>At 06:12 PM 2/10/96 -0600, Ralph Fedor, K0IR wrote:
>>We like to compare receivers. Although I've not had the opportunity to line
>>up four or five radios of the same make and model and switch from one to the
>>other, I have had the feeling that "this 765 (1000D, 940, 980, or what have
>>you) is not as 'hot' as another I have used."
>>
>>Does significant variability exist between radios of the same make and
>>model? If so, how much?
>>
>>And, if it exists, are our reviews meaningful? Is our experience with a
>>fortuitous "hot" model that came off the line, or is it with a "not so hot"
>>model from the same line.
>>
>>What does everyone think?
>-------------------------------------------------------
Ralph, my comments are from a theoretical manufacturing standpoint,
not personal experience using multiple radios of the same model. That
said, I would not expect a lot of variability in today's radios. Why? Since
the 70's, most Japanese manufacturers have been practicing Total Quality
Control which was subsequently adopted by our domestic manufacturers in
the 80's. One of the fundamental tenets of TQC is to reduce process
variablity and most manufacturers monitor key process parameters to
ensure consistent quality. Years ago, we used technicians at the end of
production lines to "tune" each product to meet customer specifications,
and there was indeed a lot of variability in individual products. For highly
automated manufacturing processes, it is just not economical to "tune"
each procuct like we did years ago...the quality (defined as consistency in
meeting customer specifications) must be designed into the product and
processes. I do not personally know the extent the Japanese radio manu-
facturers have adopted TQC, but I frankly cannot imagine many Japanese
companies that have not. Most companies have moved beyond simple
TQC to things like Taiguchi (sp?) design methodology which takes things
like component variablility into account in the design to minimize variablility.
Many complex products today (VCR's for example) are assembled and
never touched by human hands...thus product consistency is probably much
higher than 20 years ago. My opinion for what it's worth.
73, Bill W0ZV
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