plus 4, Reviews Summary for SteppIr BigIr Vertical - eHam.net

Reviews Summary for SteppIr BigIr Vertical - eHam.net
Google Targets Spammers With New Local Business Listing Guidelines - Searchengineland.com
You Got A Heckuva Deal There, But What’s The Resale Value? - Wall Street Journal
The best Best of France and Italy Car Show ever - Autoweek.com
Changes on the horizon for vehicle inspections - Mercury

Reviews Summary for SteppIr BigIr Vertical - eHam.net

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 01:45 PM PST

Okay, I know the wait for a SteppIR seems like forever and, after having lived through the wait, there should be no excuse for waiting two additional months to put my antenna up. But that's exactly what I did- largely due to my personal debate about whether I wanted to mount it on the roof or on the existing ground mount.

Considering that this antenna replaced my 5-BTV and that I was looking for the "easy way to ham-nirvana," I opted for the ground mount. This was replacing an existing antenna, so I had most of the work already completed. The evening before mounting the antenna, it took me a little over an hour to assemble the antenna; however, I stopped short of the five minute task of securing the telescoping (top) half to the main shaft.

The following day, I removed my 5-BTV and secured the included hardware to the existing antenna mount and radials. I then ran the control cable from my shack to the antenna and set to work of connecting the two halves of the antenna and was ready to mount it. Considering that I am in pretty good shape, I was able to mount the antenna by myself without much trouble. However, because the antenna is very flexible and "oscillates," I definitely would not recommend doing this by yourself in the event that you aren't in good condition or were mounting this on your roof or tower. I then guyed the antenna by tying the guys to my fence with DX Engineering guy rope. In all, I spent about two hours in total, removing my 5-BTV and completing the install.

I returned to my shack and fired her up. The first thing I noticed is that the bands seemed to "come alive" and I could hear things that didn't before. Signals seemed to be jumping all across the band scope. Adjusting the antenna for all bands took about another 45 minutes (learning curve) and I was ready to go…

One of the reasons I purchased the BiggIR was because the 5-BTV had no 6 meter capability, nor could it work the WARC bands. So being the curious type, I headed to 50 Mhz to see if this thing was capable of working VHF. I live just outside Washington, D.C., and, using the ¾ wavelength mode, I scored my first 6 meter contact (ever)in Nova Scotia, Canada. My second was Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Not too bad. However, I bought this antenna to work HF…

In no time, I had worked Ireland, Spain, and England on 20 meters followed by the Virgin Islands and Colombia on 15 meters. All I can say is, "Wow." Unfortunately, an early evening thunderstorm rolled through, so I had to cut my "play time" a little short. I retracted my element and didn't give the lightning a second thought. Nice.

I realize I have only played with my new toy for a couple of hours, but it certainly has proven itself to be a great performer. I am very impressed with the quality of the antenna's materials and its rugged construction. However, I concur that the assembly instructions take a little thought to work through and the controller instructions downright suck (I really don't need to know how to adjust elements that I don't have...)

However, after my short experience, I honestly do believe that this is the BEST vertical antenna ever made by man and have no hesitation recommending that you buy one right now. I'll let you know if our honeymoon comes to an end...

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Google Targets Spammers With New Local Business Listing Guidelines - Searchengineland.com

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 12:12 PM PST

Google has tweaked its guidelines for local businesses that use the Google Maps Local Business Center. The new guidelines are listed on Google's Business Listing Quality Guidelines page. On Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz shows both the old and new guidelines, while on his blog, Mike Blumenthal charts the differences between the two versions.

According to Mike's tracking, there are five new guidelines:

The business name on Google Maps must be your full legal business name.
PO Boxes do not count as physical locations.
A property for rent is not considered a place of business. Please create one listing for the central office that processes the rentals.
Use a shared, business email account, if multiple users will be updating your business listing.
If possible, use an email account with a domain that matches your business URL. For example, if your business website is www.giraffetoys.com, a matching email address would be you@giraffetoys.com.

The first new guideline targets the spamming of keywords in a business name. But it's problematic in that many local businesses consist of partnerships with legal business names that don't match the actual business name. As is suggested in the comments on Mike's post, Google Maps should allow the use DBA names, not only legal business entity names. And if they do allow DBA names, the guidelines should explicitly say as much.

Either way, Google's heavy reliance on keywords in the business name as a ranking factor means that companies will continue to benefit from generic names like "Spokane Auto Repair" and "Tucson Dry Cleaning," and continue to try to game the system with keywords and category names in their business listings.

The second new guideline targets businesses that either a) don't have a physical location, but use a PO box address to get a local business listing, or b) have a physical location, but try to get additional listings in nearby towns by using PO box addresses.

The third new guideline appears to specifically target real estate and property management businesses that list properties as unique business locations in the Local Business Center.

The last two new guidelines are listed as "Best Practices" and don't really address the long-running spam and gaming problems that have plagued Google Maps and the Local Business Center. Despite the new guidelines, it's safe to assume that the spam and gaming will continue … and Google will continue to update its business listing guidelines accordingly.

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You Got A Heckuva Deal There, But What’s The Resale Value? - Wall Street Journal

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 12:19 PM PST

By Josh Beckerman

Ford Motor Co.'s third quarter announcement of a $997 million profit coincides with a flurry of recent private equity activity in the automotive sector.

Buyout firms, active auto-parts investors in recent years, took a beating as vehicle sales declined, but many have stayed in the game, hoping for a rebound and finding good valuations. On Monday, Huron Capital Partners announced a $30 million equity commitment to Canadian aftermarket parts company Maple Leaf Automotive Inc. In October, Madison Capital bought automotive filtration company Filtran from SPX Corp., and KPS Capital Partners platform HHI Holdings LLC picked up Formtech Industries LLC out of bankruptcy. Carlyle agreed to buy Broadleaf Co., which provides software for auto-repair companies in Japan. And Gentek Inc., acquired for $673 million by American Securities LLC, is partially in the auto sector.

Even more impressive was a big exit in the sector announced this week – one that didn't involve bankruptcy, or an ad on Craigslist saying "AUTO PARTS COMPANY 4SALE! MAKE AN OFFER! U PAY TERM LOAN!"

One Equity Partners agreed to sell exhaust systems company EMCON Technologies LLC to Faurecia SA of France in a stock swap. The deal is worth about $406.2 million, according to Dealogic, which is by far the biggest U.S. exit in Dealogic's auto/truck category for 2009. In second place was American Capital Ltd.'s sale of trucking-focused distributor Imperial Supplies Holding Inc., for proceeds of $66 million.

One Equity Partners formed Troy, Mich.-based EMCON in 2007 via the purchase of ArvinMeritor Inc.'s Emissions Technologies unit for about $310 million. While the firm didn't disclose returns, the deal is a contrast to the Chapter 11 filings and the occasional liquidation that have greeted PE-backed parts companies since 2008.

Emcor had 2008 sales of EUR2.4 billion, and employs 6,000 people in 19 countries. Faurecia, which had 2008 sales of EUR12 billion, said the deal won't significantly increase its debt. Faurecia expects the acquisition will help its efforts to produce vehicles that use less fuel. After the transaction closes, One Equity Partners will hold a 19% stake in Faurecia – whose majority owner is PSA Peugeot Citroen – and will get two Faurecia board seats.

Of the remaining exits of U.S. companies on Dealogic's list, the other transactions have undisclosed values. These include the sale of Optronics Products Co., a lights and accessories company that was part of Svoboda Capital Partners LLC-backed OPT Holdings Inc.

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The best Best of France and Italy Car Show ever - Autoweek.com

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 09:56 AM PST

Why drive to Monterey in August with everyone else when you can drive only as far as beautiful Van Nuys and get much of the same old-car thrill?

This was the 14th year of the Best of France and Italy Car Show, held on Sunday in Van Nuys, Calif., and it was the biggest turnout in the history of the event.

Why, we asked co-organizer Chuck Forward? Was it the fact that collector-car prices have dropped perilously, meaning owners of these rides have held onto their cars? Was it a form of escapism from the drumming madness of economic collapse? Was it nostalgia for a simpler time when carburetors ruled the world and you could actually get Fiat parts?

"The weather!" said Forward.

Indeed, at Woodley Park, it was a sunny, warm and clear day. Last year at the Best of France and Italy, it rained in the morning and was considerably cooler. This year was just about perfect. So, despite what car guys may say about their "passion," they're really just as flippant as anyone else.

On this day in Van Nuys, everyone was a laissez-faire southern European. Last year, in the rain, 330 cars showed up. This year, organizers brought only 400 of those little goody bags they give to entrants, and they ran out with plenty of Fiats, Alfas and Renaults still rolling onto Woodley's grass and dirt.

The show offers a lot of the same stuff you get in Monterey at Concorso Italiano and La Dolce Vita. Except Best of France and Italy is free, and it won't take you an hour to find parking.

We saw a beautiful 1924 Lancia Lambda, one of the earliest cars to have a monocoque construction and independent front suspension. The hood was open and the machined (not cast) narrow-angle V4 was right there.

Next to it was a Maserati 200SI that raced in the Targa Florio, according to the info booklet left on the deck lid.

We wandered among Citroëns and across the dirt to the "Italian Exotic" row just as Claudio Zampolli was parking his V16-powered Cizeta. He popped the hood, and a crowd gathered. The 16 cylinders were arranged in a V, mounted transversely amidships and driving the rear wheels.

"It's a casting," Zampolli said. "Everybody thinks it's two V8s, but you can't do that."

At the last show he attended, Zampolli brought an engine to display next to the car for all to see. A ZF transmission takes power from the middle of the block.

Zampolli said he has made 12 of the cars, two of which are in the United States. Did he ever make money off the deal?

"You don't make money doing this," he said.

Then why, for love?

"Yeah."

The next guy we met was Etienne Goldet, dressed up in a disco-looking suit that was half Elvis, half John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. He owned a 1970 Citroën SM.

"If you're going to go '70s, you have to go all the way," said Goldet, posing on the hood of his SM.

Is that car fun to drive?

"Oh yeah, it's a jet fighter," he said. "But it's an Italian engine [a Maserati V6], so you have to floor it all the time."

There were more cars there than we could count. From little postwar sedans that tried to make the most out of the scant resources in Europe at the time, to more modern supercars such as Ferrari and Lamborghini V8s, 10s and 12s. There were Renault Dauphines, Alfa Giuliettas and Fiat 500s. There were two Tatras, one a beautiful black and one a hideous and contorted blue/white disaster (we averted our eyes). We liked and longed for a 1967 Saab 96. We almost bought a little crank car jack for $40, even though we would never trust it under a car (it was sooo cool). Everyone was friendly. Everyone was happy. We felt European, but in a less expensive way than what you'd normally think of it. This was real Europe, represented by the cars that got the Continent rolling again after the devastation of the war.

And it was one of the few places where we could see these cars, amid calendars crammed with rod and custom cruise-ins.

"That's why we started the show," said Forward. "We got tired of being ignored by all the other shows."

But these cars, ratty though some were in their loveableness, may be dwindling in numbers.

"The repair centers have closed up over the years," said Forward. "A lot of cars are being sent back to Europe; the number of cars is dwindling."

So be sure to go see it next year. You can follow announcements at www.franceanditaly.com. See it before the cars are all gone. There is no Nethercutt Museum or National Auto Museum for Fiat 850s.

For more Car news, road tests, photos and insight, click here.

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Changes on the horizon for vehicle inspections - Mercury

Posted: 03 Nov 2009 08:37 AM PST

By Fran Maye, Journal Register News Service

When the District of Columbia eliminated vehicle safety inspections in October, it joined 19 other states that do not require state inspections. And while Pennsylvania may not be eliminating state inspections altogether, officials are looking at making changes to the program, including rewriting the manual overseeing the inspection process.

"It seems like this kind of talk about eliminating state inspections only happens when the economy is bad," said Hal Lewis, owner of H&R Auto Repair in Kennett Square, and president of the Alliance of Auto Service Providers in District 13. "I feel strongly that state inspections are a good thing."

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently completed an effectiveness study that concluded that annual vehicle inspections in the state save 150 lives per year.

Thirty years ago, Pennsylvania mandated vehicle inspections twice per year.

But as cars got safer and their reliability increased, it was lowered to once per year.

Since that time, some other states in the nation have eliminated vehicle safety inspections entirely.

But many local auto service shops feel that Pennsylvania should not join the trend to eliminate state inspections.

"It's a safety factor, definitely," said Bob Gray, service manager at Chevrolet of Kennett Square. "And it would hurt business."

Gray said the condition of cars in Florida is terrible because that state has no annual safety inspection.

He said he doesn't like to travel on the roads there because cars don't have to be inspected.

Tom Myers, owner of M&M Auto Repair in Kennett Square, said annual inspections keep the roads safe.

His cousin died when the exhaust system on his 1974 Thunderbird rotted out and fumes got to the interior.

That was 25 years ago. State inspections catch that kind of thing, he said.

"Cars need to be safe going down the highway," he said. "Tires and brakes only last 20,000 to 70,000 miles depending on driving habits."

Myers said state inspections provide preventive maintenance, often saving vehicle owners money.

"(State inspections) keep people from getting hurt," said Bob Blittersdorf, owner of Blitz Auto on State Street in Kennett Square. "Plus, you can catch a little problem before it becomes a big problem."

"Modern cars are a lot more dependable, but still need maintenance," added Lewis. "I have a 1992 Ford Ranger with 302,000 miles and it has the same engine and transmission.

The public needs to be guided when it comes to auto safety. They rejected seat belts in the '60s and air bags in the '90s, yet they are in every car now."

Lewis said some people have called for the elimination of state inspections for all new cars, but he said he remembers a time 24 years ago when a customer brought in his new car for state inspection and it had no shocks.

The Pennsylvania Safety Inspection program began in 1932. Auto service stations pay $2 for each safety sticker and $2.50 for an emissions sticker.