How Old Are You?

[DwightG]

And it isn't the age, it's the mileage.
HTRN

No, it BOTH.
Ask a friends Dad who's pushing 80 how he is and he'll say "stiff on both ends and limp in the middle".
Maybe the middle part of that comes at the end?

[Jennifer]

Alright boys. You know you shouldn't even ask.
I'm 30. Sitting in my living room is a console stereo with a tube amp. There is a sizeable collection of 78s in the office and a crank up phonograph in one bedroom. Plenty of the things in my house are far older than the inhabitants.

[Netpackrat]

Yes, but how many of you have a 12v, positive ground tube radio? Actually, there is a switch on the back that lets you choose between positive and negative ground.

[Dub_James]

Dub I can't believe you are complaining of being old. You are just a little older than a young pup, more like a teenage pup. Wait till you hit the big 60 and find your eyes go to crap along with other plumbing and joints. Then you may complain. Until then you and looks like the majority on this forum just clam up grab the mags and continue to load up

Hehe, will do, will do!

[Vonz90]

Vacuum tubes? /heh

Oh yeah, we had vacuum tubes -- and a 900 amp 1.64Vdc filament power supply for the final stage power amp on my radar. That PA was FC77 cooled, N2 filled piggyback triode/tetrode Coaxitron that put out 1MW of B-band magic. 170 lbs dry. (ask me how I know). Much more than that when it had an internal leak (FC77 = 14lbs/gal).

Not to mention:
Ferrite core memory (8k and 16 modules) in the mission computer with individual pluggable A&C modules (3/processor).
Thankfully we got upgraded from rotating drum to mag tape unit for program storage.
Nixie bulbs in the Nav Computer up front, the DVOM in back and in several radios
Fixed and trailing wire HF antennas (with a drogue that would reliability drop off at the worst time).

Vacuum Tubes? My first ship - CGN-37 (and prototype - MARF) both had Mag Amps and lot of them. They are what Vacuum Tubes replaced. I think the smallest of them weighed 50# each and you could beat on them like anvil without hurting them, which is why the Nuke Navy kept them around so long.

As for me, I turn 41 the same day I fly off for my MOB. I look a lot younger but always feel ancient when I talk to younger people.

[The Wizard]

wow, no one 18 or under? i was what 16 when i first started hanging around yall guys. use to be the youngest member

Jennifer, i assure you i meant no offence

oh by the way, i just turned 20 in Nov

[Rumpshot]

Wiz, keep up the good work and when you get back to civilization, don't forget Rumpshot's Revenge is an ANNUAL event. And you should be old enough that I can buy you that beer I promised a while back.

Rumpshot

PS Thanks for being out there on the front lines now that a bunch of us have retired from that life.

[The Wizard]

Rumpshot, ill make it to the Revenge one of these years, and i have a very good friend of mine that lives in Tucson, that i will probably bring. oh and yeah ill be old enough, hell ill be 21 just after i get back to Germany.

i cant say that i am on the "front lines" i dont kick doors in or anything like that, just run a machine gun, thats all

[Rumpshot]

i cant say that i am on the "front lines" i dont kick doors in or anything like that, just run a machine gun, thats all

That's still support that I and others are not directly providing anymore. I "floated" around in the Gulf of Tonkin for the best part of a year recovering those warriors that went to the "front line" and came back, some pretty shot up. If you have read "Flight of the Intruder" by Stephan Coonts, it pretty much reflects the situation at the time. Actually this is not the book I am thinking about, but cannot recall the name. It is similar though. Pretty much describes the situation one of our Marine pilots went through, but was a bit "sanitized" to protect the [strike]guilty.[/strike] innocent.

[The Wizard]

yeah but many of you have served your time, often in much worse conditions than i have to