piermarini@gumdrp.DEC (10/15/85)
I have been reading alot lately in this notes file about
all the problems people are having with there new Ham gear. well i had
been planning to purchase some new gear but am now having secound thoughts.
Should I purchase new gear or just keep my Hallicrafters which have
been working fine for me. Sounds to me like the old stuff is still more
reliable than the new and easier to fix also.
(boat anchors forever) Paul KA1MWQHardie@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (Maj. Douglas Hardie) (10/17/85)
Problems with electronic equipment are not new or confined to any
one manufacturer. Frequently I find that problems become bad with a rig
when the manufacturer takes short cuts and lowers the safety factors for
parts to near zero to reduce costs and increase profits. Designers are
always under pressure to keep costs down. Afterall, why use 40 amp
diodes in a power supply that only provides 25 amps when 25 amp diodes
are much cheaper.
That attitude has always plagued some ham radio manufacturers, even
in years past (I remember some Eicho gear very well). The quality of
any given manufacturer's gear will change with time, e.g. when I first
got my lisense, Heathkits were top quality, state of the art. But in
the 70's, they had severe problems with their top price rigs.
If you have a rig that does what you want and works fine - why get
rid of it?
-- Doug WA6VVV