[TowerTalk] Hams (and consumers) Playing Cheap

[Jim Brown]

On Fri,3/24/2017 9:21 AM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
> The Chicago stores were put under partly because hams would use them
> as show-rooms to look at rigs, then PHONE IN AN ORDER TO AES IN
> MILWAUKEE to avoid Illinois SALES TAX.

Just like consumers of nearly all products, not only hams, have been 
doing for years.

> Of course IL SKY HIGH Sales Tax to blame also!!

I spent 42 years in Chicago. I don't remember IL sales tax as being "sky 
high." But I do remember pretty well maintained roads, both inside and 
outside the city (and FAR better in Chicago than in NYC -- ever ride in 
a NYC cab?). :)  And CA sales tax is even higher, but we get a LOT in 
return. CA roads are, in general, excellent and most are well 
maintained. We're a mountainous state, so many roads are much more 
costly to build and maintain, and storms generate a need for a lot of 
repairs just to keep them open! After a recent week of storms (and a 
massive seasonal rainfall of 108 inches since Aug 1) all three roads 
allowing me to get off the mountain were closed by mudslides, downed 
trees, and downed wires. I certainly don't mind paying taxes to do those 
repairs! There is no free lunch.

We as a culture have become increasingly penny wise and pound foolish. 
People in Chicago drove significant distances to buy gas in IN, where 
gas taxes were lower (and cigarettes that were killing them), somehow 
forgetting to factor in the cost of the gas (and wear and tear of the 
miles on their car). We buy cheap crap of all sorts and have to throw it 
away because it's junk or it breaks, and then get to buy it again. And 
we buy cheap again and repeat the process. Many years ago, I bought a 
moderately priced, US-made Waring coffee grinder. It lasted for nearly 
ten years, and when a part wore out, I was able to buy a new one and 
install it myself.

Two weeks ago, I was looking for a big (16"x20" or so) hinged, gasketed 
weatherproof  box into which I could mount a bunch of lightning 
arrestors. I checked out several vendors online to see what was 
available and the costs, then went to three local vendors. Two, 
including the largest which billed itself as the serious one for 
electricians, gave me blank stares. The counterman at the third, a much 
smaller store, understood exactly what I wanted, grabbed a ladder, and 
pulled it down from a high shelf where boxes of multiple sizes were in 
stock (and others were in stock of the size I bought). The price was 
only a bit higher than those online vendors. When I get what I want/need 
and that kind of service, I'm more than willing to support local vendors.

I was adding that box to my station because I was getting tired of 
buying a new Polyphaser every year or two to replace one that had blown 
simply because the gas tubes are not replaceable. (I have a lot of 
antennas, so about 16 Polyphasers on the entry panel). I studied the 
options, and on the basis of what looks to me like a superior design, 
chose those sold by Array Solutions, based on the design of the ICE 
units that they used to sell.. They cost a bit more, and they are larger 
than Polyphaser and Alpha Delta, so they require a larger enclosure. But 
they are also built so that the gas tube (and other components) can be 
easily replaced, and their design gives me hope that they provide equal 
protection but blow less often. Time will tell.

73, Jim K9YC