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You know that cell phones are just two-way radios, right?

And that when you’re talking on one that you’re really talking into a two-way radio broadcasting a very, very high-frequency signal right next to your head.

Yes, I know scientifically that it’s a very low-power signal being transmitted but it still is producing near-microwave frequency radiation that might be absorbed into nearby soft tissue. Your brain, for instance.

That’s why some experts believe it’s a good idea to keep your cell phones conversations short in duration – and also keep the number of those conversations to a minimum. That’s especially for adults who are always talking on their cell phones. And, that goes double and triple for children.

Which brings us to the research of people calling themselves the Environmental Working Group. They say they consist of a “team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers and computer programmers (who) pore over government data, legal documents, scientific studies and (their) own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions”.

On their EWG “Get A Safer Phone” Website, the group has published lists containing the results of what they’ve found. There’s a list for regular “feature phones” cellphones and another for smartphones. There’s even a quick and easy look-up system to see how well your current handset has fared.

All of this is even more interesting because the City of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has just passed a law requiring retailers to post notices on just how much radiation is reportedly being emitted by cellphones they sell. They hope this information will help consumers make a “safer” choice. That’s if consumers think this is important enough to care about in a world of iPhones, Androids, Blackberries and the like.

All of this sounds very ominous and scary. I’m not sure it should be your first priority when you buy a phone but being aware of your phone’s radiation numbers could make a difference.

David Pritchard is one of the really good guys in the audio business today. First, he loves good sounding equipment – and second, he especially loves good-sounding, vintage transistor Quad component products.

I wrote about Net-Audio a few years back and David’s amazing upgrades for the Quad 33 (pre-amp) and 303 (power amp). The different pre-amp upgrade options consist of swapping out the original plug-in circuit boards for David’s modern designs. The power amp upgrades range from soldering in a new power supply board to a full, top-to-bottom re-design of the amp. Read my original write-up on MSNBC.com for full details.

I’ve listened to all of these options and can tell you that David really knows what he’s doing. In the past 3 years, I’ve tried other amps and pre-amps on my vintage Quad ESL speakers – but within weeks I always seem to come back to – and prefer listening to David’s upgraded components. A short while later, David had sent me an even newer Tape Adapter board. My 33 sounded great.

That brings us to the present. David let me know he had made further improvements to the Quad 33 output boards and wanted to know if I was interested in hearing what he accomplished with some new, MK2 series boards. If I could have reached through the computer screen and grabbed the boards right then and there it wouldn’t have been soon enough.

After waiting a few weeks (which seemed like an eternity) the plug-in boards arrived. I quickly replaced David’s “old” boards with the new ones – sat back and started listening. They sounded great – but I knew that if I followed David’s instructions – and let the new components “burn-in” for a few hundred hours I’d be rewarded with an even better listening experience.

That was an understatement. The new boards now have nearly 400 hours on them and the improvement over the last boards is amazing. Playing upon his circuits strengths, David has actually squeezed even more clarity and a wider/deeper sound-stage out of his designs.

To put it another way, an original, UN-modified Quad 33 sounds a bit dull and dated compared to modern-day hi-fi equipment. With David’s original upgraded circuit boards a modified Quad 33 could keep pace with most modern-day gear. With these new boards, a Net-Audio 33 can basically keep up with the rest of the stuff out there. Even with all the mods, David’s 33 reproduces music that sounds absolutely right.

Match the 33 with a Quad 303 (make sure the amp is working properly – they are 30-40 years old) and, at least, add David’s super-duper power supply board – and you have some spectacular gear to listen to.

Back when I was doing the original testing of Net-Audio modded gear, I brought my Quad 303 with David’s new power supply board to an amplifier shoot-out at my friend Robin’s house. He had arranged to have a number of very expensive power amplifiers to try on Robin’s Quad speakers. After a n hour or so, the other listener involved, a musician and fellow Quad ESL owner snapped his head around when Robin placed my 303 in the music playback chain. “What’s that?” “That’s a 35-year old Quad 303”, was our response. The expert was stunned. It sounded (and still sounds) THAT good.

Here’s the best part. Finding unmodified Quad 33s and Quad 303s is easy. Just look on eBay. They always seem to be at least one or two examples of each for sale. And usually even more are available from Great Britain. Prices are low – especially with the dollar being strong at the moment. Even with overseas shipping.

David’s original replacement output boards are still available ($94.50 at current exchange rates) and the new (and highly recommended) MK2 boards are $109. An entire Net-Audio upgrade (full boards swap) will set you back $269. That’s a bargain for what you get.  You’ll need to add a 120v power supply (it plugs into your new Tape Adapter board and David will advise you on which one to get) also postage, handling and any taxes your government might add.

David reminds me that my 33 is currently, nearly, completely up-to-date.  It now contains the following Net-Audio components:

You have the new output and tape adaptor boards plus you have an original disc board, not the new MK2. All signals go through the output boards. Tape and Radio signals pass through the Tape adaptor board as does the disc signal after being processed by the disc amplifier and disc adaptor cards.

There is a MK2 disc board which you do not have fitted to your 33.

I think it sounds amazing just the way it is.

These are top-quality component boards that are available now at near rock-bottom prices. Add some of David’s upgrade magic to classic Quad components and you’ll have an affordable and stupendously super-sounding system.

Very, very highly recommended.

Looking for a great Father’s Day gift that won’t break the bank? How about brand new, flat-screen HDTV?

I’m not kidding. You just need to know where to look.

Personally, I would look toward a brand named Sceptre. They are now selling new, affordable flat-screen LED TV’s in places like Walmart, Sears, Target, Costco, New Egg and Tiger Direct.

What do I consider affordable? The TV set I’ve had the pleasure of testing for the past few weeks (Model X195BV-HD) has a 19-inch screen (measured diagonally) and is capable of providing your eyes with full 720p resolution, a contrast ratio of 1,000-to-1 and 4 ms response time.

The Sceptre has dual HDMI and USB ports (in case you want to use it as a computer monitor too) and is Energy Star 3.0 compliant. That last one means it uses something like 40% less electricity than a TV not Energy Star 3.0 complaint.

OK. So far, what’s so exciting about this that would make it worth your while to check out? It sports a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $199. I’m not kidding. And that $199 is the suggested. You might find it selling for less.

Some things you should know. Since this is an HDTV, and since it the screen is the standard 16:9 aspect ratio, this TV screen is smaller than a 19-inch screen on an old-fashioned, 4:3 aspect ratio TV set with a cathode ray tube inside. Both types of TVs are perfect for small rooms, or desktop – but the new-fangled HDTV 19-inch screen is wider and a little less tall.

I’ve been watching this Sceptre for a few weeks now and can tell you that it’s a pretty good TV. In addition to feeding it from the HDMI output from my Cable TV box as well as using the Sceptre’s built-in over-the-air tuner. Both produce a sharp, moderately bright, very watchable picture. Quality is very good. I found that keeping the TV next to my bed the optimal viewing distance was 4-to-9 feet away. Any closer and my TV stand placed the image too high for good color rendition. Any further and you quickly realize just how small as 19-inch HDTV can look.

The only two items I can fault the set on is the Blue indicator light when the TV is on (it’s way too bright in a darkened room) and the sound (there are small internal speakers inside and even though they can go very loud they can sometimes sound tinny.)

Remember, we’re talking about a $199 HDTV. At that price it’s a best buy.

A wall mounting bracket is optional.

And, if you think a “19″ is too small for your needs, Sceptre also makes 23-inch LED models selling for $269, a 27-inch LCD model for $399 and 42-inch LCD models for $699.