The AM Forum

Who knew after reading the ON4UN Low Band DXing Book that the concept is over 80 years old? Certain contributors would have you think they developed it ::)

http://www.google.com/patents/US1677956

Carl

Hams are always trying to pat themselves on the back.

Or, re-invent the wheel, like that bubba in east TN selling the cage antennas. He even has the audacity of trying to patent it, when the cage antenna has been around since before teh Titanic. K4POZ GAVE me a drawing of a cage he built in 1963. One of those projects I will get to one day.

(Temporary thread drift)  Cage dipole ...

I once thought that the ultimate multiband antenna would be  a cage dipole fed with OWL.  I modeled it at 125 feet end to end, with 6 wires, beginning with 2 foot diameter near the feedpoint, then widening to 6 feet close to the ends, expecting great gains in bandwidth - and less reactance - but the increase was less than expected.  I guess you must really increase L/D before you see the bandwidth - imagine a 45 degree biconical fed with OWL ...

Chris

Imagine the structure required to support it!  Especially at any large height.

It is interesting how hams build a project and think they have invented the wheel and throw their name all over it. To date since 1965 I've yet to see a ham invent anything new. 

Not true, they just did not put that they were hams in the patent applications or it the developments were classified by the government.

or if they are employed by a research university or corporation they are required to have their inventions in the employers name.

I'm not talking about work I'm talking about the hobby

How about the Slimeatron?

What new things were created in the hobby before 1965?

Dave,
That is 1.
HUZ, before 1965 I wasn't on the air.

OK, know what you mean.  How about Art Collins, first SSB transceiver, although made for the Air Force.    That was before 1965 though.

SSB was invented in 1915 and a patent issued 1923 (John Carson of AT&T). It's highly unlikely that Art Collins built the first SSB transceiver and even if he did, it was a commercial/military venture.

http://www.google.com/patents/US1449382

Microwave Parametric Amplifier by Sam Harris, W1FZJ, around 1959-60 in his home lab and used for the first ham EME contact. Later became a commercial product after he refined it during his day job as Chief Engineer of Microwave Associates.

Gary, W7FG had something very similar up from Bartlesville, OK. Coax fed, IIRC. He reported it did cover the entire 80 meter band with a respectable VSWR...he called it his sausage antenna.

I use a coax-fed fan dipole on 160, two wires, end wires spaced about 5 feet. Good improvement in bandwidth.

Bill

At least one patents for a microwave parametric amps predate this - 1958 and the concept for a parametric amp was published as early as 1957.

The parametric amp dates back to the same years as SSB over in Germany and Alexanderson took it another step in 1916.

Lots of patents go nowhere, the one from Harris and MA were the first operational ones that started a new industry.

The point remains, nothing new came out of ham radio.

Hams invented radio astronomy and discovered that short waves propagated via the ionosphere.

The point remains a ham invented the first operational microwave paramp....period.

I think hams found short wave a few years before 1965.

Let's get this all straight..Hams have always been adept at engineering, not necessarily at inventing. Engineering=Solving problems. Sometimes in an nontraditional way.

I know of a great many cases where hams have shown excellence at engineering. I have worked with them. There may be a number of you here participating in this forum.

For example, there was the W9 that invented the quad amtenna, for high powered HCJB radio in Ecuador, whose SWBC antennas were "corona-ing" themselves to death because of the high power and the altitude. He didn't invent antennas, but he solved a problem with engineering expertise and 'invented' the Quad.

And, what about the contributions of guys like Walt?

The days of a solitary genius experimenter coming up with a brilliant idea are long over, with regard to hams and others. Even Edison had a paid staff to do his experimentation.


Bill

Exactly. And that's why hams have not created anything new  of significance (maybe ever), but most certainly for a long time - despite those from a parallel universe who claim otherwise. It's all nonsense.