>> That's a given, but does it make a ham any better at emergency
>> communications?
Yes, I believe it does. The thought processes involved in home brew (and
other activities within the hobby), i.e. creative thinking, problem solving,
and attention to detail all apply to any emergency situation. Not to mention
that having the ability to repair or build your own gear would be very
beneficial. Now I'm not saying that in an emergency situation I could repair
a problem with my FT-100000mp super duper dsp controlled rig. But, if it was
really critical, I might be able to figure out enough about the problem to say
bypass an amplifier section, or enable the rig to put out "some sort of signal
on some frequency"...oh here comes the CW thing again...when all else fails.
Not having homebrew skills doesn't make you less of a ham any more than not
having setup an eme station or tried rtty, or echolink or any other different
aspect of the hobby. On the other hand, having those skills (homebrew, eme,
rtty, echolink....) enhances your ham experiences and ability and makes you a
more rounded operator.
A simple case:
I had a situation during field day a few years ago where the tuning knob on my
rig Kenwood TS-680s circa 1987 froze up, it would not turn, no matter how much
I forced it to. My daughter was somewhat heart broken as she was the
operator. But, i about a minute, she figured out she could use the course
tuning control, and the microphone up-down buttons for fine control. When
the band she was working slowed down and she rotated to another operating
position, I broke out the tool kit and dismantled the kenwood, now mind you
we're in a tent with a small table. No test equipment, and only a few simple
hand tools. After taking about a million screws out, disconnecting the wiring
harness, I had access to the shaft encoder. I ended up pulling the shaft
encoder and taking it apart. It ended up being as simple as dirt and grime
over the years had worked its way in and it bound up. I bit of cleaning and
buffing, and back it went, where it is still working today.
Paul, kg7hf
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 11:58:24 +0000 (GMT)
From: DAVE WHITE <mausoptik@btinternet.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] Linear Amps
To: "Roger \(K8RI\)" <sub1@rogerhalstead.com>
Cc: amps@contesting.com
Message-ID: <269308.83425.qm@web86301.mail.ird.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> <snip>
>
> I think the original point was that there's a difference between those
of us who build stuff (any stuff) and what appears to be a generation of
appliance operators.
>
That's a given, but does it make a ham any better at emergency
communications? Does it the ham a better character?
Amateur Radio is a diverse hobby/service with a vast array of
capabilities and services to offer the community and nation.
?Hi RogerNO! Of course not. I merely said that there's a DIFFERENCE. I think
it's one of mindset. No implication of home brewersbeing superbeings or of
superior character was intended! :-) That would be a ridiculous
statement!Hats
off to the folks who handle emergency traffic. cheersDave
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