[App_rpt-users] New Dongle Potential

[Bryan D. Boyle]

On 3/15/2016 7:43 PM, Kevin Custer wrote:
>
> On 3/15/2016 7:20 PM, Jim Aspinwall wrote:
>>

***DELETIA***
>
> No - it's not a $2.00 FOB, but what's your time and money worth to buy
> products that are potted and unusable?  Maybe the features of such a
> device like the RA-35 makes it worthy of the asking price? I'll let that
> up to you to decide.  I am assembling a list of those interested.  Email
> direct.

While I hold nothing against anyone who wants to hack at something to 
get it to work...time is money...at least for me it is...so spending 
anything more than an hour at my contract rate, to me, and only me, 
quickly outweighs the $50-100 usd that it might cost to purchase either 
an already-constructed and proven device...or spend hours looking for a 
$3.00 part that I have to spend another 2 hours modifying with no 
guarantee (especially for pacific-rim sourced devices off fleabay) that 
it is actually useable (USB programming cables, anyone?).

Done as an academic exercise...why not?  Putting the bashed-together 
device into a commercial site?  That's why hams get thrown out.  That's 
just me, though.  I'm sure the price of Kevin's device, the upgraded 
dongle from Repeater Builder, or Dave Kramer's URI in terms of being 
tested and proven working, when what your time is worth is considered, 
are actually cheaper.

I helped design and build a broadcast quality 1KW FM transmitter back in 
the day for a station.  Passed all the proof tests.  But, it cost, in 
the end, 2x what it would have cost to just issue a PO to Harris/Gates 
(at the time) for a manufactured rig with a guarantee.

But, again, that's just me and my $.03.
BB