You're getting too old for radio when...........?

You're getting too old for radio when......

You've spent the better part of an afternoon trying to rewire a microphone plug!!


Flipping wires are too small for my fat fingers, plug has too many pins, (Yaesu 8 pin DIN), your best glasses don't help, "helping-hands" tool don't help either and two of the wires look the same shade of blueish/green!! (Even though they're different colours...apparently!)

Got there in the end but don't want to have a repeat that exercise again.


You're also getting too old for radio when......

You're chatting with a mate on a 2m repeater and he asks you to QSY to a particular frequency/channel, you shoot off, forget where you were supposed to be going and then land back up on the repeater calling your mate again. I though that only happened at 'thresholds' like when you leave the room but forgot why you left in the first place.  

Ha! Ha! You've got to laugh or else you'd be flipping crying!


How about you lot? Any similar stories?

(I know there must be loads with stuff like software, programming radios and the like, let alone what once used to be easy to do like the aforementioned mic plug!)


Over to you. I promise we won't laugh at you, but laugh along with you.

Remember, even if you're still young and sprightly I'll bet you too have those "Duh?" moments!

Yes I was chatting with a few on cb the other night and a breaker around 82 mile away was only clearly heard by one.
So a frequency was chosen on sideband but I couldn't find it stored anywhere on my 9900 nor could I remember how to change it manually. I did remember the following day but that was too late looks like some frequencies are out after checking delboys blog but I've left it for now as I started feeling ill again


I recently bought a new soldering iron with a base with helping hands, the times I've struggled trying to hold everything hopefully no more.
I've also bought one of those headband magnifiers with built in led lights. Mainly as I've a stash of airfix models and want to revisit building them as a way of relaxing and whiling away the hours .
But they may be something that interest you Victor,
£12.45 off fleabay

recently i opened a pni6500 to adjust watts & fm dev, their screws was so tiny had to use large book magnifier & a strong led small torch with 2 AA batteries) at the age of 54 ...
How ever with a cheap eye magnifier for a single eye (the one using for watches) & good light i still can adjust an automatic watch where screws are way tiniest

Last year i did some soldering to add a small coax cable & a uhf female plug to a FM radio for external aerial & i burn the plastic case

As for memory some times not remember what i ate afternoon ok i just kidding here but i am getting close to it...but checking at fm for possible dx catches some times i do forget was freqs was early (to recheck if i think could be something very far)

JML Mighty sight.
Gifted to me.
Saying no more lol.

Glad I'm not the only one!

The suggestions of headset magnifiers would be great.....except I've got some.....and they don't help the "fat fingers"!!  

(Plus you can see your previously burnt fingertips from where that iron got too close!)


Anyone else struggle with winding little toroids? 

I used to wind them without a thought and nowadays after winding even one of those little damn things my knuckles feel like they've been struck on the back with a hammer! (Definitely a touch of arthritis there.  )


I think as you get older you also appreciate an old "boat-anchor" radio too.....dials you can see and knobs/controls you can actually rotate with clawed old hands or fat fingers!

Don't stand a chance remembering where all those menu settings are on modern stuff.


Anyone started struggling with a 'fist' mic after a long over?

This is the boy for the job Victor.

Got one!  

Henley Solon soldering iron, (mine has a wooden handle!), takes a good 10 minutes to warm up but you could solder an SO239 to a radios metal chassis with it.

Had mine for decades & decades being the only iron that's survived that long, (the other junk always packs up).

Bit hard to solder mic socket connections with it though Alan mate.


Glad to see I'm not the only one with a monster soldering iron.

Armed to the dentures!!




The one that looks like an old fashioned hairdryer (bottom right) is actually an old hot-air gun for heat shrink sleeving and the like.

Surprisingly it's rather good for removing surface mount components with an appropriate nozzle......

When I've got the magnifier headset on!

Might plug that big one in and see if it still works.
No idea what it would be used for.
I have a black version of your red one along with 2 Weller 24v with base and a 240v Weller.
Plus 3 or 4 others not sure on make.

I use mine for the big jobs Alan, soldering tin work, removing RF screening, chassis mounts, etc.

The modern version at the top is alright but it will often cool down too quick if desoldering chassis mounts/lugs and the like and that's when the old Henley hold its own even if it's a bit unwieldy.

(Shhh, I used to do a bit of stained glass work back in the day and the Henley is good for that too!)


All this reminiscing and digging stuff out meant I handily came across this solder pot....




Completely forgot I had it and handy for tinning multiple wires - strip them, twist them, dip in flux, once in the solder pot and job's a good'un.  



You're getting too old when you can't remember what stuff you actually have!

LOL yes too old.
Just found 2 more 25w Henley Solon's.
Not looking any more i have too much and starting to find things that i have replaced as i couldn't find them  shush don't tell Linda.

Decided to check the plug on the big bertha iron before plugging it in lol
Anybody think i was right in putting it back in the box it came from well for now.

That's definitely got too old!

Rubber insulated lead completely perished there Alan mate and I know I replaced mine many moons ago with some black silicone mains lead. Just as flexible (handy for a big iron) and stands up to the same wear & tear as the original.

Thank Gawd you didn't plug it in!


My Henley is 125 Watt but you mention yours are 25 Watt?

The big one is 125w i also have 2 others at 25w.

yes only yesterday i walked out of the back door and into the shed and thought what have i come in here for so back into the house and immediately remembered why i had gone into the shed, such is life 

I just put a new flex on that big iron and it still works.
How old could it be.

I am to Old because, I now have a note pad at the bottom of the stares to make a note of why I went up there in the first place, then forgot to read it

You youngsters have no idea how funny it gets at my age!

It was funny when my Grandson asked:
Grandad can you make a noise like a Frog please.
I asked why?
He replied:
Well Mummy said when you Croake we will be OK for a million quid.
Youngens EH.

@ Alan -

They made them from 1935 onwards, were popular in the 50s/60s with just about every Television/Radio workshop having them and I believe the military used them in their workshops too. There were complaints about them being rubbish but that was usually by the rabble that rather than use a cellulose sponge to clean the tip would otherwise hammer them on the bench/stand, leave them powered for days on end or dip the buggers in sal-ammoniac!



@ Tony -

Yep, when you're glad that you don't wake up dead in the morning! I think most of us are here are whipper-snappers compared to you my friend.



@ Bernie -

Too funny mate! I did make this posting to have a bit of a laugh and shoot the breeze.  




You're getting too old for radio when.....

You scream "This frequency is in use!" when it's clearly free from radio traffic and to top it all you don't give your call sign?!?

"Been having our net on this frequency for years mate.....it is belongs to usses....."

WHEELNUT wrote:

It was funny when my Grandson asked:
Grandad can you make a noise like a Frog please.
I asked why?
He replied:
Well Mummy said when you Croake we will be OK for a million quid.
Youngens EH.

Never realised you were a millionaire Bernie, will have to put my prices up

Leaving that big iron on for days it would heat the shack.
Could do with a better cable as i only had a 2 core but it was only to see if it worked.

13oots2 wrote:

WHEELNUT wrote:

It was funny when my Grandson asked:
Grandad can you make a noise like a Frog please.
I asked why?
He replied:
Well Mummy said when you Croake we will be OK for a million quid.
Youngens EH.

Never realised you were a millionaire Bernie, will have to put my prices up

Hmmm no where near, may be in debt

When you wake up in the morning and in pain you know you are still alive.

hot glue guns i have a nice one, and its just the right size, but how hot the glue get so i put some on my finger, i do not have great felling all over my body go out side bear feet in 4 inches of snow and felt red hot thats how bad it is, So i put some hot glue on my finger, did not feel that hot a few seconds it hit the pain took the skin of my finger or turn the solder iron of and think it will cool and pick it up, and hell thats hot, lots of little things like i had built up my A99 and the old woman came up to me that thing is affecting my tv, i said thats bad is it bad right now its awful , so there is me with the coax with pl259 not connected, i said its not connected just getting antenna up you should have seen the face on it never said and she could not accept been wrong funny as hell a big cheesy grin on my face