[TenTec] The Near Future

[Gary Hoffman]

Well, this piece is certainly well written, and very entertaining.

73 de Gary, AA2IZ



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <al_lorona at agilent.com>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 1:12 PM
Subject: [TenTec] The Near Future


>
> AN INTERVIEW WITH JACK SPRAT - VICE-PRESIDENT, AMATEUR RADIO SALES,
KENSUCOM, INC.
>
>
> CW Forever magazine caught up with Jack Sprat at his Seattle apartment to
talk about the current state of amateur radio inside Kensucom.
>
> CW Forever:  Thank you for spending a few minutes with us.
>
> Sprat: It's an honor and a pleasure.
>
> CWF: What can you tell us about things?
>
> Sprat: Well, exciting things are happening. We have a new high-end
transceiver that will revolutionize ham radio. We are coming out with a line
of ham "gadgets". And we are finally dropping CW capability from our product
line.
>
> CWF: Did we hear you correctly? Your radios won't have CW any more?
>
> Sprat: It's about time! For more than twenty years, our research has told
us that CW was dying. Use of that mode has steadily decreased, and with the
growth of the World Wide Web we believe that not only will it die, but that
the FCC will actually outlaw it.
>
> CWF: On what grounds?
>
> Sprat: On the grounds that it is a poor use of spectrum. The new digital
modes are much more efficient with bandwidth. We expect that both AM and SSB
will also be phased out for the same reason.
>
> CWF: So, the FCC will only allow those modes that are the most spectrally
efficient to continue? Is that the only criterion applied nowadays to
determine the suitability of a particular mode?
>
> Sprat: You bet. Bandwidth is everything. That's why you have such an
outcry over SSB signals wider than 1.8 kHz. There's no point to it! Guys
doing that are just plain crazy.
>
> CWF: But the CW waveshapes transmitted by Kensucom's transceivers have
been part of the problem. Poor shaping that increases the width of a CW
signal.
>
> Sprat: We always believed that CW operation was never a showstopper for
the typical ham shopping for equipment. There are other things that are far
more... that offer the 'curb appeal' that sells equipment. For example, our
knobs don't wobble. Another example is our screen fonts. Another is the size
of our logo. Things that hams are much more concerned about, and great
differentiators for us.
>
> CWF: But then if what you are proposing comes to pass, that would leave
only... the digital modes.
>
> Sprat: And your point is? Voice communications with digital modulation
have been around for decades.
>
> CWF: It just seems a little totalitarian to restrict the options that your
customers have.
>
> Sprat: One man's totalitarianism is another's socialist paradise. Hams for
years wanted the FCC to take an active role in policing the bands, and hams
are very happy with the result and in fact are clamoring for more government
intrusion. Kensucom would like to share in that intrusion.
>
> CWF: And your plans for AM, FM, and SSB?
>
> Sprat: Eventually, they will go the same way as CW and spark. The 2.4 kHz
taken up by an SSB signal can be recycled for many, many other better uses.
We've already demonstrated the success of a two-way digital voice contact in
a 500 Hz bandwidth.
>
> CWF: But the quality was horrible!
>
> Sprat: Hey, have you ever heard the astronauts? You can barely understand
them, but somehow they tolerate it. Ham radio communications is not about
high fidelity, it's about suffering through distortion. It's about
listener's fatigue. They're *amateurs*. Why do you think up until now our
transceivers have sounded like they do on SSB? And why do you think the CW
waveshapes are the way they are? Besides, how much fidelity do you need to
say, 'How's my signal?', and, 'You're 50 over 9 here tonight.'
>
> CWF: Are you concerned about the declining numbers of hams?
>
> Sprat: Of course we are. That's another trend we've been following
closely. There are two ways to deal with this. The first is to get
competitive with pricing, but why start a price war if you don't have to?
The second is to incorporate features and marketing techniques we've
developed for our consumer market. It's amazing what a few blue LEDs will
do. Same goes for S-meter graphics and a few other tricks.
>
> CWF: What else is in the works?
>
> Sprat: Well, once the number of modes has been reduce to digital
protocols, we believe that we can do away with tuning knobs. Once again, our
research department is right on it. Hams only ever operate on multiples of 1
kHz. Have you ever heard a QSO where one ham insists that the other tune to
exactly 3.9700000000 MHz? You know, 'You're 10 Hz high today. Get on
frequency.' Of course, that will eliminate an important differentiator-- our
low knob wobble, but we are confident that we can fill the void with other
features important to hams. Like the shapes of our buttons.
>
> CWF: You mentioned a new transceiver at the beginning of this interview.
What can you tell us about it?
>
> Sprat: Not too much. You won't know too much until it hits the stores
because we don't publish advance information. However, you can expect a 3
GHz processor with LAN ports, 15-inch color display, and CD-ROM drive.
>
> CWF: But that sounds just like a--
>
> Sprat: --A computer? Wait until you see the built-in TV tuner and MP3
player.
>
> CWF: But no CW.
>
> Sprat: Right.
>
> CWF: And no knob.
>
> Sprat: No knob.
>
> CWF: Is there anything else we should know about?
>
> Sprat: Not really, unless you mean our first 'no-RF' radio. That is, a
radio that puts out packets on the Internet. Amateur radio is really going
on-line. DX with phone lines, instead of humungous antennas. It's the next
big thing.
>
> CWF: Thank you for talking to us.
>
> Sprat: It's been my pleasure.
>
> CWF: I think I need a drink.
>
>
>
>
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