75 ohm "F" connectors on TV VCR etc.

Family is no better than the public - sometimes "worse" - always wanting something done for nothing - and done - YESTERDAY!

I don't repair ANYTHING for free for ANY ONE - PERIOD. I tell them - they work for a living - so do I.

Lou

He lives in same house, charging him really not practical He doesn't understand I'll get to it TOMORROW

He lives in same house, charging him really not practical He doesn't understand I'll get to it TOMORROW

Oh wow! You have my sympathy! Been in those situations before - NO FUN!

Drag all the gear necessary to fix it into the living room, around 'TV time'. Fix it in front of them so that they know it's not a five minute repair.

Let your sister (or her hubby) clean up the mess when you're done.

Better yet, offer--in front of Sis--to coach bubba-in-law through the repair so that he can do it himself next time...or does he have a skill that you can barter for the repair?

In any case, I've fixed a plethora of them myself, and have a couple waiting in the wings. Manufacturers probably make a lot of money off those flimsy connectors; that they put so deeply recessed that it's next to impossible to screw onto them without tools.

jak

Give him the connector for free. Charge him $75 to replace it.

I'm so sorry to hear that when he pulled off the connector, he cracked the interociter. They are expensive and difficult to replace, and you have to have one made to order for him. The only factory in the world that makes them is in Korea.

Normally you charge $150 to replace an interociter, but since he lives with you, he can have it for the $75 plus postage that you pay.

Since they are in Korea, you will need to have his credit card and permission to use it. Due to the time difference you will have to get up at 3am to call them.

If he does not believe you, he is welcome to call all of the suppliers he can find and ask if they stock interociters.

Geoff.

This about sums it up:

Well, the OP did say it was his brother-in-law. Since the OP claims to be working (as a tech), the odds are his live-in B-I-L _doesn't_ work. At least thats how most 'reality shows' portray it.... :-)

Jonesy

I served my apprenticeship many many years ago, under a wonderful field engineer who used to tell customers, when they asked what had been wrong with their TV so that they could tell their husbands when they got home, that he had had to " move the hyposth-phosficator two degrees nearer to the ecliptant, in order to improve the impactic contact. " It took me ages to learn that, and it's one of those stupid little things that has never left me. I could never believe how he could say it whilst keeping a straight face, and with such honest conviction in his voice. Many was the time that I choked into my customer-provided cup of tea. He also used to tell people when soldering, that he was having to replace the backpedaling kafuffler, which needed to be recharged with smoke, and he would try not to let too much escape, because it was very expensive stuff ! He also used to offset the frame hold, and ask the customer to stop him when a good picture rolled past. Psychology ... Happy days ... I learnt a lot off that guy, not only about repairing TVs, but about customers, and how to deal with them on their own turf. Applying a bit of that psychology today, allows me to charge evrybody, including family, where appropriate, without causing offense.

Arfa

Good thread... People don't understand that when the F-connector is ripped out, it may not always detach cleanly. Often the guts off the RFoutput box get damaged plus it's not so easy to repair the metal housing, then solder it all back together without melting the innards of the new connector. My solution is add a push-on F-connector. It serves as a heat sink during soldering and guarantees the inner plastic won't melt. As a bonus I tell the customer about the push-on connector, how it will prevent the problem from reoccurring. Now he feels he got his moneys worth, even though I'm getting a little extra. Radio Shack sells them for $1.79, part# 278-218. Others have them cheaper and often better quality. Dennis

When I was approached to buy raffle tickets at work I used to tell them I couldn't gamble because I was a Cathode Follower. It worked.

Don't laugh too hard... a socially skilled techno-nerd (a rare combination of talents) can, through effective bartering, avoid tasks such as housecleaning and cooking in exchange for simple technical tasks.