Learning is where you find it. A little while ago I had the chance to use a mobile radio with high power. I used it to learn about the coverage of our local repeater, but also to hear what the effects were when two local radios were both using the same repeater and high power at the same time. One thing I learnt was that FM receivers don't need an AGC, since the volume of a signal is related to how much it deviates from the central signal, not how much signal there is, which is why the microphone gain setting on your radio determines the volume, not the level of power. To be clear, enough of your signal needs to get to the other end for it to work, but after that, you're just wasting electrons. If you need a visual for that in FM the height of the signal doesn't matter once it's high enough, the wobble determines how much volume there is. In AM, there is no wobble, the height determines the volume. Foundations of Amateur Radio is a weekly podcast about the 1000 hobbies that make Ham Radio what it is. You can listen to the podcast via iTunes by searching for my callsign VK6FLAB, or you can visit the website and scroll to the bottom of the page to find the latest episode. http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/foundations/ Thanks for listening, Onno VK6FLAB
When I fail, I make sure to learn as much as possible about why. Less chance of another like failure, then. Something salvaged. Sometimes it's a process of learning about the radio. Other times the radio does the teaching.
