Latest posts of: Tony Bogusz

I recently purchased a TYT TH-UVF9 (220/440), and shortly afterward a Baofeng UV-5R+ (2m/440).

Why?

Because I wanted to cover all 3 bands, plus I figured that 220/440 would be more efficient from a stock duckie standpoint. (I based this on prior experience with the stock duck on a Standard C-508 that I bought back in 1997 and still have and use a lot.)

I also wanted to try out both brands to see what all of the buzz was about. So far, it seems that with the stock antenna the TYT is not as efficient on 440 receive as it is on 220. (Not surprising.) I just got my Baofeng unit today and am just digging into it. It looks like a well constructed unit, and the audio sounded good when listening to it on the TYT and on my Radio Shack HTX-202/404 radios. (Which I'm never getting rid of. They're gold standards, as far as I am concerned.)

I'm having fun. The fun did not cost me much money...and this is really is a hobby, albeit one that can also have wonderful public service aspects to it. But since it's my money, and discretionary income in this economy is shrinking, I'm careful about how I "fund my fun".

With regard to the angst being expressed about "Chinese junk" and the Chinese "attacking the Japanese 'big 3 1/2' ", I can only say this...

I repaired TV's back in the 70's at a TV repair shop at which I worked to keep me in college money and a car. The Japanese, and later the Koreans were accused of dumping their products into the American marketplace at less than cost. A lot of wailing occurred and nothing of substance as an answer occurred. Instead, the American consumer electronics industry either exited the business or sold out to the Japanese and Koreans. Recall Motorola selling its Consumer business (then labelled Quasar Eltx.) to Matsushita in 1974, and Zenith becoming a Korean company after their foray into HDTV failed.

American companies did not evolve, and did not even try to compete. Now the Japanese and the Koreans are getting similar medicine from their Chinese competitors.

Some of the smarter Japanese companies are having their TV's, Blue Ray players, and stereo equipment made in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. These are countries interested in building their manufacturing base, and NOT stealing designs and know-how.

I recommend the big 3 1/2 do more of that to compete in 2 way radio and ham equipment. Remember the ADI 147/247/447? Those were Korean copies of the Kenwood TM-231/331/431, only severely cost reduced,...and it showed. (They were the Baofeng's and TYT's of their day.)

So now Kenwood is playing a similar game in reverse and outsourcing more of their single band VHF radios to places like the countries I mentioned, and not China. Their high ticket stuff still comes from Japan. (Good diversification move with the older technology!!!)

So, in closing, there ARE ways to blunt the Chinese move on the ham market. One just has to be clever about HOW to compete.

If a company just wants to chase the "almighty dollar" (term actually invented by Washington Irving in the early 19th century), however, it should send its technology over to China (as a first choice) and just watch how they'll figure out how to ultimately compete...just like the Japanese were accused of doing to the USA in pocket transistor radios, TV's and other consumer goods so long ago.

Don' t believe me? Just try to find a cellphone that is NOT built in China...or an i-Phone, i-Pad, or i-Anything from Apple. The counterfeit versions and stores to sell them are the next step. (Just guess where those are and where they come from.)

I'd strongly recommend that multi-national companies diversify their manufacturing to other countries, rather than putting the entire recipe into the hands of only the Chinese. Have a few key, critical subassemblies done somewhere else and you protect your intellectual property, even if the final assembly is done in China.

So there's the business challenge facing the "Japanese big 3 1/2" and (I almost forgot) Ten Tec.

Keep an eye on what goes into China and what they're doing with it. Keep also figuring out how to beat them at their own game. Give your supplier and future competitor both the figurative "gun and the bullets" to "shoot you out of business" someday, and it certainly will when it no longer needs you.

Figure out how to protect your technology with careful compartmental isolation of the critical pieces from getting into the hands of a single potential competitor, and you will live to be a thriving company in the future marketplace. (e.g.: There are NO D-STAR radios coming out of China, nor any other Japanese company outside of ICOM, are there?)

It's a jungle out there. Take care and you're the king of it. Be careless and you get eaten.

In the meantime, I'll continue to play with my two Chinese dual-banders, which together cost me less than $150 delivered, and enjoy the experience immensely. (That's less than half the cost of a new Kenwood TH-F6A.) They're not cutting edge, but satisfy my needs for analog FM communications fun for now.