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FCC sent me the Complaint and Documentation…
FCC sent me the Complaint and Documentation…
Regarding the above complaint which got the assembler of the kits by SSTran (Antique Radios) a fine by the FCC, I can provide a scan of the documents so all can see…
Seems a manufacturer of certified AM transmitters was out to get SSTran into trouble including sending the SSTran website along with the PART15.us nodes to the FCC as evidence SSTRan was selling pre-built units… which of course is false.
The dcuments also suggest that SSTran’s unit did not comply with Part 15 reqs., which the FCC dismissed!
Anyone requesting the documents, please send me an email to:
Radiopilot
Total posts : 45366It sounds like trying to rid the competition. I don’t know what to say. I’ll stick with my small SSTRAN!
Travis
Total posts : 45366T. ALLRED,
Seems like these two references were sent to the FCC as part of the basis of the complaint… You being one of them.. of course if you look at SSTran’s website and it’s prices it does not reflect $169.00 cost of an assembled unit… only the unassembled kit prices…
http://www.part15.us/node/927 “for an example of someone who has bought a assembled unit recently.”
http://www.part15.us/node/878 “note that they say the SStran was pre assembled.”
Radiopilot
Total posts : 45366Travis,
SSTRAN was not fined. The fine was against someone who sold assembled SSTRAN units.
Also, though you may be right about your assumptions about the identity of the person lodging the complaint, you also might be wrong. Radiopilot only alluded to the person’s identity. You should contact Radiopilot privately for his information.
Neil
Total posts : 45366When I posted my reply I did not intend in any way to say anything Negetive about SSTran. I would still purchase the SStran product. and I also did not intend to “spark” this fire. Sorry about the post.
Travis
Total posts : 45366Travis,
There was nothing wrong with your post. I just thought it was a good idea to suggest that you obtain accurate information.
Accurate information is many times difficult to come by but Radiopilot has offered to provide this.
By the way, how is your station progressing?
Neil
Total posts : 45366It is low to do that. I put that behavior right up there with the RIAA/BMI Tactics. I recommend everyone email radiopilot for a copy. you know what they say. what comes around goes around. that goes for this moron as well as the RIAA/BMI.
Everyone has to eventually meet their maker and account for their sins.
Thank You,
Rev. Robert P. Chrysafis
Universal Life Ministries
http://www.ulc.orgModerator Hunterdonfree
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hunterdonfree
Total posts : 45366Hi,
I have been lurking in this forum for a couple of months and just registered. I have been meaning to register, but after becoming familiar with just about every part 15 AM transmitter out there, and reading the complaint which is the topic of this thread, this drove me register.I did ask for and received the documentation from radiopilot. I can assure the complainant that their company will never receive any of my business. It is obvious from reading the complaint that the complainant had nothing more in mind than to be self serving. As I was reading the complaint I too thought it was about as low as one can go.
I did purchase the SSTRAN before this came up and I am very happy with it. I will be posting some more about my experiences with the SSTRAN, along with a few questions in another topic. I thank radiopilot for having the initiative to come forward and provide us with the information.
Total posts : 45366As far as my station goes, everything is going good. I built myself a loading coil (it only has 75 turns) a couple months ago, but I haven’t got around to trying it out. Currently I am using a small FM transmitter, and not getting out very far.
Travis
Total posts : 45366Yeah, mine is doing excellent too. I will be posting details of my experience with it within the next couple of days in a new thread. I have a cheap FM transmitter and it is weak. Perhaps our comments will entice others to buy a SSTRAN 🙂 I know there are a lot of reviews here and on the Internet, but the more the merrier. Plus I will have a few questions.
NOTE: I have no dealings with SSTRAN other than I bought and built the kit. My point is I am very happy with it, and it is not difficult to build:) For the money it is nothing less than a bargain.
Total posts : 45366I think it is the American perception of the small business, the public perceive the small businessman as an evil money grubber when the proper model should be profit with morals. As a certified transmitter manufacturer let me present the evil empires side.
A certified manufacturer will spend 10’s of thousands of dollars to bring a certified transmitter to market. That investment and certification requirements are reflected in the selling price. When there are folks that are selling assembled transmitters without bothering to certify them, it’s just not a level playing field. I know I have been told many times, why should I buy your unit when I can buy XXX for 1/8th the price? I can’t see how this could seem fair to you folks.Section 15.201 Equipment authorization requirement.
(b) Except as otherwise exempted in paragraph (c) of this Section and in Section 15.23 of this
Part, all intentional radiators operating under the provisions of this Part shall be certificated by the
Commission pursuant to the procedures in Subpart J of Part 2 of this Chapter prior to marketing.This law seems clear to me, most on this board seem pretty resolute about following FCC law.
What seems low to me is people out there illegally selling a product for 1/8 the cost that a legal manufacture can, because the legal manufacturer is selling it legally! If there was enough of this going on there would not be any legal manufacturers left.
Let me illustrate, say you own a bar on a city corner, (excuse the example, I’m a born again Baptist myself, and don’t happen to drink). With the local city taxes, ABC costs, ect. your average drinks are pretty expensive. Across the street is an illegal operator. He serves illegal liquor, at 1/8 your cost because he doesn’t have to pay any of the fees or taxes you do. Some people still come to your bar because, well, your drinks are better quality, and some folks do care about the legality thing. But most just don’t care, they go for the cheap price, they just go across the street for the cheap stuff. The illegal operator across the street is driving you out of business. What would you do and what is fair? Is it the fair thing for the legal operator to just fold up and call it quits?
Can we limit the target practice, I had a nightmare last night that I logged on here and read that somehow one of my units brought down one of the world trade towers.
We live in an age of high expectations.
Total posts : 45366Good Morning All,
Keith makes a good point whether many out here agree or not. Having been involved with the certification process I can attest to his claims. Additionally, units submitted for testing often fail at the FCC laboratory requiring redesign, artwork turns, etc. All requiring more $$$$.
Now that being said, I’ve dealt with both Phil and Keith and found both to be customer service oriented and they both stand by thier products. Phil for example has worked with me on numerous occassions attempting to get things working with regard to a base loaded antenna. But the rules are quite clear with marketing assembled kits, and this is an area where SSTRAN chose to venture.
I also find it a bit humorous that some posters on this board have no problem with reporting pirate radio operators (and as my mother would say, “you know who you are”) for FCC Rule violations, but rationalize the kit issue as something that’s not that important. 🙂
Lastly, it’s evident that both Keith and Phil have posted here since the FCC inquiry, and both market fine products. So in my humble opinon, this is an issue between them and making thier argument our argument is not productive to the Part 15 hobby.
Regards, John
WDCX AM1610 Part 15
John
Owner-Operator-Chief Engineer-Program Manager
Total posts : 45366I am curious as to whether or not you read the complaint. The first seven sentences of the complaint is targeted towards SSTRAN, and the third to the last sentence is targeted towards oldtimeradio.
It is one thing to stand by your product. But it is another when you try to take your competitor down by making unsubstantiated accusations.
SSTRAN did not market the assembled kits. They have done nothing wrong, and the complaint against them was dismissed. The part of the complaint against oldtimeradio, I sentence long, resulted in a hefty fine against him. All parties were hurt.
Granted this is a hobby for most of us. The SSTRAN is more along the lines of the hobby part, while the Rangemaster is supposedly more so for professionals. However either can be used by a hobbiest or professional. The complaint in itself, and the way it was written, is nonproductive to the hobby.
End of rant:)
Total posts : 45366I sit here and have to wonder the similarities between SSTRAN and the Rangemaster…
I understand Hamilton’s cost involved in certifying his transmitter and reasons for doing so, and why Phil chose not to do so… But Hamilton wants to pass on the high cost onto the buyers of his products without reducing the recurring tooling costs over so many units…
Example:
I work with the aerospace industry.. when I design a part, certify the part, etc. the cost to make a part may cost $1,000,000 but we don’t charge the customer $1,000,000, what you do is figure how many units the customer is buying over time, say he wants to buy 2,000,000 units then the cost of each item is $1,000,000 divided by 2,000,000 units and the total cost would be .50 cents.
So when Hamilton paid $10,000 to the FCC to certify the unit along with the tooling costs of the Rangemaster, i.e. say $20,000 then he would have to take $30,000 and divide that number by the units he believes he would sell over time let’s say 100,000 unit so the costs would be 0.3 cents along with the costs of the parts which I would estimate to be similar to the parts in the SSTRAN so theoretically the Rangemaster should sell for $100.00 unassembled or $180.00 assembled… Any engineering planning/manufacturing person will tell you the same thing, it’s done in practice in the radio business, auto, electronics, in almost every facet of business…
So doesn’t Phil with the SSTRAN have that same business practice? Yes he does.. he had to get tooling for the case, the circuit board, and procurement of all the parts, but what Phil has done is the proper recurring costs planning which is WHY his units are $89.00 and I imagine if he did certify his units say at the costs of $10,000-15,000 he would divide that recurring costs over so many units say 100,000 units and come up with about 50 cents added to the $89.00 costs and then another $50-100 for assembly labor costs…
I could see why Phil would figure he’d sell the units unassembled to give a the hobby a boost by having the buyer build the unit thereby learning at least something about the unit, who can say here that after building the AMT3000 that they don’t learn something about electronics he didn’t know before?
I’m not sure but Rangemaster would have been better served by selling the units at a more completive price and not seeking to stifle the competition… after all they’re BOTH Part 15 units whether they are certified or not!
Radiopilot
Total posts : 45366A few things I would like to add into the discussion, radiopilot doesn’t mention, for those who may not know, that there are many complaints and fines each year for selling uncertified equipment. And he doesn’t mention that selling uncertified equipment is a big deal. I was under the impression when I heard about the $7000 fine some time ago that this company had been selling the product in question in the hundreds. I thought the FCC let them off pretty easy. And keep in mind that an “NOTICE OF APPARENT LIABILITY FOR FORFEITURE” doesn’t mean at all that he will have to pay that. If he stops making the product he may not have to pay anything at all, or may pay a greatly reduced negotiated fine. Often a manufacturer will just pay a fine like this and keep right on making and selling the uncertified transmitters. The fine is just a cost of doing business. However I don’t have any specific knowledge in this incident.
I have nothing against Phil or SStran, I do have concerns that people understand that when they are sold a kit the Part 15 compliance is their responsibility, not the SStran’s responsibility. Don’t even get me started on the kit issue, we hashed that out a couple years ago on the boards. SStran has its place just like certified transmitters do. From what I hear SStran is a great unit, good job Phil. I would like to have one, sounds like fun to build. It fills an area a certified transmitter can’t fill. There is room for everyone in this market, I agree with John, can we keep things here productive to the hobby. We could be thinking about others instead of ourselves. I could go on a vendetta to lobby the FCC to outlaw kits. That would be very self serving as some have accused. But I would not consider doing that. Most folks just don’t have the technical skill to homebrew (design and build a transmitter from scratch). Outlawing kits would be a blow to the hobby. I got into this business basically for fun, it is a nice diversion most of the time.
I am laughing at radiopilots post about me making 100,000 units, I wish! To be honest it often seems like I can’t even make ends meet with the transmitter business, there were months last year that I was in the red. I notice that all certified units seem to be about the same price level. My quantities just are not that high. My guess is that all of the certified transmitters are about the same price level because it just isn’t a huge market. There are other continuing costs to producing a certified unit, constant involvement with the FCC is a big one, I got an e-mail from them just the other day. Also people may not realize that even though the retail is $995 I deeply discount the product. My time is valuable so the deepest discounts are available for those with high levels of tech backgrounds that won’t need much tech support.
Something I have considered is making a portion of the transmitter in China so I could get the price down. I do try to cut the price as low as I can. I work with China with some other projects. I have decided not to make the transmitter in China because I think there would be a significant quality difference.
My real job is product development and design (I should be working now) that is where I get most of my income.
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