On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:42:57 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Frogwatch" wrote in message
...


I will rant about poor electronics design, particularly the "cell
phone menu" type of design which seems to me to be user hostile.
Older devices such as analog alarm clocks were very easy to figure out
with a knob for various functions. Setting the time was just a matter
of turning the right one or maybe pulling it out. By contrast, modern
devices are not obvious at all and often require that you keep a many
page manual just so you can remember how to make them do the most
basic functions. This is a matter of basically poor design.
Compare the design of an older type of VHF with knobs for squelch,
volume, channel. etc with a modern one with very few real buttons that
must be pushed in weird order just to enable you to change channels or
turn down the squelch. Sure, you can remember how to do this when
calm but what about in an emergency? Could you do it while being in a
life jacket up to your mouth in the water so you could barely see the
display? See, this isnt just a matter of ease of use for us Luddites,
ti is a matter of safety.

I feel your pain. No, this is not about politics.

I bought my son an Icom handheld VHF radio for his beachhouse so he could
eavesdrop on the boats and ships either fishing on the bay or
entering/exiting the Cape Cod Canal.

Took me half an hour just to figure out how to turn it on, adjust the volume
and set the squelch.
Another 20 minutes or so and I had several frequencies set in the scan mode.
None of this was accomplished without the aid of the owner's manual which
normally I don't even bother to take out of the box.

This little VHF transceiver has more modes and programming gimmicks than
anyone would possible ever need or want. I guess they do it simply because
they "can".

When I first bought my Yaesu FT-1000D (quite a few years ago) it took
me three days to figure out how to even get it to the point where I
could use half the functions and to this day, I still don't use a lot
of them.

Now I understand from a friend that he's thinking of selling his brand
new FTDX9000MP because it too freakin' complicated to operate. :)

There are only so many "features" one can use at any one time.

Which is why I keep the old radios around - plus, they have tubes. :)