Good discussion...we really are saying the same thing.

If the product does not make a profit, it is gone. Drake is in the
business to make money, not radios.

I really do like the idea of SWLs building their own radios.

Whether or not they can be built equivalent to the specs of the Drake
R8B is quite another matter.

I note that most ham operators today are appliance operators and not
builders.

TMT

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
oups.com...
Good discussion...we really are saying the same thing.

If the product does not make a profit, it is gone. Drake is in the
business to make money, not radios.

Yes, but the reason why Drake decided that the profit wasn't
there (or not enough return) is not the same. There is a difference
between "SW is dying" and "it would cost too much to redesign
a significant portion of the entire radio which would in turn raise
the cost of the radio beyond what a hobbyist would pay for."
It's entirely possible that Drake examined a few basic overhaul
designs, and didn't like either a) the resultant circuitry or b) the
overall cost of what a receiver would run due to parts and/or
manufacturing assembly line changes.

I really do like the idea of SWLs building their own radios.

I used to think so too, but if you want a radio that will perform
at a level approaching a Sat 800 (never mind the R8B), you'll need
either a) a lot of time on your hands or b) an extreme level of
technical expertise. TenTec used to sell a SW kit; don't know
if they still do.

Whether or not they can be built equivalent to the specs of the
Drake
R8B is quite another matter.

I note that most ham operators today are appliance operators and not
builders.

The reason for that is time. The time involved in hand
constructing a receiver to todays specs from scratch is
rather extreme, given the complexity involved. I don't know
about you, but my free time has been considerably
crunched over the past decade, and if I had an option,
I'd rather listen or get on the air than build a radio or
transceiver from scratch. If I have the time in the future,
I'd like to build one, but not now.

--Mike L.

Has anyone considered that if the demise of the Drake R8 series was
truely because of discontinued parts then it is highly likely that
Drake will have few if any parts in inventory for customer repairs.

In the past, more than one great product has turned into a white
elephant because of unobtainable components.

TMT

"Too_Many_Tools" ) writes:
Has anyone considered that if the demise of the Drake R8 series was
truely because of discontinued parts then it is highly likely that
Drake will have few if any parts in inventory for customer repairs.

Of course, they may be anticipating that.

The component manufacturers tend to make note of when things are
going out of production, labelling them so you know you shouldn't
be putting them in any new productin design. They may have stopped
producting the receiver because it's hit that point, and any stock
is needed for future repairs.

Michael

In the past, more than one great product has turned into a white
elephant because of unobtainable components.

TMT

One thing's for sure about Drake, if you need a part for one of their
radios, as long as they're still in business they'll do their damndest to
get it for you.

I needed a band crystal for my SW-4, wrote Drake and the Parts Manager sold
me one he had at home.

Sony's sold eleventy-million ICF2010's; think their Parts Manager will do
that for us in 20 years?

John


"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
oups.com...
Has anyone considered that if the demise of the Drake R8 series was
truely because of discontinued parts then it is highly likely that
Drake will have few if any parts in inventory for customer repairs.

In the past, more than one great product has turned into a white
elephant because of unobtainable components.

TMT

They probably won't do it NOW! Sony doesn't want to sell parts. They want
to sell you a new radio. They have the sorriest customer relations of any
company I've ever seen...


"John" wrote in message
...
One thing's for sure about Drake, if you need a part for one of their
radios, as long as they're still in business they'll do their damndest to
get it for you.

I needed a band crystal for my SW-4, wrote Drake and the Parts Manager
sold
me one he had at home.

Sony's sold eleventy-million ICF2010's; think their Parts Manager will do
that for us in 20 years?

John


"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
oups.com...
Has anyone considered that if the demise of the Drake R8 series was
truely because of discontinued parts then it is highly likely that
Drake will have few if any parts in inventory for customer repairs.

In the past, more than one great product has turned into a white
elephant because of unobtainable components.

TMT

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 13:10:40 +0000, DeWayne wrote:

Its much easier to replace the radio than bother with stocking replacement
parts. In most cases these days the cost of handing the parts makes
them more expensive than a replacement radio.



"Jim Hackett" wrote in message
news
They probably won't do it NOW! Sony doesn't want to sell parts. They
want
to sell you a new radio. They have the sorriest customer relations of any
company I've ever seen...

I thought about buying a Sony SW77 used, but I was really leary of getting
it serviced.



"John" wrote in message
...
One thing's for sure about Drake, if you need a part for one of their
radios, as long as they're still in business they'll do their damndest to
get it for you.

I needed a band crystal for my SW-4, wrote Drake and the Parts Manager
sold
me one he had at home.

Sony's sold eleventy-million ICF2010's; think their Parts Manager will do
that for us in 20 years?

John


"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
oups.com...
Has anyone considered that if the demise of the Drake R8 series was
truely because of discontinued parts then it is highly likely that
Drake will have few if any parts in inventory for customer repairs.

In the past, more than one great product has turned into a white
elephant because of unobtainable components.

TMT






--
Korbin Dallas
The name was changed to protect the guilty.

"Korbin Dallas" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 13:10:40 +0000, DeWayne wrote:

Its much easier to replace the radio than bother with stocking replacement
parts. In most cases these days the cost of handing the parts makes
them more expensive than a replacement radio.

I'd like to hear how Sony customers who send in 2010's and SW77's out of
warranty. If Sony doesn't fix them then what happens? SOL?




"Jim Hackett" wrote in message
news
They probably won't do it NOW! Sony doesn't want to sell parts. They
want
to sell you a new radio. They have the sorriest customer relations of
any
company I've ever seen...

I thought about buying a Sony SW77 used, but I was really leary of
getting
it serviced.



"John" wrote in message
...
One thing's for sure about Drake, if you need a part for one of their
radios, as long as they're still in business they'll do their damndest
to
get it for you.

I needed a band crystal for my SW-4, wrote Drake and the Parts Manager
sold
me one he had at home.

Sony's sold eleventy-million ICF2010's; think their Parts Manager will
do
that for us in 20 years?

John


"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
oups.com...
Has anyone considered that if the demise of the Drake R8 series was
truely because of discontinued parts then it is highly likely that
Drake will have few if any parts in inventory for customer repairs.

In the past, more than one great product has turned into a white
elephant because of unobtainable components.

TMT






--
Korbin Dallas
The name was changed to protect the guilty.