[MRCG] [MRCA] Additional thought on Dayton Hamvention & Otherthings

[Mark J. Blair]

I have a different view on modern newfangled surface mount stuff. I agree that repairing it is less accessible to hobbyists, simply because it's often a lot more complex than older stuff and schematic diagrams are shared less often, leading to a choice between discarding and replacing the whole thing vs. a tricky reverse engineering job. The former is usually the better economical choice for any consumer gear, leaving the latter to very dedicated enthusiasts. But what are we, if not very dedicated enthusiasts!

I don't agree that it *can't* be repaired. Surface mount soldering requires different tools and techniques than working on a tube radio with point to point wiring, or a through-hole PCB from the 0.1" pitch era. But it *is* approachable at the hobbyist level. Lots of hobbyists do it. Lots of hobbyists design their own PCBs using surface mount components, and that's cheaper and easier and faster than ever before. The recurring theme of surface mount being too hard is nothing more than a mental block. If you don't want to mess with the stuff, that's fine. But if you do want to, you can learn how. I do it all the time, both at home and in my day job. I'd be happy to discuss how to get into that with anybody who wants to learn.

Personally, my military radio collecting interests span the whole range of WW2 to as close to current day as I can legally get my hands on and afford to buy. I'm just as excited about an ART-13 as I am about a SINCGARS. I'd very much love to see the modern gear get more attention in the context of MRCG. I know that there are lots of MRCG folks who don't share my enthusiasm for the modern gear, though. I'd be open to the idea of adding a new MRCG mailing list for collectors of gear newer than some arbitrary date, so that MRCG members can choose to participate in either or both lists based on their preferences.

-- 
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/