The Great "Myth" of Ham Radio.

Jay Nation

My 5wpm Extra was painful enough. So I ask myself. Do I now need a No-Code Extra to remain relevant? No matter what I do I'm unskilled and ignorant. Same as it ever was.

SteveM

Burt,

You completely missed the point of the comments above. RadioShack would be bankrupt if it had to rely on the sale of discrete components. That is not where the area of interest lies anymore - breadboarding timer circuits with blinking lights. Heck Gerald has stated that hardware is easy and software is difficult. My guess is he gets by with 1 or 2 hardware engineers; most of his outlay goes to the software-side.

The point is it is ridiculous for hams to be tested on simple hardware components in this day and age. Most technology is the soft form.

SteveM

Burt,

"So you are saying resistors, capacitors, coils, transformers are not a needed knowledge by a RADIO amateur?"

In a word, yes. An amateur does not need that knowledge anymore than he needs to know how operate a computer. However, knowledge of both may come in handy for him one day.

Look, I have a MSEE from Purdue University. I learned all about bridge rectifiers, capacitors, inductors, and transformers at school and still remember quite a bit about them. I haven't utilized that knowledge in decades. I would rather program DSP code for a telecommunications company - way more interesting to me. So, although I was forced to learn the basics about circuits, it really was a lot of effort and resources wasted.

In my opinion it's the same in the ham world. The field is so wide, one cannot possibly know everything. If your idea of fun is not rolling your own 12V power supply, keep looking, you'll find something you like.

Peter K1PGV

@SteveM: You beat me to that reply by one minute, according to the forum!  I couldn't agree more.

@Burt: Do hams need to know about resistors, capacitors, coils, and transformers?  I don't think so...  But, personally, I think all hams should all know C. And at least some Verilog.  But I think that because that's what I know and value.

Understand what I'm saying?

Jim Puryear

Awe heck guys, there have always been naysayers. Just replace a few words in all the negative prose, like “hams” with “horse riders” and “radios” with “horseshoes” – some things never change.

But for a lot of us, we love to feel the edges of technology, rough and smooth, and the exciting ride it brings. No worries, Gerald. To borrow a quote from Benjamin Franklin… “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do.”

de N5TSP

Patrick

I second that emotion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MH_Flexer

Interesting thread. Getting closer to the Sept.... window myself. I take no offense to Mike's comments, just a short reply. Getting started with Amatuer Radio, I cracked the books literally. Now, with the Internet and online technology I can learn from online interactive discussions, and the total wealth of online knowledge. I don't expect to keep up 100% with new developments. I do fully embrace and am amazed that almost anything I want to do has a YouTube video which guarantees success. With over 30 years in product development (electrical / electronics) there is no way development promises (usually forced dates) will all be met. My team always did their best to meet deadlines but the quality of the product was our holy grail. I will gladly take the heat from operations folks rather than push a product out the door.

Dave - W6OVP

Ho Hum. What is this silly blog doing at this site? It has absolutely nothing to do with my FLEX radios. And when it comes to opinions you know what they say ... everybody has one.

I stand in awe of many of ham club members here, both for their technical prowess and their success in life. And I note that the last 2 Nobel Prize winners in Physics were active hams, and holders of the PhD in Physics.

The writer who began this post needs to take a handful of Tums and turn on his radio and play. There is a world of fascinating technically competent people to talk to. The glass is half full.

Bob-N9MBR

Chase some DX and get over it...Live is too short.

Jay -- N0FB

PETRUCHIO
Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon!

KATHARINA 
The moon! the sun: it is not moonlight now.

PETRUCHIO 
I say it is the moon that shines so bright.

KATHARINA 
I know it is the sun that shines so bright.

:-)

Bob-N9MBR

No it is a reason to go play radio now.Because you never know when your hour glass will run out. And you send out your last QSL Card.

Have a Great Day and Go Play Radio.

Patrick

NO, but one is lucky if they have an understanding wife....

Bob-N9MBR

Nope. Hence the words Play Radio. It is a hobby not a life style.

Jim Gilliam

As a 75 year old, where **** doesn't work, my kids have moved out, my wife is gone, I beg to differ. It is a way of life because it's all I've got.

W5XZ - dan

Mike, are you 'The Dawg' from yesteryear??  "WA4 DYNAMITE" ( w reverb ) ??

just curious, W5XZ, dan

George Salinas

Oh yea I remember WA4D. Cq Cq 40 meters. No lids no space cadets please. Cq Cq 40 meters. Thanks for the memories Dan. KD4FJ George