[Premium-Rx] better receivers.

[w3jn]

Make that a third.

I've learned the hard way that an instrument dependent upon PC control is 
soon obsolete.  The special card (ISA, PCI, etc) that goes in the PC and 
will only talk with certain versions of Windows will render the whole 
instrument useless when it craps out, or you can't buy PCs with <insert bus 
standard here>, or you can't buy that version of Windows anymore, etc.  And 
good luck getting any assistance from the manufacturer.  They plan on 
supporting equipment for a year or two tops.  They can't even purchase 
replacement parts in many cases.

We've had a thread on amfone.net on this subject: 
http://amfone.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3742

In my professional life, I still use receivers that were designed and made 
over 30 years ago, while much newer ones are essentially useless due to the 
proprietary A/D board dying, or the special laptop controller crapping out, 
etc.  Newer/faster/better for a WHILE, to be sure - but I find it 
interesting that receivers getting on 70 years old such as the HRO are 
really yet to be obsolete.  They are still eminently usable, they are easily 
repairable, and they really aren't THAT far behind the most modern DSP pie 
pan box.  No way could I justify spending $500-1000 that will be essentially 
useless in about 5 years - and even if not useless, it would be hopelessly 
overtaken by even newer/faster/better radios.

I learned to hate PC and mouse control of receivers after using the 
Rockwell/Collins 95S controller program.  Wonderful radio if they'd put a 
front panel on it.

73 John

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cecil Acuff" <chacuff at cableone.net>
To: "Michael O'Beirne" <michaelob at tiscali.co.uk>; "Premium-Radio" 
<premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 5:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] better receivers.


>I second Michaels thoughts....I'm a hands on radio guy.  I like lots of 
>knobs, buttons, displays\meters and a large weighted flywheel tuning knob. 
>As long as that is the interface I can live with all the high tech DSP or 
>whatever technology behind the front panel.  The PC based or web based 
>radio interface leaves me cold.  No interest at all!  Of course that's 
>probably not the wave of the future but that's OK I'll just continue to use 
>the best of the old stuff.
>
> Cecil...
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael O'Beirne" <michaelob at tiscali.co.uk>
> To: "Premium-Radio" <premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 3:01 PM
> Subject: [Premium-Rx] better receivers.
>
>
> Evening folks,
>
> I have read some of the recent offerings on newer and better radios.  I am 
> afraid to say, in best Irish manner, include me out of this new mania for 
> radios controlled entirely by the PC. If it hasn't got a robust 19 inch 
> panel, a decent handsome layout, big chunky knobs and, essentially, a 
> super smooth flywheel-weighted tuning knob, then I'm not interested.
>
> I do very much approve of Steve Stutman's thoughts on Swiss ball bearings. 
> You'll find some in the gearbox of the Plessey PR155 (and with incredible 
> skew cut gears as well) and don't think of the cost!!!
>
> No gents, when the radio is reduced to a PC buried deep inside the PC with 
> linear predictive encoded speech (ie some Oriental voice) and Lord knows 
> what else, why bother with HF, cut off the antenna and just use the Web.
>
> For me the fun is the unpredictability of the medium and using super high 
> quality radio in a form that is pleasing to me.  That's why all the awful 
> black rice boxes are best passed by on the other side.
>
> 73s to all,
> Michael O'Beirne
> G8MOB
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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