[Elecraft] The Technical Side of Ham Radio

[Jim Brown]

Hi Chris,

I have one. It is fine for looking at harmonics and standard IMD tests, 
but the ANAN 10e runs rings around it for spectrum analysis, and for 
$500 less. So does the VNWA for gain measurements, and for half the 
cost.  Major limitation is that the frequency resolution isn't nearly 
fine enough to look at occupied bandwidth of ham gear. That's why I've 
been using P3/SVGA to look at ham rigs. Bottom line -- I wouldn't buy it 
again.

73, Jim K9YC

On Fri,10/30/2015 6:10 AM, Chris Hallinan wrote:
> Glad you keep posting, I keep learning.  Can I ask, off list, what you
> think of this?  It's on my "wish list" at amazon.  For my money, it
> looks pretty good.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CLWJA38/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl
>
> 73,
>
> K1AY
> Chris in Punta Gorda, FL
>
> On Fri, Oct 30, 2015 at 2:39 AM, Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:
>> Ham radio is a hobby for those who are willing to learn about how radio
>> works. To obtain a license, we must pass a test that shows we know the
>> fundamentals of radio and electronics. Some don't bother to do that, but
>> instead cram by memorizing answers to a lot multiple guess questions. I view
>> that as cheating. If they don't know anything when they're done, that's
>> their own fault.
>>
>> Last I looked, ARRL license study material taught the fundamentals of
>> electronics and radio, and at least a third of the ARRL Handbook is
>> specifically written for those just beginning to learn it. I'd bet that the
>> vast majority of those who put us on the moon, and a generation later a
>> lander on Mars, first learned electronics from the ARRL Handbook!
>>
>> As hams, we are responsible for producing a reasonably clean signal and
>> operating within the FCC Rules. Operators in other services like CB,
>> commercial 2-way, and so on are not permitted to modify equipment, but we
>> are!
>>
>> I also do my best to produce tutorial materials to share what I've learned.
>> I AM an EE, but I also taught for five years (at DeVry in Chicago), and my
>> goal has always been to try to make complicated things easier to understand.
>> Like many OTs on this reflector, I passed my General exam in my first year
>> of high school, and the Extra exam the summer after high school.  All that
>> study (and on air activity) made me want to study EE. :)
>>
>> All of these study materials require STUDY, not casual reading. Some of the
>> concepts take a while to sink in, and with my work on RFI and ferrites, took
>> me a LONG time to figure out. It is a combination of my own research and
>> work with colleagues on the AES Standards Committee's Working Group on EMC.
>>
>> I have some nice test gear, but nothing even close to the $100K range --
>> much of the work I've done on clean transmitters has been with a P3/SVGA,
>> and I'm planning to increase my measurement capabilities next year with one
>> of the new under $1K  ANAN radios. My VNWA cost $769, with shipping and a
>> calibration kit.
>>
>> You don't have to set this stuff up and measure it yourself -- there's
>> plenty of data on my website you can download and study. There's an
>> excellent Power Point, mostly by K6XX, an EE at Elecraft, that shows
>> virtually everything that's been discussed here in the thread on transmitter
>> distortion. I've posted these links several times. There's a summary of ARRL
>> measurements on transmitters that makes it easy to compare them. You and
>> others can learn a lot by downloading and studying them.  I learned a lot by
>> doing the work to prepare them!
>>
>> CAPS added for emphasis. :)
>>
>> 73, Jim K9YC
>>
>> On Thu,10/29/2015 8:35 PM, Rich wrote:
>>> For those of us who do not have 100K in test equipment and a EE,  I am
>>> starting to feel like I should not even get on the air.   I get the concept,
>>> but the best I can do is make good clean connections, do not overdrive my
>>> audio and hope for the best.  I have to have faith in the equipment builders
>>> or find a new hobby.
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to challinan at gmail.com
>
>