A Modern Mission Statement for Amateur Radio

Updated October 2025

Re-connecting everyday practice with contemporary RF science

Where we came from

Amateur radio and formal science weren’t always two worlds. Early hams were builders, measurers, and sharers—often working in parallel with university and industry labs. That spirit still exists today in places like QEX (“A Forum for Communications Experimenters”), GNURadio, SatNOGS, and AMSAT—a reminder that the service thrives when we build on real measurement, math, and replication.

What changed (and why the gap feels wider)

• Tooling got cheaper—but also trickier. VNAs, SDRs, and DSP put lab-grade capability on our benches. But without good practice, it’s easy to make clean-looking plots that prove the wrong thing. (Think: VNA fixtures, calibration planes, meter directivity, mixed-mode effects.) Tools like NanoVNA and RTL-SDR made measurement ubiquitous—but interpretation is the real art.
• Protocols evolved fast. FT8/FT4 brought LDPC coding, tight timing, and carefully defined waveforms—more “communications engineering” than “dial-it-in and chat.” If our articles don’t reflect those realities, they age quickly.
• The literature didn’t always keep up. Popular pieces still relitigate SWR myths, coax “magic lengths,” and balun labels—topics your readers regularly ask about, but where the modern answers are now clear (and measurable).

What hasn’t changed

Amateur radio is still a hands-on, learn-by-building service. The best way to heal the perceived science/practice split is to write like engineers and teach like Elmers: define terms, specify what we measure, and share reproducible steps.

Where we see outdated advice most often—and the measurable fixes

• SWR ≠ efficiency, ≠ safety margin, ≠ delivered power. Use |Γ|, Return Loss, and Insertion Loss. See: Drop SWR — Keep Return Loss and Insertion Loss and Why Most SWR Meters Don’t Really Measure SWR.
• “A balun adds gain.” / “UNUN vs BALUN tells me everything.” What matters is transformer topology (voltage vs current), choking impedance vs. frequency, and placement. See: The Great BALUN / UNUN Confusion.
• Common-mode current is a system problem. Proper current chokes fix both TX stray return currents and RX noise pickup. See: Your Transceiver Lies — Why Every Radio Needs a Current Choke.
• W2DU’s Reflections is foundational. Some details are now better explained in S-parameter language. See: Reflections Revisited — What’s Still True and What’s Been Refined Since W2DU.

The positive case for measurement-first writing

We define quantities, state assumptions, give a bench recipe, and close with a "mini-faq". It keeps theory grounded and reproducible.

The bridge to science today (and why this is exciting)

Modern weak-signal modes are textbook DSP in action. Hams now contribute to real ionospheric science via PSKReporter, WSPRnet, and the Reverse Beacon Network. Regulators modernize too: the FCC’s 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit replaces outdated symbol-rate caps. It’s a great time to reconnect the hobby with measurement and evidence.

House style for our series

Cite like engineers. Use datestamped sources. Anchor context with the Transmission Lines and Debunking Myths hubs. Also reference Technical Deep Dives for rigorous analysis, plus the following topic hubs: Transmit Antennas – Technical Articles, Baluns & UNUNs – Technical Articles, Active Receive Antennas & Receive Arrays – Technical Articles, RFI / Radio-Frequency Interference, Grounding & Safety, Ham Radio 101 – The RF Engineering Behind the Signals, and Errata & Modern Context. Each article should include a bench recipe, an on-air validation, and plain language—no metaphors that break physics.

The video bridge: Include real-world demonstrations through Ham Florida Man – Featured Videos by Mark K3ZD, showing practical tests, build comparisons, and myth-busting commentary aligned with RF.Guru articles.

Humour and reflection: Satire and wit are also valid ways to make readers think—see the Smoke & Mirrors series for examples that teach through irony and laughter while staying technically grounded.

What success looks like

• Readers can measure and reproduce every claim.
• Elmers can hand an article to newcomers as a weekend experiment.
• Each page maintains a “what changed” box for updates and errata.

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Questions or experiences to share? Contact RF.Guru.