ad: Radclub22-1

HamRadioNow: Bull in a China Shop

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by K4AAQ, Sep 28, 2016.

ad: L-HROutlet
ad: l-rl
ad: L-MFJ
ad: Left-3
ad: Left-2
ad: abrind-2
ad: Radclub22-2
  1. KK4ME

    KK4ME Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    wow, some of the comments, anyways, great job on the video, thank you
     
  2. K8DXB

    K8DXB Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. These are rarely compared to other gear that is considered to be "ok", and are rarely done at a professional level by people who have more than a passing familiarity with the test equipment. Most of the issues had with the "chinese junk" are 100% racism/elitism. 40 years ago it was "Why would I buy those junk Japanese commie radios, I'll stick with my Drake/Swan/Hallicrafters/Heathkit/Johnson because they're made in America and it's high quality!" (I run a full Drake station myself, I love it.)... but those places are all gone now. Now we're expected to maintain Japanese patriotism.

    I know I'm not the only person who's had his signal report go from "loud and clear" to "muddy and hard to copy" just by mentioning the type of radio being used. I just bought a Baofeng UV-5R with a couple of the giant 3800mAh batteries. Not only does it feel well built and operate well, I have a week of standby time on 2 batteries (and a USB charger that can plug in anywhere)... all for under $80. I can't fight against 1/3 the price if it's 80-90% the quality and is well within being legal, even if it's "a little bit worse."
     
    WU8Y likes this.
  3. K4AAQ

    K4AAQ Ham Member QRZ Page

    I think you're about 100 years too late in complaining about audio or visual media displacing print. That horse left the barn. But take heart - young folks today far prefer texting to talking, sometimes to people in the same room!

    If you think producing a video is easier than 'crafting' an article (and stop right there with the shade that producing video is not 'craft'), I'm thinking you haven't produced much video. I, OTOH, have written many published articles.

    Sure, now that I've got the studio built, I can knock out a 'talking heads' video faster than I might be able to write the same content. Not true for the mini-doc episodes that I do in the field. You know the picture/words math (x1000)? It's not for nothing. They take days to weeks to shoot and edit, and you can write yourself silly and not communicate what the video can show.

    OK, some TV is a vast wasteland. OK, lots of it. A lot of writing is, too. I'll put my programs up against anything written in the genera.

    And you're totally dismissing both personality and entertainment value. Yes, writing conveys personality. At least half that is generated in the mind of the reader, and that's not a bad thing. In my shows, you get information and personality from me and my guests. Whether that is a bad thing or not is in the mind of the viewer, but that's always been the case. Take it or leave it. The entertainment value? Mindless, it may be. So next time you want some classical music, I suggest you pull out some sheet music and read it.

    You've got some apples and oranges going here, and I'm guessing you just don't like oranges.

    73, Gary KN4AQ
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2016
    W4ABC and AF6TC like this.
  4. WB8VLC

    WB8VLC Ham Member QRZ Page

    I enjoy Gary's bids but I obviously don't have adult ADD so keep them coming Gary.

    kd8tfn how about posting spec-an plots of your supposed horrid Motorola radios failing harmonic/spurious emissions along with test equipment used, a diagram and photo of your test setup along with calibration stickers for all test equipment used.

    In 30 years of working on Motorola radios the only ones that I have seen that had spurious emissions greater than -70dbc and harmonics above -60dbc out to the 7th harmonics were radios that were dicked internally by hams with magic screwdrivers.
     
  5. K5ARN

    K5ARN Ham Member QRZ Page

    My wife always told our kids when serving food, you have two options:
    Take it or leave it!
    Steve Jobs said after making paradigm technology shifts: Either the customers will buy it or they won't.
    Gary makes great podcasts: Enjoy them or don't!
    Why spending time to tell the world you don't?
     
  6. KD8TNF

    KD8TNF XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Who called any of them 'horrid' aside from you? I pointed out the relativity to what was seen against chinese and other ham line equipment in a discussion of the chinese units being widely ham-declared 'dirty', not hard numbers on how these or any tested. I'll do nothing you demand and you can please place me on your ignore list.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2016
    WU8Y likes this.
  7. YB9BWN

    YB9BWN Ham Member QRZ Page

    To me, the interesting part is the interview with ARRL staff on FCC spectrum compliance (of the radios they have tested so far). It starts at 46:40 and ends at 57:50. As he said at 57:24, ".....with this new wave of inexpensive equipment, we have seen many of them fail. Not all of them though, but some." Also note the favorable comment preceding this part on the later produced UV-3R.

    I doubt it will prevent folks from buying these new inexpensive radios. Especially on this side of the pond.
     
  8. KA2UFP

    KA2UFP Ham Member QRZ Page

    .
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2016
  9. W6EL

    W6EL Ham Member QRZ Page

    I too would have preferred an article for the "review" of the tri-band HT. Sometimes I can't crank up the volume and watch a video, but I can always read. Plus I can read faster.

    The interview was interesting at the end, thank you for including that. Hopefully when they perform proper testing at the ARRL labs they are not using lossy cable with BNC connectors... Still a good test though.
     
  10. W8GRI

    W8GRI Ham Member QRZ Page

    Looks like the tri-band is the way to go for an inexpensive rig! Especially 220 mHz..... Brings a tear to my eye! (literally!)
     
  11. AE7XG

    AE7XG Ham Member QRZ Page

    thank you for doing this. i have A UV82L and have just found some things that I did not know. Even the manual doesn't show. So GOOD job.
    I will find A programming cable and donate for CHIRP software. You have shown me A better way.
    73
    AE7XG
    dave
     
  12. K4AAQ

    K4AAQ Ham Member QRZ Page

    I checked eHam for a review, and nobody'd written one yet. So I did. It won't come online until they approve it, but when the do it should be here: http://www.eham.net/reviews/review/143850

    I don't always respond to QRZ.com requests to do a bunch more work, but when I do, I do a heluva good job.
     
  13. KB3WGE

    KB3WGE Ham Member QRZ Page

    Chinese radios are junk...enough said...bad as such that I owned & own Japanese radios...Is Motorola still made in the US ???? Black Diamond makes military grade 2 way equipment...only a bullet will stop 'em...very expensive though. Like my Mom (God bless her soul) used to tell me ...you get what you pay for...73's ALL KB3WGE a.k.a. Jimi !!!!!!!!!!
     
  14. W4ABC

    W4ABC Ham Member QRZ Page

    I don't like to read and I surely don't like to watch videos. I like to be personally 'read to'.

    C'mon guys. Video stories are Gary's bread and butter.

    Wait five minutes and somebody, somewhere will do another review on another Chinese radio that can't be easily programmed from the keypad.

    You do good work, Gary. I most enjoy riding along with you.


    73,

    Jon Pearl - W4ABC
    www.w4abc.com
     
  15. K4AAQ

    K4AAQ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks, Jon!

    But somewhere around 1 this morning I got the bug to write the review so many said they wanted. Here it is: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/13053
     
    W4ABC likes this.

Share This Page

ad: Flexradio-1