[Amps] Why people don't build amps.

Fuqua, Bill L wlfuqu00 at uky.edu
Fri Mar 26 17:59:11 PDT 2010


Maybe it is a lack of a passion to create something original just to do it an in turn you happen to learn something.

73
Bill wa4lav
 
________________________________________
From: amps-bounces at contesting.com [amps-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Alex Eban [alexeban at gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 6:14 PM
To: dd3ly at arcor.de; sub1 at rogerhalstead.com
Cc: amps at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [Amps] Why people don't build amps.

...as I happens, even transcevers are being built today!
G5JXP has done a sterling job with designing a PIC controlled, DDS equipped
and DSP operated with sterling results: the STAR. There are close to 400
built up and running all over the world, everything being home built,
including boards. Everything is commercially available, including board
kits. It a jewel!
Just have a look at the PICaSTAR site on Yahoo.
Soooo, it's not really true! We just got scared from building and QST had us
intoxicated with ultra simplistic equipment, because most of us have become
too lazy to garner what we need and get something done.
Alex    4Z5KS

-----Original Message-----
From: amps-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:amps-bounces at contesting.com] On
Behalf Of dd3ly at arcor.de
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 11:28 PM
To: sub1 at rogerhalstead.com
Cc: amps at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [Amps] Why people don't build amps.

Dear Roger,

the industry of ham radio gear placed such a weird perfectionism in our
brain that we find a home brewed linear amp which has not all knobs
symmetrical arranged and in one line is UGLY! What's really ugly is our
brain. " Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", isn't THAT true? And the
beauty lies in the report I receive from a ham station, which can't see how
UGLY my amp looks like. What really counts is the report I receive and the
signal quality in general, nothing else!

Can you tell me who needs all the knobs and functions of an Yaesu FT-9000, a
Yaesu FT-2000 or a Yaesu FT-1000?????? I could have mentioned radios from
ICOM and Kenwood as well. How can the troops use HF radio without all that
knobs and perfectionistic functions? I rarely use all the knobs of my Yaesu
FT-890, how could I argue (to my wife) to buy a such a super-dooper-perfect
gear when I find that I never ever use more than a small fraction of its
functions, hmmmm???

We still can find all parts to build a nice amplifier and building makes
proud. So many hams have RF-parts collected throughout the last 30 years and
keep them like eyeballs. Men, when you jump into the black box, your wifes
put all these parts into the trash can. So wake up, use these parts or offer
them for a resonable price!

To buy a transceiver of the shelf, a medium sized one, will be OK in my
eyes. But an amplifier is a different story as its complexety is much less.
If you look into these cheap amps like those from Axxxxxxxx for example, you
really SEE and FEEL why one should buy a linear oneself. And finally, why
not building a monoband amp or two monoband amps with cheap tubes and just
one power supply. No band switches, no parasitic resonances, much less
building risk. I see that many hams use their amps just for two bands: 80m
in winter and during night time, 20m for DX. Or you may think of a set of
plug-in coils for all bands. So many ways to go and MOST ways will NEVER be
used by the industry! So if we free our mind, lets use one or the other way.
Who care how UGLY it looks like!

By the way, here is an idea for a perfectionist: Did you ever ask at a
modern mechanics shop which has laser equipment to cut and engrave a front
panel for your homebrewed linear? Why not? If you design it yourself on a
friends PC who has a CAD software... Cutting and engraving isn't THAT
expencive, engineering hours ARE expencive. This way you could have a
professional look too for less money than you might think. Anyway, I have
THAT many gear with dozens of knobs without any engraved indication of its
function. It still works and works.

73 de Andy DH5AK

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