Are there any radios that are user serviceable other than the
antiques? If I am in the middle of nowhere and my radio quits
then what?
A question I have been pondering lately too.
Many of the "can't live without" features that newer rigs have can only
be had using large scale integration. Which generally means static
sensitive devices, or devices too expensive to have a complete stock of,
or too difficult to change out, if you could figure out which one needs
changing. If it breaks it often makes more sense to just buy a new rig
and not waste money/effort trying to fix the broken rig that is only a
few years old. Of course that is not an option if you are in the middle
of nowhere, and you want to get on the air before the next supply drop
comes.
Yet many of those features we really CAN live without. I'm not arguing
that you could be seriously competitive in a multiband contest without a
bunch of neat features. For simply enjoying a QSO, or having basic
communications in a disaster, I can't think of anything that cannot be
accomplished with tubes or discrete semiconductors. Maybe a good idea to
have at least one really basic, yet high quality rig on hand, even if
you also have rigs with the "can't live without" features.
I don't suppose there is a big enough market to support Ten-Tec or
anyone else coming out with this kind of basic rig (other than in QRP
versions). Would be neat though.
DE N6KB
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