I don't think that either Phil or Keith do part 15 stuff full time or have a large support staff so consider giving them a break on communicating slower than your would like.
Also, here's my contribution to thread drift.
I once worked for a company where the CEO insisted on increasing production costs by having part numbers sanded off ICs because he wanted to keep the design proprietary. I explained to him that anyone with electronic knowledge could spend a few hours tracing the circuit and would recognize the op amp and comparator ICs from the schematic. He then insisted on potting the entire board and doing so disrupted the high impedance signals in the circuit and the product failed. This was a $50 industrial item where we competed on price and it was a throwaway if it failed so repair and parts were not a factor.
Neil
Im not sure where one would draw the line at acceptable cost when it comes to disposable, unless the disposed item can be recycled 100 percent, eventually what is disposed ends up costing something to dispose of.
Isn't having something proprietary patented the whole point in keeping that proprietary design/item safe from unauthorized duplication etc etc?!!
One can recognize the non full time attention to the Part 15 market of the occasional kit maker or pre assembled unit.
Im not sure the marketing in either case represented the "occasional" aspect.
JMO.
RFB
The item was not designed to be disposable. I used that term because the cost of repair would exceed the purchase cost.
A patent requires the details of an invention be published publicly so a patented device is not proprietary. To defend a patent against infringement is very time consuming and expensive. I hold a patent which was infringed and in the 1970s the estimated cost of defense was $100,000 which was out of budget for my employer. This was an interesting case since the patent was for a medical device and the medical research foundation where I was employed obtained the patent for the purpose of encouraging a manufacturer to produce and market the device under license so it could be widely used in patient care. Negotiations were going well until a foundation lawyer interfered in the negotiations without our knowledge and screwed it up. It was infringed by another manufacturer and we didn't pursue it since the device was being used which was our original intent and the amount of royalty would not have been substantial.
Thing don't always work out as it seems they should.
Neil
Just a comment regarding responses to customer inquiries. I sell occasionally on e-bay; it's not a business, just getting rid of excess stuff (generally so that I can get more stuff). I try to respond within a day, usually less, to any inquiries; it's just common courtesy and also for the following reason. I also buy. And I won't buy from someone who doesn't respond in a timely manner (a day or two) to an inquiry, regardless of whether it's a business or not, or part-time or not - answering questions is part of the sale. And my time is valuable.
In addition to that, the sale doesn't end after monies are paid and goods received. If someone doesn't respond to inquiries after the fact, then I just won't purchase from them again, and I try to make sure that others know the kind of support you'll receive. Again, my time is valuable.
If you can't answer questions, or respond to inquiries, then you shouldn't be selling, full time or part time.
Postscript: PhilB is around - he just posted in Carl Blare's blog re comparisons between the AMT3000 and 5000
Keith here,
No I am here, I never got the rev Roberts e-mail, he is probably using an old e-mail, or got caught in spam, I think we live in an age of high expectations, which makes it interesting to try to do business, if somebody doesn’t get an immediate response, they just assume you are hiding. There are , of course, many other possibilities.
The wind thing, actually the fiberglass box is better for the wind, because it “gives” a little, the metal will eventually fatigue. Keep in mind that unit has not been around for 20 years yet.
Another thought,
I don’t check in here much, true, if anybody has any questions please visit the Rangemaster board (link on website) or e-mail me directly (e-mail on website)
Keith
"The wind thing, actually the fiberglass box is better for the wind, because it “gives” a little, the metal will eventually fatigue. Keep in mind that unit has not been around for 20 years yet."
The box is not the problem. The problem is that the whip and base mount has very little foot print on that box that even with the little bit of give during high wind, the small foot print is acting like the point of a needle through leather, tough but eventually the needle pokes through...same with the whip and box.
With enough back and forth motion due to the inertia movement and push by wind upon the whip, its like bending a piece of metal over and over again in the same spot...eventually it breaks.
There was a suggestion to use a tension spring relief at the base. That would resolve the issue for awhile. But the added spring would add to the weight and tension factor on the top of the box, again eventually it will break loose.
I think the dual large washer approach is best. It solves the inherent problem of a tiny foot print below that whip.
"I think we live in an age of high expectations, which makes it interesting to try to do business, if somebody doesn’t get an immediate response, they just assume you are hiding."
Over the last 60 years, the public has been force fed the fast this and that mentality. Example...fast food, fast service, hurry here and there, never enough time in a day, rush rush rush.
Anyone remember when people took their time going to and from, spending that extra few minutes looking at things before grabbing and shoving into the cart, taking morning or evening walks and actually walking at a nice pace?
Rolling with the times is a must if your in business these days...large or small. Anywhere you place your marker for attention to your product, you might want to start monitoring on a more consistent basis. People tend to hang out where they feel comfortable...both in the real world and online. There is no reason why people should be forced to go look for you when right over there to the right is a nice large banner that should take me to a place where I can reach the vendor. Your suggesting the customer take that extra time to hunt you down at one specific location.
That approach is fine for a brick and mortar business. Even those have more ways than one to contact them.
Judging from the other places in reading posts and blog entries, even at the one specific place there seems to be a line of waiting customers.
A few days turn around for a response is not too bad. But weeks and months? That is a bit extreme IMO.
RFB
The philosophy of time management employed by businesses is a favorite topic of mine. I'll ramble about it briefly.
When I was a small business I was known for a fast turnaround from when I got an order for audio services and when the job was done. Many clients were not so quick paying the invoice.
Now in retirement my slogan is "Slower But Better," which gives fair warning that I might not rush. I suggest that a business post a message on their website and in print explaining why responses might be delayed, if that's the case, so that a customer is "in the loop."
When I built the AMT5000 I did so in slow motion, resistors one day, capacitors the next, over a span of three days. The result was a fortunate lack of mistakes.
But I talk to people who live the hurried life style, and what I find is that they detach quickly from a conversation held yesterday and are confused if I refer to that same conversation a day or more later. For them it is gone and forgotten.
My "to do" list will take an estimated 400 years to complete. That helps me realize that being rushed will not help.
Mantra: The greatest nation in the world is procrastination.
Re expectations.
I was a computer consultant for many years.
In dealing with other businesses, I expect only the kind of service that I myself gave. Respond in a timely fashion to all inquiries, both good and bad (and take the lumps if they're bad). If I said I was going to do something, then I did it. Period. And I tried to do it when I said I would; if I couldn't, then I let them know (and again took my lumps).
If some businesses can't do that, then there are plenty of others that will.
I'm not commenting specifically on what's happened here, as I'm not privy to the details. But it irks me to see statements that hint at customer expectations being too high. That in itself says a lot.
"statements that hint at customer expectations being too high."
Even those that pose such hints are customers too at some point...unless they do not rely on another business for other needs....like the drive through window during lunch hour...the power company trying to restore power after an outage....the auto club mechanic navigating heavy traffic just to get there.
So those that pose such hints should step back a minute and really think about those statements and remember them the next time something is not happening fast enough for em.
RFB
first off i want to clarify a few things. this thread has apparently skewed way off from its simple intention. i was asking if anyone had her from phil. phil disappearing and not returning emails for few days IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR HIM. I was not hinting at anything with this other than asking simple question. I like phil. he makes a good product. keith on the other hand as one poster hinted, i was thinking along the same lines in reference to the KENC situation in that maybe he was starting to back away from the transmitter business or otherwise not answering my emails as i have used his hampcb addy since the very first time i have corresponded with him 5 years ago and he has always without fail promptly returned emails so i was beginning to wonder (after going a week w/no reply) in this situation. as a side note phil not getting back to me in a hurry aside (and have no complaints on this issue) he has great customer service. he received my transmitter had it fixed in 24 hrs, tested it for another 24 hrs and it's on it's way back to me with a usps tracking number and he did it for me for no charge since i was the very first customer. he could have very well told me to politely go eff myself or charge me to fix it, he didn't. i have zero complaints about phil or his business. for certified am transmitters i will recommend hamilton even still because unfortunately as much as they cost they are the best certified am transmitter around for uncertified kits i will always recommend phil. he makes a quality easy to build transmitter and has excellent after sale support.
i hope i have cleared up any misconceptions in the meaning of the original post.
"Contacted both. Hamilton in Re: parts for the outdoor case and Phil B. Re: my Transmitter I mailed Him
Haven't heard from either of them."
This opening line in the first post should have given a clue as to the direction in which discussion would take place in this thread.
It pretty much leaves it wide open to comment..perhaps comment from experienced customers, or potential customers doing research.
You may have saved someone a bunch of time and headache.
If anything it would peak interest as well as investigation.
I do not believe the thread got "skewed". I believe that it is following its open format to opinion regarding to response turn around from vendors.
Oh...btw...Phil was posting to Carl's "Formal Comparison Test" blog while your thread here was active.
Hmm...
Damage control.
RFB
I love being unreachable because I already know how I want to spend my time and I don't need intruders to distract me.
Every day at either 7 or 8 AM the phone rings, it's always right at the hour, and the answering machine intercepts a blank call. I assume it's a telemarketer. Someday I'm going to grab the call right while I'm recording Blare OnAir, my talk show, and hold a conversation with whoever is calling. I will see how far I can stretch the call until they hang up.
When two Jehovah's witness's knocked I let them tell me how "the end is coming, but not even Jesus knows when." Then I changed the subject to Noah's Ark by asking how so much animal food was carried on a wooden boat. Their answer was that the boat was as big as three football fields. But I instructed them that at that time in history football hadn't been invented.
One of the witness's was cute. I think she did her own haircut.
Using one's own spam filter as an excuse for not receiving e-mail is pretty lame. It's another case of "my dog ate my homework."
Ermi Roos you have inspired me to think up a product name that should sell very well.
HOMEWORK BRAND DOG FOOD