[VHFcontesting] Desperately Seeking 222!

[Nate Duehr]

On Jul 23, 2008, at 11:24 AM, Jim Worsham wrote:

> Keep in mind that Steve and Sandra have been moving DEMI from NJ to  
> Florida
> these past several months.

Also keep in mind that they BACK their products with repairs, parts,  
and generally do a GREAT job of customer service for customers who  
bought the products in the past.  It's hard to quantify that against  
other manufacturers, some do it well, some do very poorly.

I (like everyone else) have had to wait on things for months at a time  
from DEMI, and would NEVER complain about it... because I've also sent  
in DEMI transverters I bought used for modifications, testing/tuning,  
etc... and they've never said "no", no matter how old the transverter  
or device is.

It's hard to find great people who can put up with hams for years and  
years like these folks.   I wouldn't say they're the fastest company  
I've ever dealt with, but the work and products are top-notch.

It comes down to this:  Would you rather eat at McDonalds or a nice  
slow home-cooked meal?  You have to plan in advance for the home- 
cooked meal, that's a given.

Sometimes we all just have to slow down a bit.  Boutique radio  
manufacturers like DEMI and Elecraft aren't a high-volume business  
(well, Elecraft is probably higher-volume these days, but they built  
it up from nothing and sell products that are "hotter" than DEMI), and  
aren't blessed with huge amounts of operating capital and pre-built  
stock sitting around.  If you hit them at the wrong time, you'll find  
it takes a while... hit them right after they built a batch of  
something, and you'll get yours quickly during the mini-flurry of  
activity as the backorders and your new order fly out the door.

I whined and bitched in public about the length of time it took for my  
SpectraLink USB to show up when they had sourcing problems for the  
cases -- then the thing arrived and I still knew I'd made the right  
decision.  It's a very nice product.  Worth the wait.

Someone mentioned Elecraft as an option -- never dealt with them, but  
have seen lots of folks waiting for good things over the years from  
them too.  I'll be ordering from DEMI until they close the doors,  
personally -- because even with long lead times, their stuff works and  
is done right.

But if you can find McTransverter and their product is tasty enough  
for you, fast, and cheap... feel free to switch.

--
Nate Duehr, WY0X
nate at natetech.com