I am getting gray but I haven't reached the half century point yet. I
was about 2 when Sputnik beeped. As I have felt many times, working
around RF fields seems to keep us - appearing - youthful.
Wireless technology is blending a lot of digital signal processing
with very large scale integration on silicon. Analog electronics and
digital have become blurred in some cases. However, when it gets to
being transmitted or picked up via the antenna, RF is RF. So, even
todays 'wireless' requires good RF engineering. One difference today
is that the manufacturers are making it easier and easier, by
building gain blocks and amplifier pallets which are 50 Ohm in and
out. Just hook up DC and apply drive and a load.
But with tubes, we still have to match and tune and analyze the
currents and dissipations. Maybe this is the part that we are loosing
young people in. Not too much we can do about it, except hope that a
few more will continue to be interested in ham radio, in building or
playing with power amps, and in building antennas, tuners and rigs
and everything else that we love.
I just wrote a letter to the editor of Microwaves and RF, November
issue, in response to an article by Barry Manz titled Power Devices
Stake their Territory. The article summarizes the state of high power
RF with transistors and tubes. Seems to me that the author missed a
few points and also got others wrong. But at least he did address
that high power RF still is in the domain of tubes.
73 and happy new year
John
K5PRO
>Actually, seeing John, K5PRO's picture crystallized something for me. When
>we worry about the survival of ham radio in today's internet world, maybe
>we're often missing the point. With all the wireless technology being
>deployed these days, the relevant part isn't communications per se, but RF
>know-how and hands-on experience.
>
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