On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 13:07:31 -0700, "Jerry T. Dowell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>The high prices of the roofing filters for the K3 and optional filters for >other rigs reminds me of a little history. > >In the very early '80s, I desired to purchase a CW filter for an Astro 200, >long after CIR went out of business. I happened to be visiting Phoenix, AZ >for a few days, so I dropped by Network Sciences, the company that had made >the Astro filters and had also been the filter supplier for Drake, Atlas and >other manufacturers. It was still there, but obviously about to fold. I met >with Howard Falk, the owner, who said he could supply me with an 8-pole CW >filter for the Astro. We chatted a bit while a technician, apparently the >only other person around, checked out my filter. Howard said that he had >essentially been driven out of business by the Japanese filter >manufacturers. Drake and others had switched to Japanese suppliers since >they could get the filters for a little over $1 each, whereas his cost was >over $2 each. Note that there were no middlemen. Drake was selling their >filters for $40 or $50 each, I forget which. A tidy profit. Howard charged >me $40 for that CW filter, by the way. Since Howard's tale was only one data >point for me, it would be interesting to verify it through other sources. > The cost of what you pay for distributed goods doesn't just reflect the difference between what the manufacturer sells his product for. There are many other factors involved, like shipping, packaging, employee wages, warehouse rent, taxes, OSHA requirements, city and state regulations, federal regulations and the list goes on and on and on. It just costs money to stay in business even if you never sell anything, you still have to file all the paperwork and pay the fees that allow you to be in business. I'm surprised Mr. Falk didn't just put adds in the ham magazines selling his products for $10.00 each and make a healthy profit, unless he had some sort of agreement not to compete with those distributors buying his products. If his products were equal to the ones sold by Drake, etc., once the word got around, the others would need to reduce their prices or he would capture the after market trade. >Inflation since that time has been about a factor of 2.6, according to >official US Government figures: > >http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl > The cost of goods is rarely reflected by the value of currency. It is mostly reflected by what people will pay for the goods. >Some of us would disagree with the official numbers, putting it closer to a >factor of 10, but the official factor is close to the actual increase in >retail prices for the filters. If the costs have gone up in that proportion, >the profits are huge. Especially if one figures in the interim advances in >manufacturing, such as monolithic structures, etc. Of course, there is at >least one middleman involved with the Inrad filters, increasing the cost to >Elecraft. No doubt high markups are necessary along the line somewhere >because of the low volumes involved. > >Nevertheless, I find it especially disturbing having to pay these modern >prices considering that the filters have apparently not been designed or >chosen for good IMD performance or advantageous group delay characteristics. >Also, some filters are reputed to have been defective. Of course, the >filters may not be totally to blame for the mediocre front end performance >of the K3 (compared with the professional-level performance that some of us >had hoped for.) So, the real reason for your post was to bash Elecraft's filters. Right? How many K3s do you own? If you don't have any get at least one. > >Jerry AI6L > [snip] 73, Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
