NO, it can only have a single alarm set at any one time.  A dual alarm
feature would be nice, though, now that you mention it.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: off topic, need talking clock recommendations anyone


        Do any of the Cobalt talking clocks have more than one alarm
that can be set separately?  My old trusty Sparta ETC finally gave up
the ghost after twenty years of service and my wife and I used the
duel-alarm feature regularly.  I know somebody on this list said it
has several alarm sounds, but I want, for example, one alarm at 6:00
and another alarm at 8:00.

        Since this is a ham radio list, I'll briefly relate what
happened to the Sparta because it is a study in trouble-shooting.

        Over the years, the buttons on the control pannel got harder
and harder to make work.  I knew there wasn't much I could do about
that, but the electronics began to fail over the last few years.

        The audio developed a steady 60-HZ buzz which varied slightly
as the digits changed on the display.  Then, the audio began to get
fainter and fainter until you really couldn't hear the time anymore,
but could still more or less hear the alarms.

        Last Monday, I tore in to it and replaced an electrolytic
capacitor that had good audio on one side of it and virtually none on
the other side.  That brought the speaker volume back up to the
correct level again.

        Now, for the buzz.  Electrolytic caps fail mostly by drying
out over time rather than shorting, although they certainly can do
that, to.  What one can do is to carefully determine polarity of the
DC voltage across the capacitor and then place a similar capacitor
that is good across the old one.  If you hear less noise, then that
cap is bad.  I clipped out the old cap and soldered in a  new one and
partly got rid of the buzz.

        There was still too much buzz to just ignore, so last night, I
dug in again and found one more bad electrolytic which completely
cleared up the racket when replaced.  The clock sounded like new.

        I put it all back together and had my wife verify that the
display was in the right place and looked good so all that was left
was to set it.

        While I was attempting to get the time set correctly, the
Minutes button gave a sickening snap and stayed down.  The little
plastic tab had broken off the button.  Game over.

        After all that work, the patient died on the operating table.
I bet there isn't anybody on this list who could stomach the words
going through my mind and occasionally escaping my lips when that
happened.  You win some, loose some and some get rained out.


Martin McCormick WB5AGZ  Stillwater, OK
OSU Information Technology Division Network Operations Group