Well said, Lee. I've run into this "chase the numbers" phenomenon in two other fields. One is one of my other hobbies, high end audio. In that field, far more than in amateur radio, enthusiasts chase phenomena such as THD even though the worst example among the devices being considered has a value well below the auditory range of any living being. Then there is purchase-by-price tag syndrome. They will spend $100K (each) on a pair of speakers for no better reason than that Harry Pearson or one of the other gods of the listening room says they sound better than their current set, which cost only $85K each.
The other is photography, where the Canon vs. Nikon wars have raged for half a century and where pixel count on the sensor means everything. All these are thoroughly lousy reasons for buying loudspeakers, cameras, or, in the case at hand, transceivers. There isn't one thin dime's worth of difference in the sound of speakers that cost $5K and those that cost $50K, or in the image quality of a Nikon versus a Canon. Or, for that matter, in the on-the-air performance of a K3, a 5000, or one of Old German Guy's Untergespitzensparken devices that will set you back a year's salary. Let rationality prevail. Try out some radios rather than just reading about them. Play around with them rather than just talking to other folks about them. Buy the one you like, not just the one the fanbois are agog about. Be happy, not envious. Bill (Who thinks it is quite cool, all in all, to have a syndrome named for him.) On Sat, Sep 3, 2011 at 1:43 PM, Lee Mushel <[email protected]> wrote: > Obviously, I've been affected by the Bill Fite syndrome. And a year ago I > promised myself I would never bring up the topic of the value of SDR to ham > radio but I just can't help myself. If you haven't looked at the latest > "table of radio excellence" that appeared last week you can stop reading now > and delete my note. Otherwise I would suggest that you start with a study > of the ideas of a Frenchman named Piaget. My XYL pointed me in his > direction a long time ago when she felt I needed help in understanding > "other points of view." > > As a novice class licensee I was fortunate to have a very smart guy, W9LEE, > as my elmer. He explained that there was such a thing as a panadapter in > 1959. And he also showed me that an effective "operator" might master > skills that are rarely talked about. For example, he demonstrated that he > was capable of "filtering" a signal out of what seemed to me to be nothing > but crackles and hiss using only that thing found on top of his neck. And > one might ask, "Just how does someone go about copying CW at 45 WPM?" > > It doesn't happen often, I'm probably too intimidating, but from time to > time a new Technician licensee will ask me, "What radio should I buy." Now > that I have it, should I give him a copy of that comparative table of > specifications and comment, "As you can see......" Ridiculous! Is some > number related to dynamic range or intercept point going to really affect a > decision to buy? Do you believe that the radio rather than the antenna is > more important in weak signal situations? But if that questioner has ten or > fifteen years of experience and maybe has even memorized the Extra Class > questions does anything change?" I think not. > > Once N9DG's words had aroused my interest in something he called SDR, and I > had googled the Flex web site I doubt that I "thought about" the > desirability of what I saw, the Flex1000, more than a few minutes before > placing my order which I quickly changed to the 5000 as soon as I learned > that such a thing was coming. I had the Squires-Sanders panadapter attached > to my HQ-180 in 1971. I had some idea of the advantage a visual display > could give where operating was concerned. I was sure that a full color > display which included a lot of parameters was going to be something I would > like. And time has proven that this assumption was correct. I find some of > the new skins a bit extreme but I'm glad that the option of having them is > there! > > Am I going to purchase an automobile based upon "specifications of mileage > and torque? Happiness and satisfaction will always be related to a few > more things than columns in a table. And that is certainly true for radios > as well. > > 73 > > Lee K9WRU > _______________________________________________ > Flexedge mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexedge_flex-radio.biz > This is the FlexRadio Systems e-mail Reflector called FlexEdge. It is used > for posting topics related to SDR software development and experimentalist > who are using beta versions of the software. > _______________________________________________ Flexedge mailing list [email protected] http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexedge_flex-radio.biz This is the FlexRadio Systems e-mail Reflector called FlexEdge. It is used for posting topics related to SDR software development and experimentalist who are using beta versions of the software.
