Guy, what kind of hobbies do you have?

[straightfairy]

Another petrolhead here (I'm a PHer ), used to have a TVR Chimaera until redundancy forced a sale, so currently running a SEat Toledo.
I'm also one who likes to try and keep passably fit, working out 3-4 times a week. Home brew is the current main hobby, mainly country wines of various flavours, including sparkling, and mixing assorted fruit with spirits (eg sloe gin). I like my music and films too , along with bits of gardening when the mood and weather take me.

[kingfish]

Lots of interest but never enough time and energy to pursue it.

Ham Radio, Computers / Electronics. Photography, Dancing - Latin and C&W, Sailing - Catalina 22, Camping / Hiking / Outdoors, Shooting / Reloading, Bicycling, Cooking, Sewing, Home-brew, DIY Handyman

Boy, do I know that feeling. Lots of interest, nearly all pursued with remarkably little depth.

My interests land almost the same :
Ham Radio, Computers, Electronics (my day job), Cooking, Sewing, DIY Handyman, Photography, Camping / Hiking / Outdoors, Shooting, Bicycling, Freemasonry, Science Fiction, Renaissance Faires.

Dancing looks enticing, especially vintage (19th century historical), Ballroom and Latin.

[Kirbstone]

My ghillie Neill has a brother, also a ghillie, and to my surprise he sent me two pics. of a catch we made last May on a freezing cold day. It was a superb 11lb. Springer, which took me some 20 minutes to bring to the net.....captured from the other boat nearby!

Salmon in net May 2010.jpg

Neill holds up Salmon. May 2010.jpg

Neill with 11lb.Salmon. May 2010.jpg

Tom K.

[Jack Williams]

Well, one thing I do is muck about with old radios. This is a Hanscom Superunit, made in the USA in 1927. A rare set, and all complete. Battery set, as mains power supply was yet to come for radios at that time. One of the first superheterodyne radios. Most were "Tuned Radio Frequency" circuit those days.
Only partly restored, but I need to get the circuit diagram for it. Probably impossible, so (ahem) not so easy. It uses a separate horn or moving iron cone speaker. These I have, but need to photograph them.
There is a lovely American Atwater-Kent console radio here made in the States as well in 1933 a lot closer to going though. I'll photograph it and post it before long.

[zizkov]

engine.jpg

For many people my life has been one big hobby! I call myself a peasant never having the desire to separate me, the life and how I work into separate boxes. If people walk on the left side of the road I would want to try the right, that is my nature. Luckily early on I found some sort of talent as a artist and some sort of skill at teaching. So whenever funds were depleted I could always do some part time teaching, that is how I survive today. As a youngster I was very practical and that lead on to self maintained motorcycles. Those early knackered British bike needed rebuilding on a weekly basis, later it upgraded to Italian Motorcycles which led on to Lancia and Citroen cars. Then complete folly took over and I became owned by a Tatra 2-603 for 16 years. Eventually time and finances required it to be sold to a motoring journalist. You can find out about it on my website. My love of fine engineering and a need to get out of the rut accounts for the Tatra, as far out of the rut it is possible to go.
Music has always been a passion, whilst I have performed at a very lowly amateur level, I find the public experience terrifying but I continue to listen. If you know of Birtwistle, Kurtag or Jennifer Saunders then you will know where my sympathies lie.
I have to be rather sedentary due to a useless knee. So looks with envy at the hikers and sailors. Hopefully when I get the leg sorted I can became a walker and cyclist again. If the knee is successful then I will get a Moulton again in celebration!

[Kirbstone]

Fascinating old radio, Jack. Nice peice of furniture too, by the look of it. I can only admire your efforts from a technical distance, though.
A sweet 2.5 liter rear-mounted V8, Zizkov. Pity you broke away from her ownership, but I expect she was a bit posessive. I bet their rear swing-axles made them 'interesting' to drive !

[zizkov]

Actually they are a hoot to drive. The axle is well sorted. Like a Porsche of a similar age on steroids. The wheel base is long enough to give you ample warning of the back end breaking away so you can slide it through the bends very predictably. And these things are fast! cruise happily at 90 and pass a 100. Pretty good for a a 1955 design car. Miss the old girl very much.

[Jack Williams]

I have been photographing some more old radios. These all work fine.
The first is a New Zealand made "Ultimate" brand one made in 1935.
Next is my Zenith, made in the USA in 1936.
Then another Ultimate, New Zealand 1933.

















'

[Jack Williams]

Three attachments max per post, so here are three more:
First is the very rare Fada cathedral. Made in 1932 in the USA. These are very rare. It seems the only ones known to exist are this one, and one more in the 'States!
Next is my great original 1933 Stewart Warner. This has a really good sound and is in regular use.
And this is my 1953 British 7-tube "QUAD" brand FM tuner, in daily use.

[Since1982]

Zizkov, what was that in the back of your car, a Robotic Santa Suit ?? All that red and white sure looks like one.

[zizkov]

Jack, I like your Radios.
Left behind my Quad set up when I divorced. Missed the Quad more than the ex. Nowadays I run a very nice Arcam (British) feeding Gallo speakers (USA) and if I want records Ortofon (Denmark), SME (British), Thorens (Norwegian), make a perfect setup, the last two did come with me, The arm and turntable I bought in the late 60's and are still perfect, could not possibly afford their replacement cost

[Jack Williams]

I guess another hobby is taking photos. Getting the light right is all. Although for "serious" photographs I have my Leica, for digital snaps, my still not bad Canon IXUS 70. Nice rectangular metal body, like stainless steel. Rugged and easy to hold, not being rounded. At 7.1 Mpxls its still some twice as big as your LCD screen. It does get a bit dazzled though if there is a big white thing in the scene, even on manual. It is a lot of fun setting things (and even me!) up to get a good shot. Lighting is indeed all. Getting a shot of the old radios for instance. I had to tape up a cardboard screen to reduce the glare from the windows when doing the ones on the table, although the ones in situ lit perfectly well. (The Stewart Warner, and the Fada)
Here is a picture of the Airline, which is the flash Gulbransen, with chrome chassis, and black crackle finish on the coil cans etc., as against the usual zinc/cadmium/aluminium. All not seen by the customer of course. I like that. "A craftsman is a person who pays as much attention to what is not seen, as to that which is seen". The others are just tradesmen.
I had to wait to photograph the Airline because of the glare from the windows behind. Better in the artificial light after dark.
The Airline is also an extremely powerful radio, maybe even more so than the Zenith, if that's possible.

[Jack Williams]

Carl will enjoy these photos. This is the contraption that launches me into cyber space. My great Dell monitor also does DVD screen. I need the mouse because my left hand button has run out of clicks!
In the second photo I managed, using no flash but a positioned lamp and "flower" mode, to get a readable "IBM" on the computer tube. (E 180 CC).

[Kirbstone]

Love your radios, Jack. What a really super collection you have, and you make them work as well, so they're not just ornaments. I've taken your definition of a craftsman on board, too.

Interesting, Zizkov, that in 1955 the Tatra could reach 100Mph. But I shouldn't be surprised with a twin-carb. V8 shoving her along from behind. In contrast my Dad's new 1955 Ford Zephyr 6 was asthmatic, had just three forward gears on the column and could barely top 81 Mph. Yes, Porches of that era were a pig to drive smoothly. I used to describe cornering in one as like driving round the edge of a thruppeny bit ( which had 13 sides).

[Jack Williams]

I wish I still had my 1925 Buick. With a three and a half litre OHV straight six, drilled shaft and pressure fed oil even up to the rockers, four bearing shaft, it cruised at 65 MPH (1OOKPH --the top speed limit here). Over 20 MPG. This is General Motors 1925, when Henry still had the Model T in production. The reason I still haven't got it is that I drove it overland to London about 1967 via Afghanistan etc, but the World fell apart before I made the return journey. It resides in Belgium, ironically on the wrong side of the road! In that it is right-hand drive, built in fact just across the border from Detroit, in Oshawa, Canada, and thus perfect to export to other right-hand drive British Commonwealth countries.
I'll put up a photo of it as soon as I get my slide scanner to work. It is all original, no mods.