Jim,
## Manfred, I think the idea with QSK is to get just enough of the
other fellows transmissions, delayed or otherwise, so that you know
you are ...doubling with him.
That makes sense.
Anyway I see two requirements for speed: One is to hear between dits, or
at least between letters or even words, or between phrases in voice
mode, even if it's a delayed signal, for the purpose of avoiding
doubling. And the other speed requirement is short enough total RX plus
TX signal path delay, to avoid "coming late" in time-critical operation
such as contesting or nets.
## $7K US funds translates into one helluva lot more in any
country outside the USA.
I can second that. In Chile it's $7k plus shipping (easily several
hundred dollars for an amp), plus import tax (6% on the 7k plus the
shipping and insurance), plus VAT (19% on the previous total), and if
it's shipped by a company like Fedex, DHL, or such, they will add a
handling fee that can amount to another several hundred dollars!
Then add the credit card company's fee for foreign purchases, and the
money conversion fee.
After all that, typically something that's $7k in the USA is $11k to
$12k in Chile.
Of course that's just if I buy it from an US dealer and have it shipped
here. If I buy it from a dealer in Chile, it will be $14k, to cover the
dealer's margin.
> Thats a lotta money for no qsk, no
pin diodes, or vac relays..and no schematics.
To me, the use of low cost but decent quality relays is fine. No QSK is
fine for me, too. No schematics is bad. But what's specially bad is the
$7k price tag! I see no reason for such a high price, nor do I think
that a 10dB increase in output power is worth $7k, let alone $12k.
Let's keep in mind that a large LDMOSFET, of which such an amp would use
one or two, costs around $200, that a suitable power supply is $30 as
surplus and probably not above $200 new, that relays are $3, and most
other parts are dirt cheap. Mainstream RF-power-capable capacitors are
expensive, though, but still not enough to justify $7k.
A simple but entirely workable legal limit amp might cost $1k in parts.
A CPU and a touch display adds relatively little cost. If a manufacturer
asks $2k, to cover engineering and manufacturing costs, that seems fair
to me, but $7k doesn't.
Of course, this is fortunately still a reasonably free world.
Manufacturers can ask whatever price they fancy. And consumers are free
to take it or leave it. Some will take it, while most of us will leave it.
Manfred
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