[VHFcontesting] Desperately Seeking 222!

[Zack Widup]

I have never had any troubles with DEM, even going back to when Bill owned 
it and it was really "Down East" (Maine). Steve has always been more than 
helpful to me; he isn't just a manufacturer, he's willing to share his 
knowledge. He's always given me the best service he can.

Microwave equipment is a very small niche in the market of ham gear. There 
really aren't too many of us active.  I can guess at a couple dozen in 
Illinois. However, I think numbers and interest is increasing. During 
this extended sunspot minimum we're having, a lot of contesters are 
looking at the higher bands.

I prefer to "roll my own" from scratch and maybe by the Sept. 10 
GHz contest I'll have something that puts out a handful of microwatts on 
47 GHz. 78 GHz might take a little longer. Maybe not; the mixer boards are 
virtually the same.

73, Zack W9SZ


On Sat, 26 Jul 2008, Nate Duehr wrote:

>
> 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
>
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