[TenTec] TenTec Digest, Vol 156, Issue 4

[Rob Atkinson]

>Our bands are way more crowded than they were back in the 70s, the days of the Triton IV.
>Far more hams have amplifiers than back then.
>Simple crystal filters won't cut it.  They lack the steep skirts of the DSP filters.

I see the complete opposite at least in North America.  The level of
activity on average on HF is much less than it was 40 years ago.  Back
then 160 m. was wall to wall at night.  80 m. cw was jammed.  You
could not find a clear frequency in the evening on 75.   There is a
myth based on the number of licensees but the total includes SKs, VHF
ops, EmComms, paper hams, cyber hams, one day wonder test takers on a
lark, astronauts, XYLs who now operate cell phones, and many other
vestigial hams and when you subtract all of these, you are down to
maybe at most 50,000 operating active HF hams.

Now, even QRMtests on weekends don't take out the whole band like they
used to.  And the sidewalks get rolled up at around 9 p.m.   Tune
around late and there's almost nothing.

I operate mostly now with receivers from the 1940s and 1950s.   No
filters but IF cans.  Maybe a ceramic filter in the 75A-3.  No
problems.   The problem with making and selling a simple set is that
it would be impossible to buy production quantities of parts, assemble
here in the US, and sell at a price competitive with every vintage rig
at any hamfest flea market.  Sit down and make a rough list of needed
parts, go looking on Mouser and other vendors and add up the cost.
add in labor and other overhead and you will quickly see it won't fly.


73

Rob
K5UJ