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On Nov 27, 10:39*pm, wrote:
On Nov 27, 11:16*am, Michael Black wrote:





On Sun, 27 Nov 2011, NT wrote:
If I were designing such a product, I'd do everything in my power to
avoid end user alignment with testgear, for one very simple reason: it
wipes out 99.9% of your potential customers, its business suicide.

Perhaps one could use resonators instead of LCs, if you dont like the
interstation garbage of agced reaction.

And Heathkit is the model for that. *They'd prealign tuned circuits,
they'd have certain stages as preassembled modules, they'd build some
relevant test equipment into the equipment (like those tv sets with some
sort of metering in the back). One I always liked was a scanner, they
included some parts to make up a 10.7MHz oscillator and mixer. *The
oscillator would provide the signal to align the IF strip, and then you'd
mix the local oscillator with this outboard oscillator/mixer to get a
signal on the signal frequency, to align the front end.

Heathkit of course did design for the beginner, I gather once they had the
instructions together they found people who had never put a kit together
to follow the instructions so they could make sure they made sense (and if
followed properly, would result in a working piece of equipment).
Despite the fuss about Heathkit being for the hobbyist, they always had
taht color tv set, that musical organ, that boonie bike, that were
aimed at people who just wanted something cheaper, and were willing to
put some time into it. *But that's why Heathkit shut down the kits, with
time the sorts of things their was interest in got so complicated (and
parts so small) that it was no longer cheap to come up with the
instructions, pack the kit compared to just building it at the factory.

*Heathkit offered factory wired as well as kit equipment in many
cases. But even the kits were more expensive than good used
competitive equipment and sometimes more than respectable factory
built.

*The Japanese were part of the problem because they made it their
business to acquire market share at the expense of profit. The
Japanese in their salad days were content to take losses no American
competitor would for market share, because they thought long term.
American companies quit thinking long term in the mid-70s because MBA
thinking and stock market valuation was everything to the CEO. The
Japanese were racially conscious, nationalistic, and group future
driven and have always had a "co-opetitive" rather than dog-eat-dog
mentality. What has sidelined Japan is the acceptance of American
business theory.

*In Amateur Radio products, Japanese companies sold equipment at cost
or lower until there was no more American competition. In fact, they
still sell them at prices amazingly low for their feature sets and
costs of development. That is because they figure the American ham who
is appliance operating instead of building is not learning and being
the competitive future.

*Conspiracy theory? No, experience. My father worked for a Motorola
plant in the Midwest for decades. When a certain board member died,
Mother M sold the plant and product line to Matsu****a _for less than
the real estate was worth_. I don't blame Matsu****a for buying it and
shutting it down, even though they swore they would not do so. It was
a competitor they didn't need. But the people of the town, although
many are very stupid, still needed those jobs. I don't blame them:
they were acting rationally. It is we who acted irrationally in
allowing such a deal to go through. Ford or GM would have been happy
to buy up Japanese car plants in the 70s and do likewise, but the
Japanese would not allow it. No sane nation would.

*Sorry to get into politics.

*Another fault with Heathkit equipment was often that mechanically
they weren't very good. Their audio amps in the tube era were fine,
because no mechanicals are needed there. In ham equipment they needed
that and didn't have it. Collins and Drake were much much better. Yes,
they cost more, but by the time I was in high school there were good
buys in older Collins and Drake equipment because the first S/Line and
4 line buyers were going /SK already.

*Another reason American companies abandoned ham and shortwave radio
was that government defense contracts spoiled most companies that got
them. Once spoiled they were like fat lazy schoolkids, and discipline
was not forthcoming. Collins was always an avionics company, and into
commercial broadcast as well. Art Collins kept them in the ham
business but when he died they ditched it as fast as possible.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Japan barely manufactures any electronics today . ROK seems to be the
new leader lately.