<<< Handy Dandy Notebook: April 2001 >>>
April 28, 2001: Wow, have not made an entry for quite awhile and so much has happened! On April 3rd my Grandpa passed away at
the age of 75. It was the first family death I have ever had to deal with (unless you count family pets). The wake and the funeral were both beautiful.
I wish I could have gotten to know him more and it sucks that his death is the thing that makes me realize that. From all of the stories I have heard and my personal
experiences with him, I can say that he was a great guy. He will be sorely missed by all. Now, on to somewhat happier things. Earlier this week my parents finally let me
order an FM transmitter kit from an electronics website. On Thursday I went down to Madison with my Biology class to see Biogenetics and cadavers at the UW. Our first objective was
to eat lunch. After 30 minutes, we finally found a 50s throwback resteraunt with a perfect view of Camp Randall stadium. Then we went to the Biogenetics lab and ended the day by seeing
cadavers. What a weird yet educational experience. When my dad came to pick me up at the high school, he had a small box with him. It was my transmitter kit! I got home, ate, and then spent
2.5 hours straight buliding that thing. It was pretty fun. I wanted to broadcast on 103.5 fm, but the nearby transmitters were causing too much interference. I finally decided on 99.1 and then my dad and
I had a great time playing around with it. The next day, when I got home from school, I brought all of my broadcasting equipment (AIWA shelf system, transmitter, and a mic) into my old room upstairs so I could
get a stronger signal. When I fired it up, I realized that the transmitter had tuned down to 98.9, but that seemed like a better frequency. My sister went over to the neighbors' house to see if she could receive the signal,
but she could not. My case with the metal whip antenna had just come in the mail that day, so I installed the antenna. It made a considerable difference. I ran over to the neighbors'
house and fired up their old Technics receiver. I was able to pick up my station (99HTN) with just a bit of fuzz. It was coooool. I had the official sign on that night (last night) at 7:00 with Rush's "The Spirit of Radio."
My sister and I did a little show for an hour consisting of me explaining the station, music, and a call in from my dad asking my opinion on truck caps. I have bigger plans for this mini station. First I want to get a power supply
because using a 9-volt battery is the only way of broadcasting without background noise (120V adapter makes a lot). Then I want to get a fader or a switch. That way I can hook up 2 cd players and mix away!
More on this project coming soon!
