Another test if sideways I need to redo
Test photo on website
History of Wi-Fi
FREDN takes an early retirement from Cisco Systems
I’ve had a good run as a Cisco Technical Marketing Engineer for the last 25 years or so..
I look forward to putting things “on pause” for a while as I would like to do some traveling and pursue some personal activities (when you work at Cisco) it is never easy to create a work-life balance so I’m planning on tilting the scale towards my own personal life balance for a while – I’m not looking for full time work at this time, during this “self-imposed work pause” I plan on catching up on some personal projects (things that have been on the back burner for a long time) and then perhaps pursue some “hobby” type revenue generating activities centering around electronics (could be Wi-Fi, IoT, Radio etc.) or just helping someone accomplish something they might not have done on their own – additionally, I might lend my expertise to startups or eventually create something unique on my own.
If you are in need of help with a small electronic or electrical project feel free to reach out to me using the contact link on this web site… Eventually, I’ll put some time into this website and revise it and improve my web skills.
For those who do not know me, I worked for Tecmar inc. in the 80’s where we made the very first aftermarket products for the IBM personal computer, and then helped Telxon/Aironet and Cisco launch some of the very first pre-Wi-Fi products to launching the latest Wi-Fi 6 products. If you are interested in these things, you can watch some of the many YouTube videos I’ve done in the past – simply just go to YouTube and type Wi-Fi and Fred Niehaus. If you are local (Cleveland/Akron) area and you are a radio amateur you can reach me on my repeater 442.55 MHz 131.8 Hz
If you are looking for Wi-Fi expertise – or someone to present or teach on a technical topic of Wi-Fi or electronics – I’m a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Speaker, I hold three Cisco Pioneer awards (Cisco’s highest award for innovation) and I’ve authored a few books on Wi-Fi – I also wrote most of the deployment guides for Cisco’s Access Points. This site “fredn” is simply a place I can blog or post things – People were surprised to hear I took the early retirement but my Mother has some health issues and it seemed like a good idea to start 2021 with a break from the typical 9-14 hour day to day Cisco life.
I even made up a little fun business card below for my new “micro” activities
All the best
Fred Niehaus N8CPI
The case is done
Well the case is done…
Now I just got to put the electronics in it… J
Stripped the tubes out – ordered some “normally open” reed switches –
I put a high power magnet behind the pointer so the tuner will be able to bring in things..
Be it MP3 player, weather radio, scanner (don’t know yet)….
1954 Motorola 53H 5 Tube AM radio
Started out life as a $5 flea market find….
Left the knobs original red… Becky/Ken used Brasso on the center emblem… came out great J
Lots of room for Amazon Echo and other junk… Left the variable cap in because it controls the dial pointer J
Probably won’t finish it till next year…
Old 1954 Motorola 53H
I rescued an old 1954 Motorola radio… I am taking it apart and restoring it…
Figure 1 – Grill painted…
Figure 2 – Paint was really rough (scratches revealed black Bakelite)
Figure 3 – Factory Black
Mine was Factory Red
Figure 4 – The red one..
So here are the questions:
Q1: Would you paint black or red?
Q2: Would you keep it all original?
I could replace the filter cap and likely get it running… (but then it’s just an AM radio)?
(and who the hell wants something taking up space that is just a crappy tube AM radio)?
I know “but it’s original”…. I get that…
OR…
Would you build an Amazon Echo into it, maybe a weather radio or Bluetooth speaker and make the damn thing usable?
Inquiring minds what to know…
TV show – Sanford & Son
So while I’m on the TV show themes…
Here in Ohio – not too far away from where I live is the actual Sanford and Son truck (who would have known)?
A company called http://www.bluelineclassics.com/ purchased and restored it
I believe it is called BlueLine because the owner is a retired or ex-Cleveland Cop
So their website says…
BlueLine’s showroom in North Royalton, Ohio
BlueLine Classics pays cash for classic rides. We have an eager list of buyers and make our cars available to enthusiasts around the world.
Sounds like a cool company if you have a need to sell or acquire an “old beauty” – ok so much for the plug.
Here’s my brother sitting in the truck and his son
Radio actors and the Andy Griffith Show.
After the RADIO VERSION of Gunsmoke…
During Gunsmoke‘s nine years on the radio, CBS presented 480 performances of 413 scripts. Many of these radio plays were adapted to television.
When the series went off the air in 1961, the four actors who played the continuing characters moved on to other things.
<fredn> William Conrad wasn’t allowed to be Marshal Dillon on TV because he was considered too fat – James Arness was part of John Wayne’s production company so he had them use Arness.
Let’s take at the other two characters (on each side of William Conrad)… The one of the left looks familiar (but what about the one on the right)?
On the Andy Griffith show the two people next to Barney were…
Parley Baer – (The Mayberry Mayor) and Howard McNear (Floyd the Barber) – These were among the first “radio actors” to transition to TV
What was comical is that floyd the noisey barber was actually a fairly sadistic Doc Adams on the radio version of Gunsmoke – Kind of fun to listen to at this URL
http://www.radioechoes.com/gunsmoke
He was also part of a 1937 radio show drama
http://www.radioechoes.com/speed-gibson-of-the-international-secret-police
IMHO that was a hell of a run considering he was born in 1905 & died 1969… the guy on the left (above) was actor and Howard’s old friend Parley Baer who delivered his eulogy. Parley Baer died in 2002 at 88 of a stroke.
I always thought this T-shirt was funny..
So what happened to the women who played Miss Kitty?.. I believe prior to the radio show, she was in the movie “Dragnet”…
I don’t think she acted much after that…?
Claire Lynch 2014 IBMA Song of the Year
She wrote this song with her friend after finding some old civil war letters in an attic.
I really like this song – I saw her do this song in a very small venue in Peninsula Ohio.
Of course she also does a really nice Wabash Cannonball with Jim Hurst
Me and Bill Monroe
Well I found another one of those “button” pictures… This is a lot more “grainy” somewhere I’ve got the original 8×10’s if I come across them I’ll edit this one and fix it – Here’s me as a kid (on the right) with the Bill Monroe the man who invented Bluegrass Music. Gosh he was old when I was a child and I’m over 50 now — Bill Monroe died in 1996
This was taken at Hillbrook Recreation Center (Ohio National Bluegrass Festival) that my Dad started with Henry Verhoff (the guy that owned the campground). Bill made several appearances in Ottawa along with Don Reno & Red Smiley – Don Reno’s banjo book has a pictures of him at Ottawa and my dad took me one year to a festival that Bill Monroe put on every year in Brown County Indiana called “Beanblossom”.
One of the things I remember well as a child was Bill Monroe coming to our camper, where my dad and his friend Junior Stennet always had a band playing and Bill would often play with them or stand around the fire and listen. I remember one of my Dad’s friends David Eisenburger thanking Bill for starting this wonderful music. Dave was from Cleveland where we had moved and I think he was amazed that we knew all these people? When I got my first guitar Bill signed the inside of my guitar case along with Jim and Jesse and I remember when I turned 16 or so, I loaned that guitar to a cousin who was visiting us in Ohio and I never got it back from her –
At the time I had upgraded from that no-name “first guitar” to a Fender accoustic that my Dad bought me so when she wanted to “borrow it” I had no problem doing that after all she was family and I had two…. Anyway — I really wish I had that guitar back mainly just to have case with all the signatures – I asked her about it once YEARS later and she said it’s gone….
Oh well… I’d learn later in life as I got older and started dating that — anything you give a women — you might just as well figure it’s a gift and if you ever happen to get the item(s) back… well it’s a BONUS… — Maybe that’s why I never got married, I probably didn’t give enough stuff away to the girls I was dating to make it worth marrying them just to get my stuff back LMAO… BTW Renee Cauley wherever you are? Where are all my signed albums you borrowed and ran away with?
Bill is best known for Uncle Pen – Here he is in his prime with Peter Rowan on guitar.
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I also love Christmas Time’s A’Coming – Tex Logan was a fiddler and engineer at Bell Labs I was surprised Ralph knew that…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXfBYXElPII