On Sunday, December 14, 2003, at 08:09 AM, Ron wrote:
Total Cost $20/hour....Gee, let's see..... Parts and labor, testing,
quality
assurance, finance people, customer support, sales, continued
non-recurring
engineering (to correct issues), manufacturing/engineering overhead, etc
(such as economy of scale)........ Total cost could get in the
$100+/hour.
So, I think that a manufactured K2 cost could really be out of site if
that
is all the company produced and maybe that's why it is in kit form.
Even the kit version cost does not represent the real cost.
Doesn't represent the benefits either. Try $2000 for a decent
electronics course, then there are the lab fees (at my local University,
nontrivial costs!) Then there is the corresponding "free" service built
into it, I can now fix my own gear because I know what is inside and I
tested it myself every step of the way. A few years ago, I recall that
a Professor (at Cal Tech?) had based a course on building a NorCal 40A,
he even had a text to go with it. Their courses cost more than my above
quote, not to mention the tough entry requirements :-) .
The simple calculations don't come close to the reality. However, when
I dig into my pocket, one costs a bunch less than the other to put into
my shack. The time I spend is essentially free since its my hobby and I
love it :-) . For a complete appliance operator, there are different
calculations, of course!
Clark
WA3JPG
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