wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (10/09/84)
There has been some discussion (in places like Review of International Broadcasting's Radio Equipment Forum or other SWL club newsletters) of the advantages of an non-ham SWL owning a ham transceiver which has a general-coverage receiver section and using this as an SWL receiver. Some advantages claimed are things like having the transmitter available in a future survivalist scenario, gaining the advantage of the advanced technology that goes into the transceivers before it is implemented in receiver-only hardware, easy migration if you get a ham ticket, etc. This sounds nice, but I always wondered about a couple things: Are ham transceivers made in such a manner that the transmitter section can be totally switched off and the unit used for receive-only operation? I wonder about the transmitter being accidentally triggered when a non-resonant antenna is connected, thereby damaging the transmitter circuitry. Another danger is having receive-only equipment (preamps, active antennas, tuners, whatever) connected to the antenna circuit, and then suddenly sending many watts of RF out through them, frying them crisply. Another concern is power supply wiring. A transmitter is a heavy-load device, usually requiring its own special power circuit direct from the fuse or breaker panel (except for QRP models, of course); but a receiver usually gets plugged into the ordinary house wiring in your bedroom or whereever. If the transmitter section cannot be completely shut down, would not you have to provide the special power wiring for this box, even if you used it for receive only? Having never fiddled with a transceiver, I am in the dark about this. Comments and explanations are welcomed. Will Martin seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA
hardie@sask.UUCP (Peter Hardie) (10/11/84)
A major problem for an SWL who owns a ham transceiver, at least in Canada, is that it is illegal to own an unlicensed transmitter, whether you ever transmit with it or not is irrelevant. I assume this is also true in the U.S. (This has never stopped CB'ers though). Pete ve5bel