Herculodge

Val's Review of the Sony ICF-M780SL

The Sony  ICF-M780SL has nothing special for those who are looking for DX receiver. It is very simple digital receiver without SSB,  without small 1kHz steps on SW, AM, without tone controls or filters.

The ICF-M780SL work from 220 Volts or 3C battery. My assumption is that this receiver has a DSP chip and works very similarly to DSP receivers from different brands.

The SW band has 5 kHz steps; the MW has 9 or 10 kHz tuning steps.

On all bands the receiver is very selective and a sensitive performer  (in  range of 5 kHz SW band, 10 kHz AM Band).

Speaker produces some bass, almost like in  a car, enjoyable for listening for many  hours. Each band has 5 memory pre-sets, sleep set timer and orange light on display for 5 sec or so .

Head phones are mono. There is no overload signals like Chinese DSP such as Tecsun, Grundig, to name two examples.

From Amazon.ge Sony cost me with everything $106 CA and came in one week to my home. In a few words,  I like this receiver. Sony  ICF-M780SL  is very good  receiver on all bands with excellent sound.

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Nice competition (and in gunmetal) for the Hamilton Pilot Khaki series:

 

The Watch Obsessive's Moral Dilemma

When a non-watch obsessive sees your watch and you can see he is getting bit by the bug, are you happy or do you feel guilty for drawing him into a black hole? As Jonny writes:

Do we warn them away so as to hopefully save them from the obsession? Or do we gently encourage them so that we feel more justified in our own addiction?

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A Eulogy for RadioShack

Thanks, Paul:

A eulogy for RadioShack
http://www.sbnation.com/2014/11/26/7281129/radioshack-eulogy-stories

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Comparing the Seiko Sumo and the Seiko Kinetic Diver 019

I should first say that my fourth Sumo, yes fourth, has finally made me find religion. There is no way I'm selling this Sumo. It is a beautiful and manly watch and its price point is very good for a watch of this quality. I should add that the Sumo, the Kinetic Diver, and my Orient Saturation Diver point to my ultimate watch aesthetic. Throw my Seiko Tuna in the mix, and I feel that I have a very complete collection. 

A very important note: This fourth Sumo, unlike the others, felt gritty during the winding of the crown. When I mentioned this to Gary, he sent me a link that suggested I try waxed dental floss and I used my unwaxed floss (no waxed in the house) and it seems to have gotten rid of most of the gritty feeling. 

I find that comparing the Sumo and the Kinetic Diver makes me appreciate both all the more. They have similar cues but the Sumo is more traditional and elegant while the Kinetic Diver has more boldness, girth, and unique styling. Not surprisingly, the 44mm Sumo sits on the wrist in a way that gives me more comfort than the 48mm Kinetic Diver. 

Both have amazing lume, the best in the business. I feel fortunate to have both and their appeal makes me want less, not more, watches. 

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"Looks Like the Big Players Are Protecting Their Turf"

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Addressing my post about climbing the watch luxury ladder, Ed writes:

This is all textbook consumer behavior. Read any book on sociology or the psychology of consumers, and will recognize all the behaviors: buyer's remorse, the never satistified questor, the short-lived satisfaction after the object of affection is acquired, etc, the unquenchable thirst for more or better...
Happy Thanksgiving! Learn to want what you have.

"Hindsight Is a Wonderful and Terrible Thing"

Addressing my regret over wasting 20K on mediocre watches when I could have used that money to buy a few great ones, Ulysses writes:

Hindsight is a wonderful and terrible thing. The journey is a learning process and it is made all the more difficult by the fact that tastes can change, making the target a moving one. You might regret spending all that money before realising what watch you really wanted, but it's an unavoidable process. Besides, money can be earned back. What I really regret sometimes taking for granted, is time itself.

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As you climb the watch quality ladder, seeking finer and finer timepieces, you will reach a point, unless you have unlimited wealth, in which you realize you own nothing of value. In fact, you will see that your entire collection is a compromise based on budgetary contstraints. 

I am one such collector. I own nothing I truly want. I've squandered close to 20K on watches over the last 8 years. Give me that money now and I'd have two timepieces, the 46mm Seiko Marine Master SBDB001, which is about $3,600 or so, and the 50mm Seiko Marine Master SBDB009, which is about $3,000. Include a beater, like a used $700 Seiko Tuna, and I'll take back that 20 grand I squandered, buy what I really want, and have a good 13K left over. 

The watch gods look down at me mired my torment and enjoy a good belly laugh. 

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