God I'm glad times have changed!
There's never been a better time to be a part of this hobby. When I think
back to the early '70s at a time when I was a novice at age 12, it seemed
like we were living (and operating) in the dark ages. The art of equipment
building was on a significant decline, parts that were listed in QST
construction articles were very difficult to obtain and in relation to the
median household income of the times, components were very expensive. A lot
of the magic was really lost.
A transition had been occurring between American and foreign radio
manufacturing and neither product was very good in 1970. American
manufacturers were scaling back on quality in favor of pricing and the JA
manufacturers were just starting to establish traction with radios that had
significant promise, but were crude by today's standards. I have a Yaesu
FR-100B/FL-100B pair from the mid-'60s (the set that appears with JA1MP) and
although they work like new, they're painful to use, especially when you've
been spoiled with modern equipment. Thankfully, Ten Tec managed to survive
through those dark ages and they're now stronger than ever.
In high school, I recall purchasing the majority of my parts through a local
TV repair wholesaler. But they never seemed to have anything I needed.
The guys behind the counter thought they were doing me a favor by selling me
anything -- this was an arrogant *wholesale* shop as in "we don't sell to
just anybody."
The local Allied/Radio Shack? I detested them then -- I still do today.
While many ops complain about parts availability, I have a much easier time
finding parts today for that 1972 QST project or a National HRO restoration.
Sure, the Internet has helped to match buyers with sellers -- sellers who
would otherwise never find buyers, and vice-versa. For new parts, I rarely
need to look past Mouser, Digikey, and Newark.
Look at all the kits available today, particularly for the QRP crowd. And
now that CW is officially "dead," how about the extensive new iambic key
choices we have?
Go back to the days of fighting with my HW-101 and HD-10 keyer? No way.
Paul, W9AC
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