[Elecraft] Product Availability Was: Re: QSO Today Expo - Estimated K4 related shipping schedule

[Michael Walker]

Barry

Flex is actually shipping radios today.  The world wide sales have  been so strong that they have not been able to keep up to the demand but those timelines are getting much shorter every week.  The website has the current delivery delays for each product. 

Much of the electronics industry has been impacted by two significant fires in Japan related to two electronics houses. The challenges come from the fact that, while there are optional parts you can use it requires retooling to use those parts as they’re not the same physical sizes or functionality. 

However, companies like Flex stock pile parts when possible. Pre-Covid delivery times for parts were measured in 2 to 4 weeks. Now they’re measured in months and sometimes up to a year. You can’t ship a radio, or anything unless it is 100% complete. Sometimes it’s only a small part that holds up an entire finished product.   Imagine ordering your new TV only to find out that the F connecter on the back of the television wasn’t available or there was no remote to turn it on and off.  

Regardless of who your vendor of choice is, hams need to support them and purchase product. Keep that in mind to help keep the amateur economy strong.  If you do not support them, it’s hard to pay employees and it’s hard for their employees to put their kids through school. It all comes around. 

73




> On Mar 31, 2021, at 4:36 PM, Barry Baines via Elecraft <elecraft at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> 
> Mike:
> 
>> On Mar 31, 2021, at 1:15 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:
>> 
>> The point of all of this is why is Elecraft not on this list telling us these things like they used to?
>> 
>> I hear lots of excuses.  Sure there are supply line problems for everyone.  HRO still has lots of product.  Elecraft has a big competitor in FLEX are they having similar issues?  I hear that some big box radios have some wait times but not in the years category.
> 
> Flex has similar issues.  The Tuner Genius has been under development since 2017.  They announced at the QSO Today Expo that those at the head of the line (e.g. those that ordered the Power Genius XL  in early 2017 when the tuner was packaged with the amplifier0  should get theirs in 2nd Quarter 2021, 4+ years after product announcement.  My Power Genius was delivered in May 2018 and I still can’t use it with a EFHW antenna without the tuner.  Maestro is currently on back order.  Their website shows their transceivers on back order with no expected availability times listed.    Flex has gone through its own ’transition’ during Covid where final assembly was brought ‘in house’ on their transceivers as their outside vendor shut down.  The Power Genius and Antenna Genius are built by 4O3A in Montenegro for Flex where they have their own issues and ability to ship product to the US is constrained.  
> 
> HRO may have lots of product but necessarily the product that I want.  I ordered from HRO last November the West Mountain Radio ‘PWRspeaker’ that is not expected until at least May.  It is produced in China.  So between parts, assembly, and transport across the Pacific there are plenty of reasons for delayed deliveries.  The Suez Canal debacle is but one part of the “supply chain’ impacts that also includes container shortages, port congestion, intermodal doublestack railcar availability, intermodal terminal congestion in the interior, and drayage impacts.  
> 
> Another example: I ordered three 4K 15” portable displays through Kickstarter in July 2020 with expected delivery in October 2020 from China (Two will be used with two GeoChron2 Digitial 4K devices that I had purchased through HRO in January 2020) .  Kickstarter charged my credit card in September and e-maiiled on 22 OCT 20 "Production is in full swing and we expect to begin shipping by the end of October.”  On 6 NOV 20 I received an e-mail from Kickstarter with subject line “Production Delays” ("It seems like many large electronics companies locked up all the raw materials before the funds were released from Kickstarter”) deliveries would not take place until February 2021.  No update received since then.  I have no idea at this point where they stand with expected deliveries.  Next week I will start making inquiries again.
> 
> What we all took for granted regarding ‘immediate gratification’ on what we ordered being immediately available “before Covid” is no longer the case.  It will be a ‘long time’ before we see a return to ’normal’ as economic activity dramatically picks up as Covid-19 restrictions are eased (thanks to vaccinations) and pent up demand for everything exceeds available supply.  Prices will consequently rise.  Add in the proposed $2-3 Trillion in government spending on “infrastructure” (further competing for scarce products/materials that the private sector also needs)  and the proposed $2-$3 trillion increase in taxes (that will impact families and small business ability to ‘bounce back’ from the downturn) at the same time, and the nation will have so many “moving parts” that impact economic activity resulting in further uncertainty.  My concern is that the unintended consequences will have far reaching impacts on the economy from rising prices (inflation)  to uncertain availability putting even more strains on businesses such as Elecraft and Flex, not to mention the rest of us.
> 
> 
> FWIW,
> 
> Barry Baines, WD4ASW/5
> Keller, TX
> 
> 
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