After all manner of diagnostic tests with

You know what they told us in the first class I took on RF circuits and techniques on the very first day?

 

(Waiting)

 

Pay attention! Then tap tap tap on the overhead projector screen.

 

oh come on slow, you know the answer ... hint ... RF is a strange animal, no one knows what it will do ...

 

“Obvious” is a door I’ve walked into face-first, plenty of times. Especially when I have yet to study subject terms & definitions. I appreciate the entreaty, but (my) education upon literature is more to be thought of as persuasion versus extemporizing from supported statements.

To wit:

1). An instructors general statement about the course title subject will be memorable, not simply applicable.

2). “Memorable” implies humor or pain. Avoidance, is usually at issue. Each is persuasive.

Or, as the poet Burns had it (per, “what is RF? my guess is on the order of):

“. . in proving foresight may be vain;
the best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
And leave us nought but grief an’ pain “

Thus, Elmer, I await the memorable. As much of my effort thus far is riding the coat-tails of others I’ve no qualms with admitting ignorance. A capacious warehouse, and the ignorance is the missing retrieval system (terms & definitions; concepts). One of the ARRL Guides has been ordered, as it’s time for the actual subject to key any thinking, not lifelong facility with language and ability to use text keys as a get-by.

Since my son wanted to get serious, time I did.
.

 

"There is no such thing as a Guru in the world of radio and RF."

A lot of techs are smart, a lot of techs are not techs but are engineers, and still no one knows everything or are experts on most subjects.

People like Orr and Armstrong, even Phillips were never experts or gurus.

 

They said the first rule of RF circuits is you don’t talk about RF circuits?

 

Thus “guru” is a fine button to push. Got it.

That there is room for the unknown man shows we’ve a good start on this road. Still terra incognita far out ahead.

(On another note, EH Armstrong was hounded to death. More likely, murdered).

 

Even easier. Have a live video feed running 24 hours with access by subscription only.

 

I guess it depends on experience, I very seldom get on an outside antenna to check a radio I've worked on. My service monitor will absolutely tell me what I need to know as far as if the radio rx and tx are up to par. Maybe you all need a good tech.