As we start to approach spring and another kickin' car audio season, I'd like to say a few things that I have been saving up since I began handling this column almost four years ago, and share with readers some of the response letters I've received during that time.
I remember being in a tight race with an excellent technical guy for the position. I was extremely pleased to have made the final cut, and to get the opportunity to help answer the questions for the readers of this magazine.
When I was given the job I had to have my picture taken for the magazine. A staff photographer was covering the Spring Break Nationals in Daytona Beach, so I was quickly flown down to Orlando. I drove to Daytona and waited in the hotel for the photographer to contact me. I then had my picture taken, had a late dinner and packed it in for the night. Early in the morning I drove back to Orlando for my flight home. I actually made it to within two miles of one of the most important events in car audio and didn't get to see it!
I enjoy writing for Car Audio and Electronics magazine and consider it a privilege. I think the editors would reciprocate the feeling, considering the fact that my articles are almost always in early. Kidding aside, my enjoyment also extends beyond the Troubleshooting column in that I have had the opportunity to document my installer training missions to interesting places like Taiwan, England, Moscow, Barbados, and The Netherlands. I have also had the opportunity to write feature articles such as the one on the Ferrari built by a friend who now lives in Hong Kong, and The Screamin' Eagle in last November's issue. On top of that, I have yet to be turned down on an article or series that I have come up with on my own. I wrote an article on careers in car audio installation, on how the Y2K issue may affect mobile electronics equipment, and a three-part series on how to listen to evaluate your system.
In my regular role as the Troubleshooting specialist, I always try to build a couple of principles into each edition. First, I try to educate. In many cases, it would be best to just recommend the reader visit a career installer, but I recognize that most of the installers I train start out as enthusiasts that really seem to have a gift for technical car audio. So I will continue to go beyond answering your questions directly and try to paint the picture of what should happen and what can happen.