RadioBanter - View Single Post - Amphenol Microphone Connectors (Heathkit, etc.)

September 13th 05, 06:55 PM

wrote:

You wrote:

"Why subject myself to
it when I can work when I am well enough, then call the "Vets helping
Vets" to tell them that another free computer system is ready for them
to give away? Do you do anything for your fellow humans?"

In short I do but I don't wear my heart on my sleeve and present it as
a badge of honor. I'm also partially disabled with Parkinson's and
Crohn's diseases and am four weeks out of the hospital after having a
foot of my colon removed. Like you I rebuild and restore old computers,
but mostly give them to the really poor kids to give them a vision of
the worlds that they can aspire to. I also repair surplus geiger
counters and donate them to the local fire departments, now that Civil
Defense trashed them and sold them at auction. I've also been known to
donate to the DAV each time they ask, and was an active participant in
our local Civil Defense emergency communications group until that was
also disbanded (practically on the eve of when it is most needed). As a
Mason, most of my cash contributions go to the Masonic Homes,
children's hospitals, and other worthy causes (unfortunately these
contributions are now limited to my fixed income from Social Security
and my Raytheon pension, plus what little I earn on eBay.

So wish me well on my eBay sales, because the little that I earn from
that source goes into worthy causes, not on lavish vacations in Vegas
or the Islands!

Harry C.

I haven't been on a vacation in over 20 years because I couldn't
afford to take the time off, and had any money to spend at the same
time. The last few years that I was ale to work I was on the advisory
board for a local school system's vocational electronics course. I would
take vacation days to go into the classroom to help the kids that wanted
to learn, and give the an idea of what to expect in the real world of
electronics. Now, my disability pension is below the poverty level and
I don't get any retirement benefits so I continue to live a very simple
lifestyle. They tell me I am allowed to earn a little money from a
hobby, but no one will give me a dollar amount. Others tell me to take
in boarders. That will not only cost me my pension, it will kick my
property taxes up to more than I could make by renting out the extra
bedrooms.

As far as giving computers to needy kids there are at least a half
dozen groups already doing that in my area, so I chose to help another
group that was in need. The disabled vets don't care how old a computer
is as long as they can do e-mail and some simple browsing. After all,
most of them are confined to a wheelchair, or bed and have nothing else
to do but watch TV.

The needy kids that I have talked to wanted a better computer than
what I use for myself, and to track the project. They also want a
printer, a scanner, a cd burner and a DVD drive along with plenty of
paper and ink jet cartridges. Several insisted that they had to have a
laptop and that a desktop computer was useless to them. So far I have
only had one laptop donated. It is an old Compaq that has a failing
display and a dead battery. Who wants to spend several hundred dollars
to repair a Win 95 laptop? We all have choices to make in life. Since
I am a veteran who is disabled, and I chose to help my fellow veterans,
and I applied to join the DAV last week.

Have fun selling on E-bay. I can't afford to play the games a lot of
people want on E-bay. I see things that ask three times what something
is worth for the shipping costs. Add in their minimum bid and I can buy
two to four of the same item, brand new for the same price, and have
them delivered to my door.

BTW, I guess that you didn't know that Raytheon owned Switchcraft? I
don't know if they still do, but it was clearly marked on the cover of
the last printed Switchcraft catalog that I have.

--
?

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida