[Amps] REL

[Harold B. Mandel]

If your commercial business is fortunate to have the cash flow
whereby regular purchases are made from REL, your business will
find itself on an advantageous pricing tier.

REL has a ten-tier pricing system. Amateur operators needing
an occasional single or double item order are at the very tail
end of the system with the highest prices.

For instance, a new 3CPX1500A7 purchased as an amateur
from C&D in Florida was priced at approximately $1400. The very
same device on the REL website shows a $3400 tag, (or at least
it did about 11 months ago).

I saw a John Wayne movie about exploring the Yukon. An orange
sold at the border town for a dollar, and that was supposedly in the 
1800's. The point is that it was what the market could bear.

It's the same deal with REL. They are in bed with Eimac, and the
only "official" distributor. They paid for the privilege. They now charge
what the market will bear. 

There are a number of private companies that do have direct purchasing
rights with Eimac. They need to buy fifty or a hundred devices at a time
to continue to do business. They qualify for a certain pricing: It's the
deal
they made.

We have a narrow choice. We can keep on buying up Soviet and Chinese
devices and hope they don't all-of-a-sudden decide to pull the plug, but
it's the same deal with Eimac, isn't it? 

Without casting aspersions on anybody, is not what REL does considered 
Good Business? They are not in business for their health or for any of
ours, 
and from the looks of the tube industry over a thirty year period I 
personally don't blame them for playing hardball. I may not like it,
knowing the local hospital is buying 8877's for 500 bucks apiece from
REL,
but once again, that's the deal.

Hal Mandel