[amsat-bb] Re: "Frustration" Solved!

[Edward Cole]

At 05:47 AM 12/1/2009, Bob McGwier wrote:
>I wish I had a buck for every time I have done this.  I could drink
>coffee for a year at Starbuck's.  Why does the technical mind (more male
>than female but both nevertheless) tend to run to the worst possibility
>rather than look for the simplest.  I am about the worst offender I know.
>
>Bob
>
>
>
> >
> >  Just
> > yesterday I spent a half hour wondering why my printer didn't print.  When
> > you remove the wrong ethernet cable earlier in the day and assumed it was
> > the correct one for another device...well, you know the rest of the story.
> >
> > 73
> > Greg
> > N3MVF
> >
> >
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I smile (in self recognition).  An old mentor, when I was starting in 
a career of electronic repair, said "its usually something 
simple"!  "Do not automatically look for the worst cause".  The first 
step in troubleshooting is to verify all the inputs are present, then 
check the outputs, then back up an look and smell.  And by all means 
do not "assume".

My eme station was not receiving last night when I started it up 
after a month's idleness.  So I check the dc voltages (all there), 
then noticing the coax is connected differently, I check the outside 
connection (was to a different feedthru connector...hmm).  Only took 
about 20-min to discover (apparently changed my mind on which 
connector to use and didn't complete the changeover).

Years ago when a satellite-TV dealer, a customer called to say his 
set quit.  I drove 100-miles to work on it to find the ac cord 
disconnected in back of his large entertainment cabinet.  I could 
only justify taking some gas money from the very apologetic customer 
(I blew off 5-hours of my time).


73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45
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