[HBR] Cost Of Homebrewing?

[hbr@mailman.qth.net]

Jim again:
> But suppose you were turned loose in the ARRL lab to build projects for a
> new Handbook. What would *you* design?

Sharyn says "That's a great question -- what would you go for if you 
were nine today?"

I say:  You obviously mean *after* firing the top several officers of the 
League for terminally incorrect attitudes.

Or maybe not -- often such problems improve remarkably after just 
one empty desk.   In any case, the problem isn't in the lab; it's at the 
level of policy -- who they hire for the lab, what they're told to do, how 
much they're given to do it, and so on.   And even more, it's how the 
work is handled and presented:  without an overall campaign, the 
best projects in the world would make only a modest difference.

Once it is accepted in Newington that hams *ought to* build -- each 
according to his or her interests, pocketbook, etc. -- for the good of 
the hobby, and that it's the job of our only large organization to 
promote the health of the hobby in this way as well as others, the 
projects I'd want to see are ... 

1.  A modest number of receivers and transmitters -- say five or eight 
total.   I'd start with a description of each, in terms of complexity and 
general function rather than with the circuit diagram of something that 
already exists.  Put the 'specs' out for suggestions, in the form of 
contributed QST reader designs.   Publish the articles there and give 
modest prizes for the best.   Run all the contests for six month 
intervals over a few year period, then extend the period for 
subsequent rounds.  

The goal is that each project evolve into the best possible set of its 
type.

For receivers the specs would start with a single band regenerative 
receiver (or plug in coils) with no more than a couple of active devices 
and extend to a no-holds-barred HF receiver.   Of course since a 
stated purpose of the contest would be projects that other hams 
could replicate, you could lose points for a set of excessive cost or 
complexity, use of rare parts, and so on.

One project of each kind (receiver and transmitter) would be a 
vacuum tube design of moderate complexity -- there are some people 
who would be turned on to building *just* by the idea of building a 
vintage station.   Some of them are on this list, but there are many, 
many others who would do so if the design was well worked out, 
parts were available, and so on.

ARRL owns all rights to the winning projects and can use them as is, 
improve them, ignore them ...  The best wind up in the handbook, 
where the write-ups go stage-by-stage, explaining how they work.

2.  A set of basic shack accessories.   Same deal.

3.  A couple of linear amps -- a small one for the QRP  transmitters; 
something in the legal limit range.  

4.  Antennas.   

The ARRL could furnish project circuit boards and/or artwork; they 
could encourage others to furnish kits of parts for the handbook 
projects. 

In addition I'd include a couple of chapters on commercial kits.   
Basic approach to kitbuilding, kinds of kits (from Heathkit-like, down 
to a circuit diagram and sandwich bag of parts) ...  Comprehensive 
listings of what's out there plus no-punches-pulled evaluations ... 
"The Elcraft K2 In The ARRL Lab."    Free advertising for the good 
guys, serious incentive to improve for the others.   

It ain't gonna happen because the way the League is organized, 
management is pretty much guaranteed to be good-ol'boy old farts 
who let an executive director run the show.   We have the ideal ARRL 
for the 1920's and 1930's.

Walt 
KJ4KV