On 7 Jul 2003 14:45:31 GMT, Alun Palmer wrote:

CBs are cheap not only due to mass production, but because they are single
conversion with ceramic filters (a design choice) and because they are
single band and low power (FCC requirements). There may be an increased
market for an entry-level HF rig that will only cost about as much as a 2m
FM rig, because more will now choose to start out on HF.

You can, if you want to, stick several hundred bucks into a CB rig.
You can also get one for about forty bucks. The latter type will be
single mode (AM only) with zero bells and whistles. The former will be
AM/USB/LSB and include such extras as some form of RIT, dual power
supply (AC/DC), an actual S-meter rather than a bunch of LEDs as a
signal strength indicator (if any at all), some basic DSP functions,
and reception of NOAA weather channels. The top-of-the-line CB base
stations cost far more than a 2m FM rig as it is.

But what could be included? Probably SSB/CW only, maybe just a couple of
bands (which ones?), probably 10-20 watts out (PA transistors are
significant part of the component cost of a rig). Probably only ceramic
filters, but maybe with a high first IF a la Alinco (they might be one of
the firms interested in this market). Maybe 80/20m to use the image
response to make it easier to build, or 40/15m, so the user can just use a
40m dipole?

Sounds to me like you just desribed the Ten-Tec Scout with its modules
for different bands, except that the price tag does not rival that of
a CB rig. Frankly, I don't think we'll see $40 ham HF rigs, ever. Take
one of those $40 CB rigs and modify it for use in the AM portion of
10m and see how it performs, and you'll quickly understand why. You
get what you pay for.

I can, however, see a $200-$300 single-band HF rig (on other than 10m)
with limited mode selection and few if any bells and whistles. I
exclude 10m from that statement because those have already been
offered in the past - see Radio Shack HTX-10 for example.

73 DE John, KC2HMZ