Just over one hundred years ago the prevailing design philosophy of the day came about in reaction to the excesses of the Victorian era. The "Arts & Crafts" movement focused on simplicity of design, a complete lack of applied ornamentation, and the use of readily available on-site natural materials. Architects later in the century like Frank Lloyd Wright picked up on the theme. The beauty of designed objects manifest itself in the skill of craftsmanship, the joinery and assembly themselves being readily seen, put on display if you will as part of the attraction of the object. The usefulness of the device, whether it be a house or piece of furniture, added to an objects appeal. Gone were the flourishes and foo-foo of Victorian design. In came simple lines and pride of craftsmanship.

What, you ask, has this to do with radio? Well, truthfully I never gave it much thought until I came to Uganda. When I made my first trip here in the autumn of 1999, you will remember the rest of us were in the run-up to Y2K and being bombarded by voices predicting doom and meltdown. As I drove through the Ugandan bush, it occurred to me that if the world were to melt-down, it would have NO EFFECT here. The way of life for most in the country is so close to the land, nothing that happens in every day experience would have any impact if computers failed to work.

It is a little more connected these days. Mobile phones are cheap and everywhere. There are lots of Internet cafe's and more televisions than before. But electric bills are still processed by hand, the meter readings are written into a tablet and recorded by a clerk in an office. The bill itself is delivered by a courier, not the mail. Most things are still made by hand. When I needed a ladder to climb onto the roof and install my antenna, I had to have one made by a local carpenter. There is not a factory-made ladder to be had in the entire city!

Now all of this seems strange to me because I am writing this on a laptop computer connected to the Internet via a 3G stick provided by one of the wireless phone companies here in Uganda. So I am not condemning by any means the use of contemporary devices. Even the craftsmen on the Arts & Craft era a century ago used modern tools. They just used them as extensions of themselves. The character of the craftsman was illustrated in his craft. This same philosophy carries through in our pursuit as well.

I have been especially confronted with this by the sheer volume of hand-made goods in Uganda. Using resources at hand is not an indulgence, it is an imperative. My intention to build a log periodic antenna has come face to face with reality. No aluminum, no log periodic antenna. Rather than being frustrated, I am actually enthused about this.

Before I moved here, I owned a custom millwork shop on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Three of my employees were Filipinos having moved to our island in the past three years. Time after time I would walk through the shop and see how they had improvised a jig for the construction of a complicated project or designed a tool from the resources we had at hand, often a discarded piece of wood or broken tool. It seems to be a propensity of less "developed" cultures to have a knack for improvisation and fabrication.

The green movement today is in many respects not very green at all. For example, solar electrical panels consume far more energy to manufacture than they will ever produce. Green usually means sophisticated devices costing large amounts of money and are often the playthings of the wealthy. Whereas, "green" to me means living close to the resources at hand. And it implies a pride of craftsmanship along with an resistance to run to a catalog to place an order.

I've been reading "Calling CQ," the fine book by Clinton DeSoto. There's a link to a free download site for this in my post called "Cool & Quirky Radio Resources on the net." While reading it I have been impressed with the clever creative ability of amateur radio operators whose accounts the author relates so compellingly. So many were able to fabricate components and circuits from almost nothing.

The junk box every ham accumulates takes on a holy aura. It is the green slime from which life will emerge and eventually evolve into advanced forms. It is the seedbed from which life will flourish. The junk box is more than a reserve of used parts. In it are the building blocks of something not yet in existence. We are amateur radio enthusiasts and such we create devices that do wonderful, almost magic things. When I give a report to one of my Ugandan colleagues here at the project, they are always amazed that I can, through the microphone attached to the radio attached to the antenna on the roof, speak with someone in Borneo, or Qatar, or Malawi. "And you aren't using a cell phone?" they always ask. No, no phone.

So you are probably a green radio person already. Many who read this blog are homebrewers and QRP people. They regularly put little pieces together and make magic. Their creations are extensions of themselves, objects born in their heads but executed by their hands. If you are intimidated at the prospect of building something yourself, or if the ready reserve of resources is getting in your way, I have a spare room here in Masaka.