nice post martin.
I always shake my head a little when those who obtain an amateur radio 
license exclaim in high dudgon that they didn't get into this hobby to be a 
technician or an electronics wizard.
I guess the fact that one of the license classes in the US is called a 
technicians class license doesn't equate to 1 plus 1 equals 2 for some 
people.
It's fair that not everyone is going to be right into all the electronics 
and theory and math and everything else, but you do need some basic 
knowledge of radio systems, including antennas and all the different fascits 
of how to get on the air in order to call yourself a ham operator.
If you just hit the PTT and talk, and could care less about the rest of it, 
your simply an appliance operator and not a ham.
There is a certain amount of responsibility to being a licensed amateur 
radio operator, and I see far far too many people shirking that 
responsibility.  Part of that responsibility is to gain at least a basic 
understanding of how stuff works as it relates to radio and 
sending/receiving radio signals.  I say gain that knowledge...your not going 
to get it over night, but you have to pursue it.
There is something to be said about the original, or at least, older 
licensing scheme...where you absolutely had to learn the technical side of 
it to even get beyond your novice license.
Now it's almost as if you can memorize a bunch of answers that mean nothing 
to you, write the test, and if you happen to pass, you can grab an HT and be 
a ham operator.
We've got a responsibility to our communities and neighbors and fellow human 
beings to know what we're doing if we get that license.  If you can't be 
bothered to know what you are doing and how to do it, then you shouldn't 
have a license.  harsh perhaps, but that's my opinion.
Part of that is learning from other hams.  We go easy on new hams because 
obviously they don't know as much.  But I have far less patients for those 
who obtain their license and  do nothing to try to expand their knowledge 
base
You don't have to be a certified electronics technician to learn about 
radios and tuners, and antennas, and modes and how propigation works, and 
antenna theory, and ohms law, and a little bit of algebra to figure out LC 
circuits and how caps and coils and resisters all work together.
Learn about an osciloscope and how it works...even if you never use that 
knowledge, at least you've tried to expand your knowledge base a little bit 
to deserve to have that license.
Whatever it is, one must keep learning, or one might as well throw your 
license and callsign away and go golfing, or sit in front of the computer 
playing cards all day...whatever lol.

just my quarters worth hi.

73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harvey Heagy" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2012 4:51 PM
Subject: Re: Perversity of Life; was Moderating you off the list!


>I was terrible in algebra, geometry Etc.  I understood it a little better
> when someone took me aside and explained what was on the blackboard to me,
> but I hated that kind of math, and I am sure I am not the only one.  99
> percent of the people who take it never use it.  73.
> Harvey