Reg, G4FGQ wrote:
"There`s far too much of old wives reading things in books and ill
written radio magazines, getting the wrong ideas, and then plagiarising
them."

Fact and fiction are both repeated. That does not make written material
unreliable. It may mean you need verification of data. Reputation of
authors is based on their performance. It does not make them infallible,
just usually right.

Even an anecdotal tale may not repeat in your situation.

Repeatibility is reasonably expected or demonstrated in some instances.
It is not necessary to make all the mistakes for yourself or to find all
the "bugs" yourself. Reading can help avoid failures. Education is
worthwhile.

T.A. Edison gave us the light bulb, the phonograph, and the movie
machine. Nikola Tesla gave us powerful electrical machinery,
transmission systems, and the ability to exploit alternating electrical
power by appreciation of electrical principles better than others in his
time. Tesla`s approach was educated and inspired by what he read in
books.

You can experiment like Edison (98% perspiration, 2% inspiration) or
reason like Tesla. Both methods brought tremendous results.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI