$25k in communications, in a $500 car

A few weeks ago Jalopnik posted images of a ham who had a Dodge Colt for sale...

The car itself was priced at $500, but the electronics inside are valued at $25,000!!! Just one look inside and it's impossible for me to imagine the ability to actually drive this thing, much less operate while mobile, with all the radios, scanners, GPS's, mics, and even a Game Boy.

I'm sure plenty of questions come into mind when looking at this, the first being "Why?!?!?!". Well, why do we string 5 dipoles over our homes, along with 3 omnidirectionals and a beam or 2? Why do we climb mountains with 20 lbs of radios to operate from the peak of some rock no one has heard of? Why do we build morse code transmitters inside of tuna cans? Why build J-poles when we could buy them?

Along the same lines, why do some people collect Barbie Dolls, collectible plates, baseball cards, etc. Why, why why?

I don't know if anyone would actually buy this beast, but then again, one man's junk is another's treasure. I'm sure the hydraulics on the rear push the value of the Colt to $1000.

By the way, it looks like the folks at HamSexy had a heads-up on this last April.

Being 6'3", I don't think I'd fit in the car with it empty, so I'm going to have to pass.

Still, I wonder if the stereo works. If so, does it have the original 8-track?

New Year's resolutions

As New Year's approaches, I've often shied away from any New Year's resolutions since 7th grade. In fact, the last resolution I made was in 7th grade to not make any more of these things. And up to this point, it's been a resolution well-kept.

However, with Lauren now licensed (and newly granted vanity assigned) and my other daughter Amber more interested since her big sister got her ticket, I've decided to make a few resolutions, and then check them to see if I kept them at the end of 2010 (by the way, is it pronounced "Twenty-Ten" or "Two-Thousand Ten"?).

1. I resolve to get Lauren an HT*.
2. I resolve that Amber will at least study to get her license, with Jes, Lauren and I helping. Hopefully it's before the Question Pool change on July 1.
3. I resolve to re-install a mobile in the minivan.
4. I resolve to talk with Lauren on the radio at least once/week on the way home from work*.
5. I resolve that I'll get Lauren and Jes on 10 meters (if the band will ever open up!)*.
6. I resolve to get a dipole antenna and string it up and get back on 40/80 meters.
7. I resolve to contact at least 20 countries on HF.

Now, let's see if these are attainable this year...

Oh, and I'll lose 30 pounds....

* It seems Lauren decided to see if she could fly and jumped out a window at a friends house on New Year's Eve. She's fine, but grounded for a month. So some of these will not take effect until February...