I operate AM because of the varied technologies that are involved in the design and construction of the stuff. I enjoy discussions about these technologies with others. After 35 years I still find many things to learn about. Tubes are extremely complicated devices with parameters that extend far beyond what most in the amateur circle are aware of. This is one of the things that I enjoy about design and building with tubes. But I really enjoy designing solid state equipment because it is easier to bread board or connect up with alligator clips. I think every piece of commercially purchased equipment in the shack that BJ and I operate has been extremely modified some of which is not recognizable as to what it once was. Incorporating some of the modern SS devices into some of the old tube store bought equipments makes a lot of sense to BJ and me. For instance if the distortion factor of a modulator can be brought down form 10% to 5% by incorporating solid state devices with better bias regulation or screen regulation and at the same time reduce heat due to excess bleeder current then you can be sure that the modifications will be made. Sure we can and do find modifications that we do to our SSB equipment even some of the newest stuff. And now days there are a whole lot of people running SSB equipment that you can find with common interest in these modifications and design work. None the less it seems to me that there are a greater number of these high tech designers and modifiers that are operating AM with their full home brewed stations. I find that talking to these guys is my most enjoyable time. It seems to me that the full length transmission of 5 to 10 minutes allows me to make a better description of the design technique that we may be discussing. Not that I could not do it on SSB, but I have found most of the SSB only operators are not in to listening for that long. Short attention span I guess.
John, WA5BXO ______________________________________________________________ AMRadio mailing list List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Partner Website: http://www.amfone.net Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html Post: mailto:AMRadio@mailman.qth.net
