[TowerTalk] FCP vs On ground.txt

[W7TMT - Patrick]

Jim et al,

I think what is frequently overlooked when exchanges like this pop up is the reality that many of us face. Lack of space and other resources are often the overriding factors rather than lack of interest in the technology. One can model an antenna using the latest and greatest software but in the end it is of little use if you lack the resources to install it.

Don't have the space for the perfect 120 radial on/in ground system or the elevated equivalent? Then an FCP or any other compromise option becomes the reality. Some of use do the best we can with what we have. When I was first licensed 60 years ago that seemed to be well understood. Now with everything needing to be 'modeled to death' it seems it is often forgotten.

Reminds me of the recent report from The Warton School where a professor surveyed her students and asked what they thought the average income of the typical American family was. The students put in in the six figure territory rather than the reality of $46,000 USD. Of course given that the budget for a first year MBA student at Wharton is listed as a bit over $115,000 USD I suppose the students able to sit in that classrooms might have a disconnect with the real world.

Jim, I remember the first time I read any of your writing some years ago and it was the article about all the various compromise antennas you had up at your Chicago QTH. Yes, you installed them following the best practices as you understood them at the time but as you noted throughout that piece, they were often compromises, yet you were encouraging others not to let the compromise aspect stand in the way. Also, as noted in your "Working 160 from a Small Lot" presentation you advise "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good".  For many of us that mantra is what keeps us on the air.

I think sometimes comments like the one that triggered this thread are not meant as disrespecting or ignoring technology but rather just a reflection of the realities many of us face. We put up what we can, get on the air, and work what we can. I'm guessing most of us feel pretty proud of the accomplishment's achieved with our limited resources. That seems like an important part of the experience and in the true spirit of Amateur Radio. No doubt there's an app for determining if that's true.

73,
Patrick, W7TMT



-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2022 11:48
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] FCP vs On ground.txt

On 1/21/2022 11:19 AM, David Gilbert wrote:
> Thankfully for any of us that actually consider ham radio to be a 
> technical hobby instead of just a wireless chat room, not everyone 
> here shares your perspective.

YES!  Much of the ARRL Handbook is tutorial material. Indeed, I'd wager that most if not all of the teams that have put us in space first learned electronics and radio from the Handbook.

And most of what I post online is aimed at helping folks learn. The disappointing thing is when I do that, questioners seem to post new questions suggesting they didn't bother to study either what I (or
others) had written on the reflector, or what I'd posted links to on my website, some of which I'd spent weeks or months learning and writing about.

73, Jim K9YC



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