[Premium-Rx] consumer vs premium-rx's

[Keith Densmore]

Well, I think all of this discussion boils down to a very simple fact, and
it is one which no lab instrument can measure, yet we all aspire to
own--CLASS.
A lot of prems have it,
a lot of rice boxes don't.
And to have class, it doesn't necessarily have to have the best performance,
nor be the most reliable.
It is something you know you have in a radio or you know is not there. I
have a Yaesu 1000mp, which is in most ways a  better radio than my 6790. But
the Racal has CLASS, the Yaesu does not. You can guess which one I use most.
Think of guys with motorcycles, they are in the same boat as us. A Honda
will out perform a Harley in almost every category. Especially reliability.
A friend put it this way 'if you want a bike to ride, buy a Honda, if you
want a bike to work on, buy a Harley'.  Yet which are sought after most?

All the best,
Keith, ve3ts







----- Original Message ----- 
From: "refmon" <monitor at referencevideo.com>
To: "Premium-Rx (E-mail)" <premium-rx at ml.skirrow.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 5:00 AM
Subject: [Premium-Rx] consumer vs premium-rx's


> Hi,
>
> The FCC-inspired discussions have wound all over the place, all the while
> ignoring some basic points or making some very convenient assumptions.  If
> one isolates the discussion to the subject of voice and voice-frequency
> data, this is valid.  However, the real reasons that premium-rx's were
even
> conceived is not so some guys can listen to short wave or "crack" a
> commercial digital code;  the real purpose of Premium-RX's was/is to
perform
> measurements.  Lab quality, repeatable measurements, that is.
>
> The FCC, International Monitoring Station Network, and all the 3-letter
> joints require/required precision measurements.  These measurements may be
> channel occupancy runs made at multiple locations, ultimately feeding into
> Intenational Treaties that determine frequency assignments for all manner
of
> services.  These measurements may be interference analysis on which
> enforcement actions are based and must stand up to legal scrutiny.  They
may
> be super-secret eavesdropping that gathers data from which the other-guy's
> technology may be assumptively reverse engineered.  The Premium-RX's we
play
> with were the instruments of their day just as digital Spectrum Analyzers
> are the instruments of today.
>
> Premium-RX's didn't cost an arm and a leg simply because the government
was
> buying them-they are expensive because they utilize precision components
and
> designs in small quantities--therefore a certified unit piece costs
> significantly more than the same piece from a mass-produced lot.  Add to
> this that manufacturers have to test and certify to various levels
depending
> on the purchaser of the unit, and you've got a raelly expensive item.
>
> Those $600.00 toilet seats aren't just your run of the mill Sears potty
> seat, they are precision engineered and certified excretia implementation
> devices, and as such, require testing and certification...any idea how
much
> that guy with the mil-std butt makes per year?  They actually do have to
> pass tests for arctic & tropical wear & tear minima, impact resistance,
etc.
>
> So, an Icom, Yaesu, or TenTec Ham/SWL radio is not synonymous with a
> Premium-RX, nor should it be.  Why these consumer units don't even have
all
> those really cool inputs and outputs, weird bandwidths, or pulse
> demods...nor do they weigh as much as Premium-RX's.
>
> Anyway, I seem to remember that we have voiced on this list, the fact that
> we realize that premium-rx's (which may never have been intended to be an
> audio receiver) often (with notable exceptions) don't come close to the
> "reception quality" had by the consumer receivers; we're frequently
> comparing receivers with vastly different design goals and/or
capabilities.
> On some Premium-RX's, we are using maintenance features (audio output &
> front panel controls) and comparing those to a purpose-built audio
receiver
> with all the consumer "features" on the front panel.  Frankly, I enjoy my
> receivers not because they stand as the best receiver for all purposes,
but
> because they are examples of some of the most fabulous engineering and
> implementation of our time-the early melding of purely analog and partly
> digital systems to perform tasks that, today, may require only a few chips
> or lines of code.  In fact, some of this equipment doesn't even have a
> microprocessor-imagine that!
>
> Consumer receivers are showing up in FCC centers, etc...  What may
actually
> be happening is that the FCC et al have indeed been gutted...it started
when
> they stopped enforcing various technical standards on TV and Radio
> Broadcasters, public safety comms, and various service carriers and has
> continued to the point where they hardly need to make any robust
> measurements...they just take a look or a listen and that's that.  Now if
> you really push your luck, the spohisticated stuff hits the road...hardly
> stealthy if you know what to look for........
>
> Did you know there are also Premium-RX's for TV?  Tektronix and R&S used
to
> make these Precision Demodulators by the boatload...both for the enforcers
> and for the broadcasters.  Now everyone just uses a TV set with a video
> output and a scope...talk about unrepeatable measurements!
>
> The loftier of the 3 letter joints and various test and certification
> facilities still enjoy the fabulously expensive (and rare)
> Premium-RX's....tomorrow's ebay fodder.
>
> Just my 2.17665 cents ...  devaluation, you know
>
> regards to all
>
> John Collins
>
>
>
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