In article ,
says...

Greetings,

I'm a relatively new ham with not much in the way of electronics knowledge
who wants to be able to build and understand my equipment. I recently
enrolled in an electronics program at the community college to try to change
that. Unfortunately, there are no rf/antenna/wireless related courses
(sadly the wireless program was cancelled last year). What kinds of general

snippety

Knowing the basics never hurts. My own electronics courses were
generalized rather than aimed at radio, but I still learned a goodly
amount from them.

Others have already pointed you in the same directions I would. My
only other suggestion would be to, as your time and level of income
allows, build up your workbench/lab with the best tools and equipment
you can possibly afford.

Along those lines -- Learn how to take full advantage of the
scrounging resources offered by ham radio swap meets (join a local club
that does one a year, if possible) and electronic surplus stores. At the
risk of shameless self-promotion, I have sections of my web site
dedicated to such efforts.

http://www.bluefeathertech.com/technoid/swapindex.html

Some of your first investments, tool-wise, should include the
basics -- screwdrivers in the flat, phillips, allen, and Torx varieties,
diagonal cutters, both regular and flush, pliers, small wrenches (an
ignition wrench set is very helpful).

I tend to avoid imported tools, with a few notable exceptions.
I've found that the long-term quality just isn't there, notably in the
junk we get from China and Taiwan. Buying US-made stuff is a bit
pricier, but it's a far better long-term investment.

Some of the names I go for a Bondhus (Allen wrenches), Wiha
(regular and Torx screwdrivers, west German import, great stuff!),
Cooper Tools (US-based, formerly known as Xcelite) and, for power tools
such as drills, saws, etc., DeWalt.

As for test gear, I could probably write a book. At the very
least, you're going to need a good multimeter (Fluke 87 series is my
personal favorite), probably a small bench power supply (or a large one,
if you plan to run mobile gear on said bench).

As your skill level grows, you will likely find that you need more
sophisticated stuff: Oscilloscope, signal generator, modulation
analyzer, spectrum analyzer, LC meter, etc.

I could write a book on picking some of those, especially O-
scopes. For now, suffice to say that you can get an awfully good 'scope
for the $$ by going for older Tektronix equipment. Some favorites of
mine are the 7000 series (7603, 7704, 7904, 7104) and their associated
plug-ins for lab use. For portable (well, luggable anyway) use, have a
look at the 465, 475, 485, 224x series, or the 246x series.

One excellent source of Tektronix information is the TekScopes
group on Yahoo. I've been a member for years.

You're off to a wonderful start on a fascinating hobby. Oh, you'll
hit bumps along the road -- we all do -- but keep up your interest in
tinkering and you'll never lack for a learning experience.

Happy tweaking.


--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"