QST's "Getting to Know Your Radio" Column

[W1GFH]

I'm sorry, but I find this a sad state of affairs.:cry:

New QST Column Aims to Take Mystery Out of Modern Ham Gear

A new QST column, "Getting to Know Your Radio" debuts in the April edition of QST. Author and ARRL Product Review Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, says the column "basically talks about what all those knobs do" on modern equipment.

"The idea is to acquaint users with the typical features of modern radios." Hallas says there was a time when radio receivers were pretty easy to understand--in some cases not all that much different from the broadcast set in the kitchen or living room--so most new amateurs could quickly learn their way around the front panel. It's a new world now.

"It's fair to say that modern transceivers have come a long way since the boat anchors of the 1950s and earlier," he says. "Many transceiver makers seem to sell their wares by claiming the most and newest features." As a result, modern ham transceivers can be pretty intimidating, making operation daunting for newcomers and veterans alike.

The first installment of "Getting to Know Your Radio" will cover the now-popular--and common--passband tuning feature. Hallas says a column on audio compression systems is in the works.

[N8YE]

Remember, Qst usually has an "April fool" article. hi
...Steve..N8YE

[W1QWT]

Well let me say this about that.
QST has degenerated into less than a technical publication, in my opinion. I guess QEX picks up the slack but in the olden daze ya didn't need another pub to present things in a physics manner.

However, on the bright side maybe they will do an expose on the "AM" button. Then maybe more people will know what Amplitude Modulation means. Ofcourse I suspect that there are some who press the LSB or USB button don't know really what is happening.

[k4kyv]

I guess QEX picks up the slack but in the olden daze ya didn't need another pub to present things in a physics manner.

More like a ripoff.  QEX evolved from the old "Experimenter's Section" of QST.  You paid your dues, and got the magazine, which included the editorials, product reviews, ads, FCC happenings, articles for beginners and technical articles.  Then someone decided to pull most of the technical articles from QST and put them in another publication that you have to pay extra for.  So the rag is still full of contest drivvel and construction articles on field strength meters and a.c. power line monitors and silly little novelties like qrp cw transmitters built into empty match boxes, but those with technical interests are singled out to pay extra for articles of interest in their speciality.

Recently I heard an old timer pissing and moaning about the fact that  he purchased a life memership sometime back in the 70's, and shortly afterwards, QEX was created.  He felt cheated out of what he thought he had paid for.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Recently I heard an old timer pissing and moaning about the fact that he purchased a life memership sometime back in the 70's, and shortly afterwards, QEX was created. He felt cheated out of what he thought he had paid for.

He paid for a Life Membership to the ARRL not for a life subscription to QST.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I'm sorry, but I find this a sad state of affairs.:cry:

New QST Column Aims to Take Mystery Out of Modern Ham Gear

A new QST column, "Getting to Know Your Radio" debuts in the April edition of QST. Author and ARRL Product Review Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, says the column "basically talks about what all those knobs do" on modern equipment.

"The idea is to acquaint users with the typical features of modern radios." Hallas says there was a time when radio receivers were pretty easy to understand--in some cases not all that much different from the broadcast set in the kitchen or living room--so most new amateurs could quickly learn their way around the front panel. It's a new world now.

"It's fair to say that modern transceivers have come a long way since the boat anchors of the 1950s and earlier," he says. "Many transceiver makers seem to sell their wares by claiming the most and newest features." As a result, modern ham transceivers can be pretty intimidating, making operation daunting for newcomers and veterans alike.

The first installment of "Getting to Know Your Radio" will cover the now-popular--and common--passband tuning feature. Hallas says a column on audio compression systems is in the works.

I don't find this hard to believe. I've been handling quick reference guides and mini-manuals for the last several years so users of new rigs can get more usability, functionality, and a better understanding of all the bells and whistles.  Most of the documentation for the more recent crop of rigs is confusing, difficult to understand, and vague in describing all the features and functions in the rigs. Quite popular, even with some of the members of this board.


 
or this

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Not just anyone can understand these radios. There are crystals and filters and things in there......

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Not just anyone can understand these radios. There are crystals and filters and things in there......

...And the menus and my favorite, " hold down the blue button for no more than 2 seconds and no less than 1 second and press button 1 and button 8 to switch between option A1 and A2 if dial 2 is set to VFO A/B or A/B1 but not A1/B or A1/B1 etc. etc. etc.

[WA1GFZ]

The reason hams don't undersatnd the modern radio is because you can get a license with 3 box tops.
Heck it took real talent to make a radio with a box of tubes. Today the modern LSI integrated circuits make it easy. When was the last time you temperature compensated an oscillator.
QEX is great no wasted pages on crap. The high price should come with a
membership though.  I'm not going to pay twice myself.

[W1UJR]

Costs the League nothing to send QEX as a email, saved in PDF attachement. They could do that for free, and those who want to pay can have the paper copy.

Between you, me and the lamp post, I am more than a bit embarrassed by the League's new funding raising scheme.
This Diamond Club, Maxim Society and other such things leaves some members feeling like second class citizens.

Yes, I understand the League needs money, and despite being a capitalist swine, I find something wrong about the entire process. Reminds me of the way that Congress operates now, the people don't have a real voice when the special interests throw down big bucks.

https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/diamondclub/benefits.html

http://www.arrl.org/development/maxim.html

Do I hear a amen?


.

[WA1GFZ]

AMEN,
I walked into the ARRL on a Saturday in about '72 and was greeted by
Lew McCoy. I was bummed out because I couldn't buy a ferrite rod for
my linear project anywhere. He said hang on and walked into the cage
and came out with one. It was like getting a Christmas gift.
There was a big lab with a little office area.  Yup I joined then.
Years later I visited my cousin Joe and got the cooks tour. I observed
many suits.
Yes running a business takes money but as in today's business positions are generated for plenty of bean counters running up the bill to support the empire.
W1RFL turned the flame up when I suggested PDF. I don't get QST because it generates a big pile of paper filled with small ammounts of useful information. I save QEX but would prefer to have it on CD.
28 years in the same QTH has the basement at critical mass for old books and rags. I try to limit the intake and increase the exhaust.
If the ARRL was smart they would put QST and QEX on CD lower printing costs and lower dues to get more members. It would be another option
to get more members. You want the paper you pay extra.
I suppose the rice box pushers have the bigger vote since they actually pay for printing. Maybe that glossy paper brings in custormers better.
There must be a MBA class on that somewhere.

[Steve W8TOW]

Can you imagine writing a "cheat sheet" users guide for  a boatanchor like a Globe King or home brew tx???
Man it would be two pages long, followed by a warning "Don't put your hands inside when transmitting!"
73 steve

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Can you imagine writing a "cheat sheet" users guide for  a boatanchor like a Globe King or home brew tx???
Man it would be two pages long, followed by a warning "Don't put your hands inside when transmitting!"
73 steve

Probably half a page if you wrote big

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Costs the League nothing to send QEX as a email, saved in PDF attachement. They could do that for free, and those who want to pay can have the paper copy.

Between you, me and the lamp post, I am more than a bit embarrassed by the League's new funding raising scheme.
This Diamond Club, Maxim Society and other such things leaves some members feeling like second class citizens.

It's difficult to generate Ad revenue with a CD. Publications like QST and CQ relieve manufacturers of having to generate their own mass mailings to hawk their products. The publication side of the ARRL house is their major revenue generation to fund all their other activities. Generating monthly CD's or e-mails of the publication(s) would not drive a decent revenue stream. And why put a QEX type section in QST when it's not in the major amateur membership interest.  QST has to appeal to the broader spectrum of the amateur population not to the technical technie, "I need to build complicated widgets every month" type of amateur.

Fund raising is common and an accepted practice in a lot of organizations. I'm not sure why you would feel embarrassed by it. If you feel strongly about the organization, and the work that it does, and want to help additionally with some cash, what's the problem. I take my hat off to people who can afford to do it.

[Glenn K2KL]

.....and switches and chips and stuff!!!

Not just anyone can understand these radios. There are crystals and filters and things in there......

[W1GFH]

Granted, the modern rig's pushbutton menus are complex, but what's the big deal? Transceiver's come with an operating manual - that's where I found the "secrets" of my Icom's controls - with no help from QST.

Oy. If you can't beat the new, dumbed-down ARRL, maybe it's time to join 'em. The following are some ideas I had for future QST articles:

YOUR RIG'S AC CORD - Plugging your transceiver's AC line cord into a wall outlet can be a daunting experience. In this groundbreaking article, noted safety expert W1GFH takes you through the process, step-by-step, and provides helpful, full-color diagrams to show you the 1-2-3 method.

YOUR MICROPHONE - HOW TO USE IT - Which end do you talk into? What's that switch do? Why are all those wires in the cord? Navigating the modern microphone can be scary, but acclaimed microphone expert W1GFH shows you the in's and out's of using your transceiver's mike - PLUS a handy clip-n-save checklist of operating tips.

IS THERE ELECTRICITY IN THIS STUFF? - Celebrated author W1GFH answers the new Extra Class ham's most pressing questions.

BUTTONS - PUSHING TECHNIQUES - Pushing those menu buttons on your rig can be a chore. Now, revered button guru W1GFH walks you through the basic methods for fighting "finger fatigue".

[Pete, WA2CWA]

YOUR RIG'S AC CORD - Plugging your transceiver's AC line cord into a wall outlet can be a daunting experience. In this groundbreaking article, noted safety expert W1GFH takes you through the process, step-by-step, and provides helpful, full-color diagrams to show you the 1-2-3 method.

You should add a section on the perils of using dual fused plugs as found on many boatanchor rigs.

YOUR MICROPHONE - HOW TO USE IT - Which end do you talk into? What's that switch do? Why are all those wires in the cord? Navigating the modern microphone can be scary, but acclaimed microphone expert W1GFH shows you the in's and out's of using your transceiver's mike - PLUS a handy clip-n-save checklist of operating tips.

Make sure you have a section about the 12 button keypad on the back and the several buttons on the top of some microphones.


Should be a good set of articles since not everyone is as smart as a "techie".

[k4kyv]

And why put a QEX type section in QST when it's not in the major amateur membership interest.  QST has to appeal to the broader spectrum of the amateur population not to the technical technie, "I need to build complicated widgets every month" type of amateur.

Experimentation and technical pursuits is one facet of amateur radio.  It used to be the predominant interest.  You could say the same about contesting, DX'ing, repeaters, or any of the major facets, that any one of these appeals to a select group and not a single one is the major interest of the amateur community.  So why is the aspect of amateur radio that happens to be the fundamental essence of the hobby (or service or whatever you want to call it), from its very inception, singled out to be relegated to a separate publication that costs extra?

The last copy of QEX that I saw, a few years ago, was only a dozen or so pages  long, and if I recall correctly, it was published bimonthly.  It would not add tremendously to the size of QST to include that material in the main publication, as indeed they did for decades.  Maybe some of the appliance operators that QST seems to now be geared towards, would find seme topic of interest and might even decide to pursue amateur radio beyond the contest drivvel and which button to push on their ricebox.  

The contest, traffic net and repeater operators get to have their primary interests represented in the magazine, so why do those who have serious interest in the technical aspects of radio have to pay extra money to get articles regarding their primary interest, in a publication from the League to which  they already pay dues?

[W1GFH]

YOUR RIG'S AC CORD - Plugging your transceiver's AC line cord into a wall outlet can be a daunting experience. In this groundbreaking article, noted safety expert W1GFH takes you through the process, step-by-step, and provides helpful, full-color diagrams to show you the 1-2-3 method.

You should add a section on the perils of using dual fused plugs as found on many boatanchor rigs.

YOUR MICROPHONE - HOW TO USE IT - Which end do you talk into? What's that switch do? Why are all those wires in the cord? Navigating the modern microphone can be scary, but acclaimed microphone expert W1GFH shows you the in's and out's of using your transceiver's mike - PLUS a handy clip-n-save checklist of operating tips.

Make sure you have a section about the 12 button keypad on the back and the several buttons on the top of some microphones.

Should be a good set of articles since not everyone is as smart as a "techie".

Pete, I was attempting to be satirical, however my satire obviously failed because it was TOO CLOSE TO ACTUAL REALITY.  

[Pete, WA2CWA]

So why is the aspect of amateur radio that happens to be the fundamental essence of the hobby (or service or whatever you want to call it), from its very inception, singled out to be relegated to a separate publication that costs extra?

Maybe the "fundamental essence" of the majority of the membership has changed. Maybe highly technical articles have little interest and only target a select "techie" group.

I've read several QEX articles in the past and the majority of them are so in depth to "technical beating to death" to the point of nausea, that I find them boring and lose interest quickly.

so why do those who have serious interest in the technical aspects of radio have to pay extra money to get articles regarding their primary interest, in a publication from the League to which they already pay dues?

Could be they are in the minority of the membership. If a greater portion of the membership were thristing or beating on the door for more highly technical articles, maybe more would be written and published in QST. As I said in an earlier post, QST has to appeal to all the member's interests.

And, in my case, highly technical articles, in my stage of life, bore the heck out of me. I don't mind technical articles but some of the QEX articles take it to the extreme.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Pete, I was attempting to be satirical, however my satire obviously failed because it was TOO CLOSE TO ACTUAL REALITY.

Not to worry; here's some past reality:
QST Sept. 1945, How Microphones Work
CQ Mar. 1970 All About Microphones
73 July 1978 Factors in Choosing a Microphone

Can't find anyone in the past writing about line cords in depth. Looks like an untouched topic with lots of possibilities. "We" all take it for granted, the brown ones, black ones, round ones, flat ones, wierd plug ends depending where you are and the voltage, two wire, three wire, single phase, 3 phase, twistlocks, etc. etc. etc.  We need a good indepth line cord article, if not for QST, maybe for ER.

[W1GFH]

Pete, I was attempting to be satirical, however my satire obviously failed because it was TOO CLOSE TO ACTUAL REALITY.

Not to worry; here's some past reality:
QST Sept. 1945, How Microphones Work
CQ Mar. 1970 All About Microphones
73 July 1978 Factors in Choosing a Microphone

Can't find anyone in the past writing about line cords in depth. Looks like an untouched topic with lots of possibilities. "We" all take it for granted, the brown ones, black ones, round ones, flat ones, wierd plug ends depending where you are and the voltage, two wire, three wire, single phase, 3 phase, twistlocks, etc. etc. etc.  We need a good indepth line cord article, if not for QST, maybe for ER.

In defense of my satirical stylings may I point out that my proposed articles were not by any stretch of the imagination in-depth. They concentrated on "how to" plug the modern AC line cord into the wall, or "how to" talk into the right end of the modern ricebox mike....

[Pete, WA2CWA]

They concentrated on "how to" plug the modern AC line cord into the wall, or "how to" talk into the right end of the modern ricebox mike....

Go for it; it's untapped info.

Back when I worked for Lafayette Radio, I sold a stereo system to a married couple. Provided the speaker wire and showed them how to hook up the silver and copper colored speaker wires to the proper terminals on the back of the speakers and the stereo receiver. About 3 hours later, got a call from them wanting to know what to do with the brown cord with the pins on the end that was dangling from the receiver........

Ya never know

[KA1ZGC]

Back when I worked for Lafayette Radio, I sold a stereo system to a married couple. Provided the speaker wire and showed them how to hook up the silver and copper colored speaker wires to the proper terminals on the back of the speakers and the stereo receiver. About 3 hours later, got a call from them wanting to know what to do with the brown cord with the pins on the end that was dangling from the receiver........

Well, don't leave us hanging, Pete! What'd ya tell them?  

--Thom
Kilowatt Amplifier One Zero Grid Current

[WD8BIL]

Maybe highly technical articles have little interest and only target a select "techie" group.

Sad state of affairs when a technical hobby has only "a group" of techies !!!

Ya said a mouthful there pal.