wrote:
mike maghakian wrote:
in that case, I would rather have no antenna than a bad one !


We need to keep in mind that Drake had a part in designing the E1 as
with the Satellit 800.

Yes, this is what everyone keeps saying, much to the delight of Eton's
marketing department, I'm sure. However, no one has yet been able to
spell out exactly what Drake's role was. Nor can anyone explain why
Drake, which sold the 800, is not selling the E1, or why Drake, which
serviced the 800, is not servicing the E1.

There are knockoff copies of American brand name vehicles being made in
China right now. www.chinesecars.net They sell for much less in
price than the American brand name vehicles being manufactured here in
U.S.A.What has that got to do with radio? Well,take a look at the
electronic things that have American brand names on them that are being
made in China and other foreign countries.Governor haley barbour (I can
not spell any! politicians name with capital letters,it is practically
physically and mentally impossible for me to do so) of my home state of
Mississippi recently got back to Jackson from a trip to China.Of course
most of us know Nissan (Nissan used to be called Datsun,Datsun means
Bluebird) is not an American brand name although there is a Nissan plant
just north of Jackson about fifteen miles or less and that Nissan
plant/factory has developed a line of cars (Aprexa,or something like
that,I think is the name of the cars) that have the suspension system
and some other things designed/developed for the Chinese market.That
Nissan plant/factory near Jackson is going to be selling cars to
China,someday,probally,China will be manufacturing the same line or
similar of cars in China and selling them to Americans.I have said it
here in this news group,someday Chinese manufactured
cars,trucks,vans,suvs,boat engines,motorcycles,ect will be showing up in
American dealers showrooms and someday,there will not be anymore
factories in America manufacturing those products.Take a look at what
has happened to American name brand radios that used to be manufactured
in America,RCA,Sylvania,Emerson,Magnavox,Motorola and others.And tv sets
and on and on and on,,,,,,,,,, We are digging a hole we will never get
out of,thanks to fed govt and free trade and nafta and gatt and hold on
to your hats folks,there is a new one the Crooked B......s in fed govt
just recently approved and signed on to to help Sell U.S.A.Down The
River even some more,cafta.(guess who is getting rich and richer from
that and guess who gets poorer and poorer?)There are other countries in
Asia that are becoming the "New China",India is one of them,so is
Malaysia and other third world countries.Sure,I know the E1 radios are
not an American name brand,but y'all get me driff.I remember when
America used to be self sufficient and most of what Americans bought in
American stores was Manufactured in America,except for Chrome which we
get from Africa and Russia,without Chrome (I am not talking about the
Chrome plating on auto bumpers and similar thingys either) we would be
in big trouble Militarily speaking. cuhulin

My understanding is that Drake sold the design of the SW8 (and maybe
the R8B??) to Eton.

Drake no longer sells the Satellit 800 or any other SW receiver. Drake
decided it was best to sell the plans to their receivers rather than
continue manufacturing them as current prices would be too high for any
kind of market with the competition from imported receivers. Notice
all the complaints in this newgroup about the $499 price of the Eton
E1, yet the Satellit 500 and the Satellit 700 both sold for $500. The
Drake SW8 was just under $800 and nobody complained about the price.
Of course Drake quality is higher than Eton's, but most of us like
getting a new radio every few years, and very few care about getting a
receiver that will last 20 years or so. I paid $900 for my Satellit
650. Great quality receiver. But my $500 Satellit 800 has better SW
reception and many more features. Not the great sound quality of the
650, but a fantastic selectable sideband sync detector as well as
fast/slow AGC.

If the E1 is a great receiver, then it is well worth the $499 price
tag. Pay less, get less.

If someone has a real need for portability, that's one thing. In that
case, I can see spending tons of money on a portable receiver. I can
also see spending a lot on a portable if you're a collector and simply
"have to have" a particular portable, regardless of the pricetag.
That's what collectors do.

However, if you're just interested in getting the best performance
possible for the price, then no portable will be worth $500 when there
are better performing tabletop receivers in the same price range. Maybe
I'm nuts, but this just seems obvious to me.

Fortunately, there are receivers of both kinds for those who want them.

Steve

Steve