Yaesu Fukushima factory shutdown

Yaesu Fukushima factory shutdown

CQ Newsroom reports that production of Yaesu Amateur Radio equipment at Vertex Standard's factory in Fukushima, Japan, has been temporarily halted due to earthquake damage

In an open letter to the amateur radio community, Vertex Standard CEO and President Jun Hasegawa expressed his gratitude for the many "kind words and thoughts about us during this difficult time." He reports that all Vertex Standard employees and their families are OK, although the company has not been able to reach its many dealers and subcontractors located near the coast. "We just hope that they are alive," he writes.

Read the CQ Newsroom story at
http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/2011/03/yaesu-temporarily-suspends-production.html

It is understood the factory is just 60km from the quake-stricken nuclear reactors.






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With what has happened in Japan, and their economy being hit and the world wide recession could this mean that the cost of amatuer equipment going up in price?
Not wishing to sound selfish, but just something I thought of. I wish the Japanese people well, an my heart goes out to them at this time of crises.

 

If the Yaesu/Vertex factory is only 60 Kms from the nuclear plant and the situation at the nuclear plant deteriorates then they may have to relocate the Yaesu/Vertex factory to another city in JA.

 

Well I own a Yeasu HT and hopefully they will be able to relocate at a safe place, one of the things I learned in college as well ARES of mitigation planning, makes sense.

 

Doubtful. The exclusion zone around Chernobyl is 30 km. I don't think the situation in Fukushima can get bad enough to warrant an exclusion zone twice the size of Chernobyl.

 

I think that estimate of operational resumption is far too optimistic ... but trying maintain a positive image
When you look at infrastructure resumption (logistics, power, basic food/water) in other events of this magnitude in US (Katrina, Rita, 3-Mile Island),
plus to radiation checking/decontamination that will be required .. it will take weeks and months.

I would hope that Yaesu/Vertex (Motorola as part owner) have a contingency plan.

w9gb

 

Yes, Moto should step up and ship a new XTS-5000 with programming software and cable as a substitute to any ham ordering a VX8R. It's the least they can do...

 

Now for the important question...
Is the Icom factory OK?

 

ICOM factory is in Osaka , so I believe they are not effected at all, however, in Touhoku area there are many electronics parts manufactures, so supply of parts could be effected.

 

And of course the best radio Kenwood..... Just to inject a note of lite-heartedness.

I am sure we're all praying for the folks, and hoping to the best out come in the end.

 

Look for the Yen to increase in value against the dollar. It has already started and will probably drive up the price of both old and new equipment. After disasters, Japan has a history of converting overseas assets to funds for repairs and insurance. I believe the last time they did this, after the Kobe earthquake, the Yen went up by 20%.
My hopes and prayers go out to the people of Japan.

 

Not to be Mr. Doom or anything, but Chernobyl was one reactor. Fukushima has four in danger of meltdown. Two of those are fairly stable, on is critical and the other imminent. Not to mention the cooling ponds with the spent fuel rods from the reactors that are going dry, heating up and expelling alot of radiation. Just keep those folks over there in your thoughts and prayers.

 

_____ Talk about getting hit while you are down, Earthquake, Tsunami, and now the ground glows and they can not drink the water or breath the air. Give money to the Red Cross, or The Salvation Army.

 

True, but Chernobyl was a very old graphite core design that was filled with water, which suddenly flashed to steam and for lack of a better term, blew the hell out of the reactor, ejecting parts and pieces everywhere. With the graphite moderator gone, then there was a possible nuclear criticality that blew it apart even more. As if that wasn't enough, the graphite was red hot, then got hit by air and ignited, further spreading more radionuclides in the smoke.

So, all I'm saying is that Chernobyl was just about a perfect storm. The stuff that caused most of the problem there just simply doesn't exist at Fukushima.

 

Naturally everybody in Japan are "on edge" because of this terrible disaster and nobody or organisation in the country seems to have any agreement as to the safety limit. The US government states one figure, the Japanese another, and the press are thinking up any figure on the day.
The fact is that the wind is blowing away from the country across the Pacific and small amounts of radioactivity have been measued on the US mainland

There is such a panic in Asia, they are issueing passports as fast as they can for residents to leave Japan, food is leaving the supermarkets faster than it can be replaced because people are hoarding food, why ? Only they know, its just panic

In China somebody sent out, via the internet, the message that if you eat lots of salt it will protect you from radiation and the shelves have been completely cleared in every supermarket and local shop, they are buying it in 2.5 kilo bags ! There are going to be more Chinese people dying of excess consumption of salt than any effects of radiation. As stated the wind is blowing away from China. Methinks that too many TV reporters and armchair experts expounding their theories 24 hours a day is far from helping the situation. It would help perhaps if the Japanese government told 95% of them to go home from whence they came to calm things down.

G0GQK