[Lowfer] Lowfer Final Transistors-Switching Time

JD listread at oswegoblade.com
Thu Aug 5 15:40:27 EDT 2010


>>>Now all you have to do is enter the part number on Google and it will 
>>>likely come up with the data sheet.>>>

Sometimes for a substantial price, though. :-D  But like I say, I'm not 
arguing against the Internet the way Jay seemed to characterize it.  I think 
it's a valuable tool ALONG WITH other media.  To think of it being the 
be-all and end-all of communication tools is what I consider a short-sighted 
view.

>>>Also, a lot of people have put up things on websites that possibly would 
>>>not have made it into LOWDOWN.>>>

Very true.  Some of those things probably shouldn't even make it onto the 
Web, either.  :-)  But the thing is, of course there will be more things 
written than we could possibly use--things that certainly do merit sharing 
with others, but where there's not always the time, space, or interest among 
all the possible readers.  The kind of chat that goes on in this reflector 
would fill reams of paper and wouldn't be practical to print in anything 
like its original form, for example.  That's exactly why there ALSO need to 
be more tools than just print publications alone.  Nobody denies that.

But still, there's nothing like having a central clearing house that 
distributes the cream of the crop, by various means, and makes it available 
to everyone over the long haul.  It takes more than just individual effort 
to do that.  Not that this should replace what people want to do on their 
own, individually, but it ought to be part of the mix!

>>>I do wonder what happened to people like Lyle Kohler. Did they just get 
>>>burned out and give up?>>>

I can give you the short answer from direct communication with many such 
individuals in the hobby:  yes, although there are varying circumstances as 
well.

Many people reach the limit of what they feel they'll ever accomplish, 
regardless of additional effort.  That's why I burned out on beaconing from 
my old QTH in Georgia; but circumstances change and sometimes the same 
people become active again later, as I am doing.  Others found new avenues 
to explore with ham and/or Experimental Service licenses, and that revives 
their interests in a little different direction.  But not always.

Other times it's not so much a case of burn-out as it is a question of 
finding other interests to occupy your time as you get older,and your 
priorities shift.  Rick Wright tried his hand at LF again after retiring and 
moving to another state, but found astronomy a more gratifying pursuit for 
him.  (Gratification is not automatically a bad word, remember.)  Jim 
Erickson was one who continued to play with low power transmitters after he 
left LowFERing, but shifted his interests to broadcasting within his little 
community.

And of course, that getting older business sometimes plays into matters 
directly.  I've lost count of how many one-time stalwarts of the hobby (Ken, 
Vince, Brice, Herb, Lewis, Jim and on and on) have become silent keys over 
the past 15 years...undoubtedly more than we have heard about.

Today, people are accustomed to living on what I call "Internet 
time"--whatever is on the screen right now is real, but otherwise, it's 
never happened or doesn't concern me.  That makes the Internet a better 
mass-market tool than it does a special interest tool, because you only find 
what you know to search for in the first place.  Potential newcomers to a 
hobby will only find it if there is some sort of continuity...ideally, an 
easily found core place that serves as a springboard for exploration into 
that hobby.

Providing a foundation for that continuity is how I see my mission.  Mock it 
if you will, call it old fashioned, but I believe such continuity is still 
essential. 


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