With the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 0 at £5, and with the basis of
a complete QRP TRX for the Raspberyy Pi already having been
published, (see hackaday.com) and as most of what makes for a modern TRX is
not
the RF paths but encapsulated in software, is this the start of the
slippery path for the emporia who sell rigs with vast profit margins?

On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 12:05:07 -0000, "gareth"
wrote:

With the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 0 at £5, and with the basis of
a complete QRP TRX for the Raspberyy Pi already having been
published, (see hackaday.com) and as most of what makes for a modern TRX is
not
the RF paths but encapsulated in software, is this the start of the
slippery path for the emporia who sell rigs with vast profit margins?


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.........

"Rambo" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 12:05:07 -0000, "gareth"
wrote:

With the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 0 at £5, and with the basis of
a complete QRP TRX for the Raspberyy Pi already having been
published, (see hackaday.com) and as most of what makes for a modern TRX
is
not
the RF paths but encapsulated in software, is this the start of the
slippery path for the emporia who sell rigs with vast profit margins?


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.........

Kanji, Hiragana or Katakana?

"gareth" wrote in
:

"Rambo" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 12:05:07 -0000, "gareth"
wrote:

With the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 0 at £5, and with the basis of
a complete QRP TRX for the Raspberyy Pi already having been
published, (see hackaday.com) and as most of what makes for a modern
TRX is
not
the RF paths but encapsulated in software, is this the start of the
slippery path for the emporia who sell rigs with vast profit margins?


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.........

Kanji, Hiragana or Katakana?



Usually all three.

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.

On 30/11/2015 12:05, gareth wrote:
With the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 0 at £5, and with the basis of
a complete QRP TRX for the Raspberyy Pi already having been
published, (see hackaday.com) and as most of what makes for a modern TRX is
not
the RF paths but encapsulated in software, is this the start of the
slippery path for the emporia who sell rigs with vast profit margins?



don't wish too hard the alinco line has now BEEN RUINED turned into crap
chinky stuff...compare the DR135MK3 WITH THE new cheaper DR138 CHINKY
NEW MODEL...CRAP

--
Man at Oxfam
All things DIGITAL do not work
No spare wheel isn't progress
Class A radio hams do exist
A rubber cam belt is not acceptable
I never asked to join the Freemasons

On 30/11/2015 21:34, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
don't wish too hard the alinco line has now BEEN RUINED turned into crap
chinky stuff...compare the DR135MK3 WITH THE new cheaper DR138 CHINKY
NEW MODEL...CRAP

read this good-bye alinco ....

https://hamgear.wordpress.com/2014/1...as-we-know-it/

--
Man at Oxfam
All things DIGITAL do not work
No spare wheel isn't progress
Class A radio hams do exist
A rubber cam belt is not acceptable
I never asked to join the Freemasons