[TowerTalk] Low Loss 400, You get what you pay for

[jimlux]

Steve Davis -Davis RF Co. wrote:

>    Looking at LMR 400 knock offs:   The first question to ask is whether it 
> is made in USA.  Then by whom (if they will tell you), then be sure they are 
> willing to  give you a full spec.   Then , based on their reaction to 
> any/all of those criteria,  judge who you are dealing with.   

Amplifying on Steve's comments a bit..

You might also ask the vendor how they verify that it meets the spec 
sheet.  It's not unheard of for someone to publish a spec sheet that is 
effectively "designed, but not tested to meet these specifications".  If 
they're retailing cable from "Bob's cableworks" which doesn't have a 
fixed address, it might be good, it might not, depending on who showed 
up to work.  If it's from "Acme cableworks, an AS9001 company", at least 
they have a process they follow (granted, it could be consistently bad, 
but at least it's consistent!)