Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby!
Saw your photos of the Gates rig. Nice job restoring it !! 73, Ken W2DTC http://www.wd8das.net/ __ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby!
I guess I'm young enough (now 45, ham at 13) that I never knew a time when you could buy RF chokes, IF transformers, variable caps, Millen dials, etc in a local parts store. Most of the towns I lived in through my younger years did not have an electronic parts store other than sometimes a Radio Shack. In those years such parts were shown in the catalogs of the national parts houses like Newark and Allied and could be mail-ordered, but that proved to be a pain because so often they weren't actually in stock. So from my perspective, I find the internet has improved the parts outlook greatly. Between buying junk at hamfests and ordering from internet sources I can build quite a lot of neat gear. Steve WD8DAS sbjohns...@aol.com http://www.wd8das.net/ - Radio is your best entertainment value. - __ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby!
There is very good homebrewing to be done in both vacuum tube and solid-state technology. I do as much of both as time allows. I see no reason to have to choose between the two. But it is perfectly cool if some folks concentrate on one or the other - go for it. I will mention one thing, though... I've heard a lot of guys say "I know tubes!" and "you can't get those parts any longer!", as a reason they don't build any homebrew stuff anymore, but the truth is that it is that it is very easy to build tube gear today - everything is available online at the flick of a mouse. I think they just don't want to build - which is fine. Why do they need an excuse? Steve WD8DAS sbjohns...@aol.com http://www.wd8das.net/ - Radio is your best entertainment value. - -Original Message- From: alton young To: Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service Sent: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 5:32 pm Subject: Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby! You know when the f.c.c. dumbed down the commercial license and we all know why ,that amateur radio was not far behind .the people that want something for nothing is the reason of the state of amateur radio ,The tech class was a good class for the vhf uhf experimenters and served its purpose well but i never taught t he tech test if you could pass you could get a general and most of the guys upgraded to advanced or extra given this day and time we live in there is no excuse at all for someone not upgrading other than just being lazy.I listen each evening to most of the a.m. spots and dx windows and dont hear as much as i would like .I wish everyone would at least get a general and use the spectrum .Good luck.W4BNI --- On Thu, 4/23/09, Bob Macklin wrote: From: Bob Macklin Subject: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby! To: "AM Radio" Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009, 6:07 PM Reading the comments about upgrading to EXTRA makes me think about ham radio has changed over the years. I have a collection of ARRL Handbooks ranging from the mid 50's to the mid 90's and a 2003 edition. If you look at the technical articles through the years you can see the DUMBING down. Part of what seems to happened is that the change to solid state design and construction has made building complex HB projects too difficult or time consuming for the average hobbyist. Also the availability of some components is getting difficult or expensive. Homebrewing with tube gears was and still is easier than working with solid state stuff. And I am a retired design EE. Bob Macklin K5MYJ Kent (Seattle), Wa, "Real Radios Glow in the Dark" _ _ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby!
Some parts really are hard to find. One ie the RF choke that is self resonant at about 5Mhz. These were commonly used in early MOPA transmitters. Another thing that is hard to find are some of the IF transformers. And the selection of Tx tuning capacitors is limited. I used to like the Millen dials. They are hard to come by with the exception of the occasional one that shows up on eBay. Building a solid state RF PA with a medium power level (like 100W) can be expensive. Transistors don't recover the way tubes do. Bob Macklin K5MYJ Kent (Seattle), Wa, "Real Radios Glow in the Dark" - Original Message - From: To: Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 11:56 AM Subject: Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby! > > There is very good homebrewing to be done in both vacuum tube and > solid-state technology. I do as much of both as time allows. I see no > reason to have to choose between the two. But it is perfectly cool if > some folks concentrate on one or the other - go for it. > > I will mention one thing, though... I've heard a lot of guys say "I > know tubes!" and "you can't get those parts any longer!", as a reason > they don't build any homebrew stuff anymore, but the truth is that it > is that it is very easy to build tube gear today - everything is > available online at the flick of a mouse. I think they just don't want > to build - which is fine. Why do they need an excuse? > > Steve WD8DAS > > sbjohns...@aol.com > http://www.wd8das.net/ > - > Radio is your best entertainment value. > - > > > -Original Message- > From: alton young > To: Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service > > Sent: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 5:32 pm > Subject: Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby! > > You know when the f.c.c. dumbed down the commercial license and we all > know why ,that amateur radio was not far behind .the people that want > something for nothing is the reason of the state of amateur radio ,The > tech class was a good class for the vhf uhf experimenters and served > its purpose well but i never taught t > he tech test if you could pass you > could get a general and most of the guys upgraded to advanced or extra > given this day and time we live in there is no excuse at all for > someone not upgrading other than just being lazy.I listen each evening > to most of the a.m. spots and dx windows and dont hear as much as i > would like .I wish everyone would at least get a general and use the > spectrum .Good luck.W4BNI > > --- On Thu, 4/23/09, Bob Macklin wrote: > > > From: Bob Macklin > Subject: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby! > To: "AM Radio" > Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009, 6:07 PM > > > Reading the comments about upgrading to EXTRA makes me think about ham > radio has changed over the years. > > I have a collection of ARRL Handbooks ranging from the mid 50's to the > mid 90's and a 2003 edition. > > If you look at the technical articles through the years you can see the > DUMBING down. > > Part of what seems to happened is that the change to solid state design > and construction has made building complex HB projects too difficult or > time consuming for the average hobbyist. Also the availability of some > components is getting difficult or expensive. > > Homebrewing with tube gears was and still is easier than working with > solid state stuff. And I am a retired design EE. > > Bob Macklin > K5MYJ > Kent (Seattle), Wa, > "Real Radios Glow in the Dark" > _ > _ > Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net > AMRadio mailing list > Searchable Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ > List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html > List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio > Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net > To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with > the word unsubscribe in the message body. > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > > > __ > Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net > AMRadio mailing list > Searchable Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ > List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html > List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio > Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net > To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with > the word unsubscribe in the message body. >
Re: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby!
You know when the f.c.c. dumbed down the commercial license and we all know why ,that amateur radio was not far behind .the people that want something for nothing is the reason of the state of amateur radio ,The tech class was a good class for the vhf uhf experimenters and served its purpose well but i never taught the tech test if you could pass you could get a general and most of the guys upgraded to advanced or extra given this day and time we live in there is no excuse at all for someone not upgrading other than just being lazy.I listen each evening to most of the a.m. spots and dx windows and dont hear as much as i would like .I wish everyone would at least get a general and use the spectrum .Good luck.W4BNI --- On Thu, 4/23/09, Bob Macklin wrote: From: Bob Macklin Subject: [AMRadio] State of the Hobby! To: "AM Radio" Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009, 6:07 PM Reading the comments about upgrading to EXTRA makes me think about ham radio has changed over the years. I have a collection of ARRL Handbooks ranging from the mid 50's to the mid 90's and a 2003 edition. If you look at the technical articles through the years you can see the DUMBING down. Part of what seems to happened is that the change to solid state design and construction has made building complex HB projects too difficult or time consuming for the average hobbyist. Also the availability of some components is getting difficult or expensive. Homebrewing with tube gears was and still is easier than working with solid state stuff. And I am a retired design EE. Bob Macklin K5MYJ Kent (Seattle), Wa, "Real Radios Glow in the Dark" __ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[AMRadio] State of the Hobby!
Reading the comments about upgrading to EXTRA makes me think about ham radio has changed over the years. I have a collection of ARRL Handbooks ranging from the mid 50's to the mid 90's and a 2003 edition. If you look at the technical articles through the years you can see the DUMBING down. Part of what seems to happened is that the change to solid state design and construction has made building complex HB projects too difficult or time consuming for the average hobbyist. Also the availability of some components is getting difficult or expensive. Homebrewing with tube gears was and still is easier than working with solid state stuff. And I am a retired design EE. Bob Macklin K5MYJ Kent (Seattle), Wa, "Real Radios Glow in the Dark" __ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
