[Amps] The genius of ham radio

[Kimberly Elmore]

I agree with Jim and Roger and take slight issue with Alek. We never do stuff that theory says "won't work." We regularly do stuff that theory says "Won't work well" or at least "won't work optimally." But if we do stuff that theory says "won't work," it doesn't.

The point of this post isn't clear to me. Is it to sing praise to ignorance? If it is, I take strong issue with the premise. If it is to sing praise to dogged detrmination and prgamatism in using theory to make the best of what we have available, then I happily join the choir. I suspect the former.

Yes, it's great to poke fun at the original ideas underlying our understanding of how the world works. The idea of of phlogiston is hilarious. But as those who enjoy doing so get a good laugh, they also need to understand that science is fundamentally self-correcting. Ideas and explanations that do a poor job are cast aside, based on evidence, for those that do a better job. These will be cast aside as our knowledge expands.

The best hams, the most brilliant hams among us, are not ignorant appliance operators but instead those that know the theory behind How Stuff Works well enough to make the stuff they have do the job..

Kim N5OP


On 2015-01-11, at 10:38 PM, Charles Henry wrote:


> The genius of ham radio is that hams are brave and practical enough to look THEORY in the face and then go on with WHAT WORKS.   Also, to listen to Mr. Smith, nod politely, and go on with WHAT WORKS.
> As a lofty appliance operator, I live ham radio by WHAT WORKS, not Mr. Smith or others.
> That is my fun, and thank goodness for the great numbers of inventive, theory-testing/discarding real hams who MAKE IT WORK.
> 73, Charly