The Broadcaster fraternity and Admirality engineers pioneered, and have been
using the Low frequencies for 50 years very successfuly. We Radio Amateurs in
1999 are merely re-inventing the WHEEL and have a long way to go to catch up
with the commercial achievements.
I have been privileged to edit the LF Experimenter's Source Book and
the LF Chapter for the RSGB Communication handbook. The overwhelming
impression that I have is the sheer innovation of the equipment
designs that have emerged, from transmitter drivers to the class-D
PA's, which most of us are using these days. Methods of weak signal
detection, using readily available equipment and software is another
example of this innovation. The display of equipment at the last
couple of HF Conventions has been a source of inspiration to many of us.
It is back to basic theory and interesting as
long as one understands its limitations for the average radio amateur with a
small back garden and very poor antenna, and limited ERP.
The amateur has succeeded in long distance because they ignored the
limitations described above. This is similar to the QRP club ethos,
where good operating can often make up for QTH limitations - the
final component in a communications system is the bit between the earphones.
--
Regards, Peter, G3LDO
<[email protected]>
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