25-06-2017, 11:53 AM
I was just readung an article and will quote from it:
"When radios became more complex, with the introduction of SSB and FM, the era of home made gear mostly ended. A decent radio is a significant financial commitment now; it's expensive enough to be a barrier to young folks, and the act of purchasing, rather than building, limits the educational experience."
Personally I find the transistorised circuits a "step up" from your typical mid Fifties valve radio. I was comparing a Hartley oscillator with a triode vs a transistor equivalent. By comparison the triode design was much simpler.
I am a bit off topic here but the article above states that the 1960's students actually built all sorts of gear because circuits were engineered and point soldered. Lots of mistakes were made too. The punchline is I think the interest amongst the general population today has shrunk so much as maybe they feel the digital era is way too complex to relate to. So kids are learning web design and code, rarely making radio equipment. The good news is the vintage scene offers a different perspective. You can even build a transistor radio close to the valve principle (mixer, IF, detector and so on). Sadly, this is not being conveyed to the population so teaching is very theoretical (possibly semi reliant on IT).
It's the same with mechanical engineering. All the old Kelvin, BMC and Perkins boat diesels can be worked on but modern car engines are computerised. It tends to stifle interest.
"When radios became more complex, with the introduction of SSB and FM, the era of home made gear mostly ended. A decent radio is a significant financial commitment now; it's expensive enough to be a barrier to young folks, and the act of purchasing, rather than building, limits the educational experience."
Personally I find the transistorised circuits a "step up" from your typical mid Fifties valve radio. I was comparing a Hartley oscillator with a triode vs a transistor equivalent. By comparison the triode design was much simpler.
I am a bit off topic here but the article above states that the 1960's students actually built all sorts of gear because circuits were engineered and point soldered. Lots of mistakes were made too. The punchline is I think the interest amongst the general population today has shrunk so much as maybe they feel the digital era is way too complex to relate to. So kids are learning web design and code, rarely making radio equipment. The good news is the vintage scene offers a different perspective. You can even build a transistor radio close to the valve principle (mixer, IF, detector and so on). Sadly, this is not being conveyed to the population so teaching is very theoretical (possibly semi reliant on IT).
It's the same with mechanical engineering. All the old Kelvin, BMC and Perkins boat diesels can be worked on but modern car engines are computerised. It tends to stifle interest.
