In amateur radio different people enjoy the hobby in different ways. It is a good thing we are all different!
In my case, I enjoy getting the most from the least. Others chase DX and are happy to spend lots to get the very best gear. Others like amateur television. And so on...
I am still puzzled why MLS is advertising a microphone for almost £600. For a darn microphone!! Some people must have money to burn.
MLS is doing a promotion of /P gear including the IC705, no doubt expecting many IC705s to be traded for the new Yaesu field portable transceiver next year.
One of their items is the Eco-Worthy 30A, 12V lithium battery pack for use with the IC705 out portable. I was about to blog how expensive this was. Then I checked on Amazon and the battery was £99.99 to which you have to add the charger. Overall, not a bad price from MLS with the charger if you really need a 30A battery. However, there are lower capacity batteries and chargers available from other suppliers for far less.
UPDATE 0827z Sunday: Steve G1KQH says the same capacity battery may be bought elsewhere for far less. Shop around?
£619.99 for a hand portable? Hmm. A lot more than I would pay, although I expect some will pay up for a fairly unique transceiver. Look for the ID-52 anniversary edition.
Who pays this stupid money for a handheld?
I guess people with very deep pockets and very small brains.
MLS is again offering cashback on some Yaesu products. When they get it right, Yaesu create some great products, but I get the distinct impression they have lost their way in recent years. They now follow others whereas a while back they were clear leaders.
It is my contention that manufacturers and dealers are only really interested in profits. Once the amateur market ceases to deliver profits, they will move on or close.
In my view, MLS will be around longer than most, but both Japanese manufacturers and dealers will be questioning their options. The amateur market is OK now, but for how many years?
I hope I am very wrong.
MLS call it a "game changer" .....hmmm.
At this price, I really cannot see huge sales. Remember the GPS receiver and a 10 GHz transverter are extras on top. I cannot see change from £4000. This sort of price is only for the well off. Also, microwave antennas are on top as well!
No, I predict this will flop and be withdrawn within 2 years.
ICOM make some very good products and I really hope I am wrong. Sadly these manufacturers and dealers are, ultimately, in business to made profits. I just cannot see how this will make them money. They will sell a few to the well off, but I cannot see this ever becoming a mass seller.
See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/icom-ic-905-vhf-uhf-shf-transceiver-deposit-only .
I have no idea about guarantees, extras and programming. MLS have given me good service in the past, but I wonder why the price is so different? Surely MLS could sell this for far less and still make a good profit?
As you know, I am all for dealers making fair margins.
You can even get three from Ali Express with shipping from China for less!
Puzzled.
MLS has just announced the price of the new 100W SDR transceiver, that seems to have a very similar spec to the FTDX-10. It seems the price is lower than the FTDX-10 and the rig a little smaller. What I cannot understand is why Yaesu has done this.
Was the FTDX-10 not quite right? Where is a proper FT817 replacement? It still seems to me that Yaesu is in a muddle and trying to find its way.
As readers will know, I have been strongly considering one of these.
At the moment MLS is offering a very good deal, but I am still undecided. I am probably not buying one, although it is very highly rated in the Sherwood RX tests. With the £100 MLS gift voucher and Yaesu £85 cashback, now is probably the very best time.
It has a very good receiver, 4m and an auto-ATU, but not 2m or 70cm. At 100W on HF it has about 20 times the power I would ever use!
At the moment MLS is offering some good deals on this with a £100 gift voucher to use on future purchases. This offer runs until Monday. The gift voucher can be used at any time. Yaesu also has a £85 cash back offer.
The rig has received rave reviews, but does not have 2m or 70cm, but does have 4m and an auto ATU. Although seriously tempted, at the moment I am inclined against it. My fear (hopefully unfounded) is that Yaesu is leaving the market. To me, the MLS move is to retain custom.
In these hard times, all dealers will struggle. Amateur radio usually depends on disposable income. There is less.
The latest MLS video is all about a flight tracking radar that starts at £599. I have a free app that tracks planes that cost me nothing at all. It would appear some people (obviously from the planet Zog) have money to burn.
Now, how you spend money is your business and not mine, but I smell "profits" and "mugs".
They use the Internet as a backbone and are basically Android phones. These are available from several dealers. I suspect dealers see the future with fewer radios sold, many of us getting older and frailer, more of us in care homes and unable to access conventional radio.
They are ideal for Echolink and similar. I have one, but find it oddly unsatisfying. In 20 years?
See MLS for typical examples.
The latest MLS "Something for the weekend" video has news of the Yaesu cashback offers. They have some great deals and a free PSU on some models.
MLS has been appointed as the dealer of the Hilberling transceiver which retails for just under £12k. Yes, you read correctly - twelve thousand pounds!!
I am sure it would be very good and some will buy it. At that price it should be superb. Add a linear, tower, rotator and beam and you won't see much, if any, change from £20k. To me this is not amateur radio.
OK, each to their own, but I prefer to spend my money more modestly. Even for a professional radio, this is stupid money in my view, but we are all different.
If you want to spend this on a hobby - go ahead. Just remember you can communicate just as well across the planet with amateur radio spending a tiny fraction of this and you can video chat for free across the world with a low cost tablet or PC.
As many know, I am a dedicated QRPer. Apart from the price, the ICOM IC-705 as a 5/10W radio appeals. It supports GPS, D-star and WiFi. It can be used for FT8 which is one of my main modes since my voice deteriorated after my stroke. Results today on 2m FT8 with an omni antenna and 1W confirm that QRP is usually fine.
I asked MLS (a major UK dealer from whom I bought the FT991A a little over a year ago) if they were interested in a trade-in for the IC-705. They have offered me a good trade-in price ,which I am considering. In these difficult times it pays to think which dealers will survive and which may not.
This morning, we went for a walk at nearby Anglesey Abbey. In addition to the first snowdrops we also saw some daffodils out.
