Magic and Curiosity in Amateur Radio

Foundations of Amateur Radio You know you've been at something for a while if you come across a topic that you want to dig into and discover that you already covered it in great detail a year ago. For me that topic was the "FM capture effect", which I covered in great detail a while back - the research says: "This happens, we know it happens, it happens under these circumstances, but precisely how, we're not sure." I finished off with a quote by Arthur C. Clarke who wrote in 1973: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -- by that definition, Amateur Radio and the "FM capture effect" is clearly magic. For me Amateur Radio is about the constant quest of learning, the ongoing pursuit of explanation and understanding, the relentless curiosity that burns a hole in my mind waiting to get filled with information and knowledge about anything and everything. In that same environment I am the holder of the beginner's license in Amateur Radio and that is the cause for some members of our community to scoff at my skills, to demand that I upgrade, to ridicule the level of licence that I hold and to brandish their higher level certificate of proficiency as a weapon against my meagre understanding of this hobby. How is it possible that this irrational belief that one license is more valid than another can exist in a world where something as basic as the "FM capture effect" is not understood, not documented, not explained and not taught to those holding the summit of knowledge, the highest level of Amateur License? I've been a student all my life and truth be told, that's true for most people I meet. There are a few people who know everything already, but the rest of us are able to understand that learning is a continual process. The level of license you hold has nothing to do with your ability to learn, your ability to understand or your ability to be a higher class of human. A high level license is a privilege to incur a higher level of responsibility and acknowledgement that at some level you're able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Clearly for some it's the ultimate expression of their superiority, but for the rest of us it's a token that affords us extra access to radio spectrum and technologies. One reason I'm raising this is because if you're a new entrant to our hobby, you might be confronted by Amateurs who demand that you update your license at their insistence, rather than your interest, which can lead to you leaving our community which is a regrettable and undesirable outcome. Another reason I'm raising this is because there are many things in Amateur Radio like the "FM capture effect", phenomenon we know happen, but have little understanding about. These things have implications far beyond our hobby. For example, the mobile phone in your pocket, or the laptop on your knees or the wireless headphones on your head, all use technologies that are subject to the "FM capture effect" and understanding and research in our hobby can and will help the wider community. So, don't let your lowly license deter you from learning, from participating, from being curious and researching things that interest you. Who knows, one day you'll add to the body of knowledge that we call Amateur Radio and we'll all be better off. I'm Onno VK6FLAB