[aprssig] Linking digipeaters

[John Gorkos]

That's fair and honest of you, and I'd never be opposed to someone making a 
living.  It's easy to Monday-morning quarterback an electronics device and 
forget all of the "business" that goes in to it.
Having said that, I'd love a KISS-only TNC with a "you bought it, you figger it 
out" support clause.  :)

John Gorkos


On Tuesday, March 08, 2011 19:35:57 Scott Miller wrote:
> > A TNC shouldn't cost more than $30.  All it does is convert sound to
> > serial and back again.
> 
> It does a fair bit more than that, at least if it's not just a dumb KISS
> device.  And really, I spend probably as much time on background stuff
> that goes mostly unnoticed by the end user as I do on packet-related
> code - configuration programs, bootloader code, diagnostics, and stuff
> that makes the end user experience easier.
> 
> Yes, you can sell a TNC for under $30.  But until there's a steady
> market for about 50,000 per year, I wouldn't expect to see that price
> from anyone who's going to produce and support them on a commercial
> basis.  From a quick glance at my books, I'd estimate that salaries and
> overhead put our free tech support at around $40 an hour.  That eats
> into a $5 or $10 profit margin per device really quick.
> 
> Oh, and if you want to buy it at a brick and mortar store, don't forget
> that the retailer wants a 20% to 40% margin for themselves, too...
> 
> (Sorry if I sound cranky, it's tax season!)
> 
> Scott
> N1VG
> 
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