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On Thu, Feb 22, 2018 at 9:56 PM, Robert D. Bowers <n4fbz@...> wrote:

I agree totally... although I would argue that it's handy to be able to make your own repairs (especially if they're minor, like broken conductor in a mike cord).? I've known some really good hams who were excellent at emergency communications but who barely passed the license exams and who never really understood what was going on under the cover.

Here's another point (where kit building should be encouraged): when I was first licensed, radios were (still) transitioning from tube to transistor... although most of the new rigs were a hybrid of the two technologies (a couple even more advanced than that).? Things have changed drastically since then... and although I am very technically inclined and into homebrew (when I get that extremely rare thing called free time), there are aspects of the modern radios that I am a bit fuzzy about (I work with state-of-the-art tech too!).? A kit can help with that.? I've had some good times practicing surface-mount soldering while building radios - and when doing it you can't help but learn more about the new stuff.

However...

For me, kit building is to relax and take my mind off of the heavier stuff I work with.? One gripe I do have regarding kit building is people who say "here's the threads, start reading.? You have to learn!"? I'm a doctoral candidate working with x-ray fluorescence and optical spectrometry... I spend hours each day just reading and learning.? So when I ask a question while building a kit... I do NOT want to turn something for fun into something more like what I do as a general rule!?

(A polite and concise answer to a technical question or withholding the assumption that people have stopped learning should be the general rule anyway!)

My two cents worth...

Bob
N4FBZ

On 02/22/2018 11:05 AM, Xcott Craver wrote:

Hi,

There's a Zed thread right now, going about 70 pages, about whether Hams really need electrical knowledge, or should have to demonstrate it for a license.

The short version is most people saying "yes they do and yes they should," but a few have pointed out that they've been able to operate radio equipment for decades, contesting and rag-chewing, without knowing how electronics work.??

For that reason, I wouldn't assume that someone lacking circuit knowledge is unlicensed.? It could be someone who has been operating for years in a less technical capacity and who has now decided to take the plunge into kits---and who in my opinion should be encouraged to do so.

Thanks, Xcott K2CAJ

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