Stephen, I used to feel the same way, having come into Ham radio building and operating my own gear from the ground up and getting my Commercial Radiotelegraph and Radiotelephone licenses passing tests demonstrating that I could draw schematics and block diagrams of equipment from FM transmitters to high-power amplifiers.
But the world has changed (as it *always* does). Back then that level of technical knowledge was required of a radio operator just as anyone seriously planning a road trip in a car in 1905 needed to be a decent mechanic if he/she expected to get far. Nowadays, people operate cars without a clue about what's going on under the hood, and do so quite well, even professionally. Radio communications has seen a similar evolution. I find the messages here very instructive, showing me just how much a transmitter, receiver or transceiver has become a "black box" to many Hams and their challenge is in operating it and integrating it with other equipment. They are today's Hams. Many don't know an analog-to-digital converter from a class AB1 amplifier because they no longer have a need to know to assemble and operate a modern station. They need (and deserve) a different level of information about their rigs that doesn't presume they have an in-depth knowledge of the various circuits and exactly how they work. A fascinating challenge to this writer... Ron AC7AC ----Original Message----- Byron, That's exactly, as you Americans would say, the 'way to go'. I am always a little saddened to read of someone who has a top end transceiver yet who is new to the hobby and probably too does not have a background of short wave listening. I can only imagine how much there is to learn, especially if there is no elmer just around the corner. There's something to be said for the old Soviet licensing system perhaps. If I remember correctly they were licensed as SWL's and had to collect a certain number of QSL cards before being allowed to progress! Or maybe it was the old East Germany that did this, that part of the world anyway. It might be too much, however, to expect to have to prove past ownership of the K1 and K2 before being allowed to buy a K3! Many of us would qualify nevertheless! 73 Stephen G4SJP ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
