[Amps] Decline of homebrewing?

[qrv at kd4e.com]

Storytime continues ...

When I worked in a Heathkit store the policy was that a newbie
had to buy and build a simple kit, then bring it in for inspection.

IF they showed evidence of competence to solder we'd agree to
sell them a slightly higher-complexity kit.

If you sold them a higher-level kit, and they botched it, you
would be responsible (on your own time) to resolder it for them.

Why?

Someone failed to do this and allowed the the overly-empathetic
mother of a detail-challenged child to buy a color tv kit for
Christmas. His very first kit.

One day she brought it back to the store, assembled but not working.
A quick inspection revealed evidence of cold solder joints, later
to prove to be hundreds (thousands?) of them.

A very unsanctified repair technician was required, by the store
manager, to resolder every connection and test each board so that
her little Johnny could have his "self-assembled" color tv.

The manager knew her to have lots of friends in the community (and
I suspect he was the one who sold it to her in the first place),
thus he didn't want to say no to her, but she did have to pay the
tech's hourly rate (for a couple of hours every day after his
regular shift until the entire mess was cleaned up).

The young man was very proud the day they picked it up - his
momma never informed him just how expensive that tv proved to be.

And that, my friends, is why jumping too far ahead of your skill
set can be a really bad idea.

73, David KD4E

> My point is that one shouldn't take for granted, as I did, the
> importance of experience and practice in developing homebrewing
> skills, even for very simple projects. 73, Jim W8ZR