October 10, 2014(my computer date was not updated) 

Hello to everyone who opened this site.AVANTE PINOY!

Background

     I grew up in Mindanao but lived for a while in the U.S. as a teenager. When I was in high school here in the Philippines,I discovered my interest in Electronics. My frustration was, every time there was an electronic project I come across in a magazine, I couldn't get the parts. And in most cases it was the inductor.. The mag would give the part number to be ordered from the U.S. Thank God for EE and Sir Henry Chua. My first project was the Foxhole Radio and I was able to get a pair of headphones, new, for P14, a big fortune in 1962. I wound the coil on a toilet paper roll. I didn't stop and got a transistor and OC40 I think, Philipps. I amplified my Foxhole Radio to drive a speaker. Then I went to the U.S. in 1967. Wow, Radio Shack and Berstein and Applebee in Kansas City.  I built an Eico or Allied tube multitester. I came home with a pair of Jenssen  speakers for my tube hi fi in the late sixties. I went to a University in Katipunan in 1968 and my weekends were in Raon. I got my first turntable. Transistors appeared commercially and I went to see SMG. I know his last name was Gloria. Still in Raon run by the son. He made good transistorized amps. I got one and still have it. I started working with Ford Philippines in 1973, after Martial Law began. There was a lull until the Apple computer clones appeared in the market. I frequented Electroworld. They asked me to build 100 units of Surge Suppressors for a big university in the Visayas. So I got into the technology. My mentor was Earl Hornbostle of the famous Republic Crystal Labs in San Juan. He made the early REHCO tube radios then later the Maharlika transistorized sets. In 1978, I was sent to live in HK for 6 months for training. I have always wanted a CB radio and I hunted down the makers in HK. I got a pair of Veep CB which I still have. I later bought my first 2M radio, a Yaesu portable. I was impressed with HK on the electronics side. There were corner stores selling all kinds of electronics. Crystals were like P10 a pair.  A whole amp which I brought home. I went ot the small bookstores and I discovered original British books on RC and Walkie Talkies were re written in Chinese. The pictorials remained the same. I bought all I could find.  But my fresh love at that time was RC electronics. I bought my first FUTABA radio and my first RC airplane kit in Mongkok. From then on, I was ordering RC kits from Heathkit, Ace, and Royal Electronics. I started to research on RC electronics until I could build transmitters and receivers from scratch here in the Philippines.My crystals were made by Republic Crystal Labs which became Crystalsem later on, now Spin Electronics in Samat. My friend and mentor, Earl, has since passed away. His library was open to me. I involved myself in antenna making during the heyday of 2 meters and also made several UHF antennas to pick up the TV station at Clark Air Base. I bought the ARRL book issue 1981 and 1988. Everything in RF communications is in there. In the recent past I repaired RC radios from all over the Philippines, transmitters, receivers, servos, speed controllers, and even rewound brushless motors. I took early retirement in 2001 and made several visits to the U.S. Always, I never missed visiting Radio Shack. Then I discovered. we have all the parts here and cheaper. But it was the handbook of Forrest Mims which guided me in digital electronics. I worked with op amps, shift registers, counters, voltage regulators, and of course with the famous 555. May the inventor rest in peace. I manufactured Power On delays and must have sold over 500 units. Also Electronic Ignition Systems. I bought originals and did reverse engineering till I perfected mine.  I still build them and have pending orders. From time to time, I get orders for spark generators to be used in ionizers and ozonators.

It was during the past 6 years that I got involved with students doing thesis projects. In 2010 we built 8 robots, some RC, that were all featured in Umaga kay Ganda. The students were from PUP, TUP, TIP, Adamson, La Salle, and NU. Then students came to me for walkie talkies. And every time, I hear them say they bought toy walkie talkies, tear them apart and rebuild them for the Prof to accept them as originals. One problem today is that  they are now micros and surface mounted. Some times they could make it work. I helped one group who got high marks. Our TX, RX reached 200 feet. Those were sleepless nights and cramming. So, a lot of ideas sparked in my mind. There is a great need to have a supplier of electronic communications kits and projects in the Philippines. One important aspect of thesis projects is the documentation, on explaining how it works. I am a professional investment banker and lecturer and there are better ways to earn money. But I keep going back looking for the glow in student faces. I feel it is a responsibility of the senior citizens to provide an alternative to young Filipinos other than the popular internet games usually involving violence.

I would like to ask my readers to support this endeavor. If others can do it better, by all means there is plenty of room. We have no time left for the crab mentality of our culture. Let us all compliment each other in this industry. For the sake of the youth.

AVANTE PINOYS!

Truly Yours,

BravoKilo