And here’s the attachment.
73,
Barry, N1VXY
From: arrl-odv <arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org>
On Behalf Of Fred Hopengarten
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2020 5:35 PM
To: arrl-odv <arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org>
Subject: [arrl-odv:29728] Inexpensive Kit
To the Board:
I refer you to
This is an FM radio kit, with soldering iron, solder, safety glasses, and side cutters, all for just $22.99.
It is my impression that kit building at regional conventions has been an enormous success. W1UE (our CAC Chairman) told me just this past week that he built a kit at the desk at the Orlando Hamfest, and he loved it!
I wonder if the Board of Directors should be encouraging a series of ARRL kits, similarly simple, similarly low-priced – for example:
- 2 m FM receiver,
- Short-wave receiver,
- UHF Transmitter with camera for balloon experiments,
- 40 m or 30 m CW receiver,
- 40 m or 30 m QRP transmitter,
- T/R switch for the above to make them into a transceiver,
- End-fed-half-wave antenna tuner,
(with instructions on how to make a SOTA station out of the latter four kits),
- A Blue Tooth adapter for transceivers and HT’s to use with headsets,
- A USB-stick SDR receiver controllable with ARRL software for an iPad, netbook, Raspberry Pi, cell-phone, etc., for listening to ham bands,
- A USB-stick SDR receiver for
listening to digital TV in the car (plugging into the AUX jack)
Maybe we are doing some of this already (but
http://www.arrl.org/shop/Kits/ displays a fairly meager offering – and the CW Cub Transceiver kit is $105.95), but we are not packaging a major line of really low-priced kits with an ARRL Diamond brand. My idea is
a branded series of kits, that are compatible with one another, all low-priced.
If it is outside of ARRL’s ability to develop such a series in the lab, could we solicit designs in our annual design contest? Or coordinate with a kit manufacturer (MFJ? An existing kit company such Elenco,
Digi-key, Giga-Parts, QRP Labs, Pacific Antenna, QRPGuys, Bliss Radio, uBITX, 4sqrp, etc.?) for an ARRL-branded product line (and benefitting ARRL with commissions)?
I note that Ramsey Electronics has disappeared after 40 years, having sold a zillion kits, see
https://qrznow.com/ramsey-electronics-shuts-down-its-hobby-kits-division/. But the death of Ramsey may be
sui generis, and related to the fact that they were previously raided by the feds, see
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/00/01/04/2316228/the-feds-ramsey-electronics-raid-blow-by-blow.
The concept of a branded product was proven with the Eton/Grundig Hand Turbine AM/FM/Weather Radio,
https://www.ebay.com/c/1633862185, which sells for <$20 and contributes $1 for each radio sold directly to the American Red Cross, if I recall correctly (I may not).
We have scads of retired engineers who might love to get involved in creating low-priced kits. I suggest that we could rally a battalion, or put the idea out to bid with the hobby-kit companies mentioned above.
I suggest consideration of such a program by our Programs & Services Committee. ARRL publishes books in competition with other publishers.
How can we NOT be a leader in the “introduction to ham radio devices” kit world?
Fred Hopengarten, Esq. K1VR
Six Willarch Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
781.259.0088,
k1vr@arrl.org
New England Director
Serving ME, NH, VT, MA, RI and CT