[Milsurplus] W2NSD - OT

[D C Macdonald]

Robotic manufacturing makes for the graduation to
"replace, not repair" philosophy of current electonic
equipment.  Economically, it is the only way that is
sensible.  $79 color TV sets, etc. are simply not worth
what a competent technician would be paid to repair
them.  It's still a different story for non-consumer stuff.
Government has always bought stuff for the long run,
but even that may be coming to an end with the new
philosophy of buying Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS)
electronics stuff wherever possible.

For a generation of folks raised on the basis of, "Fix
it up, make do, or do without," it's a tough pill to
swallow.

I'm just glad that my days of having to rely on skill to
fix radio equipment for my beer and skittles is coming
to and end soon with retirement within 12 months or
less.

73  ---  Mac, K2GKK/5



----Original Message Follows----
From: antqradio at juno.com
To: RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu
CC: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] W2NSD - OT
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 09:38:21 -0500

Maybe this is a case of waiting long enough and it will come true.

Perhaps not the Russians, yet.  But China and of course Japan have been
coming on strong for decades.  Look around.  Fewer techs graduating or
even interested in electronics.  Since the end of the "Cold War", better
then half of the defence industry has gone away.  All consumer stuff made
off shore, no need to repair any of it since it is cheaper to replace.
Heck. try to find an ASIC, two or three years after a product is
discontinued.

I am afraid we, the members of this and other similar lists, are the sole
keepers of the flame.  I wonder how long it will be before just one of us
is known as the last person to understand, or even care about, hollow
state technology?  Sorry to be the wet rag here, lost my position as an
Electronics Instructor at the local community college.  Lack of a
sufficient number of students to keep the program open.

Who knew that this would be a dead end job?  I'm not yet comfortable
being unemployed.  But I imagine I will grow to accept it.

Buggy whips or wooden shoes, anyone?
Jim

I feel a bit better now, my apologies to the list.

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 09:00:00 -0400 "Ray Fantini"
<RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu> writes:
 > Wow, and I thought all that stuff was true. Think one of my favorite
 > article in one of the early CQ was about how the Soviet Union was
 > training mass amounts of engineers and technicians and how they will
 > soon surpass the west and be the world leaders in science and
technology.
 > Ray Fantini KA3EKH
 >
 > Yes, good ol' Wayne/W2NSD ... He knows everything.  Just ask him if
 > he
 > does!
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