Well, I can't stay quiet.
Having been both a manufacturer (6 years) and consumer 45 years) of ham
equipment, I have at least some qualifications to speak.
Just look at all these reflector comments of the ARRL reviews... and
justification (or lack...mostly lack) thereof given by most commenting.
The ARRL (like them or not) knows their audience. They know that from 2000
hams, they'll get 14,872 different opinions, depending on the time of day and
which day asked. Most, sadly will be negative! Regardless of subject.
Just who is qualified to judge these ham's opinions? No one because they are
just that...opinions, which seldom have little basis in fact. How may hams
today have actually "melted solder" let alone built a kit? How may have
built "from scratch" a design from one of the many books? How many have
actually designed from scratch a receiver or transceiver?
How many have bought a basic and simple dipole antenna rather than making
their own?
Where did we get the info to find and buy these items? Mostly magazines.
BUT, we're all hams, this is a hobby, and I for one appreciate a review that
at least tells me what features are to be found in a piece of equipment and
at least some technical theory of operations.
By passing the FCC exam to get a license, I'm supposed to have enough
knowledge to figure out if a manufacturer's claimed "300 watt tuner" will
actually handle 300 watts key down in what modes. If I try to use it on 290
watts AM and burn up my transmitter...shame on me.
"Being nice to the manufacturers who advertise" is common sense reality for
magazines. If it wasn't for these ads, we'd have no magazine to complain
about.
Now anyone want to compare ham equipment technology advances over the past 10
- 20 - 30 - 40 years? It's a nice positive subject... especially when we see
the great strides in design Ten Tec has given us. Love our good ol' U.S.
Technology!
Bill K5BDZ
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