Remember, TT did that once (the Delta II) and it wasn't that successful in
the presence of the IC-735, FT-757GX/FT-890, and TS-440S/450S. It was
expensive and didn't really stand out in the minds of a lot of people.
There's a REAL issue/danger here. Look at the rapid number of revisions
being made by the Japanese companies - Icom in the last three years has
taken a line of radios (the 706) and come out with the Mark II and the
MarkII-G, and there's no upgrade path.
This has happened a LOT with the "big three."
This has left a LOT of people with a lot of
1) less valuable gear and lots of pissed-off people, because of being
superseded by infinite numbers of newer models
2) LOTS of pretty cheap, late-model used gear, with lots of people now
able and willing to buy this stuff
What does this mean?
If Ten-Tec just makes a FINE radio and sticks with it - like the venerable
IC-735 and Yaesu FT-736, with 10+ year production runs - people will feel
comfortable buying knowing their investment won't be immediately
depreciated. Of course, with all of the cheap, high-quality, late-model
used gear floating around, there may not be that many people willing to
spend $1300 on a radio whose functions can be performed by a radio that
can be had, one year old, for $600 (which cost $1200 just a year ago).
The OMNI VI is a perfect example. It's a niche radio, but it has its
loyal followers. The mid-priced Ten-Tec must STAND OUT in some way that
makes people look at the specs and say, "now THAT's something I gotta
have in my shack because nothing else does it, and it's useful."
Full electronic break-in is a GREAT start. Just doing everything
adequately may no longer be enough. The Delta II was an adequate radio...
It's a tough place to be. Does...
"If you build it, they will come"
apply here???
Scott Rosenfeld ARS NF3I
301-549-1022 (h) 301-982-1015 (w)
Burtonsville, MD
ham@w3eax.umd.edu http://w3eax.umd.edu/~ham
On Wed, 16 Sep 1998, david r wrote:
>
> Hi All
> I think ten tec would do well if they brought out a rig priced in the 8-9
> hundred dollar range
> gen coverage rx,
> dual vfos (would be nice but not essential)
> 100 watts ajustable to qrp levels.
> 73 dave kc1di
>
>
>
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