‰ NOW 40 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM DECEMBER 2006 QST PAGES 56 AND 92 ‰ FREQUENCIES BUT NOT THE OPEN BANDS. THIS IS A VIEW IS ONE MIGHT CHOOSE WHEN TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HF PROPAGATION, BUT NOT WHEN USING PROPVIEW FOR ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE TO IDENTIFY THE BEST BANDS AND TIMES TO WORK A SOUGHT AFTER DX STATION. THE REV ‰ FROM PAGE 92 ‰ 210 2 1 940 KS KM1Z 210 2 1 938 VT KE6CC 100 5 4 935 ORG AD6GI 75 5 1 900 ARE TERMINATED IN A VERY TINY PLUG. I CHECKED VARIOUS BATTERY SUPPLIERS ON THE INTERNET, AND THE CHEAPEST PRICE WAS IN THE 15 RANGE WITH ANYWHERE FROM 5 TO 7 SHIPPING AND HANDLING. SINCE THIS WAS ABOUT HALF THE PRICE I PAID FOR THE VERSA, I WAS RESIGNED TO RESETTING THE CLOCK AND EVERYTHING ELSE ON START UP. WHILE I WAS CHECKING OUT THE HINTS AND KINKS COLUMN IN THE JULY 2006 ISSUE OF QST, THE PICTURE IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF PAGE 57 CAUGHT MY EYE. THE BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF HOLDING SOME TABS AGAINST A BUTTON CELL MADE ME STOP AND READ THE ACCOMPANYING ARTICLE. THE IDEA OF SHRINK WRAPPING THE CONNECTORS APPEALED TO ME AND I CHECKED MY JUNK BOX FOR SHRINK TUBING. I PICKED UP A CR 2430 FROM MY LOCAL BATTERY STORE FOR 3R90 PLUS TAX AND GAVE IT A WHIRL. THE BATTERY LOCATION, ACCORDING TO THE FREELAB WEB SITE WAS UNDER THE RIGHT HAND PORTION OF THE LAPTOP. WHAT WAS MISSING IN THE INFORMATION WAS THE FACT YOU HAVE TO DISASSEMBLE ALMOST THE ENTIRE LAPTOP TO GET TO THE BATTERY. ITS AMAZING HOW THESE THINGS ARE SHOEHORNED ‰ FROM PAGE 92 ‰ 1,376 MDC W9ODS 383 2 2 1,362 OK K6QK 599 2 1 1,348 SDG N4JDB 245 5 1 1,325 AL W5TVW 109 5 1 1,290 LA K0RFD 357 2 1 1,282 CO K0HPS 100 5 1 1,250 EB I HOPE YOU FIND THIS PROJECT HELPFUL. I KNOW I ENJOYED MAKING IT AND PRESENTING IT TO YOU. HAL SCHLOTFELD JR, AC0AX, 432 DUKE ST, OCTAVIA, NE 68632 AC0AX ARRL. NET FOR LONGER LENGTHS OF LADDER LINE, YOU MIGHT TRY CUTTING A SLOT INTO THE ENDS OF THE SPREADERS, AND THEN GLUING THE WIRES INTO THOSE SLOTS, RATHER THAN THREADING THE WIRE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SPREADERS. THERE ARE OTHER INSULATING MATERIALS THAT WOULD MAKE SUITABLE SPREADERS, SUCH AS PLEXIGLAS AND EVEN WOOD, SUCH AS DOWELS. IF YOU USE WOOD, BE SURE TO WEATHERPROOF THE WOOD. AN OLD TIMERS TRICK IS TO BOIL THE SPREADERS IN PARAFFIN. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE HOT PARAFFIN, THOUGH. ED. MORE ON SMALL LITHIUM CELL REPLACEMENT AT DAYTON THIS YEAR, I BOUGHT A NEC VERSA 4050C LAPTOP COMPUTER. THE CMOS BATTERY WAS DEAD IN IT AND SO EVERY TIME I TURNED IT ON I HAD TO RESET THE MEMORY FOR THE CLOCK AND OTHER PARAMETERS. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR SOME INFORMATION ON THE BATTERY TYPE AND CAME ACROSS WWW. FREELABS. COM. THE WEB SITE IS MAINLY ABOUT LINUX USAGE, BUT HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THE 4050C. IT SEEMS THE CMOS BATTERY IS A CR 2430 AND HAS SOLDERED LEADS COMING OFF THE BATTERY, WHICH ‰ FROM PAGE 92 ‰ W5PDX 743 2 5 1,636 MS KE3D 565 2 1 1,630 STX W6PRI 140 5 1 1,600 SCV KD2MX 152 5 1 1,570 NNJ N4UFP 437 2 2 1,564 SC W5ORM 153 5 1 1,530 NTX K0GEO 316 2 1 1,512 STX K3LHD 620 2 2 1,426 EPA W4LIA 539 2 1 1,390 AL K3OQ 448 2 6 ‰ END OF 40 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ