[CW] ARRL MUST GET BETTER

[Brian Carling]

I can't entirely agree with John - see below...

On 8 Mar 2005 at 5:53, John/K4WJ wrote:
 
> If they did print an article on how to "Build Your Own Nine Band QSK
> Transceiver", could you duplicate the PC boards and drill them? Do you
> have the tools to fabricate the chassis? Where are you going to find
> the logic chips for the display board at a reasonable price? Do you
> get quantity discounts on your parts? (I can't run down to the local
> Army & Navy Surplus store and find the parts I need for a construction
> project. In fact I don't think there is a local electronics parts
> store in all of South Florida.)

John,  there are plenty of sources of electronic parts.
Probably more today than 20-30 years ago.
Now they may not be in many retail stores.... because suppliers 
have realized that in today's awful economic climate they
are forced to sell at lower prices than 20-30 years ago yet 
pay more for their overhead.
Therefore many sell on the web, via mail order or through 
other means.

Local electronics parts stores in all of South Florida:

Radio Shack.
Jaco Electronics,  Deerfield Beach, FL
Nu Horizons, Ft. Lauderdale
Electronic Equipment Co. Miami 305.256.9200
Fusion Electronics, Miami
Herman Electronics, Miami  305-477-0063
You can find more Parts and Tools today than you could 
back then. You just have to find out where they are.
Prices are lower now too, thanks to the Asian pressure.
Here is an example of how easy it is to find parts at a 
sensible price.  I can buy logic chips, chassis, PC Board supplies, 
all kinds of tools etc. with NO difficulty.

http://www.af4k.com/Boatanchors_Directory/Parts.htm

Throughout the 1970s there were good articles on decent sized 
projects in Ham Radio, QST etc. so why not now?

Anyway, those larger articles can be published at almost no cost
on the internet, and some guys are doing it already.

http://www.af4k.com/Boatanchors_Directory/Homebrew.htm
(Now those are mostly TUBE projects, but you can find many
"squalid-state" ones too...

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/bldgeqp.html
(of course this is 'MEMBERS ONLY' information, to coerce folks to 
join ARRL.

You could join for a year, download it all and then leave 
I guess, LOL!

http://www.circuitsage.com/

The problem is as Don says, that the ARRL has been dumbing
down amateur radio, and to be honest I don't think it is ALL 
the fault of QST and the League's policies.  Much of it also
has to do with the choices of amateurs and the calibre of the people
coming into the ranks and what they have NOT been taught.
Our education system has been severely dumbed down 
over the past 40 years. We have more information and more
degrees but far less knowledge, oddly!

> I'm no genius but I believe I understand why complicated construction
> articles are lacking in QST, and even in today's ARRL Handbook. It is
> because of what I stated in the above two paragraphs.

I disagree. I just think plenty of parts and articles are out there for 
those who care to make the effort. If the demand goes away so 
does the supply.

It's certainly easier to get service information for your old tube gear 
including  
the old AM-CW rigs these days, and many of us are homebrewing 
them too.

There is even a program out on the web for designing tube radios 
and
making professional looking schematics. TUBEPAD has all the
symbols you need. It even includes additional symbol sets from
the 1930s and from the beautiful RSGB diagrams!

http://www.qsl.net/wd4nka/form.html

It's about the 6th item down the left sidebar.
See you on CW soon...

73 to all and happy homebrewing!