the sections and make it look like lead. Because the tape was very thin, with little mass, it did not take huge soldering iron to flow the solder out nicely.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 14, 2026 06:01 PM (8zz6B)

33 26 Yes, ham radio and electronics experimentation in general. I got started on this stuff when I was a kid, abandoned it around 1980 when I started slinging code for money, then re-entered the hobbies in 2019, in retirement.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:01 PM (N8ZBc)

34 "Nice work, gp. No radio for me this weekend, between obligations and rainy weather."

Thanks! We had good conditions this AM, but I was too weary to get on the air. I hate passing up good propagation conditions, because we're on the waning side of Solar Cycle 25, and I remember how bad DX conditions were at the minimum. I feel like I ought to take advantage of every opportunity before they're gone. I'm sure I won't live long enough to enjoy the peak of Cycle 26.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:05 PM (N8ZBc)

35 >>We have a large (2 ft x 2 ft) stained-glass Borzoi lightcatcher that Lacey won at the 2004 Rocky Mountain Borzoi Club specialty.

I have a somewhat smaller stained glass Golden Retriever head in my kitchen window.

Posted by: JackStraw at February 14, 2026 06:06 PM (viF8m)

36 I cut and soldered stained glass for years. I never did anything like a lamp or window though. I made crappy little stained glass ornaments back in the 80's. Things like hummingbirds and flowers and sailboats and so on. The company I worked for - they had a motto: Degustibus non est disputandem. They told me it meant "there is no accounting for taste."

Posted by: 496 at February 14, 2026 06:07 PM (ouubj)

37 Thanks! We had good conditions this AM, but I was too weary to get on the air. I hate passing up good propagation conditions, because we're on the waning side of Solar Cycle 25, and I remember how bad DX conditions were at the minimum. I feel like I ought to take advantage of every opportunity before they're gone. I'm sure I won't live long enough to enjoy the peak of Cycle 26.
Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:05 PM (N8ZBc)

But when Elon gets colonies going on the Moon and Mars, you will be able to get your "Worked All Planets" certificate.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 14, 2026 06:08 PM (8zz6B)

38 Mom did the stained glass thing (to be honest she tried her hand at most forms of art.) Lamps seemed to be the thing to make in the early 80s.

Remember when restaurants like... Pizza places(?) Had stained glass lamps over the tables?

I kind of wonder at my memory that the lighting pre 1985 was kind of shit.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at February 14, 2026 06:10 PM (zZu0s)

39 When I later discovered Tamiya and other Japanese model kits, I was astonished at how good the scale detail could be.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 14, 2026 05:51 PM (wzUl9)

I have a Tamiya A6M3 Zero in my collection. Also 1/48 scale. It is a very well thought out kit. Same goes for my Tamiya 1/35 scale armor.

Now if I just had enough $$$ to purchase all the kits I want. (Like that will ever happen)

Posted by: Will Robinson at February 14, 2026 06:12 PM (VxFiM)

40 22 ... "I bought some Cornell & Diehl Redburn tobacco. Reviews on the 'Net indicate it's got a nice suggestion of rum and maple"

Wolfus,
Haven't tried it but I should. I've been in a mood for a little sweetness in my blends lately: navy flake, the last order of HH burley flake, and Stokkebye Nougat. Nougat is surprisingly pleasant. Redburn sounds like it is in that ballpark.

Glad you are recovering.

PS: We have a king cake in the freezer for Tuesday.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 06:13 PM (yTvNw)

41 During the last solar minimum, 10 meter band didn't work at all for around a year. At the peak, it rocks!

As the cycle wanes, I'm focusing on short-range goals: collecting grid squares and US counties. So far I have confirmed contacts in 1457 grids, and need about three dozen more to complete CONUS. I have 1857 US counties; there are around 3300 total, so that's a lot of short-range DXing I can do during waning cycle.

My loop antenna builds will now focus on low bands 30-80, which are good for working CONUS at night, even in bad condx.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:13 PM (N8ZBc)

42 I have always loved beautiful stained glass, both ancient and modern.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 14, 2026 06:18 PM (otNgF)

43 37 Ha! I can work the moon using EME, but never tried it. Mars QSO would go something like this:

'MMM32 from Kgp, can you read me?'
[half-hour later]
'Kgp, we read you! Please send supplies!! We're tapped out! We're gonna die.'
[half-hour later]
'MMM32 Kgp, I'll get right on that! I'll let you go now. I'd say CUAGN, but it doesn't look likely. Good luck! 73!'

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:19 PM (N8ZBc)

44 41 ... " During the last solar minimum, 10 meter band didn't work at all for around a year. At the peak, it rocks!"

10 meters is one of those all or nothing bands. Years ago I worked over a thousand miles QRP SSB with a 1/4 wave dipole literally tacked to the ceiling fed with ladder line. At other times I couldn't get a signal from across the street.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 06:21 PM (yTvNw)

45 Am I the only one reading the HAM radio discussion and just nodding, feeling stupid?

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at February 14, 2026 06:24 PM (zZu0s)

46 "I bought some Cornell & Diehl Redburn tobacco. Reviews on the 'Net indicate it's got a nice suggestion of rum and maple"
*
Wolfus,
Haven't tried it but I should. I've been in a mood for a little sweetness in my blends lately: navy flake, the last order of HH burley flake, and Stokkebye Nougat. Nougat is surprisingly pleasant. Redburn sounds like it is in that ballpark.

Glad you are recovering.

PS: We have a king cake in the freezer for Tuesday.
Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026

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I have an unopened tin of HH Burley Flake, bought before the recent disruption in the pipe tobacco world. No idea what I'm saving it for.

Years ago I preferred the moist, sweetish aromatics (and wondered why I got tongue bite all the time). Now I prefer a drier, more restrained sweetness that lets the tobacco aroma come through.

As for the king cake: I had one sent to my office in Denver when I worked there in 2000. The locals looked askance at the food coloring. I assured them the green was not mold. Once they tried the cake, it was gone in half an hour.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 14, 2026 06:24 PM (wzUl9)

47 Never played with stained glass but have always been entranced at those extraordinary cathedral windows we've all seen in photos. I've heard science still can't duplicate some of the colors used centuries ago.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 06:25 PM (yTvNw)

48 Mars QSO would go something like this:

'MMM32 from Kgp, can you read me?'
[half-hour later]
'Kgp, we read you! Please send supplies!! We're tapped out! We're gonna die.'[half-hour later]
'MMM32 Kgp, I'll get right on that! I'll let you go now. I'd say CUAGN, but it doesn't look likely. Good luck! 73!'
Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026

***
A fifteen-minute lag between Earth and Mars, then?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 14, 2026 06:25 PM (wzUl9)

49 45 Am I the only one reading the HAM radio discussion and just nodding, feeling stupid?
Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at February 14, 2026 06:24 PM (zZu0s)

Nah, I'm right there with you. Sounds like fun! We had an exchange student from Mexico stay with us when I was in high school. He was a ham radio operator. We already had a pretty tall antenna, living in a valley and of course, this was before cable tv. I guess the antenna worked out pretty good for him.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 14, 2026 06:27 PM (h7ZuX)

50 44 Ionospheric propagation fascinates me. It's so capricious and unpredictable. I laugh at how bad the Kp predictions from NOAA always turn out. We know a heck of a lot more about it than we did 30 years ago, with all the unmanned probes we're got now, but it'll probably always be a mystery.

Skipping signals to new stations in the reason I'm a ham. I don't care about ham traditions or fellowship or ragchewing or ECOMMs or any of that stuff. I just trade skip-borne QSOs with stations I've never worked, log them, and count the confirmations that come in. For me, THAT'S the fun. And studying the physics and electronics we use to do it.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:28 PM (N8ZBc)

51 "A fifteen-minute lag between Earth and Mars, then?"

I honestly don't know. It prolly varies wildly as the planets orbit and their distance goes up and down.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:29 PM (N8ZBc)

52 I start reading the Hobby Thread and a bunch of those “stronger than Viagra” ads pop up.

Posted by: Fenderbender at February 14, 2026 06:29 PM (1FEc1)

53 "feeling stupid?"

Please don't! I just have a manic compulsion to play with and study this stuff. I wouldn't wish it on anybody else.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:31 PM (N8ZBc)

54
Yes, ham radio and electronics experimentation in general. I got started on this stuff when I was a kid, abandoned it around 1980 when I started slinging code for money, then re-entered the hobbies in 2019, in retirement.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:01 PM

I just passed (like 90 minutes ago) the Technician class exam

soon, I'll be able to bring the baofeng out of the shadows

Posted by: AltonJackson at February 14, 2026 06:33 PM (tljrc)

55 When I was doing kitchens in the 80's there was the fad of using a stained glass door in a corner wall cabinet. I guess it put a personal touch on things because the owner would contract a stained glass person to make it to their specs. We would order the cabinet "stained glass ready", and if the glass maker did their job right it would go right in. Usually the customer just gave them the door and it would come back done. Some of them were some seriously nice shit. I think the average price was usually around $2-300 in 1980's money.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at February 14, 2026 06:37 PM (snZF9)

56 "I just have a manic compulsion to play with and study this stuff."

It would be REALLY nice to get paid for it. I have skillz doing radio, e-stuff, and coding, but no job prospects I'm aware of.

And I won't work any job where I have to kiss ass; no more of that sh!t for me. (That disqualifies me for *any* job, AFAIK.)

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:37 PM (N8ZBc)

57 "I just passed (like 90 minutes ago) the Technician class exam"

Fine business, old man! Welcome to the cult!

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:38 PM (N8ZBc)

58 46 ... "Years ago I preferred the moist, sweetish aromatics (and wondered why I got tongue bite all the time). Now I prefer a drier, more restrained sweetness that lets the tobacco aroma come through."

Same here. Borkum Riff and Captain Black come to mind. (Paladin Black Cherry tasted like it was flavored with cherry cough syrup and burned hot as hell. I believe it's been improved over the decades. It couldn't have been much worse.) That's where navy flakes with their touch of rum and Stokkebye Nougat with the light topping come in. I'm sorry I didn't try Sutliff Rum & Maple before Sutliff shut down. I do have a tin of Cult Blood Red Moon I should open. That's good stuff.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 06:38 PM (yTvNw)

59 I love stained glass windows. I don't make stained glass, but I always like looking at it..

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at February 14, 2026 06:39 PM (rZCVI)

60 soon, I'll be able to bring the baofeng out of the shadows
Posted by: AltonJackson at February 14, 2026 06:33 PM (tljrc)

You do that where I live and you'd end up in jail.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 14, 2026 06:40 PM (uQesX)

61 Only stained glass I've got is my car's windshield.

Posted by: Bugs mostly at February 14, 2026 06:42 PM (TbWk/)

62 54
I just passed (like 90 minutes ago) the Technician class exam

Posted by: AltonJackson at February 14, 2026 06:33 PM
***
Breaking news! Congrats!

Posted by: TRex - radio free dino at February 14, 2026 06:42 PM (IQ6Gq)

63 I enjoyed HF Ham radio for a few years with a crude 40 meter dipole hung up in the trees. I contacted Ascension Island on 15 meters during a sunspot minimum year, much to my surprise.
The Morse Code exam consisted of a buzzer in a classroom with the following sentences:
“Do you have any pictures of your wife naked? Would you like some?”
The examiner could predict by the laughter who passed the exam.

Posted by: Fenderbender at February 14, 2026 06:43 PM (1FEc1)

64 "soon, I'll be able to bring the baofeng out of the shadows"

I work VHF nets two nights a week, and I have two Baofengs UV-5Rs. They work great, but rubber duck antennas suck canal water! Look up how to make a quarter-wave ground plane antenna. Parts cost maybe $5. Add maybe $20 of coax feedline to connect to radio. Set the antenna up inside the house somewhere. Then you'll do fine.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:43 PM (N8ZBc)

65 feeling stupid?"

Yes. Daily. Also worthless and unaccomplished. Fun times.

Posted by: Not sure this is the right side of the grass at February 14, 2026 06:44 PM (TbWk/)

66 63 Yes, I needed 5WPM code to pass the novice exam in the sixties. I can copy 10WPM now, but don't work CW much. If the code test requirements were still in place, I never would have got my Extra.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:45 PM (N8ZBc)

67 Isn't Bao Feng the ChiCom spy Swallwell was fucking?

Posted by: Signals may be crossed at February 14, 2026 06:46 PM (TbWk/)

68 soon, I'll be able to bring the baofeng out of the shadows
Posted by: AltonJackson at February 14, 2026 06:33 PM (tljrc)

You do that where I live and you'd end up in jail.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 14, 2026 06:40 PM (uQesX)

Judges would have also accepted: 'Please! There are ladies present!'

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at February 14, 2026 06:48 PM (zZu0s)

69 54 ... "I just passed (like 90 minutes ago) the Technician class exam soon, I'll be able to bring the baofeng out of the shadows"

AltonJackson,
Congrats and have fun. Check in your area for a 2 meter or 440 repeater that handles weather alerts and reports from other hams. Those have saved our bacon a couple of times when tornadoes were around.

If you want to get on HF at some point, the General class license, without the morse code requirement, is just memorizing and a little math. I used a slide rule when I took mine. Got some amused and nostalgic looks from the examiners.

Posted by: JTB at February 14, 2026 06:49 PM (yTvNw)

70 66 63 Yes, I needed 5WPM code to pass the novice exam in the sixties. I can copy 10WPM now, but don't work CW much. If the code test requirements were still in place, I never would have got my Extra.
Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:45 PM (N8ZBc)

*nods along*

Word.

Time travel is involved?

(Sorry, lol. I won't do any more jokes.)

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at February 14, 2026 06:49 PM (zZu0s)

71 67 It's too bad that affordable E-parts and equipment come mainly from Asia. There is stuff on, for example, AliExpress, that you'll never find at USA sellers, and if you did, it would cost 3X as much, just to compensate the USA middleman for handling it.

My next project is CADding a PCB, and shipping the design files to a fab to make and ship the PCB back to me. AFAIK, I'll be using a fab in Japan. If there's a PCB fab in the USA that's price-competitive, I'm all ears.

I still hear people complaining that Radio Shack is gone, and I tell them to take a look at places like eBay and AliExpress. They stock 1M times more electronics SKUs than RS ever did, at lower prices. Yes, sometimes the ship times are long, but for hobbyists, that's not a biggie.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:53 PM (N8ZBc)

72 Judges would have also accepted: 'Please! There are ladies present!'
Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at February 14, 2026 06:48 PM (zZu0s)

Six of one....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 14, 2026 06:53 PM (uQesX)

73 AltonJackson - congrats. Say bye-bye to any spare cash you have!

gp - if you need any grids in SW OR or thereabouts, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you.

Posted by: PabloD at February 14, 2026 06:54 PM (3VXNH)

74 Scroll to pic 15 for the stained glass window I designed and we had made for our SC home.
https://tinyurl.com/2juad79x

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at February 14, 2026 06:56 PM (2NHgQ)

75 69 To train for any ham license, just go to
arrlexamreview.appspot.com

It's free. Don't buy books. Just drill and kill the Q&As over and over until you're ready.

All the answers on the ham tests are canned and known in advance. There is literally NO math involved if you can drill-memorize the Q&As at that site.

They make the ham tests dead-easy now. They want people to pass. They want new hams.

It's way easier than people tell you it is.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:57 PM (N8ZBc)

76 "gp - if you need any grids in SW OR or thereabouts, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you."

Thanks! You're bookmarked!

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 06:58 PM (N8ZBc)

77 "(Sorry, lol. I won't do any more jokes.)"

Never feel sorry for making jokes. Never stop making them!

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:06 PM (N8ZBc)

78 Stained glass is amazing

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at February 14, 2026 07:06 PM (f/buw)

79 neverenoughcaffeine it looked very nice for a second until I lost the picture

Posted by: Skip at February 14, 2026 07:07 PM (Ia/+0)

80 I've got plenty of of contacts too, gp.

Posted by: Nellie Ohr at February 14, 2026 07:07 PM (0nHVk)

81 When I'm pitching too many lame jokes at AoSHQ, here's a tip: somebody give me a false LOL, and then I'll stop. Usually.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:08 PM (N8ZBc)

82 No one should need a license to eat ham on stolen land.

Posted by: brain barnacles at February 14, 2026 07:08 PM (6eMhd)

83 First thought I had when opening this thread was 'Where is my Bluejacket's Manual?'.

Posted by: Eromero at February 14, 2026 07:09 PM (LHPAg)

84 82 Ha!

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:09 PM (N8ZBc)

85
Judges would have also accepted: 'Please! There are ladies present!'
Posted by: Aetius451AD

Six of one....
Posted by: OrangeEnt

Seven of nine....

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at February 14, 2026 07:09 PM (Cqx++)

86 Fab shops?? Luxury! We used to have to use decals and tape to lay out our circuit boards and then dunk them in acid to etch.

Posted by: fd at February 14, 2026 07:12 PM (vFG9F)

87 Baofengs are largely Yaesu knockoffs.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 14, 2026 07:12 PM (XV/Pl)

88 "We used to have to use decals and tape to lay out our circuit boards and then dunk them in acid to etch."

Yes, I remember the bad old days well. Ferric chloride is nasty.

There are so many advantages to CAD and FAB over the old way, I won't even try to list them here. It'll be a steep learning curve for me, but when I get my first working boards in the mail, I am going to be proud as a peacock, and pleased as punch!

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:15 PM (N8ZBc)

89 The thing about Ham license tests is that all of the questions you will be asked are from a know, publicly available question pool.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 14, 2026 07:15 PM (XV/Pl)

90 I always wanted that overhead lamp fixed, its 1 piece of stained glass that needs to get replaced. Should work it never got used

Posted by: Skip at February 14, 2026 07:16 PM (Ia/+0)

91 My mother did stained glass as a hobby - we still have some of her pieces in my house. She gave lessons at a local Y, and also trained my daughter in the techniques. We also still have some of her tools, and pieces of uncut glass.
It's a hobby that is very rough on your hands. Mom said once that her hands were ruined for fine sewing, what with all the little cuts involved with doing stained glass.

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at February 14, 2026 07:16 PM (Ew3fm)

92 Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at February 14, 2026 06:56 PM (2NHgQ)

Lovely.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at February 14, 2026 07:18 PM (Nx5jP)

93 My first PCB project is double-sided, five components, nine through-holes. Very simple. If that works, and turns out to be affordable, I'll do some more challenging stuff.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:20 PM (N8ZBc)

94 81 When I'm pitching too many lame jokes at AoSHQ, here's a tip: somebody give me a false LOL, and then I'll stop. Usually.
Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:08 PM (N8ZBc)

My LOLs are always sincere!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 14, 2026 07:20 PM (h7ZuX)

95 No one should need a license to eat ham on stolen land.
Posted by: brain barnacles at February 14, 2026 07:08 PM (6eMhd)

Heh.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at February 14, 2026 07:22 PM (zZu0s)

96 Time to say thank you before the next act takes the Ace of Spades stage. Thanks for being here. New theme of some sort next week.

You're welcome to hang out for a while, but don't forget to stop by Club ONT later tonight.

Posted by: TRex - glassy dino at February 14, 2026 07:22 PM (IQ6Gq)

97 "There are so many advantages to CAD and FAB over the old way, I won't even try to list them here. It'll be a steep learning curve for me, but when I get my first working boards in the mail, I am going to be proud as a peacock, and pleased as punch!
Posted by: gp

I only made one board that way. I built a metal detector from scratch, using the plans in some magazine I don't remember the name of. Wound the detector coil and everything. The board design was published in the magazine, but there was no way to transfer it except manually. The detector worked pretty good and I amazed my friends and found a good bit of change at local playgrounds.

I kept the decals and etching fluid for a long time. Longer than the detector.

Posted by: fd at February 14, 2026 07:23 PM (vFG9F)

98 "My LOLs are always sincere!"

Mine too. So are my concurs.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:25 PM (N8ZBc)

99 soon, I'll be able to bring the baofeng out of the shadows
Posted by: AltonJackson

Scuse me while I whip this out!

Posted by: Sheriff Baofeng at February 14, 2026 07:25 PM (omLRE)

100 97 Well done!

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:25 PM (N8ZBc)

101 100!

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at February 14, 2026 07:26 PM (IQ6Gq)

102 oh well, better luck next time

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at February 14, 2026 07:26 PM (IQ6Gq)

103 I wish that I could make stained glass, I have a ton of sea glass that would make some very pretty lampshades and such, but I fear that I have too much arthritis in my hands and fingers now. I love looking at stained glass windows.

Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at February 14, 2026 07:26 PM (0nHVk)

104 Hmm, it turns out that Baofeng means Storm in Chinese. IDNKT.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:27 PM (N8ZBc)

105 "Baofengs are largely Yaesu knockoffs."

My only gripe with Baofeng is that the sellers don't care who buys them, licensed or not. So we licensed guys have to put up with more pranks and malicious interference on VHF.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:28 PM (N8ZBc)

106 "My first PCB project is double-sided, five components, nine through-holes. Very simple. If that works, and turns out to be affordable, I'll do some more challenging stuff.
Posted by: gp"

Does it cost a lot to have that done?

Posted by: fd at February 14, 2026 07:31 PM (vFG9F)

107 "Does it cost a lot to have that done?"

That's what I'm going to find out.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:32 PM (N8ZBc)

108
PSA: Texas MoMe is 16 & 17 October.
Corsicana, TX.
(See the sidebar on the main page.)

Never too early to make travel arrangements.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at February 14, 2026 07:33 PM (2Ez/1)

109 Debby Doberman you could make sun catchers with them.
Connect a few and hang in window

Posted by: Skip at February 14, 2026 07:34 PM (Ia/+0)

110 @105

>>So we licensed guys have to put up with more pranks and malicious interference on VHF.

Yeah, that was a thing, but that seems to have died down greatly as everyone is getting into Mesh networks.

Which itself is largely dominated by Cheap Chinese gack.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 14, 2026 07:36 PM (XV/Pl)

111 Nerds eating ham by stained glass. Helluva thing.

Posted by: Good to have hobbies at February 14, 2026 07:37 PM (TbWk/)

112 I sell some special wiring harnesses that cost about $80 to make. I thought about finding someone to make them for me but don't even know where I would start. It's a hassle making them myself though.

Posted by: fd at February 14, 2026 07:39 PM (vFG9F)

113 "Which itself is largely dominated by Cheap Chinese gack."

Look for advanced microcontroller evaluation boards, with FPGAs and tensor processing units on them. They probably all come from China ultimately, and if you can find them at a USA seller, you'll pay way more for the privilege of feeding the middleman.

My unpopular opinion is that not everything made in China is crap.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:40 PM (N8ZBc)

114 Thanks Skip, I played around with some of it making a mosaic in an old small window frame and pouring resin on it, it turned out pretty well, I gave it to my daughter and she loved it.

Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at February 14, 2026 07:42 PM (0nHVk)

115 @113

>>My unpopular opinion is that not everything made in China is crap.

I use the term Cheap Chinese Crap as a catchall, for stuff that in a bygone era would have been manufactured in the US and then later Japan but now comes from the commie Chinese.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 14, 2026 07:45 PM (XV/Pl)

116 There used to be a cool stained glass museum on Navy Pier in Shitcago. Looks like it's no longer there.

They probably needed the funds for a "Transgendered Child Buggery Through The Ages" exhibit or something.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at February 14, 2026 07:46 PM (IG3/x)

117 The stained glass in the cathedral in colon are magnificent.

Mom and dad did stained glass. they got pretty good at it. My brother built them a workstation an they did the front door panels for the house he built. Really big violets. really pretty too.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at February 14, 2026 07:47 PM (lpVer)

118 >
Yes, I remember the bad old days well. Ferric chloride is nasty.
Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:15 PM (N8ZBc)

I can smell it right now. I'm not sure if it had an odor as such, or if the vapors were eating away at the smell neurons in your nose.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at February 14, 2026 07:48 PM (IG3/x)

119 I have a gob of that stuff if anyone is interested.
Tools and glass.

Posted by: Elrond Hubbard at February 14, 2026 07:49 PM (WQDw6)

120 115 I don't know what it will take for the USA to match China's manufacturing prowess. I think we have to either out-tech them, or find a workforce that's willing to accept lower compensation.

Unpopular opinion: I think the USA got fat, happy, lazy, and unserious as a result of ruling the planet since the end of the WW2. We'll have to get lean, not-so-happy, harder-working, and sober to hope to compete. We'll have to accept what some would call a somewhat lower quality of living.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:50 PM (N8ZBc)

121 Ace has my gmail if you want it.

Posted by: Elrond Hubbard at February 14, 2026 07:52 PM (WQDw6)

122
Unpopular opinion: I think the USA got fat, happy, lazy, and unserious as a result of ruling the planet since the end of the WW2. We'll have to get lean, not-so-happy, harder-working, and sober to hope to compete. We'll have to accept what some would call a somewhat lower quality of living.
Posted by: gp
-----

In a word, we have become complacent. Convinced that we are secure and prosperous.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at February 14, 2026 07:54 PM (XeU6L)

123 nood

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:54 PM (N8ZBc)

124 'In a word, we have become complacent. Convinced that we are secure and prosperous.'

You said it better!

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 07:55 PM (N8ZBc)

125 WE HAZ A MOVIE MARQUE

Posted by: Skip at February 14, 2026 07:58 PM (Ia/+0)

126 I'm becoming a technition on Fuji and Juki pick and place machines. We do final assembly of boards. I keep the printers and the ovens and the x-ray machines and the various test machines and the whole building running. I wish I could talk about it more. It's pretty cool.

Posted by: Reforger at February 14, 2026 07:59 PM (onCFI)

127 I hate movies.

Posted by: Ronster at February 14, 2026 08:02 PM (6J32i)

128 A long long time ago I sold Juki daisywheel printers. I think they made sewing machines too.

Posted by: fd at February 14, 2026 08:07 PM (vFG9F)

129 I was at a glass artisan at Thanksgiving Point in Utah November of last year. They were blowing beautiful glass bottle/vases, and then popping them to generate glass for a stained glass project. I was like wait! I’ll buy that! But they just kept on popping the bubbles.

Posted by: Advo at February 14, 2026 08:07 PM (jO4mz)

130 "'I'm becoming a technition on Fuji and Juki pick and place machines."

So many of you morons have the coolest jobs! I envy you.

Posted by: gp at February 14, 2026 08:09 PM (N8ZBc)

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