[Amps] Sad State of the Hobby

[Steve Wright]

On 19/01/18 16:08, Lee Bahr wrote:
> [....]  I did a search at the ARRL web site and they have a 1000 watt
> amp article in their QEX magazine but that was way back around 2002 or
> so.  OLD TECHNOLOGY! What is this?  Nothing for 15 years?  I knew the
> ARRL was falling behind in their technical articles but 15 years with
> no amp construction article?

No single website or organisation is going to keep up with the huge
velocity of advancing technical state-of-the-art.  I can't imagine where
that might have ever happened.  There is little or no point for them
even trying to do that - lest they fill their site with huge amounts of
work and have it turn to obsolete junk.

> [....]  Guys can't even build their own dipoles anymore. [.....]  Even
> on this reflector I can't remember any talk about modern day amps and
> how to build one using the newly offered high powered FETs.

I can't imagine for a second that people won't build a dipole.  I am
particularly baffled about the fixation on people BUYING a simple
dipole, or other daftly simple antenna.  In the end people come to the
hobby to do what they want, and they dont want to build stuff then so be
it.  HOWEVER, when THOSE people buy into positions of leadership, that
really irks me - people who don't know shit, don't DO shit - and they
stand up and talk a lot and wreck the hobby.

As for this list, it does have it's little moments of brilliance and
once ignited it does glow very brightly across a broad spectrum of
color-temperatures, and I'm very grateful for it.  There are some very
clever, diverse, and a few very wonderful people here..


Steve
ZL1BHD