Icom IC-705 Field Testing with JPC-12 Vertical antenna

I don't remember the brands, but I have a couple clips/clamps. they work, but are very heavy for what you get in return.I would have no problem keeping one in my vehicle, but in general i'm trying to keep weight down. again, the equation is always changing.

 

This got to be one of the most absurd exchanges on QRZ.
Julian, carry on we love your enthuziasm !

 

Julian,
Always enjoy your videos. 73.

 

Julian
I have always enjoyed your video's ! Thanks for the field tests

 

I have as well! Dave

 

From someone who worked in the ham industry for 44 years, dealers do not have huge markup's. In my opinion posting such statements here and in your QRZ blog does both dealers and hams a disservice.

 

Hi Gary, this is from direct personal experience with a small company who attempted to get their product sold via the dealer market. I don't want to do anyone a disservice. Can you please share what your experience was from 44 years? If in that time you were to buy a product for $100, how much would it sell for? My other sources tell me that it becomes, at minimum, a $150 product. If you can share what the process is, or what the "usual" markup might be (is there such a thing?) it will be helpful and I will post a correction. Thank you! But I hope you also noted that I had high compliments for one ham dealer who helped me a great deal. It's not a "dig" at dealers . . . my column is a purposeful attempt to draw out innovators for the same kinds of reviews and promotion that the large dealer-sold goodies get. (By the way, I DO AGREE with you that markups on the big brands like ICOM, Yaesu and others are much smaller. If they turn over a popular radio and make $30 or $40, I wouldn't be surprised.) Thanks, Dave

 

Your column gave an example of a $600 antenna selling through a dealer for a cool grand. That is basically a 67% markup. The amplifier you talked about there at $2900 going to $5k plus would be a 72%+ markup. No such markups exist in the retail ham industry for those products. A $100 cost to the dealer antenna which often would also have inbound freight added on it would typically retail for an average price of $129 and then often dealers are offering free shipping to the customer too, as well as having the credit card companies take a few percentages of the sale. Dealers survive by volume, not by huge markups on each sale.

 

Thanks. Makes sense, but how do you explain the antenna that is reviewed here (and I hate to keep hijacking this fellow's thread - you're welcome to write me direct email). Here, a $98 antenna (plus ship - let's call it $130) is selling for TWICE that by the dealer. Dave

 

Unknown, as we never had a similar situation. My guess is they are having to factor in field scraping at the dealer's expense.

 

Well Dave I had no clue my Buddistick was a Chinese clone job. It works ok. I won't say it's the Golden spear of the fleet. That's for sure. I appreciate your objective input. It's valuable. Regardless of the number of subscribers I have or don't have, I choose humility and welcome all points of view because I darn sure am an authority in nothing except my own flaws. That I am the master of.

 

Hi Eric, I don't think that at all. That's not what I said. I thought the Buddistick stood on its own as a unique product and that it was the originator. Then, some Chinese company copied it. That's what I still think, but Julian here thinks that Buddipole was a copy of something else. I don't really know which is true. I DO KNOW that the Buddipole company makes a good, high quality product and I'll bet theirs is much better built than the PAC-12, but some field testing on both in comparison would have to be done. Dave

 

Julian - thanks for another blustery in the field review, and your patience - no good deed goes unpunished I guess. I'm really glad you pointed out the metric to standard size issue as I'd thought about trying one of those coils with my 3/8-24 kit and would have been a bit surprised

Like everyone, I broke a few Buddipole telescopic whips before I switched over to AT-271s many years ago, and while I'd like to say I haven't looked back, there's always that quick get on the air scenario where a telescopic whip does something nothing else can, so we live with it and carry spares. But I have to blame me, not Budd.

I'm not sure about the suggestion of poor build quality on the whip - as you pointed out, all the telescopic whips seem to have issues. Mine always broke where force was applied at or near the crimp-on - that would seem to be a common, poor design that can be expected to fail under the right circumstances with a long lever arm stressing the crimps, probably regardless of manufacture unless thicker materials, more crimps or additional reinforcement is used.

Could you tell if there was anything in that bottom adapter or is it just a straight shot from the coax fitting to the mast connection?

Keep up the good work. 72/73

Scott ka9p

 

Hey Scott -- the one that broke on our POTA activation (see article) was definitely not built well, or at least built with some really strange metal of some kind - looked like something to mimic brass. It wasn't broken at any particular strain point or crimp-on . . . Steve and I gave it a C with a bump higher than that for its performance. I've seen Buddipoles and they are NOT built with the same kind of build quality, Dave

 

@OH8STN Julian, I am on your side. Good video.