Few people appreciate the vast difference between making something that
sort of works, once, and a design that can be produced by the thousands
with nearly every one working, fully meeting specifications, and being
reliable under a wide range of operating conditions. Those of us who
have made a living by developing quality products such as test equipment
have a full appreciation for this, and go about the design process in a
very different manner than a person accustomed to making a one-off
circuit for home use.

Many, or most, of the books oriented toward amateurs are written by
people who haven't developed the background or discipline to produce
reliable, repeatable circuits. Magazine articles are even more in this
category. Some circuits found in handbooks have perhaps never been
actually built or tested by the author, even in a quantity of one.
That's not a condemnation -- after all, this is amateur radio, most
offerings are free, and the designs are adequate for a lot of users.
Hopefully -- although I'm afraid a bit wishfully -- some builders at
least have enough technical know-how to take care of minor design flaws.
Nonetheless, it's really a treat when we're given a circuit or an
explanation by a truly professional engineer whose approach to circuit
design is one of making reliable, repeatable circuits. The chances of a
copy of the circuit working the first time, as predicted and claimed,
are much higher than for a design built once with little understanding
of how it works or what its limitations and weak points are. And the
deeper the designer's understanding of the fundamental principles
involved, the greater the chance that he's accounted for and designed
around potential problems in repeatability and operating environment.

That's one of the reasons I like and heartily recommend Wes' books and
other writings. I've known him as a friend and as an engineering
colleague for 30 years now. He's one of the very best, and we're lucky
to have access to a fraction of what he's learned.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

J M Noeding wrote:

well, said! But isn't this the very frequent feeling one gets from
reading amateur radio magazines? The constructors (I wouldn't use the
word "designer") should have constructed and tested at least 10 equal
constructions, or have similar experience before publishing an idea,
which may later turn out that might not be repeatable

Too often constructions are published when it is a hope rather than
experience that it is a good idea. For somebody it is more important
to use wellknown devices than trying to propose something else

73, Jan-Martin

---
J. M. Noeding, LA8AK, N-4623 Kristiansand
http://home.online.no/~la8ak/c.htm