Yaesu has announced the ending of production of the FT818 transceiver claiming parts shortage as their reason.
When the FT818 was launched, like many, I was completely under-whelmed. What a complete failure!!
The FT818 offered none of the things people had expected and that would have been very easy to do. Instead, they opened the market to others and gave us the impression of a company that had totally lost its way.
In my view they have one last chance in 2023. Based on their muddled performance in 2022 I am not too hopeful. If they are after profits, they have surely lost their chances already. Compared with, say, 10 years ago there are far more competitors. At one time they ruled the QRP market and were leaders not followers.
In my time I have owned many Yaesu transceivers. I was a Yaesu fan.
It would not surprise me at all if Yaesu left the amateur radio market within 5 years.
4 comments:
Stay optimistic, Yaesu are the surprise boys of Amateur radio and make what others do, but better!
My feeling is they will be here without question in 20 years, but one of the other two may be gone?
73's Steve
Well Steve, I hope you are right. In the last 10 years they have surprised me by being totally inept. Even my granny could have made more intelligent marketing decisions. You get the impression their marketing department is run by infant school kids. No that would be an insult to infant school children, that probably would have done better!
In 20 years (maybe) only ICOM will still be in the amateur radio market, joined perhaps, by some newcomers from countries with low manufacturing costs. By then, I expect Chinese goods will be too expensive. I can see products designed in the UK, Japan or USA, but made elsewhere.
20 years? Humanity and its civilization will be blessed if it can survive this long.
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