The PortSea Resort, Pt Douglas, AU 

Cairns Outrigger pool and spa 

AUSTRALIAN TIMESHARES

WE'RE BACK from our trip "down under" and ready to report on our timeshare experiences.

For the first week, we had the pleasure of great accommodations at the Cairns Outrigger, a Fairfield affiliate. The Outrigger is located just across the street from the pier in downtown Cairns, where the Coral Sea meets Northern Queensland. The resort has a delightful outdoor pool and spa and there are many local restaurants within walking distance--and oh yes, a casino just around the corner!

For the next two weeks we toured New Zealand by car--no time for timeshare stops here, but scenery beyond compare! And beautiful weather 99% of the time.

On week four we checked into The PortSea Resort in Port Douglas, Queensland, for our last week in Australia. The PortSea is located just a short distance from downtown Port Douglas; and again, our accommodations were outstanding, with palm trees overhanging our third-story balcony and a cafe adjacent to the pool and spa.

The weather in September and October is perfect for a visit to this lush, tropical part of Australia, known for its famous coral reefs and tropical forests.

Wedgwood Jasperware Cobalt Biscuit Barrel circa 1880 or prior. See this beautiful item at http://www.geocities.com/copperpenny22/My-evenolderwedgwood.html 

YAHOO GROUPS PART II

Need info on auction sites? Tired of "feebay" and "no support"? Interested in "weird" auctions? Then the Yahoo Group, Auctions_Network_USA is for you--just one of many interesting auction groups at Yahoo.

You can find this group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Auctions_Network_USA/. Sign up and join the friendly discussions. Visit the websites and auctions of the members--this is a very diverse group--everything is available--from A to Z and from Soup to Nuts.

Villas at Summer Bay, Kissimmee, FL. The perfect Disney destination for a greal family vacation. 

Grand Pacific Palisades Resort, Carlsbad, CA. The perfect spot for a Southern California vacation. 

TIME SHARE USERS GROUPS AND OTHER TS WEBSITES

If you are serious about time-sharing, you will want to join some of the many time-share users Groups on the internet. There is a wealth of helpful information on these sites, both for new and experienced time-share owners.

Here are a few to check out:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fairfield_timeshare/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrandPacificResorts/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Starwood_Vacation_Ownership/
http://www.wmowners.com/
http://www.tug2.net

Looking to buy or sell a time-share? Looking to rent a time-share? Here are a few websites to check out:

http://www.ralresorts.com
http://www.redweek.com
http://www.resortime.com
http://www.bidshares.com/
http://www.myresortnetwork.com
http://www.thetimesharebeat.com/

Time-sharing is like any other property investment. Keep up with the latest issues on these websites to better enjoy your vacation time and maintain your investment.

Wedgwood Commemorative Pitcher 200th Anniversary 1930 available at http://www.auctionsnetworkUSA.com by copperpenny22 

YAHOO GROUPS PART 1

APPRAISALS AND EXPERT HELP

Do you need a question answered about your favorite antique? Do you have an antique mystery item that has you stumped? Do you need reference resources for that favorite painting, book, pottery, coin collection, or other worthy collectible?

The answers may be waiting for you at the Yahoo Group site known as Appraisals And Expert Help. This is one of many Yahoo Groups that you can join and participate in the various aspects of antiquing. Members volunteer their time to help other members with questions pertaining to antiques and collectibles from A to Z.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AppraisalsAndExpertHelp/

Check it out, along with the many other Yahoo Group Antique Sites. Membership is free and the comraderie is interesting.

This unique stick-on sign is available at the $1NR Sale at www.bidchaser.com by copperpenny22. See what's for sale! 

Wedgwood Jasperware S&P Shakers, available at www.bidchaser.com by copperpenny22. And check out the $1NR sale at BidChaser! 

THE INTERNET MINUTEMEN

Just as we have the Minutemen on our borders volunteering to protect us from further "invasion", we have the internet "Minutemen" who volunteer to protect us from scammers, who bombard our email with fraudulent offers.

I have been blessed with two scammers recently on two of my
AuctionsNetworkUSA sites—one on BidChaser.com and the other on
Addabid.com. Both scammers need lessons in English grammar very
badly. Laracroft Mourinho wants my address and phone number to send
me a money order, even before bidding on my listing. Tracyad2005
wants to send me a western union money order from a third party.
BTW, Tracyad2005's address does not exist. I'll bet you can
guess what comes next! Probably an email telling me they are going to
send me a money order for at least 10 times the value of my listing
and asking me to send them back the difference! And, of course, the
money order turns out to be bogus!

And today I get an offer from the Congo to help KOMANE EDULA bring $25,000,000 to the USA; and I get to keep 30% of it!!

But there are those enterprising "Minutemen" of the internet, willing to take on these scumbags; and you can visit the websites below and see what they are
doing in retaliation.

http://www.bustedupcowgirl.com/scampage.html

http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/

http://www.scamorama.com

http://www.419eater.com/forum/

But don't try to absorb it all at once. You can strain your muscles with too much laughter! Save some laughter for another day. And, when you receive one of these scam offers, you can post the letter on the 419eater.com forum under "Surplus Scam Letters"; so that 419 members who feel inclined can choose one to pursue! It is quite a show!

They also have a forum section where anyone can help them
legally "disable" the fake banks and lotteries sites that abound on
the internet. What a hoot! Don't miss it!

copperpenny22
www.pennyspantry.net
http://tinyurl.com/9zdfd

The Funny Dribble Glass, available at http:www.auctionsnetworkUSA.com by copperpenny22 

EBAY STATS REVISITED

Back in February, during the one-week eBay boycott by eBay sellers protesting significant fee increases, eBay listings fell from 19,000,000 to 12,000,000. Many eBay sellers closed their eBay stores at that time and have relocated at other fee-free or low-fee auction sites.

In May, we revisited the eBay stats, to discover the eBay listings were still hovering at the 12,000,000 level. And this week, another visit to the eBay stats reveals that eBay listings are yet again hovering at the 12,000,000 figure.

The boycott is still having its effect.

Go here to see the eBay stats:

http://www.medved.net/cgi-bin/cal.exe?EIND


And then go here to see where many these EX eBayers are selling their wares:
http://www.auctionsnetworkUSA.com
http://www.addabid.com
http://www.bidchaser.com
http://www.bidville.com
http://www.ebuysUSA.com
http://www.iOffer.ca
http://www.iOffer.com
http://www.wodauctions.com
http://www.yahooauctions.com

Happy Shopping!

Vintage Campbell's Soup Thermus, available at www.bidchaser.com by copperpenny22

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

Blogs are a good thing. Blogs allow further communications between
friends and strangers. Blogs are another means of advertising your
wares. As in all things, well intentioned people
can enjoy the interacton of blogs.

However, as in all things, there is another side to the picture.
Here is a report from BBC news:

__________________________________________________

"Bogus blogs snare fresh victims

Cyber criminals are starting to use fake blogs to snare new victims.

The bogus web journals are being used as traps that infect visitor's
machines with keylogging software or viruses.

Filtering firm Websense said it had found hundreds of bogus blogs
baited with all kinds of malicious software to snare the unwary.

Websense warned that the baited blogs could get past traditional
security measures that try to protect people from malicious
programs.

Hidden harm

The company said blogs were being used because they inadvertently
offered lots of help to computer criminals.

Blogs are free and simple to use, offer users lots of storage space,
can be used anonymously and most do not scan stored files for
viruses and other malicious programs.

Websense said it had seen examples of some computer criminals
creating a legitimate looking weblog, loading it with keylogging
software or viral code, and then sending out the address of it
through instant messenger or spam e-mail.

"These aren't the kind of blog websites that someone would stumble
upon and infect their machine accidentally," said Dan Hubbard,
Websense's research director. "The success of these attacks relies
upon a certain level of social engineering to persuade the
individual to click on the link."

In separate cases some blogs were being used as storage lockers
holding chunks of malicious code that the controller of a network of
zombie machines wants those remotely-controlled computers to use.

In late March, Websense found a fake e-mail message that tried to
direct people to a blog that was hosting keylogging software.

Now it estimates that there could be more than 200 bogus blogs in
existence that are being used to attack net users.

By comparison blog-watching service Technorati estimates that there
are more than 8 million blogs in existence.

Anyone visiting the baited blog and falling victim to the keylogger
could find that they have bank accounts rifled by the phishing gang
behind the bogus website.

Websense warned that viruses hosted on weblogs might be a danger
because they get round the filtering systems many firms have created
to ensure malicious programs do not reach employees.

Users were urged to keep anti-virus and patches up to date,
regularly scan machines with anti-spyware products and exercise
caution when reading unsolicited messages sent via e-mail or instant
messenger. "

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/4441333.stm

Published: 2005/04/14 07:20:18 GMT

© BBC MMV
____________________________________________

Just be aware.

copperpenny22
http://tinyurl.com/9zdfd

Royal Albert Xmas Tree Ornament Tea Pot, SOLD at http://page.auctions.yahoo.com/auction/90738832?aucview=0x30 

Odd-Ball Auction Items

There have been various discussions about "unusual" auction items, as
a way to attract buyers. We all know about the cheese sandwich on
eBay, the traveling T-shirt and others. One lesser known that I came
across on eBay was opened bottles of Chanel #5! Buyers are actually
buying them!

I think the idea is a good one! Every seller should have one "nutty"
listing on each of their auction sites. So I have listed my late
Mother-in-Law's open bottle of Chanel #5 on Yahoo. I have 3 or 4
other Yahoo listings--but this bottle has garnered 10 times more hits
than the others. Go figure!

Can You Identify This Pfaltzgraff Item? We have four--two are pictured. They measure about 4x7 inches. 

Pfaltzgraff Pieces We are Still Looking For

For several years, we have been collecting Pfaltzgraff Gourmet Royale Dinnerware and assessories. There are a few pieces we are still seeking:

1. At least three (3) beer steins -- we only have one! And beer does not taste the same from two straws!

2. A set of four cannisters with covers--each one is a different size--for flour, sugar, coffee and tea.

There may be other pieces we do not yet have, as Pfaltzgraff did not keep a record of the various pieces they produced--at least that is what I was told by their home office in York, Pa. Pfaltzgraff discontinued the Gourmet Royale pattern sometime in the 1980s, so we have been haunting the antique shops in our travels to add to our collection, which started almost fifty years ago when we received a Gourmet Royale starter set as a wedding gift.

There is one Gourmet piece in our collection that we have not been able to identify. We found it in an antique shop near Orlando, Fl a few years ago, but it had no description--see picture above. If anyone has a clue to what this piece is supposed to be used for, please send us a comment. Thanks.

Pfaltzgraff continues to make pottery and dinnerware in many different patterns. To my knowledge, the factory in York, PA is still the only production location; however, you can find Pfaltzgraff factory sales outlets at most of the discount outlet malls around the country. The unique Pfaltzgraff logo, which appears on most items is a "castle". This logo is a representation of the original and ancient Pfaltzgraff location on an island in Germany--a castle, of course! Visitors to Germany can still tour the location, as we understand it.

Vacation Village at Parkway Time Share - Another Great Kissemmee Vacation Location

Living/Dining area at Vacation Village at Parkway, Kissemmee, FL, time share resort. 

Time Share Resort in Orlando area - Vacation Village at Parkway

Vacation Village at Parkway, Kissemmee, FL - Time Share Resort -- See you there in February 2006! 

Time Sharing and HAMming it up in Orlando

For several years, we have been traveling to Orlando, FL each year in February for the Annual Orlando Amateur Radio Show, held at the Fairgrounds on Hwy 50. Among the thousands of HAM fests held each year, the Orlando show is in the top ten--in my book, anyway. And since we have several time shares for family use, we have been exchanging and reserving a two-week stay in the Orlando area during this time. The Orlando HAM fest is a 3-day affair, beginning on Friday afternoon and ending on Sunday afternoon. In 2006, the show is scheduled for February 10, 11, and 12.

There is so much to see and do in Orlando that these annual visits never become a bore. And the time share resorts have an abundance of on-site activities, too. Some days we just relax in the pool and hot tub. Other days we might take in an attraction or two. And, of course, Orlando is a great place to escape the Georgia mountain winters for awhile.

In previous years, we have stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club, Orange Lake Country Club, Sheraton Vistana Village, and the Villas at Summer Bay. They have all been exceptionally pleasant experiences. For our two weeks in February 2006, we have just made our reservations at the Vacation Village at Parkway in Kissimmee. This resort is located very near Disney and the Arabian Knights; and we are looking forward to another great time in Orlando.

Wedgwood Jasperware 1800's Green Jug, 7 in, available at http://auctions.yahoo.com/i::95532986;

Deep Impact's Top Ten Images

Deep Impact's Top 10 Comet Crash Images
Comets will never look the same now that NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft has successfully slammed into one of the icy wanderers in full view of orbital observatories, ground-based telescopes and skywatchers around the world.

See the Top Ten Comet Crash Images at:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050705_scitues_deepimpact.html

LOVE IS....By Kim Grove. Available at www.yahooauctions.com by copperpenny22  

S.E.T.I. STILL SEARCHING FOR E.T.

Sky's the limit in search for E.T.
Denounced a decade ago as misguided in their efforts to find "little green men", scientists searching for extra-terrestrial intelligence are returning to the hunt with a new, more powerful telescope and the backing of some of Silicon Valley's top titans and techies.

http://g.msn.com/0MN2ET7/2?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8029534&&CM=EmailThis&CE=1



And then you can come back down to earth and visit "copperpenny22" at these great auction/marketplace sites:

http://www.yahooauctions.com
http://www.eBuysUSA.com
http://www.bidchaser.com
http://www.wodauctions.com
http://www.oldandsold.com
http://www.ioffer.ca
http://www.bidville.com
http://www.livedeal.com
http://www.iOffer.com

Silverlook Aluminum Tray
SOLD

Wedgwood Jasperware Sports Mug Limited Edition. You can bid on this item by copperpenny22 at ebuysusa.com

PRIVACY INVASION VS FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Hello All:

There is a link to a website where if you type in your first and last name
and pick the state you live in, it will pull up your address or your parents
address with your birthdate or birth year. It also has options where you
can obtain maps to that person's house. And for $20.00, they will provide
a background check to anybody that requests it!

The link is http://www.zabasearch.com. In order to request your information be
deleted from their database you need to send an e-mail too
info@zabasearch.com.

This is disturbing to know that all someone needs is your name and home
state and they can find out your birth year and your address and even have
resources provided to them to find it.

In addition, when you send them an email request to be deleted, you get an
automated email message saying that you have to put your request in writing.
Surely, something should be done to stop this nonsense. See the linked article
for one legal opinion. http://writ.news.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=/ramasastry/20

Anybody have any good ideas?

And pass it on!

EBAY LISTING STATS

Back in February, during the one-week eBay boycott by eBay sellers, eBay listings fell from 19,000,000 to 12,000,000. Many eBay sellers closed their eBay stores at that time, but continued to list their auctions under a 120-day listing plan, to avoid the increased listing fees that went into effect in February.

The 120 days has passed; and a revisit to www.quotetracker.com indicates that current eBay listings are back to the boycott week level of 12,000,000, a sure sign that those Sellers who left in February are still having an effect on eBay listings.

Go here to see the eBay stats:
http://www.medved.net/cgi-bin/cal.exe?EIND

AUCTIONS NETWORK USA NEWSLETTER BLOG

For the latest news from Auctions Network USA, you can sign up to receive the Auctions Network USA Newsletter.

http://auctionsnetworkusa.com/News_05_15_05.htm

And you can shop 'til you drop at The Network Partners:

http://www.eBuysUSA.com
http://www.Addabid.com
http://www.ePremio.com
http://www.bidchaser.com
http://www.wodauctions.com

Visit soon and often!

Stafford Japan Porcelain German Shepherd.
SOLD

Bid on this tiki mug at ebuysusa.com by copperpenny22

WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS

You will soon see a lot of people wearing Red on Fridays. Here's why:


The Americans who support our troops, are the silent majority. We are not
"organized" to reflect who we are, or to reflect what our opinions are.

Many Americans, like yourself, would like to start a grassroots movement
using the membership of the Special Operations Association, and Special
Forces Associations, and all their friends, simply, to recognize that
Americans support our troops. We need to inform the local VFW's and
American Legion, our local press, local TV, and continue carrying the
message to the national levels as we start to get this going. Our idea of
showing our solidarity and support for our troops are -starting Friday,
and continuing on each and every Friday, until this is over, that every
red - blooded American who supports our young men and women, WEAR
SOMETHING RED.

Word of mouth, press, TV -- let's see if we can make the United States,
on any given Friday, a sea of red much like a home football game at a
University.
If everyone of our memberships share this with other acquaintances,
fellow workers, friends, and neighbors, I guarantee that it will not be
long before the USA will be covered in RED - and make our troops know
there are many people thinking of their well-being. You will feel better
all day Friday when you wear Red!

Let's get the word out and lead by example; wear RED on Fridays.

I sent this out to everyone on my email list; hopefully, you will too.

Please forward this to everyone you know!!

Wear Red on Fridays

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE
BRAVE. FOR US, THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED!! GOD BLESS AMERICA.

(Author Unknown)

Visit Penny's Pantry at http://www.pennyspantry.net 

Tiki Wooden Bottle Openers available at:http://tinyurl.com/9zdfd by copperpenny22

SHOOT IT, SISTER!!

If You Are a Blogger, Read a Blogger, Love a BloggerHelp them to keep the FEC outta their business. Red State tells you how. It only takes an e-mail, and I know for a fact you're already at your computer.[05:17 PM 20-May-05 Mary Katharine Ham Comment]

Shoot It, Sister!

Just saw Sandy Froman speak. For those of you who don't know, that's Sandy Froman-- a Jewish native of San Francisco, graduate of Stanford undergrad and Harvard law, and President of the NRA. She said she gets this reaction a lot: "What's a nice girl like you doing involved with guns?"

And she admits she might not have been involved with guns had a 3 a.m. break-in not forced her to get involved. Froman was a 20-something lawyer in L.A. when she woke up to a strange noise at her front door. She looked through the peephole and saw a strange man crouched with a screwdriver at her lock. She pounded on the door and screamed, thinking surely he would leave once he knew someone was home.

To her horror, she saw him stand up, look through the peephole back at her, and bend back down to go to work. She called both her nextdoor neighbors. No one answered. She called 911 and they told her to lock herself in her bedroom until the police got there. She told them she had no lock on her bedroom door. She ran around the house turning on every light, the stereo, the TV to draw attention to the house. She checked the peephole--he was still there. Between the last time she looked and the time the police got there, the man finally fled, unable to bust the lock.

"The next day, I was a woman on a mission," she said. She said she went to a gun store, which was quite an achievement for this West Coast-dwelling, Ivy League-educated lawyer, she said. She told the gun store guy (what are they called? 'Clerk' sounds too delicate.) she needed a gun. When he asked which gun, she said "any gun." He promptly suggested she get some firearms training first, which she did.

"I found that shooting a gun wasn't that hard, and it was fun when I hit the bullseye," she said. She became a great shot pretty quick, practicing every weekend. After diving into her new firearm hobby, she noticed people she knew (some of whom were her fellow lawyers) thought anyone who owned a gun was a dangerous criminal. After asking some of her range-friends why some of her lawyer-friends thought that way, they suggested she join the NRA to learn about the politics of the 2nd Amendment.

Since then, she has served as a board member (in an organization of mostly men, she got a higher vote total from members around the country than any other board member ever has), Second Vice President, First Vice President, and now NRA president (the second woman to hold the job).

Froman, elected in April, said her two big issues for the year are encouraging the NRA's self-defense classes, particularly for women. The Second Amendment was written for the preservation of liberty-- when it is threatened by a foreign power, a domestic faction, or by a criminal on the street, she said.

"Every woman is entitled to such security," she said. "Everyone is safer when the criminals don't know who's armed."

Her assertion is supported by the sharp drop in gun violence in every state that has adopted a concealed-carry law (38 so far!). She also pointed out statistics that show concealed-carry permit holders are, on average, some of the most law-abiding of any citizens. Her second big issue is the federal judiciary. Judges who understand the 2nd Amendment are crucial because all the good legislative work that is done for gunowners can be undone by an activist judge's one ruling, she said. And Supreme Court justices are the ultimate guardians of the meaning of the 2nd Amendment.

Froman took a few questions, urged young women in the audience to give firearms a shot and decide for themselves if they like them. They're not necessarily for every woman, she said, but it's senseless to decide how you feel about them before you even touch one. She also encouraged college women to bring together like-minded women on their college campuses for shooting clinics and safety classes. Froman said she finds many more women are curious about firearms than are hostile toward them, regardless of their political beliefs.

The President of the NRA was without a gun today because she was speaking in the District of Columbia, where, as I've said before, you can't carry a handgun. Luckily, another D.C.-dwelling woman, Kay Bailey Hutchison has proposed the D.C. Handgun Ban Repeal. She's getting an assist from Sens. Cornyn and George Allen, and has gained sign-ons from 26 Senators, two of them Democrats. Allen cited his reason for supporting the bill--
Allen explained that the city's homicide rate is up 200 percent since the ban was enacted, compared to a national rise of 12 percent. Hutchison said Washington had 248 homicides in 2004 and the highest per capita homicide rate.

Despite the stats, Mayor Anthony Williams and some relatives of murder victims are opposed to the legislation.

"I am incensed by any proposal that is an insult to the memory of the people who have died in this city due to gun violence, in particular the three children who have died from gun violence this year," Williams said.

Well, I am incensed by a ban that is an insult to the people just trying not to be made into memories in this lovely little "gunless" town, Mayor Williams. In the meantime, I sure am glad to know that you'll be protecting my memory from insult after I'm gone. [03:04 PM 20-May-05 Mary Katharine Ham Comment]

Text-messaging champ Ben Cook, 17 (left), and his friend Jason.
 

NBC dressed CW champs Chip Margelli, K7JA (left), and Ken Miller, K6CTW, as old-time telegraphers. Both are ARRL members.
 

CW TRUMPS TEXT MESSAGING ON THE TONIGHT SHOW

CW Ops Whip Whippersnapper Text Messengers on National Television

NBC dressed CW champs Chip Margelli, K7JA (left), and Ken Miller, K6CTW, as old-time telegraphers. Both are ARRL members.

Text-messaging champ Ben Cook, 17 (left), and his friend Jason.
NEWINGTON, CT, May 16, 2005--It might have been Friday the Thirteenth, but it was a lucky day for Morse code--and particularly for veteran CW contest ops Chip Margelli, K7JA, and Ken Miller, K6CTW. During a May 13 appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the pair was able to pass a message using good old fashioned Morse code more rapidly than a pair of teenaged text messengers equipped with modern cell phones. The victory, which replicated a similar challenge that took place recently in Australia, has provided immense encouragement to Amateur Radio's community of CW operators, who've been ballyhooing the achievement all over the Internet. The text messaging team consisted of world text-messaging champ Ben Cook of Utah and his friend Jason. Miller said afterward in a reflector posting that the CW team won fairly handily.
"Ben was just getting ready to start entering the last two words when I was done," he said on the Elecraft reflector in response to various questions he's received following the TV appearance. "I already knew that 28-30 WPM would easily keep us in front of even the current world [text messaging] record holder, and also it is the fastest speed that I can make nice readable copy on paper with a `stick' [pencil]." Miller said it was decided he'd be on the receiving end because he wasn't distracted by the noise in the studio.
Margelli recalls that he was sending at 29 WPM. "I believe the goods were suitably delivered," he told ARRL. "CW and old guys rule!"

Ken Miller, K6CTW (right), raises his hand to indicate "game over," as Jason looks on in astonishment.
What the viewing public didn't know was that Margelli and Miller had, in Miller's words, "smoked 'em every time" during three pre-program rehearsals. Even so, during the real thing, when Miller raised his hand to signal he'd copied the CW message successfully, Jason's jaw dropped. None of the players had any idea of the text they'd be sending, Miller noted. The message? "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance."
As with many Tonight Show bits, this one involved a member of the audience, a young woman named Jennifer who predicted--incorrectly as it turned out, that text messaging definitely would top 170-year-old Morse code. She walked away with a gift of restaurant tickets anyway.
Margelli says the CW team used Yaesu FT-817 transceivers--one of his own and another owned by Dan Dankert, N6PEQ. Backup units--not needed--were provided by HRO; Margelli's wife Janet, KL7MF, manages an HRO store. They ended up using 432.200 MHz as an operating frequency in order to avoid RFI from the plethora of TV equipment in the studio and to avoid interfering with NBC's gear. They ran the little transceivers at their lowest power level and with the antennas disconnected--although they were mounted on the back of each unit--no problem given the close proximity involved. Margelli sent with a Bencher paddle.

Hamming it up, Margelli pretends to blow the smoke from his speedy fingers after his and Miller's win over the SMSers.
To add a little atmosphere to the affair, NBC producers attired Margelli and Miller to look like 19th-century-era Western Union or railroad Morse telegraphers. The costumes came complete with green visors, white shirts, sleeve garters, vests and bow ties. The teenaged SMSers wore T-shirts and jeans.
Cook told Leno that he'd managed to send a 160-letter message to his friend using his cell phone's short message system (SMS)--the formal term for text messaging--in 57 seconds.
A member of the Morse Telegraph Club and a QRP enthusiast, Miller said he'd been using CW for 38 years. Margelli told Leno he'd been using Morse "for 43 years in ham radio," a phrase Leno echoed. That was the only plug Amateur Radio got during the appearance on the show's "Dinner for 4" segment. Miller says that during rehearsal, the pair had come up with a few lines to promote ham radio and telegraphy, but they were cut during the final dress rehearsal in the interest of making the segment fit its allotted time slot.
A video clip of the CW vs text messaging competition is available on various Internet sites.
During the Australian competition in April, a Morse team consisting of 93-year-old former post office telegrapher Gordon Hill--the sender--and 82-year-old Jack Gibson--the receiver--topped 13-year-old SMSer Brittany Devlin. In that event, Hill spelled out the message in full, while Devlin used text-messaging shorthand. In that competition, held at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Hill took 90 seconds to send the message, 18 seconds faster than Devlin's message took to reach her friend's cell phone.
Miller encouraged all who enjoyed the CW-vs-text messaging segment on NBC to contact The Tonight Show to let the producers know about it--with an eye toward having the network schedule a more elaborate segment "next time."
"Thanks for the kind comments from all," Miller concluded, advising "let's keep on having fun!--It is a hobby after all."
Commented Margelli to ARRL: "I completely agree with my fantastic teammate, Ken Miller. It was a lot of fun, just like ham radio, and the show also delivered an important, if subtle, message about the benefits of the `basic' communication infrastructure that Amateur Radio provides."

Bengal Tiger from Andrea by Sadek. You can bid on this item at Auction NetworkUSA by copperpenny22

CW CONTEST ON THE TONIGHT SHOW--DON'T MISS IT!

Hey, all,
Just had to pass this along to all of you, in case you hadn't heard.
Tonight.... that's Friday, May 13th, there will be an interesting competition featured on the Tonight Show that sounds worth missing your usual early to bed routine so you can stay up and watch the fun.
There's going to be a competition on message sending and receiving between a couple of seasoned CW operators and another team using cell phone text messaging. Representing amateur radio will be the team of CHIP MARGELLI, K7JA, and KEN MILLER, K6CTW, avid contesters and DX-peiditioners. I heard that a similar contest was held in Australia, and the CW operators won hands-down. Dunno about you, but my money's on the CW ops winning another one tonight....
While I have you ear, (eye?) let me also mention that another GA ham was recently stopped by a law officer for talking on his radio. The officer saw his ham tag and noticed him talking on the radio, and seemed to think that was reason enough to pull him over. However, the ham he pulled over is a lawyer, and he knows his laws. He politely suggested to the officer that he check his book of GA laws for Code Section 40-6-241 before writing a ticket. The officer went to his vehicle and spent a few minutes checking his book, and ended up telling our ham friend to "have a nice day" and went on his merry way. Point
is: this ham was privvy to the laws? Are YOU? Or would you have meekly accepted a ticket from this officer? Check our www.arrl-ga.org website for the applicable law. Be aware. Maybe keep a copy of this law in your car, just in case. And, please, be polite. The law provides for "proper use" of a radio, which requires "due care" while driving. So, if you drive unsafely, whether talking on the radio or not, you will not be exempt from getting a ticket. But be smart; be careful; and be aware.
Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves.
And each other. 73, Susan

DAGA Tiki Mug Kuilima Hyatt Hawaii 50s-60s. This item is available at AuctionsNetworkUSA.com