On reddit, someone asked:
Are we losing knowledge in this hobby that used to be common?
The other day I was listening to a conversation on the local repeater, and it was a relatively recently licensed General giving some “advice” to a new Technician who was hoping to upgrade soon, and who had some HF gear and an antenna but who hadn’t transmitted yet on HF.What I heard coming from General was appalling. He recommended that the guy get an automatic antenna tuner, and regales him with a tale of how he managed to burn up the finals on a radio because he couldn’t manage to adjust a manual antenna tuner properly.
This is something I learned how to do as a Novice. In fact, I built my first antenna tuner from a kit (Heathkit HFT-9A QRP tuner). I still have and use it, as a matter of fact.
I was just boggled that a General class ham radio operator didn’t know how to adjust a manual antenna tuner. It was so difficult for him that he managed to damage a radio in the process.I didn’t speak up, though, because I didn’t want to be “That guy”, you know, the type of old fogey know-it-all ham radio operator that’s commonly railed against in this subreddit. There were a few other bits of “advice” he passed along that were sketchy.
So I’m wondering if we are losing a bit of the institutional knowledge that long-experienced hams know, in the rush to get as many hams licensed and on the air as possible. We used to “Elmer” new hams, and if we aren’t bothering to do that anymore, the knowledge of how to do things is going to die out.
When I read this, I thought, “Yeah. We really are losing it in amateur radio.” On second thought, though, I’m I’m not so sure.
Yes, there are a lot of new hams on the air with perhaps not as much Elmering as they could use, but hey, you can’t expect every ham to know everything. I know that when I passed the General Class test (at the FCC office in downtown Detroit, none this VE “rubbish,” as Davey Jones of eevblog might say), I was still pretty clueless. And, how do you learn how to do things? Well, often it’s by blowing something up.
If it were me hearing this conversation, I would have definitely piped up and said that there’s some value to learning how to adjust a manual antenna tuner. Not only that, I may have even volunteered to come over and have a look at the guy’s setup. I can understand the poster’s reluctance to be “that guy,” but if he’s not going to step up and help this newbie, who is?
What do you think? Are we losing this kind of basic knowledge in amateur radio? If you’re a “long experienced” ham, do you volunteer to help out when you hear something like this on the local repeater?
Oliver Krystal says
I guess I’m dumb … I bought an autotuner because I figured I would need an antenna analyzer to properly set my manual tuner or to tune an antenna properly to a single band. The autotuner was the wiser (read: less pricey) investment. At the time, I didn’t want to buy an analyzer – to expensive. Of course, being able to wait (band-aiding myself with an autotuner) I scored a very good price on the AA-170 so I guess the point is moot.
Its an amazing time to live in – literally text and video a click away on any subject and yet most people act like the knowledge isn’t available. I remember 10 years ago looking for Alan Parsons Project on youtube and it not being there. Now I can watch concerts from Alan Parsons.
I think what we’ve lost, across the board, is the idea of seeking out knowledge and being willing to play the fool to learn. I have no shame in admitting I don’t know something – I want to learn. I’ll “hold the flashlight” if that’s what it takes.
grantbob says
Yep. If they want to find out the information is there. I just learned how to use a micrometer (not a digital one) last week. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfPxenwh-J_mSl2nUrKAHg/videos
Dan KB6NU says
No, you’re not dumb, just inexperienced. There’s no shame in that. And, to be honest, when I put up my Cobra antenna–which needs a tuner–I was thinking of buying an auto tuner just so that I wouldn’t have to hassle with manual tuning.
One of my Elmerees already had a non-resonant doublet up in the air, and when I mentioned this to him, he said that it wasn’t a big deal. You get to know the settings pretty quick, and most modern radios have built-in high SWR protection, so it’s pretty difficult to actually damage them. He was right. The Elmer was tutored by the Elmeree.
I like your comment, “I think what we’ve lost, across the board, is the idea of seeking out knowledge and being willing to play the fool to learn.” I think you’re right about that.
Dan KB6NU says
On Twitter, Michael (GØPOT) @DrOrthogonal wrote:
I think we often underestimate or forget just what a steep learning curve it is at the beginning. There also appears to be far more to learn these days as the breadth and depth of the hobby continues to grow. I try to guide and support rather than preach :o)
Dave K7RPM says
Recently I’ve been thinking about organizing a group of Hams to collectively write an eBook “I just got my license. Now what?” The purpose would be to answer just this sort of question plus the hundreds of others I see posted on various facebook groups).
Dan KB6NU says
My 21 Things to Do After You Get Your Amateur Radio License was an attempt to do just that. It’s not really very technical, though. A more technical book is on my list of things to do.
Wayne K5UNX says
I don’t think the hobby is losing knowledge, there are just a lot of people that are joining the hobby who don’t have (or have not used) the same radio technology that some had in the past and or might still have. RF hasn’t changed nor have the principles of radio. But the radios have changed over the years. My first HF rig was (I still use it) an FT857D, along with a LDG auto tuner. I have never operated a radio that was made up of a separate receiver and transmitter. Nor have I ever had a chance to use a manual tuner. Does that make me less knowledgable? I don’t think so, my knowledge if reflective of my experience and the equipment I have used. I have built antennas, and learned while doing so. I believe a lot of learning is done while doing. A newly minted General still has a lot to learn. I did when I got my General ticket. To your point, rather than complaining about the new General, why not mentor that person?
Bruce K8RQX says
Technology brings this about at all levels. With the advent of GPS, many can no longer read a map. Calculators have taken the place of basic math skills. For many students, power points have replaced the ability to read and extract information from books and journals. And so it goes…
Rick Barnich says
Judging by the amount of gray hair or no hair at the local ham club meetings, I must assume there is a treasure trove of knowledge gained form experiences there. The most knowledge is undoubtedly gained from experiences where smoke or physical damage is involved.
In 1978, I forgot to dial the power down on my new “all solid state, fully synthesized” rig while adjusting the antenna tuner. As a result, the rig made a trip back to Icom to replace the final transistors. I had read the manual, I knew I had to lower the power, I momentarily forgot.
In addition to the finals, that experience was indelibly “burned” into my memory. An expensive way to convert experience to knowledge, but knowledge none the less.
I don’t think I have ever shared that experience. Would I have volunteered it to the parties on the repeater? Probably not. I think, however, I would offer it in a one on one situation.
Dan, I think there is material for a book there!
Ulysses Balis - N4IYL says
Dan,
As an electrical engineer and an amateur operator who similarly tries desperately to not be “that guy” when overhearing obviously wrong or sketchy advice being given over the local repeater, I would offer that we have a whole range of expertise for existing amateur operators, and similarly, an incredible range of skills in those who are joining our ranks.
Towards your question about losing knowledge, I think that we we are absolutely losing knowledge of certain types, as silent keys accrue (for example, how many of us are left that know optimal best practices for designing spark gap transmitters?), but we are also gaining knowledge, in the form of amateurs who are familiar with newer technologies and approaches (e.g. writing a new FT8 controller in Python XY). This cycle of knowledge turnover has been with us in science over the millennia, and science still seems to muddle on, despite the perceived loss of irreplaceable experience, in the form of scientists who take with them to the grave vast troves of personal experience and nuanced knowledge of specific fields. Nonetheless, we seem to be able to pass on a sufficient critical mass of core knowledge in various fields, thus maintaining expertise of legacy technologies in always at least a few individuals.
For example, I retain expertise in being able to program IBM/360 systems at the assembler level, but this skill is no longer relevant to most of contemporary computer science. However, the first principles intrinsic to programming a 360 are still germane to modern embedded system programming and given that, I hope to pass on the salient parts of my knowledge of embedded systems design by imparting those “pearls of wisdom” that are *generalizable* to my students. Other than that, I am fully confident that my knowledge of the the IBM 360 (and a myriad number of other antiquated processors like the RCA 1802 Cosmac) will quietly dissipate into the aether when I pass on from this world – and that will be OK, as such knowledge is not essential for keeping the trains running in society.
However, in your example, not knowing how to manually tune up an antenna represents a profound deficit of core knowledge. That type of knowledge needs to be preserved within amateur radio. If it were me, I would have chimed in (while trying not to be “that guy”) and suggested that perhaps the club could hold a session for gaining skills with antenna matching. In fact, our local club has done this exact thing multiple times for various timely topics of interest, with great success (e.g. an antenna analyzer bake-off, a DMR code plug workshop, etc.). I remember that you actually led the analyzer bake-off…
Finally, we can learn so much from our Amateur elders, who possess skills and bodies of knowledge that are no longer taught in school. For example, in a recent project at the University of Michigan’s W9UM Amateur Radio Club, members of the UM-ARC restored a 1941 Hallicrafters SX-28 radio, over a two-year period. The knowledge I gained about tube theory and tube radios from the the two old-timers working on the project was priceless, as this content is no longer taught in modern electrical engineering curricula. We need to create more venues where new amateurs can be paired up with our best “Elmers.”
Part of what makes Amateur Radio so attractive for me is the culture of sharing and assistance. Breaking into a QSO to offer constructive input can certainly be done in a matter that is both respectful and educational.
In closing, to answer your question, I would say, yes absolutely – I agree with you! It’s OK to break in and offer information (or even to offer help), if you’re sure of your knowledge and you’re similarly sure that the advice already being given is going to send someone in the wrong direction. The challenge, of course, is doing so respectfully and in the spirit of positively advancing the field. That’s not really a challenge at all if we treat each other with goodwill and respect, which is what Amateur radio is all about anyway.
73,
N4IYL
W8SFC - Steve says
Speaking for myself as a fairly recent General license holder, I know enough not to advise beginners, but to refer them to someone who is qualified to Elmer them. I don’t want to be “that other guy” as much as you more experienced hams don’t want to be “that guy”. I am just getting started and I freely admit it, and I am grateful for every bit of Elmering that is passed my way, so it just makes common sense to me to consult the expertise of people who have much more experience than I do. That is why I am not Elmering anyone at this point. I do not feel qualified, despite my license, to get into the technical areas of radio operations or engineering with someone who is just beginning, unless it is a subject I have mastered – and there are a scant few of those so far.
I have been blessed to have benefitted from the storehouse of knowledge from several whom I consider Elmers, and I appreciate their time and knowledge. Experience is something to be respected and the knowledge that comes from it should be the highest valued part of the hobby. I am not a teacher, but perhaps one day I may become one.
It isn’t the license that makes one a good ham, it is the knowledge and practice on the air that does. The best Elmers I have encountered have been good ambassadors for amateur radio and you know them from how they treat the novices.
Besides, I have yet to blow up a radio.
Walt says
Of course we are losing knowledge. We are also losing knowledge in how to drive manual transmissions and how to gap spark plugs. Knowledge about how to start a car with a manual choke? Already long gone. And that is all OK.
Oliver K6OLI says
From my experience this is less an issue of knowledge than of culture. The knowledge is readily available in articles, books and Youtube videos. How the knowledge is passed on – or not – within a group is a question of group culture.
One of the challenges we identified at ARES LAX Northeast was that there was no real onboarding process for new hams or hams who wanted to become more involved in emergency communications. So we created an onboarding process that lists the skills we want operators to develop over time. And to help people obtain these skills we hold workshops on a variety of topics like NBEMS, Winlink, AREDN, antennas, basics, etc., which pull in 40 – 50 people on a regular basis. And we give people the opportunity to exercise their skills with weekly nets. Our weekly digital net, for example, has become a fun gathering point for experimentation, exchange of ideas and new technologies.
We also encourage questions, especially from beginners, because they provide the opportunity to cover basics like propagation, electrical knowledge, etc. and review them for everybody. Part of why we have been growing is that welcoming atmosphere where people feel comfortable asking questions, and every question is the start of a discovery process.
By contrast, my experience with local HF operators has been deeply discouraging. There is no onboarding, asking questions is discouraged and even frowned upon, along the lines of your example above “he/she has such and such licence class they should know that”. My feeling is that if they knew they would not ask. Some HF operators seem to have forgotten that they were not born with the knowledge they have today, either. So they are missing out on the joy of the joint discovery process with people new to the field.
And group culture matters: the treasurer of a local HF club once told me over coffee that “the club does not like technicians”. That left me speechless. How does one expect to grow a club if one does “not like” 50% of the population? But it was par for the course because being a freshly minted General licensee at that point I had yet to find anyone willing to sit down with me for an hour and two to help get me started on HF, in spite of asking several local HF operators for help. Therefore I also fully understand when people tell me they were turned off the hobby or they became frustrated at some point.
Luckily I speak several languages fluently, so I reached out to hams in Europe, who have been wonderful mentors on HF, propagation, antennas, station considerations and good operating habits.
The fun part of the hobby is helping others enjoy what we do, share and learn, foster growth and curiosity. At least it is for me. I take great pride in the fact that at ARES LAX Northeast we have been welcoming to new and returning hams and that many of them have developed high levels of skill and upgraded their licenses as their skills improved and are exploring the hobby far beyond emergency communications. Moreover, we encourage our operators to mentor others, in fact, that is also part of our onboarding process.
So it is more about how knowledge is shared, how the discovery process is encouraged and group culture than the knowledge itself.
73,
Oliver K6OLI