new tech test

[packrat]

Thats really pretty sad.:sad:

PR

 

[Nursecosmo]

I don't think that's sad at all. It is simply the new reality. Telegraphers thought that it was sad when the telephone made them obsolete and all of their training no longer had a purpose. As long as a new Ham knows procedure and protocol, he is ready to go on the air. The guy at the other end of the radio wave can't tell the difference whether or not he built his radio and antenna, or bought it from HRO. If there is ever a time when a new ham feels like he needs to build a piece of equipment, there are plenty of step by step instructions which demonstrate how to do it, whether one understands the theory or not.

As a new Ham myself, I still have much to learn about the theory of electronics and radio propagation. However, I have found in my short time being licensed, that a good number old General, Advanced, and even Extra class elmers don't truly understand the theory behind the procedures which they have picked up over the years. If every ham fully understood radio theory, there would be no point to experimentation and we wouldn't need the tech section in magazines like QST, CQ, etc. Learning the theory behind the the operation of Ham radio is just something which will happen with time.