I'm a married, 60 year-old husband & dad and grandad! I'm an amateur radio enthusiast and hold an Amateur Extra class (or "ham") radio operators license. I hold licenses in Massachusetts as a Journeyman Electrician and Oil Burner Technician. I work for Verizon Communications (wireline) in the Corporate Real Estate division as a Buildings' Equipment Mechanic. I'm a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Boston. In addition to ham radio, I enjoy spending weekends in at our weekend / vacation home in the Lakes Region of NH where I can often be found sitting on the deck with a cold adult beverage, riding an ATV, target shooting and geocaching, to name just a few. I also enjoy tinkering with PCs and anything technical really. Music contributes a large part to indoor and outdoor fun, so usually classic rock is playing in the background. I also enjoy digital photography a great deal. I have Nikon D70, D80, D7000 & D800E cameras and a modest selection of lenses and accessories. I hope to eventually earn some money with this equipment - but for now - it's just fun.

On to business.. I write a lot about electrical & HVAC topics with which I have personal experience. I try to be clear and concise, but am not always successful. I also try to write from a non-professional's point of view but admittedly, I can come up a little short sometimes. My skills working with wire, connectors and schematics are far superior to those that involve working with paper and pen (or as in this case keyboard & monitor - but you get the idea). If you have questions about topics on which I have contributed, please contact me. I will try to help out any way I can. It would help a great deal if you have a registered account on WikiHow so that I might be able contact you directly with an answer. I also maintain that wiring is not a hobby. It is imperative that you understand what you're doing and are constantly aware of the hazards while performing this work. Since as little as 50 volts (under the right conditions) can be lethal, many of the steps in topics I have written about, can be very dangerous to perform. Extreme caution must be observed at all times. If you have any reservations about attempting a procedure - this is your body's way of telling you to STOP. Listen to it. Conversely, if you are fearless about doing this work - then maybe you haven't considered just how easily and quickly you might be hurt or killed. Please stop. Lastly, but certainly not least; obtain electrical permits for work you are performing. Have your work inspected by your locality's electrical inspector or other "authority having jurisdiction". (S)he's there for your protection.

Now, the fun stuff.. OK - after looking at this I get an image of a person that isn't much like me at all.. I'm not this serious! Well, I am about electricity, but I'm a fun-loving "jeans 'n T-shirt" guy. I don't like to get dirty - unless I'm laughing at he same time... and I do like to laugh. I don't like hot weather - I'm much happier in autumn and winter (you can't beat a New England autumn). After the -first- day of summer, I like to say "We're in the homestretch - the days start getting shorter - and soon, all of this (as I gesture to the horizon) will be blanketed in white" My wife really hates when I do that! She gets over it though - usually in Spring.

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Articles I've Written

1. Change an Electric Fuse
2. Install Satellite Coax Cable in a Home
3. Rotate a Mattress
4. Install an Inwall Air Conditioner
5. Become an Amateur Radio Operator (or Ham Operator) in the USA
6. Repair a Broken Key While It's in the Lock
7. Install Outdoor Electric Wiring
8. Run TV Cables in Wall Spaces from the Attic or Basement Space
9. Change the Needle on a Record Player
10. Install a Swag Hook
11. Install a Switch to Control the Top Half of an Outlet
12. Repair an Electric Water Heater
13. Repair a Door Chime
14. Install Baseboard Heating (Electric)
15. Remove a Ceiling (Paddle) Fan for Reuse
16. Find a Wood Stud in a Wall to Hang Pictures On
17. Recaulk Kitchen Counter Where It Meets the Backsplash
18. Install a Light Fixture
19. Strip Coax Cable
20. Make a 12v Nimh Battery Charger from an Atx Power Supply
21. Remove Windshield Wipers
22. Operate Multiple Computers With One Keyboard and Monitor
23. Determine Which Disadvantages of WiFi Will Have the Greatest Impact
24. Drive in a Rotary
25. Prevent Fuel Oil for an Oil Furnace from Freezing
26. Sell Your Used Items to Raise Money (For Teens)
27. Install a Stove With 220 Line
28. Remove a "Knock Out" from an Electrical Box
29. Change a Lock Cylinder
30. Unionize Your Workplace
31. Add Fractions With Like Denominators
32. Become a 911 Operator/Dispatcher
33. Get Rid of a Window That Won't Close in Windows XP
34. Avoid Traffic Jams
35. Stop Squinting
36. Start a Sputtering Snowblower Engine
37. Detect Water Damage in a Used Car Before Buying
38. Locate Liquid Mercury in the Home
39. Format a Hard Disk
40. Fix a Hole in a Car Audio Speaker
41. Build a Radio Transmitter That Can Transmit Sound
42. Receive Satellite Signals (and Other Sources) on a PC
43. Copy Contents of One Hard Drive to a New Hard Drive
44. Remove a Vented Hood Fan
45. Free a Frozen Parking Brake
46. Wake Up With an Alarm Clock
47. Clean Refrigerator Coils
48. Become a Journeyman Electrician (US)
49. Install a Circuit Breaker
50. Repair a Mercury Thermometer
51. Determine when to Use Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (Af Circuit Breakers)
52. Speed Up a Slow Windows Computer for Free
53. Have a Comfortable Experience when Getting Wisdom Teeth Removed
54. Start a Siphon (Fish Tank)
55. Tell if You're Watching TV in HD
56. Maintain an Air Conditioner
57. Choose a Scanner Radio
58. Save Battery Power on a Blackberry
59. Use a Camera at a Beach
60. Make a Long Spinning Ornament Attachment
61. Make an FM Antenna
62. Check an Electric Motor
63. Connect Electrical Wire
64. Pull an Electric Meter
65. Repair an Electric Cord
66. Fix a Nick in Electrical Wire
67. Do Electrical Testing
68. Install a Commercial Sound System
69. Replace the Combustion Chamber of an Oil Furnace