PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows PG MUSIC...IT JUST DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER

I have never in my life found a company that tries so hard to do do great work.

I ordered Audiophile yesterday and the drive arrived this morning. No extra charge for the service. They are in western Canada and I am in Miami.

No one does that!!

I stuck the USB plug in the drive and and was up and running in less that 10 seconds. WOW...talk about plug and play...WOW

This company, this software, the people on this site, are how I always wished the world should work.

Where have I found myself?

Is all this real or am I dreaming?

I have to leave for an offshore fishing trip right now....Carlos has just pulled up in my drive way, so I don't have the time at the moment to properly thank everyone.

So all I can say is thanks to all of you for making my life better.


Best wishes,

Billy

Billy, you are dreaming.

But when you wake up, it will be better.

Have fun!

PG Music are spectacular to deal with. I have never come across another company like them.

Noel

I've done business with PG Music since the days when Atari was a serious computer, Macs had Motorola chips, and the PC was called an "IBM Compatible" and ran DOS5 and although that brand new thing called Windows 3.1 was making it's debut, PG hadn't released their version 1 for Windows yet.

In all those years, PG has been a stellar example of how to do business the right way - professional, friendly, and give that extra effort that makes them rise above the crowd.

Thanks Peter Gannon and crew.

Insights and incites by Notes

"...I have to leave for an offshore fishing trip right now..."


Catch anything, Billy?



Regards,

Bob

I'm not Billy and I don't fish anymore, but my experience with fishing for all the years I did it was I spent too much time feeding the fish - and if I weighed all the bait it would probably weigh more than the total fish I caught

But they have to eat too, don't they?

Insights, insights and very little humor by Notes

Hi Guys,

To answer the fishing question " did I catch anything " in a word "yes"

But...as often goes the fishing adventures " the best plans" some times just don't work out.

The idea was to stock up on Mahi Mahi...the last trip of the season for that type of fish. Conditions were perfect except for water temp. The fish were just not there.

After running fifty miles off shore with one fish for out trouble in typical Carlos and Billy fashion we decided to go to the "Flemish Cap" or another fifty miles off shore as it were. Mind you this is in a 28 foot open center console boat.

Now we are fishing on the bottom in 1250 foot of water. We got Misty Grouper in 30 to 40 pound range and Yellow eye snapper around five pounds and Queen Snapper in the ten pound range.

Well, getting late, getting a bit low on fuel we bash into a three to four foot chop at 25 knots for four hours non stop to make the 100 mile run back to the house.

Beat me in to submission...lol...the things grown men who know better do for fun...lol

Don't try this at home, as they say, cause it is a good way to get killed. But never mind that, been there, done that, got the T shirt and am sure it won't be the last time. I am not real old, 68, and the pain is the same as when I was younger but the recovery time is getting longer and longer...lol

Fresh fish is in the cooler so allyall, thats is plural for yall, come on over and we can cook some up.

Now I get to check out my new Audiophile drive.

Cheers,


Billy

100 miles offshore for dolphin? Wow.

Never had to go that far out for them. What's your home port down there?


Regards,

Bob

Hi Bob,

We have a house in Marathon, Florida. And no I do not generally run more that fifty miles offshore for dolphin,...well I have run south toward Cuba a long way at times.

The issue was there were no dolphin to be found. So I went where the Misty Grouper live.

Both Carlos and I are crazy and we just don't give up till we got fish in the boat...lol Don't try this at home...lol

This can get you killed, and on the same day, Saturday, two young lads from Miami are lost at sea I fear. Their boat was found capsized and the Coast Guard is still looking for them. We can only pray that they are found.

The sea is a very unforgiving mistress and cares not if you live or die.

Cheers,


Billy

Growing up in South Florida and owning a couple of boats I know that especially in late July and August the sea can be as flat as a pancake one minute and a thunderstorm can whip up 40-50 mph winds and seas up to 12 feet a few minutes later.

I had some friends who were blue water sailors. They did the around the world thing in a 45' sloop. Their description of sailing was this: "Endless hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror".

I used to fish a lot when I was younger, but I quit when the fishing got comparatively fished out.

Back then you could catch up to 4 Snook a day, 365 days a year, as long as they were at least 18". There was no closed season on any fish, snapper, Snook or anything else.

We threw back fish like Amber Jacks that people now take home to eat because they didn't taste as good as the other fish that were so plentiful.

In the fall, we used to be able to stand on a pier in the Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach with a dip net, and in an hour or two dip out a freezer full of shrimp.

We'd freeze some for bait, mom would clean the best ones for many future dinners, and we'd use the live ones to catch Snook.

And if nothing else was biting, you could put a sinker on the line and pull out snapper any time you wanted.



I spent any an evening across the inlet from this light catching Snook, Snappers, Lookdowns, and Moonfish on the docks where the fishing fleet moored. Before the influx of northerners, we were allowed on the piers, as we respected the boat owners' property and never touched the boats or lockers - we cleaned the fish on the dock and then cleaned our mess when we were done.

By the time I graduated high school, the population boomed, and a few people ruined it for the rest of us. No trespassing signs were put up. They also replaced the wooden turntable bridge with a concrete drawbridge and the fish didn't like hanging out under that bridge as well.

By the late 1970s it was over for me. It took too long to get a bite. It became an exercise in patience, and I just don't have that kind of patience. That's when I went to a sailboat. It gave me a different reason to be on the water.

I no longer own a boat but live one lot away from the Intra-Coastal waterway. It's a 2 mile wide lagoon here so I'm still near the water, and that soothes me.

Insights and incites by Notes

Love Marathon. It is late in the season for dolphin. Grouper is good too.

It's a shame about the two boys. The parents are saying they were "experienced" on the water. Really? 14 years old, running to the Bahamas in a 19 footer, no float plan, radio, EPIRB, (and apparently, no life jackets) - recipe for disaster.

Makes a case for licensing boaters - that debate will rise again after this.

Regards,

Bob

Dang, Billy... bottom fishin' at 1250? That will wear ya out reeling in to re-bait! A 40 lb Grouper has got to make your arms feel like jellyfish...

Y'all need to come to the Gulf side - 30 miles out and 120 feet will get ya the same thing... (get ya home faster, too...)


(although, at the moment... not a good place to be...)

It's not right to pass laws for people to protect themselves. People will find a way to be stupid and hurt or kill themselves.

There are plenty of dangerous activities out there, people die rock or mountain climbing every day, taking selfies with wild animals in National Parks, swimming when there is a rip tide, eating too much food and getting obese, hang gliding, skiing, etc, etc, etc.

When I was a kid, you didn't need a license to go scuba diving (or have your tanks filled). I don't think certification has reduced the number of diving deaths.

If you need a license to do something dangerous, where will it all end?

And even if you did, people will find a way to kill themselves.

Did you know that at the annual conference of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine the general consensus was "Don't let your son play tackle football, unless you don't like him." Why? The helmet protects the scalp but not the brain bouncing in the scull. Most footballers get concussions, usually mild ones. The result: people who play tackle football in school have a 25% greater chance than the general public of developing Parkinson's or Alzheimer's when they reach retirement age. So do we need a license for that too? Or ban the sport?

Look at the drug laws. I would guess more non-drug users' lives have been ruined by the drug laws than total lives would be lost with drugs if they were legal. Because of the illegality the price is high, and people are at risk for robbery to pay for drugs, not to mention the gang wars and power struggles.

You just can't protect people from themselves by passing laws. It doesn't work.

The loss of the two boys is tragic, and I feel for their loved ones who are definitely in pain.

----------------------------------------

Someone mentioned Marathon.

Back when US mechanics didn't work on any foreign car but a VW, my Fiat Spyder broke down at the 55 mile marker.

Two days later, I had to tow it back to Fort Lauderdale, and the well meaning mechanic had put so many holes in the wiring, probing to see where the electricity was/wasn't, that the car never was the same. Corrosion set in and wiring became a constant problem. The cause of the original problem? A new but defective distributor cap from some aftermarket parts company.

It was a great car though. Topped out at 137mph. The speedometer said 140 but it redlined a little above 137. Yes, I did some dangerous speeding in that car - could have killed myself - but the traffic laws didn't prevent me from doing it.

So I guess I'm helping hijack the thread.

But then, the PG Forum is so nice, we can talk about things with our forum friends that have nothing to do with BiaB. I like that.

Insights and incites by Notes

“It's not right to pass laws for people to protect themselves. People will find a way to be stupid and hurt or kill themselves.”


Operating a vessel is a lot different than driving a car. Most people are actually taught to drive, either in school or by a relative. You have to pass a test to demonstrate your ability to drive safely. Most would agree that this is a good system. It saves lives. Will some people drive like morons? Sure, but doing so they risk losing their license and that alone is a big deterrent.

Joe Blow, on the other hand, buys a 28 footer with a couple of 250's on the stern, pops a cold cerveza and proceeds to tear up the Bay. You can read about a different Joe Blow most Monday mornings in the Miami Herald. The stories usually involve fatalities.

A mandatory boating course, covering the basics of boat handling, docking, passing while underway, set and drift, dead reckoning, emergency radio procedure, etc. would make the waterways safer for everyone. It might have even saved the lives of these two boys from Jupiter.


Regards,

Bob

This string does call to mind a winding river . . .

But then again there are many connections between music and fishing. Scales. Bass. Musicians named Gil.

I once paddled a canoe on a winding river... does that count?

I see your point Bob.

On the other hand, did certification make scuba diving any safer? Instead it became a revenue stream for PADI dive shops.

When I was a kid, the older kids taught us how to dive. First lesson: Never hold your breath, especially while changing depths and if you don't know what it is, don't touch it.

It was a rare case when someone did something stupid under the water and paid the price. After certification, it's still a rare case when somebody does something stupid under the water and pays the price. In fact, we usually lose at least one PADI certified diver every lobster season.

The difference is, now you have to shell out money for a course to get PADI certification before you can get your tanks filled. The first one I checked on on-line went for over $800.00.

I never got certified, I was safe diving long before the course. By the time certification was mandatory, I was getting tired of it anyway. I've gone a couple of times since then, and went with a PADI buddy who filled the tanks.

The boys from Jupiter should have known better, they weren't novices. However, most people that age think they are invincible (subconsciously anyway), thrill seekers, and daredevils.

I admit, I could be wrong, but I don't think a boat operators license would have saved them.

I live off a curvy, hilly road and my street turns off a 2 lane road going uphill. The speed limit is 35 but we lose a few each year from going too fast on that road, losing control, and driving into the lagoon. All licensed drivers, most youthful.

A year or so ago, someone lost control on a curve known as "Dead Man's Curve", wiped himself out and two unfortunate senior citizens approaching the curve from the south. Speed limit on the road is 35, curve suggestion is 25 and he was going over 65. I guess Dead Man's Curve was a challenge he lost.

Plus, when I go home I'll put my turn signal on, as I go up the hill to my street at least once per week someone will pass me on the left instead of waiting for me to turn. Cars pop over the crest with only a second or two of warning. It's a head-on waiting to happen. Yet the licensed drivers can't wait 10 or 15 seconds for me to make the turn.

License or not, there will be bozos on the water who will not be safe boaters and not only endanger themselves, but endanger others as well. Humans may be one of the smartest animals on the planet, but at times we are also one of the stupidest animals on the planet.

And I do agree that we all should take a safe boating course. At least Chapman Piloting, Seamanship & Small Boat Handling should be read by all boaters.

There are those who will go hiking without learning what to pack and how to stay safe. Some will pay the price. When I visited the Grand Canyon, in spite of all the signs, a Park Ranger said that they lose about 6 people per year getting too close to the edge for a picture and plummeting down the wall. In spite of all the signs, a few people still feed the alligators in the Everglades National Park. People still inject heroin into their veins. People still climb mountains. People still let their sons play tackle football, people still smoke cigarettes, people still hang glide, and so on. Some will end up paying the ultimate price. No amount of regulation will fix that.

People still listen to loud music or go to sporting events where the noise is over 100db (the loudest noise ever measured was at a sporting event in the USA and it registered over 140db). Everybody left with permanently damaged ears.

When I was in high school, there was a one-lane bridge over the Boca Raton inlet on state highway A1A. Not a two lane bridge, but a one lane bridge with a stop sign on either side. The north side of the bridge was fed by a blind curve - you couldn't see cars coming. The thing the more daring high school boys would do was to speed to that bride at 50mph or more and fly over it. Fortunately nobody got killed, only because the traffic at night was light. Licensed drivers all.

The loss of the two boys from Jupiter is indeed tragic, and I think there is little hope they will be found alive, if at all.

They should have known better. I did dangerous things when I was young, thankfully I got lucky. Not everybody does. That doesn't mean I'm not sympathetic. I'm sad they didn't get lucky that day.

I don't know what the answer is. How do you cure stupidity?

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob/Notes, et al.: Smart and stupid are not opposites. They coexist just fine in some people. *smh*

Hi all,

It was not my intent to turn this thread into a fishing/legal thread. But...that is OK with me and several of you have commented on the issue.

Update:

The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the two boys.

This is a sad but all to often boating story here in south Florida.

There may be no regulations that can prevent this type of thing from happening.

I hear the phrase "there ought to be a law" about many things. Well..there are laws, enough laws on paper it is a wonder we have any trees left to make paper from.

Should training be required to run a boat? Yes, I think it would be helpful. Will that requirement stop people from hurting themselves and others? Absolutely not. Secondly, we in many cases, can not or will not enforce the law to begin with.

Everything at the end of the day is about money and how we spend it. The cost for the search for these two kids has run into hundred's of thousands of dollars, or more perhaps.

I don't think these two kids or there parents were stupid. Just unaware or unwilling to except the real laws, the laws of nature or cause and effect.

The only good news in all this is if they are in fact lost at sea then they died doing what they loved to do and I for one hope I get to die in the same way...doing what I love.

This thread started out on a very happy note. I wanted too express my thanks to PG Music for a great product and thank everyone here for all the kind help.

Funny how life can turn from happy to sad so quickly.


Best wishes to everyone here,

Billy

I totally agree
and they both are in me

I'd like to cast out
the stupid no doubt

but sometimes it's smarter than me