[Elecraft] Re: Wording

Tue Jan 29 08:46:10 2002

What a shame that some of you guys don't take more pride in your kit
building.!  I agree, it is NOT homebrewing.  But I've had many people look
at the guts of my K2 and remark, "What a beautiful job of building!"  If
it's truly "mindless," "menial," etc., everyone would be doing it.

At least I, for one, take pride in the job I did building my K2.  I don't
even mind admitting that Gary had to run down one problem for me before it
worked.  I feel sorry for those of you who are missing the feeling of pride
in building and using this great little radio.  I guess your only feeling of
accomplishment is that you saved a couple hundred bucks, vs. a factory-built
rig,  in exchange for your 40 hours of labor at... hmmm.... that comes to
$5.00/hour.  You work very cheap if money was your only reward!  I hope your
time was worth that much.

And you don't really need to flame me... I'm just yankin' your collective
chains.

73... Ed, W5EJ

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 4:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: Wording

> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > there is a BIG difference between homebrew and kitbuilt.
>
> I agree.  To say that any kit rig is home brew, unless you are also the
> designer of that rig, is to assume without merit 99 percent of the glory
> for one percent of the effort.
>
> I've homebrewed stuff since the 1960s, and I've built kits for 25 years
> (Heathkits, and seven QRP kits in the last three years).  Actually
> building a kit is the most mindless and menial part of the whole
> process.  The design and production of the kit package, coupled with the
> great amount of effort required to produce instructions with which
> potentially minimally skilled individuals may have a reasonable chance
> of success,  represent the real achievement.  When I look at my K1 and
> accessories, I see *my* effort that I put in building the set as work
> that would have been performed as below-minimum-wage work.   It could
> been performed more quickly, reliably, and economically by machine, for
> the most part.
>
> No kit can honestly be claimed as homebrew by anyone other than the few
> who were responsible for its design and production.
>
> IMO, of course :-) .
>
> Mike / KK5F
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