[Scan-DC] The demise of the DIY electronics shops

[Andrew Clegg]

<counterpoint>
I've been experimenting with SDR lately, using a USRP B200 board ($675) and GNU Radio software (free). I also grew up in the 70's and 80's, some of the glory days of DIY. In my opinion, today's developments in SDR are every bit as exciting (and maybe more so) than the old days of building kits. The things you can do with an SDR board and just a little programming skill are absolutely astonishing. Plus, if you learn some of these programming and DSP skills, they are very valuable as a career skill in the technical fields.
Below is a link to a YouTube video showing a very few of the many capabilities of the B200.
USRP B200: Exploring the Wireless Worldhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cygDXeZaiOM
73 de W4JE (another fat, old, (but not grey) white-guy ham)
</counterpoint>

> Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 20:35:11 -0400
> From: danesgs1 at gmail.com
> To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [Scan-DC] The demise of the DIY electronics shops
> 
> I was the service manger of Heathkit as I worked 1982-1992 ( the Glory
> years) of DIY electronics. It comes as no surprise we are the dinosaur
> generation for that type of thing. Back then we sent people to radio shack
> for common stuff, connectors, simple kits, Radio Shack sent them to us for
> batteries, LOL. It was all good !!!! People built their own prototypes of
> stuff later to be used in various ways. I have written the history of
> Heathkit during this time. If you will really were looking for something
> "out there" You went to EEB in Falls Church. This was a time of Tom
> Knitel's " Secret Government frequency's" books put out by CRB research.
> Long before RS came out with their books on sectional areas called " Police
> Call books". It was a gas cause everything was analog then and could be
> heard on the air. With the internet everything changed so People starting
> RR, and or other sites had all that info online. But during the days before
> this EVERYTHING as up for grabs. The FBI was playing with DES encryption
> but mostly could be heard. All the WHCA folks were downlinking off 415.700
> Navsats etc. One of our techs had a car phone on 465.XXX or 462. XXX, The
> internet was years away yet. The companies made it a habit of offering
> discreet components for hobbyist long before SMT tech came about, You could
> build teletype and wefax stations in your home. Today everything is SDR.
> Yes if you tried to explain this to kids today they would laugh at you, sad
> as we had a lot of fun back then.
> 
> 
> KJ4DE
> 
> -- 
> "I seek not to know all the answers, but to understand the questions"
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