[Milsurplus] 20 Years into the Future

[J Forster]

[snip..snip..snip]

I don't think the internet, valuable as it is, as a communications
MEDIUM,
will ever be a replacement for say, a local bricks & mortar sales
presence,
or a get-together for hobnobbing and touching actual equipment, such as
a hobby show. -Hue

I, for one, don't really care about code. I used to know it (and have a
certificate to prove that) but never bothered to get a ham ticket,
partly because I don't like chatting about weather, antennas, 'rigs',
QSOs, and contests.

I'm a collector of mil gear. I would love to be able to put some of my
radars or other sets on the air, even if just briefly. For example, I'd
just love to see how a full Rebecca-Eureka works. Or chat a bit between
a WS 19 and WS 58. Or even take an APN-1 up in a plane.

My feeling is that ham hacked stuff is essentially worthless, but really
fine examples of sets are well worth preserving. And will continue to
be. I also think that complete sets are much more desirable than bits
and pieces, and have tried to collect complete systems. Finally,
airborne and vehicle stuff is more collectable, because it is more sized
to fit common spaces. I just have no idea where to put that APS-4.......
. Perhaps someone can convince Bill Gates to fund a museum of technology
to preserve this kind of stuff.

One need I've seen throughout my collecting experience has been the lack
of documentation. Until the advent of eBay and the internet, it has been
all but impossible to get comprehensive manuals on all but a very few
common sets. In fact, until 4 or 5 years ago, I never even knew there
were full manuals on an ARC-5. The only thing commonly available were
the Surplus Perversion Manuals. All that has changed.  The wide access
to original documentation was one of my reasons for setting up the
RoyalSignals site (FKA Trackpads). Although it will never be complete,
it is a very good beginning.

The advent of the internet and groups like this one have made possible
the sharing of information and buying/selling/swapping of hardware. This
has benefited the hobby and democratized it by leveling the playing
field. Years ago, it required not only deep pockets, but almost
unlimited time to seek out that elusive BC-xxx. Now you just watch eBay.

I do think that technical competence has declined, partly due to the
integration of electronic equipment and the resources required, but that
is not unique to the electronics industry. You can no longer tinker with
car because of regulation, breed plants because of the resources
required in the DNA techniques, etc. It is all due to the
industrialization of science and technology. Electronics is no
different, and is in many ways actually responsible for this trend, IMO.
The very success of modern electronics has driven the small guy out of
the picture.

...  [Gets stiffly off soap box.]

-John