[HCARC] Fw: Linearity - What Does It Mean

[Kerry Sandstrom]

Gary,

I believe the manufacturers/advertisers do know what they are doing.  In 
many cases they are deliberately using unusual or new terms to hide that 
their equipment really doesn't do anything that any one elses does.  Their 
goal is to convince you to buy their latest equipment because it is so much 
better than anything else around whether it is or not.  You should have 
sensed there are a few people on this site who aren't happy about it.  The 
goal of the manufacturers is to sell you something whether you need it or 
not.  Many of the so called improvements are there because it is easier and 
cheaper for the manufacturers to do it that way.  The classic case is 
Touch-Tone telephones.  The phone company switched to tones on their long 
distance lines many years ago.  When you made a call using the old pulse 
dialing scheme, the system had to convert those pulses to tones.  Touch-Tone 
saved the phone company tons of money, yet we had to pay extra for a 
Touch-Tone phone!  If you think we have synthesized rigs and digital 
readouts because the manufacturers care about us, guess again.  We've got 
those things because the manufacturers can make more money with them.

By the way, the current version of the ARRL is a big part of the problem. 
They get most of their income from advertising in QST.  I don't believe they 
have any interest in helping us.

Ham radio should be fun-not expensive.  You have to be a smart consumer. 
You have to be able to analyze every claim.  Unfortunately its no different 
than buying a car or a house or a computer.  This is exactly why so many 
have said just get on the radio, any radio, and see what you like and what 
you don't like, what you want to do and what you don't care about.  You need 
experience to decide what you really want and the only way to get experience 
is by doing.

Kerry