Hi Jeff,



On 28/07/2020 11:07, Jeff wrote:
The problem is that radio-technology nowadays is nowhere near the
technology when the exams where conceived.

However, that does not apply to antennas, the current topic.
For antennas, their matching, and the losses, the theory that you
(should have) learned for your amateur radio exam still applies today.

Euh .. why would this not apply to antennas?

I think what the OP is trying to say is that antenna theory has not
changed over the years, and Maxwell's equations, transmission line
theory etc. still apply and have not been superseded.
There has been no great leap in antenna technology compared to other
branches of radio communications. What was good 50 years ago is still
good today.

Well, I did use the term antenna *systems* with a reason :-)


But in essence, that's not the point.

This message-thread is actually a reply to a message saying that the
exam has become to easy.

The way I see it, it is not the 90 % "operator" hams that will determine
the future of amateur-radio. Operators follow the technology as it
become available (DIY, commercial) and, in that sense, how easy or
difficult the exam is not that relevant.

What is important are the 5 to 10 % technically-minded part of the
amateur-radio community, the people who are busy building and designing
things, either creating new devices or combining devices to build
infrastructure in a novel way. (and, to be honest, I consider this NG
part of that).
For me, that is the group of people that will make amateur-radio survive
in the 21st century.



20 to 30 years ago, most devices consisted of one type of technology,
and that was either "analog" or "digital". (with some exceptions, like
using a PC to do RTTY)
But in 2020, almost all devices are now a mix of analog, digital-control
and digital-processing technologies, that might even use a LAN or PAN
network to connect to a backend-infrastructure and do data-processing or
even ML.

(See the examples of the combination of antenna-technology with fields
of technology like like digital-control and digital-processing in the
previous message.)


And that aspect makes things now completely different from technology 20
years ago: as devices have become a mix of different technologies, so
has become the requirements for people interesting in developing new things.


So, yes, I agree. Antenna-technology by itself is one of the fields that
has changed less then other technologies; but antennas + digital-control
+ digital-processing + simulations + "data" + whatever is nowhere what
was possible 20 years ago.



Anycase, let's hope that we can find a way to get sufficient
technically-minded people from ham-community interested in taking the
next step so the hobby can survive in the 21st century.


(but as we have now gone quite off-topic here, I propose to close this
discussion)



Jeff

73
kristoff - ON1ARF