HP and me. (And a sharp PC-1300S

[Geoff Quickfall]

Well, been awhile since I have posted. That does not mean I was not following but the last 4 years have been busy for all of us!

I made it to my first HHC in many years and enjoyed it very much. So many innovations! So many enthusiastic members. Quite a group here and time to catch up.

In the last 6 years I upgraded to the 787, Captains position, started a PhD, ran into the COVID era as we all did. That affected my ability to access my research site for the PhD and upped my time away from home (flying) to 20 days a month.

Covid had a toll on my health and enthusiasm as it did for a vast majority of us. My run in with Covid was strictly work related. Being confined to hotel room for up to 5 days at a time in quarantine as an airline pilot was the worse. No allowance to leave a hotel room for 5 days, no access to outdoors or even being allowed to leave the room. Your key was good for one entrance. If you left your room you were arrested (Australia, Hong Kong). Quarantine arguments with police at my house while following the rules. Not allowed in the university for 2 weeks after arriving from flying which meant not being allowed to attend university, my lab or research area during the entire Covid restrictions (until I educated the Dean of Sciences about our restrictions on travel).

Police showing up at my door, confronting my wife because I went flying two days after arriving from a flight instead of quarantining for 2 weeks. Had to educate them also.

But enough of all that. HHC last year was wonderful and I have picked up where I left off. Looking forward to the next HHC and now:

- Retired from flying (45 years)
- Finalized the PhD program.
- Redid the man cave and have outfitted with the scopes, soldering iron and other various electronic tools.


And now to the point, the book is on the table!. It will be two volumes, LED and LCD!

And to get into the program a Sharp PC-1300S arrived in pretty bad shape. Went to work on it, produced a video on youtube and if you are in need of an english version of the manual, I just completed a full translation of the only exisitng Japanese manual that we know of.

If you want a copy for free:

https://jameltayeb.com/2024/04/13/sharp-...ser-guide/

The youtube video is:

https://youtu.be/RLV_GGUxBQk?si=VZoZ2zPsX7QM0PMA

All this got me into the editing of the almost completed book and finishing it. Hopefully I will have an announcement this year at HHC.

So hello all, best wishes and if you are interested, there will be more repair postings and etc.

Geoff

[Massimo Gnerucci]

Hi Geoff,
sad to read all you passed during these years, but you know: a copy of your two volumes' Masterpiece is booked, since so many years...

Just let us know how to order it once finished!

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(04-17-2024 04:38 PM)Geoff Quickfall Wrote:  Being confined to hotel room for up to 5 days at a time in quarantine as an airline pilot was the worse.

This would have been the worst nightmare for me. Like being in prison. Luckily I was spared from quarantine throughout Covid. Business jet passengers don't like to be quarantined (this would make the whole concept of chartering your own plane for fife-figure-Euro amounts to save time obsolete) and therefore we only flew to places without mandatory quarantine. Covid tests I avoided like the plague because they could leave you stranded for weeks in a place where you really don't want to be. Luckily most european countries only required them for passengers and not for crewmembers. I only had two tests during the entire Covid episode...

Looking forward to THE BOOK! And best wishes for the completion of your ph.d. (for me that was ten times more difficult than getting the ATPL, no, 100 times...)

Regards
Max

[9aplus]

Nice work, congrats.
BTW
It seems we are sharing some passions like
Sony HF SSB RX, HP and aviation

[Geoff Quickfall]

Thanks Massimo,

I actually faired quite easily, health wise. I did get Covid but it lasted 3 days. Regardless of what anyone thinks of vaccines, (it was mandatory) and I was tested once a week for two years! Sometimes by airport authorities who were aggressive at times, verbally and physically with the testing equipment.

What gets me, I was flying passenger aircraft (787) converted to freighter to fly emergency equipment and PPE’s back to Canada and the States and being treated like a criminal (guilty and exposed before the trial).

Anyhow, just a note on the last 6 years of which 3 were Covid involved.

Yes, will let everyone know that wants to know, when it is done.

Cheers

[Geoff Quickfall]

(04-17-2024 05:26 PM)9aplus Wrote:  Nice work, congrats.
BTW
It seems we are sharing some passions like
Sony HF SSB RX, HP and aviation

Thanks and yes,

How about the Panasonic RF-8000 the queen of my radio restorations!

Geoff

[Sylvain Cote]

You are late Geoff, the link was posted 3 days ago on the Silicum forum. LOL
Great work!
Glad that you are back and eagerly awaiting your books.

[Geoff Quickfall]

I did not know.

I suspected as that’s where I got Jamel’s email and blog address.

It is an amazing machine, much similar to the abilities found on the HP 97 and I love the VFD alpha display. A true work of art.

Will be one of two talks at the next HHC ;-)

Email to follow. Geoff

[9aplus]

(04-17-2024 05:29 PM)Geoff Quickfall Wrote:  Thanks and yes,

How about the Panasonic RF-8000 the queen of my radio restorations!

Geoff

Sure, that RF-8000 is the real beast

Can rise the stack only with my Collins 51 S1
On other hand, my small battery powered RX collection consist of 3 small Sony 7600,
2 Sony 2010 like yours, and one Philips - D2999 World radio.
Look here, me busy while confined https://hackaday.io/project/171415-sdr-limetogo
All components at home, shortlisted on https://hackaday.io/submissions/the-tech...challenge/

Regarding the vaccine and testing, my junior decided to drop his ATPL, when the local
CAA changed the rules of the game in the middle of exams. The students was excluded
and they proclaimed all student pilots (as defined by EASA Part FCL) for "candidates".
He still have his Class 1 medical and happy flying own GA plane with PPL.

Djani

[johnb]

(04-17-2024 05:28 PM)Geoff Quickfall Wrote:  ...I was tested once a week for two years! Sometimes by airport authorities who were aggressive at times, verbally and physically with the testing equipment.

What gets me, I was flying passenger aircraft (787) converted to freighter to fly emergency equipment and PPE’s back to Canada and the States and being treated like a criminal (guilty and exposed before the trial).

Fear will do that to people. I'm sincerely sorry you had to deal with that. How awful!

I was about to post that doing a self-lockdown during Covid was pretty easy for me, because I was a submariner in my youth, and got used to weeks/months of being submerged. As a software engineer during the Covid lockdown, I was still glued to my workstation 8-9 hours out of every workday as usual, but now in my nice, comfy home office, able to look out the windows at the weather, and take afternoon walks in the sunshine.

However, in retrospect, "easy" was not really the case, because my mom, who was in her 90's, didn't know what to do with herself during the lockdown, so she just sat on her sofa and started deteriorating. It was very frustrating because she had been going to the gym 3 times a week, which kept her very physically active. But without the social motivation, she didn't exercise. We ended up having to move her in with us for a little over a year, then to a care facility. She lived to be 97.5 years old, but all indications were that she would have made it past 100 if she'd just kept exercising.

When considering that, I have to remind myself that the "past 100" part is pure speculation, and also that others dealt with far, far worse. So, not exactly "easy" but not "horrible" either. I certainly didn't have to deal with Neanderthal authority-types fearfully intent on following rules they didn't understand.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(04-17-2024 06:48 PM)9aplus Wrote:  ... my junior decided to drop his ATPL...

Sorry for the OT, but I must say this: He should resume as soon as possible if flying is what he wants to do! Job prospects have not been as good as now since many years, three of my students (I instruct in my spare time) have landed good jobs in the last few weeks, each with the option to chose between airline and business jet. Two went for bizjets, one for the airlines - must be my bad influence ;-)

And regarding radios: I have several Sony IFC-7800 ("newscaster") units, a radio that I would have loved to have when I was 15 but could not afford, one of which does not work at all. Is there a good internet site that Google does not find (or a book?) that could help me with troubleshooting?

Regards
Max

NB: This summer I will also complete my 45 years of flying. Since my employer removed our plane from commercial operation there is no more age limit and I hope to continue for another ten years. Or 15?

[9aplus]

(04-17-2024 07:05 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Sorry for the OT, but I must say this: He should resume as soon as possible if flying is what he wants to do!
...
And regarding radios: I have several Sony IFC-7800 ("newscaster") units, a radio that I would have loved to have when I was 15 but could not afford, one of which does not work at all. Is there a good internet site that Google does not find (or a book?) that could help me with troubleshooting?
...
and I hope to continue for another ten years. Or 15?

First,
sorry to Mod and Geoff for stealing the space and OT....

Agree fully, but have limited influence on that, except that we have assisted with
small certified GA plane purchase and ops.
He is H (now approx. 70 h) and A (now approx. 150 h) pilot.
So, he is building now A hours up to 250, than must/can push on ATPL again
and after that, can finish H up to 100 h. Than have some chance on the both sides.

Sorry but for Sony ICF-7800 have no info or documentation at all.

Friend of mine at 67 have started operating one of his helicopters like HEMS charity,
on the same purpose. He is now over 80, still running strong and flying for pleasure.

BRG
Djani

[BobVA]

Welcome back Geoff!

ICF-2010, nice! I put a zillion miles on the dial of mine back in the 80's/90's. Fantastic radio, but I was seriously thinking of putting a bandolier inside the back cover to hold replacement MPF-102's for the front end before I figured out it was static discharge killing them :-)

Of late I've been restoring some examples of it's tiny brothers, the SW-1 and SW-100, which I would have loved to have had when I was traveling more (and when there were things to hear on SW!).

There's still a certain je ne sais quoi about an HP-29, Sony SW-100 and MZR-50 MD player parked together on a desk that can't be beat by a mobile phone. :-)

[Geoff Quickfall]

Thanks Bob!

Yes, restoring the sw1 and 100 series with the damn ribbon pinching cases. Done quite a few of those but the biggest problem is with the SONY smd electrolytic caps!

Just replaced every smd cap and electrolytic cap on a SW 77 and then found one at a garage sale, unused in it’s box with all manuals, adapters and etc.

But those caps are just waiting to leak.

The 2010 restored is a performer to say the least. But for sound quality my RF-8000 weighing in at 49 pounds is incredible.

Cheers, Geoff

[vaklaff]

(04-17-2024 04:38 PM)Geoff Quickfall Wrote:  And to get into the program a Sharp PC-1300S arrived in pretty bad shape. Went to work on it, produced a video on youtube and if you are in need of an english version of the manual, I just completed a full translation of the only exisitng Japanese manual that we know of.

Thank you so much! Now I can drop "learning Japanese" from my TODO list...

[rprosperi]

Great to see you posting again Geoff!!

Looking forward to a talk on the PC-1300S, a machine that has long held my attention, though I've never even touched one (despite working for Sharp for >10 years).

And looking forward to seeing you at HHC, an announcement should be out shortly.

And of course looking forward to The Book. Great things are worth waiting for...

[Etienne Victoria]

So happy to see you back Geoff !!!

Thanks for the news!

DA BOOK can wait :-)

Etienne

[Geoff Quickfall]

I like the stewie and brian book talk:

https://youtu.be/d-BfjHbHj60?si=2ZglnskVToLFxCt4

My wife plays it once and awhile to get me to finish it.

:-)

[HPing]

See the rare Sharp PC-1300 Pocket Computer presentation by Geoff Quickfall at HHC 2024. I enjoyed the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3hfBp1Zovs

1. There were three books from Sharp AFIK (Geoff Translated the first 2 into English PDF form):
**1300 owner's manual (black & white cover, ~64 pages)
**1300s supplementary manual (white cover, ~4 pages)
**1300 programming book (brown & white cover, ~325 pages)

> I could help with a bit of translation from Japanese as needed.

2. Few were made and the serial numbers were not continuous. I did a quick search and found about a dozen in various states of repair, principally from forums and auctions:

>>>1300s MODELS
s/n 092 -Geoff Quickfall, HHC 2024 conference YouTube
s/n 094 -auction 2024.07.21 (re-auctioned 2022.12.17)
s/n 096 -auction 2024.05.12
s/n 097(?) -auction 2024.06.04 (can't read s/n too well so a guesstimate)
s/n 99Y -auction 2024.03.17 (s/n is not a typo)
s/n 192 -auction 2024.04.12
s/n 990 - https://kakima.tripod.com/funprogs/pc1300s.html
s/n 993 - https://www.jibunde.com/pokecom/SHARP/PC...index.html
s/n 994 -auction 2024-02-21 Taiwan?
s/n 995 - https://jameltayeb.com/2016/05/21/end-of-an-era/
s/n 998 -Geoff Quickfall, HHC 2024 conference YouTube
s/n ??? -auction 2024.05.26
s/n ??? -auction 2019.12.22

>>>1300 MODELS
s/n 897 -auction 2024.09.08
s/n 898 - https://muuseo.com/MukaiLab/items/13
s/n 89x -auction 2023.07.05 (s/n is not a typo)
s/n A45 -Geoff Quickfall, HHC 2024 conference YouTube (non-s version?)
s/n ??? -auction 2016.02.20
s/n ??? -auction 2024.05.07, mistitled as 1300s on auction site
s/n ??? -auction 2024.05.18, s/n unreadable but unit looks unique for wear

3. A few "rare" photos are below (books, packaging, and case)