Get Heathkit Manuals

For a long time, you could get old Heathkit manuals online for free at a variety of Web sites, but in October, Data Professionals purchased the intellectual property of the Heathkit legacy products. As a result, Technology Systems Laboratory removed the free manuals from their Web site. Now you can now purchase the printed Heathkit manuals from the Data Professionals Web site.

Get Smart

I am a big film fan, so much so that I am on a first name basis with Blockbuster. So, in past installments of Surfin' (here, here and here), I wrote about Amateur Radio's appearance in motion pictures.

During the holidays, Blockbuster sent Get Smart to my door via USPS. My expectations were low (I had read the reviews), but I like the film's stars, Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway, so I gave it a chance.

It had a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, but it is not a great film and I probably will not watch it again; however, it does have a ham radio moment.

In the chase scene near the end of the film, communications occurs using a two-way radio in one of the automobiles. I recognized it immediately as a Yaesu FT-1802, the same model of radio that serves as my APRS home digipeater/weather station transmitter.

I paused the DVD, replayed the scene in slow motion and saw that the displayed frequency of the radio in the film was 143.910 MHz.

Until next time, keep on surfin'!

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, enjoys finding ham radios in odd places. To communicate with Stan, send him e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin' is indexed here, so go look it up.

Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor