[CW] ARRL MUST GET BETTER

[Rich Dailey, N8UX.]

>Have you tried procuring parts for electronic projects?  Would you like to 
>see an article on building your own 9 band QSK transceiver? The article 
>would be so long that they would probably have to stretch it out over 
>several months, sort of like they had to do with Maxwell's article, 
>Reflections. By the way, how many of us read all of the "Reflections" 
>installments. Do you currently own a copy of "Reflections" or "Reflections II"?

Several years back I wrote a two part article for a popular qrp publication 
that listed
Maxwell's "Reflections" as a recommended reference.  I was quite surprised 
and pleased
to receive a dozen of emails thanking me for pointing them to it,  and that 
they picked up a copy,
or downloaded it.  They were ALL what we would call newbies.  It somewhat 
realigned my
take on the hobby... not much, but a lil.  I wonder if ARRL would accept it 
- it has things like
schematics in it.


>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?

Here's how I do it -
http://www.fullnet.com/u/tomg/gooteepc.htm


>  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.)

Here's where I get parts.  Like the old George Carlin joke goes,  if you 
want to get
parts locally, you'll have to go somewhere else -
http://www.mouser.com/
http://www.digikey.com/
http://www.danssmallpartsandkits.net/
http://www.oselectronics.com/
http://partsandkits.com/index.asp
http://www.goldmine-elec.com/default.htm


>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.

QST certainly is not what it was twenty, thirty years ago,  but neither is 
Amateur Radio,
or todays operator.  I do not like it. But it doesn't keep me from enjoying 
the hobby the way I want to,
and that revolves primarily around CW.  I look at the inevitable qrm as a 
challenge for
my interference reducing techniques.  Bring. It. On. (insert picture of 
thumb-on-top-of-clenched-
fist here).  Lemonade from lemons, I suppose.

I am encouraged,  and I do hear chatter on 2m repeaters,  of guys who were
"forced" to take the code test,  only to discover a year or two down the 
road that
they actually enjoy it.

tu de Rich
N8UX/4