On 9/29/2010 1:43 AM, Dr. Gerald N. Johnson wrote:
Transmitter intermod performance has gone down since the Collins S-line.
Started by Swan and completed by solid state PAs.
Also:
Useful lifespan of technology went down as intermod went up, often
curtailing production at height of popularity due to shifts at the chip
or display manufacturing level--and rendering rigs virtually
unrepairable while still relatively young.
Digital noise, funky DSP artifacts, general decline in audio quality.
Phase noise.
Features formerly controlled by the primitive yet intuitive knob now
buried in multilayer menus.
Man, I miss the blunt but effective caveman ergonomics of a Corsair II
with a VFO! A, B, and A+B.
Progress is a mixed bag. In terms of economics, I'd agree that you get
way more for less--a chip AF amp is cheaper than a 6V6 and output
transformer, solid state PA is cheaper than a pr of 6146s--and they work
well enough, sort of. Undreamed of functionality is at our fingertips in
today's radios...more than most of us can use. Collins and Drake had
"rejection tuning" and that's about it.
I use a lot of old analog rigs, by preference, for casual enjoyment, and
I design and sell 25-100k$ tube audio gear for crazy rich people
professionally, plus I am a historical archaeologist, but I would never
deny that today's radio equipment is a "much better deal" in many ways.
And more capable in certain aspects.
But it is not better in ALL ways. There are trade-offs.
And there are great and not so great attempts in all eras. Just because
it is NEW or has 10000 memories or a built-in wifi router doesn't mean
it is a really good, satisfying radio. Or hold up in Kilowatt Alley.
As a Ten-Tec fan, I think they will come through with a satisfying and
high performance radio in the Eagle and that might be the most important
thing for what I earlier called "sophisticated users"--and that counts
everybody on this list!! ;op
Nonetheless, I like to see people being nostalgic about the good things
in the old stuff just to promote a sense of perspective about
technological eras, the character of progress, and to maintain some
sense of ham radio memory and tradition....plus old, totally obsolete
radios can be great fun.
That said, I'd rather have an Eagle, sight unseen, than a Swan 350 any
day of the week.
Joe N5KAT
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