Donald Chester wrote:
I've visited a few SSB'er hamshacks lately and some (not all) are
running amps that are (according to the supposed 'peak-reading'
wattmeters) running 2kW PLUS in output power.
When the FCC changed the power limit, they eliminated the requirement
that used to be in the amateur rules to have on hand accurate
instruments for measuring power, saying modern-day amateurs could use
means other than "accurate measurement" to determine whether or not
they were in compliance.
Has anyone ever figured out what they were talking about, other than
that this was "spin" to fend off arguments that p.e.p. output power is
too difficult for the average amateur to be capable of measuring with
any kind of certainty?
I personally feel, Don, that it was an attempt by the "Awful Racket
Raising League" to get hams to use "other devices" that are what a car
dealer would call a "purchasable option", when buying that new peice of
japanese-air, transistorized radio. That option would be an SWR meter,
with built in wattmeter that, oh by the way, happened to have a
capacitor across the meter circuit to delay the fall time of the meter.
Just as the Novice Enhancement act put more hams on the air, it also
sold more YeaComWoods to the entry level ham radio operators. After the
"Big Three" got greedy and saw that the novice market got flooded pretty
quickly, they lobbied, and legislated CW requirements to be "almost"
non-existant, so they could
(*..... drum roll please......*)
S E L L
M O R E
R A D I O S ! ! !
Get this, y'all... I simply couldn't believe it.
I got into a discussion a while back on SSB (yes, it happens) talking
about antennas, amplifiers and building in general.
Sure enough, at "ID" time, everyone chimed in, and one individual gave
his call, is a rather disgusted, put-out, irritated voice.
I spoke up (I'm not shy!) and said "What's the matter, this stuff boring
you?" HE said "Hell yeah! I don't come turn my radio on to just sit
and listen to all this electronic building crap! I wanna talk about
what's important to ME!"
3.922 - "N5KDZ" (aka "Cedar Creek Bill")
THERE's a 'ham' for ya...
See what dropping requirements has done for us?
---
73 = Best Regards,
-Geoff/W5OMR
