I would beg to differ. As a past owner of an FT-2000d with the DMU-2000 "pan adapter" I have to say 1 - that pan adapter was FAR MORE than what Elecraft has described the P3 would do. It was a logging system, it was a rotor control with world map, it was an AF scope, it was also a pan adapter among other things. Plus, you could use it on ANY size screen.
Sure, there were features that needed serious refinement.. but when I purchased mine BRAND NEW it was still only $650 "on sale". Of course that "sale" never seemed to end, but when it did go away for a little bit, the price never went higher than 700 or 775 dollars. In my personal opinion, for Elecraft to charge more than $700 (if that) for a pan adapter that does only one or at best 2 functions is outrageous. I would have thought that $500 to $650 would be the TOP number they would be targeting. I don't know about you, but I'm not made out of money, and to even consider plunking down $1000 for a simple pan adapter is an absolute JOKE. Yes, I will most likely purchase the P3 pan adapter, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that Elecraft understands that even if I have to purchase a $80-$150 LCD monitor, ALL of their competition is priced below that ridiculous mark others have talked about. LP-PAN kit = $176.75USD LP-PAN assembled = $227.25USD Software: FREE 1) Manufacturer: YAESU Item : DMU-2000 Description : DATA MANAGEMENT UNIT FT-2000/950/5000 SERIES $869.95 Coupon: $80.00 YOUR HRO PRICE $789.95 Gigaparts: YAESU DMU-2000 Data Management Unit for FT-2000 Discounts included in price: $80.00 instant rebate expires 03/31/2010. Regular: $849.00 Discounts: -$80.00 Net Price: $769.00 And on and on and on.... Like I said, $500 to $650 is a FAIR price. $700 is PUSHING it. Just my opinion, you don't need to agree with it. > From: k7...@comcast.net > Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:39:50 -0800 > To: ronce...@earthlink.net > CC: elecraft@mailman.qth.net > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft P3 panadapter at the Orlando Hamcation > > I think the estimated $700 price is cheap. I was thinking it would be > closer to $1000. There is a similar product from Yaesu, the DMU-2000 > with a list price of $1400 and it does not even include the monitor which > you must supply yourself. I think the street price is possibly under $1000 > though. > > Now, we do not know how close or far apart the DMU-2000 is from the > P3 but it does set at least one price point. Another price point is the > LP-PAN and sound-card plus computer configuration. If you buy an > external USB sound card then you are starting to get closer to the ball > park area of the $700 (of course, depending on all kinds of factors that > are too variable to make any close comparison). I bet though that many > hams would gladly pay several hundred dollars more for the P3 to avoid > the hassle of doing up their own solution using the LP-PAN approach. > > About Microsoft selling Windows 7 at a profit for 50 cents! Your joking > of course. I have a number of good friends on the Microsoft Windows > 7 product team (I live about 4 miles from the Microsoft campus) and > they would beg to differ with you. They have, depending on how you > measure it which is not easy, a multi-billion dollar development effort > that they need to recapture by selling Windows 7. Or, look at it another > way, their first several million copies of Windows 7 are still being sold > at a huge loss. You can actually read their shareholders reports and > find out some of the cost for developing Windows 7. > > As for me, I will buy the P3. Cost? It is not so high that it would be > totally unreasonable I am betting. > > 73, phil, K7PEH > > > > On Feb 13, 2010, at 8:23 AM, KM4VX wrote: > > > > > What drives the price of a new product more than anything is marketing. > > Microsoft could sell Windows 7 at profit for 50 cents but charges $149.00. > > The P-3 price is being defined here on the reflector by those of us who are > > so enthusiastic about Elecraft; hams may be called "cheap" but have > > considerable discretionary spending available. The P-3 could sell for a few > > hundred dollars at profit, similar to other panadapters. Instead, we are > > talking about more than double that price. Companies recover their R&D > > investments over time, and the higher the selling price the shorter the R&D > > investment recovery period. How about a breather here? The $700 price being > > tossed around is a bit absurd in my view. Yeah, many of us can and will pay > > it, but its okay to talk about 3-400 dollars and Elecraft would do just > > fine. Offer the company double their profitable selling price and they are > > delighted to take it. Why not? Mail a check now? If the price is determined > > by what we are willing to pay, consider paying less. It is okay to pay less > > guys. 73. Ron > > -- > > View this message in context: > > http://n2.nabble.com/Elecraft-P3-panadapter-at-the-Orlando-Hamcation-tp4564111p4566779.html > > Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html