[aprssig] OT: Yaesu to release digital amateur radio gear

[Amateur Radio WB8NUT]

Yes Bob, that is kind of my point. The AMBE chip is just another 
proprietary part of ANY of these digital radios (Icom, Yaesu, Motorola, 
etc.). Also the AMBE chip with its price is not really making the radios 
any more expensive. What is keeping the price high is the lack of 
competitive offerings.

The complaints about the proprietary chips - in being proprietary - are 
not taking into consideration that almost every radio sold in the last 
20 years uses many proprietary discreet devices. So if an amateur is 
going to shy away from adoption of technology based on radios using 
proprietary technology, then I guess its back to tube radios for those 
folks. As for me, I'm not worried about it.

While others sit on the sidelines waiting for some magical open standard 
to come out (and even if it comes out manufacturers might not adopt it), 
many of us are moving forward having a lot of fun with those new 
technologies and have been for a number of years.

My issue is not with the proprietary nature of the codecs or any of the 
chips, but for Yaesu trying to introduce yet another digital method 
against one already well established. That causes market confusion, 
delayed purchases (who wants to buy a radio and take a chance that your 
chosen technology will end up the loser) and incompatible technologies 
that do not play together within the amateur community. The argument 
that DStar is incompatible with existing public service systems does not 
hold water because I don't know of any public service system in any of 
our major cities (maybe the boonies) who will be willing to link their 
critical emergency communication systems with amateur systems.

It would have been much better for the community of radio manufacturers 
to jointly agree on the technology instead of each going their own way. 
Maybe that was tried and failed already and hence why this situation is 
now occurring.

My guess is that by each manufacturer sticking to its own technology, 
they'll be able to keep the price of the radios higher. OR, it is 
possible that each manufacturer will discount the radios in order to try 
and get their system to be the winner in the technology war. That 
remains to be seen.

In any case, it looks like the line in the sand has been drawn, and 
there will be a fight. Just what we need, the 21st Century equivalent of 
the Code/No-Code battle....which is better, D-Star or Moto-Turbo (or 
whatever they are going to call their derivative) to again divide 
amateurs into separate camps.

Duffy
www.wb8nut.com

On 1/9/12 8:47 AM, Bob Bruninga wrote:
>> This would reduce the price of the radios...
>> by about $20 per radio making them affordable
>> by all amateurs throughout the world.
>> There would then be much rejoicing.
> I donno.  Changing the price of a $639 radio to $619 probably will be
> unnoticed by just about everyone that I know of.  You can see that much
> variability in prices just between dealers on a daily basis.
>
> Bob, WB4APR
>
>
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