by Kevin Strom, WB4AIO

THIS IS an excellent time to check in to the Liberty Net — summertime static is disappearing and propagation is generally excellent. And the prime radio season coincides this year with the 40th anniversary of the most exciting net on amateur radio!

Listen: Liberty Net 10/25″]

Here’s an abbreviated digest of a few of the topics debated this week:

• There’s a lot of talk from both the Right and Left about “jobs” — the best way to create them is disputed by the two sides, but both agree that we need more of them. But do we? Is more money-making and product-making activity always an unlimited good? Perhaps we should pay less attention to how much we are doing, and think more deeply about what we are actually trying to accomplish. (13 minutes)

• More and more corporations are now demanding (or are required to demand) proof of “who you are” via government-issued photo ID or “Social Security” number, before doing quite a number of simple transactions. It looks like the concept of privacy, especially financial privacy, is almost forgotten today. (15 minutes)

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by Kevin Strom, WB4AIO

LIBERTY NET participants would like to hear from you. You don’t have to say anything profound unless you want to. You don’t have to agree. And if you just want to say “hello” and introduce yourself, or ask a question, that’s fine too. We’d be delighted to meet you, so check in this week!

Listen: Liberty Net 10/18″]

Here’s a small selection from the topics debated on the Net’s session this time:

• Software-defined radios have a slight learning curve for most of us, but the results are amazing — perfectly rectangular “slidable” filters, superb dynamic range, lab grade panadaptors, a high degree of cleanliness, and configurable dead-flat frequency response, perfect for narrow-band communications or wideband high-fidelity AM or eSSB. (3 minutes)

• It’s now known that incandescent light bulbs are purposely designed to fail in a short time. Is the same true to a lesser extent of the newer bulb technologies. (10 minutes)

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