HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW?
After passing the RAE how much do we know and understand radio and transmitters?
What is an oscillator, modulator, AM, CW, SSB?
What is a balance modulator?
What is a dipole, what is a skip and the various atmospheric layers?
What is a LC circuit, and the local oscillators?
Why do we need them?
What is BFO?
Do all radio need it?
If we do not remember or know them hinder us from operating a radio equipment?
The answer is obvious those knowledge is not relevant but using a new car we need some briefings on operating procedures. We don't have to be a mechanical engineer or must have technical automotive knowledge to own the car. Looking at a ham radio in Malaysia deeply we will find that no technical or electronic knowledge is required to qualify to be a ham. Everything is found in the shop.
Not many responded to my proposition to do away with radio amateur examination. To replace it a briefing on SOP and regulation should be given to the applicants. The government could benefit financially as more people could become a ham operator and at the same time there will be a rapid growth in the number of ham operators in the country.
Among those I talked too none seem to agree with it's abolishment but none could give a valid reason. I said to them that it is unfair to throw CW without RAE as well. Base on the argument of relevancy both must be pushed aside.
May be no Malaysian ham will apply the Ohm's law in his whole life, not talking about building or repairing a transmitter. Transceivers are cheap and affordable. So are the antenna and other ham gadgets. The more money we have , the more sophisticated our shack will be. Today if we talk about relevancy of CW and RAE, they both carry none of it.
Actually we have only two options, namely either push both or accept both. As for the second option, we continue having them both merely base on the tradition of ham radio. If we fear the number of hams will fade due to the computer technology then we have to take the first option. But listening to ham bands, we will find our fear to be untrue because CW stations are chirping away by the thousands.
There are so many options in the radio hobby. Among the famous one is the CB. IARU can give the CB more frequencies on other band too. Those CBs provide proof that RAE and CW are not important BUT any Dick, Tom and Harry can own one. On the other hand, a strict RAE and CW will filter only the quality and skill people. They are similar to a kind of a band pass filter. We make ham radio as an exclusive hobby containing a certain kind of people; people with electronic knowledge and skill in Morse, nothing to do with any form of comparative relevancy.
I am sure many other people has the same thought as I am and get the message I am trying to convey. The IARU, the FCC and ARRL could understand the concept. It has to stand by an option either to do away with RAE and CW, or maintain them both altogether.
While most of us do not really understand the technicality of transceivers, those people with knowledge do not apply their knowledge in ham radio. The days of home brewing are over. You can forget the ohms law and the balance modulator, the IF and the VFO, the LC and PI configuration. But remember radio antenna is to be placed outside your house not beside you in your shack.
If half of the readers just start thinking about what I am saying is good enough. Either you revive the old tradition or do away with them. Many of us the old ham will meet our day and will move from fading to totally fading mode, you are to decide what the future is going to be.
Petikan dari 9M2AR.
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