Will, KI4POV alerted us to this -- we've been reading about it for some time. I have always found it worrisome. Here is why: ARRL -- an organization that has its roots in HOMEBREW radio -- seems to be adopting standards that will discourage radio homebrewing. They seem to be pushing for transmitter cleanliness standards that can only be met by advanced, SDR-based, manufactured radios.
I realize that the number of hams who actually build their own SSB gear is shockingly small. Many of us eschew SDR architecture because of its complexity, and because much of it is based on CPU, ADC, and FPGA chips that, well, are manufactured by some distant company, and are NOT homebrewed by us.
I am sure the Iphone in my pocket will meet or exceed the ARRL's Clean Signal Initiative standards. But should this be the model that radio amateurs follow? Is the ARRL -- with its badges! -- moving us closer to FCC standards that will -- in effect -- outlaw things like non-SDR architecture, LC oscillators, and homebrew crystal filters? What about older boatanchor gear? Will the new standards be applied to my Hallicrafters HT-37? Or my DX-100? And what about the homebrew CW gear that is sometimes (all too rarely) heard on the ham bands? These "rigs" (they deserve that title) often use (GASP!) tubes. It seems that under the ARRL's CSI, all of these kinds of rigs will have to go. They will all have to be replaced by properly-badged SDR mystery boxes from overseas manufacturers. Get out your credit cards guys, and put away the soldering irons! A new day has dawned, brought to you by the ARRL CSI!
I can hear the howls of complaint already: Bill is such a trolodyte. He is opppsed to progress. He is in favor of dirty signals. He would have been with those defiantly proclaiming "SPARK FOREVER!" He refuses to embrace progress and get with the CSI program.
Well, if the new program does -- in effect -- lead to the prohibition of simple, homebrew circuitry by radio AMATEURS -- if it does move us ever closer to the day when the only way to meet purity standards is via a manufactured SDR mystery box, I am opposed to that. I prefer homebrew rigs.
Here is the latest on this ARRL initiative:
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST%20Binaries/April%202026/Spatta%20Clean%20Signal%20Initiative.pdf
In an era when we’re surrounded by cheap switch mode power supplies, belching out appalling RF pollution, this seems more than a little ironic.
ReplyDeleteSM PSUs - the ones that are built to meet the standards would be fine. But then component count is reduced to minimum for production. Which means the filtering components are now jumper wires.
DeleteI completely agree with Paul. Furthermore I recently saw (on a Kiwi SDR Waterfall) a SSB signal on 15m band, that was about 9kHz wide.
ReplyDeleteI tuned in to find out is was not a homebrew rig, just the usual
overdriven PA in order to make it to whatever rare DX.
In such cases a pink ticket would do. I bet many homebrew rigs
provide a much cleaner signal.
73
Peter/DL3PB
It appears they will be turning us homebrewers into lawbreakers soon. The upside is that white collar criminals are rarely punished in our country, with the exception being Martha Stewart!
ReplyDelete-- Walter KA4KXX
I view the ARRL as an organization in free-fall as witnessed by the extensive leadership positions at HQ that remain unfilled. Additionally, note the continued year-over-year drop in paid membership, plus the demographic spread in current membership. With only one in every six licensed hams belonging to the ARRL, ask- WHY? Is the ARRL becoming an appliance operator's club for the elderly? With only 130,000 paid members and falling annually at a near double-digit rate, one needs to look around to see that the ARRL has become essentially irrelevant to the ham community at large. Purity Standards? I don't intend to begin wearing a chastity belt at my age... Yes. I also qualify as "Elderly". And I do still relish the smell of "Soldersmoke"!
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can tell, these standards and "badges" are intended only for internal ARRL use in their product reviews published in QST. I suppose manufacturers would want to use the badges they "earn" as part of their marketing. But I see nothing in the article that could have any impact on amateur-built transmitters, unless we'll be submitting our rigs to the ARRL for testing (yeah, sure). This "Clean Signal Initiative" seems to be about making it clearer to the amateur consumer (in their reading of QST product reviews) which rigs are really good (with respect to signal purity) and which are not.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment that the ARRL is in "free fall," but that's all the more reason to not confuse it with the FCC or other national regulatory agencies. The ARRL didn't abandon the CW requirement, the FCC did. The ARRL didn't dumb-down the license exams, the FCC did. There's no hint in this article of somehow translating these product-review standards into FCC regulations, and I can't imagine what the ARRL's motive for promoting that would be. Interestingly enough, the Clean Signal Initiative seems to focus as much on CW signals as on SSB ones. This might suggest the ARRL pays at least some attention to niche interests among its members, and though QST doesn't seem to show it, that could include homebrewers as well.
All that aside, are these product-review standards more restrictive than what a conscientious and careful analog-homebrewer could satisfy? When it comes to key-clicks, splatter, bandwidth, and other signal-purity concerns, haven't we already been policing ourselves in this regard? If occasional challenges for homebrewers are a good thing, maybe trying to meet (if we don't already) the standards of the Clean Signal Initiative would be a worthwhile. They're certainly *not* a threat.