From rocks to synthesis
This afternoon, I loaded a copy of CHiRP. In the world of amateur radio, this is one of those software packages that makes configuration of a digital radio into a simple task. After a half hour of entering frequencies, callsigns and the related tones for each repeater, my little handi-talkie was ready for life, here in the Maritimes. Or it will be, as soon as I move beyond the rubber ducky antenna.
Anyhow, I’m old enough to realize just how wonderful this actually is. You see, my first two way radio was a GE ProgLine, originally found in the trunk of a taxi cab (according to what I’ve been told). A beast, requiring muscles, an ability to test and swap vacuum tubes, and deep pockets. The radio came to me for just about nothing in financial investment, but I then had to order and install the appropriate crystals to actually make things functional. I did, and the radio did satisfy me for about a year. Until upgrade fever took over every free moment and dollar.
We (there were two of us, with similar choices, and one of us had a grandmother that was willing to spot us the cash to make an order). That next year, I went from two channels to twelve, in a form factor that permitted me to sign as “bicycle mobile”. A Kenwood TR-2200A, based on the Drake TR-22C. Oh, the freedom! I did skip the next generation of radio, where diodes were soldered into a tiny matrix.
I’ve gone through a number of transceivers since then; it’s part of the amateur radio code. I think that too many of them (including the TR-2200A and a Yaesu FT-207R are packed into boxes around here. But, nowadays, you don’t need to make special order requests for “rocks”; digital synthesis has changed the way things are done.
