On 12/1/2015 1:47 AM, Brian Reay wrote:
Jerry Stuckle wrote:
On 11/30/2015 4:54 PM, Brian Reay wrote:
On 30/11/15 21:47, Jerry Stuckle wrote:
On 11/30/2015 4:19 PM, Brian Reay wrote:
On 30/11/15 20:06, turdey wrote:
Brian Reay Wrote in message:
On 30/11/15 12:50, Rambo wrote:


And when you can pick up a chinese dual band mobile radio for £65 the
writing is surely on the wall for the Japanese Companies.........


While the cheap Chinese radios are good value, their overall
package of
performance, facilities, quality, etc. are still a long way from the
offerings of the established manufacturers in the field.

For a parallel, think about what happened with Lada, the old Skodas,
etc. They didn't put the makers of quality more expensive cars out of
business.

There is a place for the 'cheap and cheerful' Chinese radios,
especially
the amazing cheap VHF/UHF handhelds as all but 'disposable' radios.
But
even the better ones don't really compare overall to, say, an FT60.
Even
those which set out to be apparent competitors (like the early Baofeng
vs the V?8*) were not that comparable in terms of quality and
ergonomics.

(I can't recall if it was the VX8 or the VR8.)

Those with a long association with the hobby will recall the Navico
radios, which were claimed to be a cheap alternative to the various
Japanese mobiles. However, the number sold was pitiful. The quality
was
good but the overall 'package' was, at best, disappointing- not
least as
the manufacturer (who has a good history in marine kit) failed to
recognise what the market saw as key facilities. There are other
examples, including the various Garex radios.

In fact the Navico example is a good example of someone trying to
break
into the amateur market but thinking they could offer the narrower
range
of facilities which were applicable to their core business. They
simply
offered what was, essentially, a PMR/Marine radio to a more demanding
customer who had better alternatives.








Surely this is what we said about the Japanese stuff not so long ago?


Not really. The Japanese are pretty good at providing what people want.
Look at radios like the FT101, a doddle to operate, reliable, cheap (as
things went), etc.

Actually, most Japanese stuff was considered pretty cheap and poor
quality back in the 60's, at least here in the U.S. There wasn't much
(if any) for ham gear at the time, but the did have portable transistor
radios, stereos and other electronic equipment.

The vast majority of the good ham gear used here was American made
(Drake, World Radio Labs, Heathkit, Collins, etc.).


Obviously that is why they are no longer in the market.

These were amongst the best radios around - especially Collins, which
was made to military specifications. But they couldn't compete with the
Japanese manufacturers with their low overhead.

Building to military specs for the commercial market is hardly good
business when you can obtain the same required performance for far less.


Then why does a Collins S-Line in good condition still sell for $2K
US, despite limited features? The fact is, they still outperform
anything on the market.



Obviously, however, you have never owned any of these pieces of
equipment. While not having all of the features of newer gear, I would
still stack a Collins S-Line over anything manufactured today. Maybe
that's why they still run $2K US on the used market.


There are many reasons people will pay such prices but performance isn't a
key factor.

That's where you are wrong.


OTOH, I never saw anything worthwhile coming out of the UK. The only
decent radios from Europe were German.


If that is intended as some jibe, it failed.



So what came out of the UK?

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