Shawn, who will be staying with my rescue dog Gretchen
during my vacation, entered the house, passed a Panasonic RF-3000 in the living
room and then passed two more radios on the piano, a Boston Acoustics Horizon
Solo and Panasonic RF-1130, before he went into the kitchen. There he saw the
kitchen’s three radios, a Sangean PR-D5 on the microwave, a Boston Acoutics
Horizon Duo on the three-tiered fruit shelf, and a C.Crane CSW on the silver
filing cabinet.
Shawn looked around the kitchen and said, “Jesus, you’ve got
a lot of radios in this house. Dude, your kitchen alone has three radios.”
“Well,” I said, “I’m not simply a casual listener. I’m what
you might call a radio hobbyist.”
“But, dude, you can only listen to one radio at a time.
You’ve got three radios in here.”
“As I said, I’m not a casual listener. I enjoy comparing
them or using which one my whims dictate or relying on one that performs better
than the others due to inclement weather conditions, time of day or night,
choice between talk and music, and so on.”
“I assume all your radios are good. So you still only need
one.”
“All my radios perform consistently, more or less. But I’m
not a casual listener. I’m not simply listening to radio content. I’m
constantly scrutinizing each radio’s performance under different conditions.”
“But it’s not like you’re an engineer. It’s not like
someone’s paying you to keep tabs on all these frickin’ radios.”
“I do it as a hobby. It’s a passion of mine.”
“Comparing radios? I don’t get it.”
“I don’t either. That’s the compulsion aspect of it.”
“A compulsion to listen to more radios than you could
possibly need. Dude.”
“Correction. A compulsion to listen to more radios than I
could possibly ever need and be on the constant prowl for a radio that
outperforms all the ones I have. And then having found that radio, going back
on the prowl and looking for another
radio that might surpass that one and so on and so on. If you find a cure for
this compulsion, please let me know, but I don’t think you will.”
“Dude.”
Hope you trust Shawn-dude so you don't get robbed blind...
Posted by: dorpmuller | December 26, 2008 at 06:37 PM
If you have to explain it to them, they'll never understand...
Posted by: ed | December 26, 2008 at 06:39 PM
I've known Shawn for 10 years. He's as solid as a rock and at 300 plus pounds of stout muscle he he makes a damn good bouncer. Plus he likes my dog.
Posted by: herculodge | December 26, 2008 at 06:39 PM
The thing with Shawn is I wasn't bit by the radio bug until 2004, about five years after I met him.
Posted by: herculodge | December 26, 2008 at 06:40 PM
When I was about 12 I asked for a -used- Hallicrafters S-120 for Christmas.
The following year I asked for a Grundig portable. I got the, 'how are you going to use two' question, but still got the radio.
Posted by: Wals | December 26, 2008 at 07:34 PM
Some people just don't understand.
Posted by: herculodge | December 26, 2008 at 07:49 PM
Ask Shawn if he knows anyone who has more than one dog. Chances are, he knows people who have at
least three dogs, maybe more. Ask him if they "need" all of those dogs, or if having one is enough. That, he'll understand. What he hasn't gotten to yet, is where I already am---cars and radios are living things, or at least they're "alive" and once someone gets that knowledge, the ballgame changes.
Posted by: Angelo | December 27, 2008 at 04:33 AM
...and it's comforting to know that I not the only one with this affliction.
There certainly are worse additions!
Posted by: Keith | December 27, 2008 at 08:51 AM
I wish I could type. Lets try that again...
...and it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one with this affliction.
There certainly are worse addictions!
Posted by: Keith | December 27, 2008 at 10:44 AM
hi there,all these things that you said are true i am one of them,i just love radios,if you can help me i will be grateful to you,i own sonys icf 2010/icf77 both suffer from input jack of the external antenna connectors due to time/use ,sony do not make parts any longer and i want to know where i can buy the connectors,thanks
Posted by: georgioskoroneos | December 27, 2008 at 03:10 PM
in my room i used the yaesu musen frg 7 just with the sony an1 antennaand in my bed my beloved old friend pan rf 2200,good radio with excellent sound with batteries and the whipe thanks e bay ,but i miss my sonys now with less sensitivity,i do have my eyes on a sony icfsw 55 , ihear that out perform the icf 2010
Posted by: georgioskoroneos | December 27, 2008 at 03:28 PM