[BC] Can anyone help?

[khcs@juno.com]

Bill agonized:

>WHERE HAVE ALL THE LOCAL ELECTRONIC SHOPS HAVE GONE?????

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Pretty poor grammar, but I sympathize.  What happened to the tube testers that used to be in the drug stores?  I took a little nap, and now they are gone!  <g>

Seriously, I get stuff from Mouser mostly, though outfits like Digi-Key are OK too.  There just isn't enough market base in hobbyists; TV repair shops basically don't exist, and now that most everything is chock full of SMD's, component-level service is very tricky and therefore expensive.  I had an ADI 2-meter HT die on me, and since it was under warranty they just replaced it.  That's service now.  My boss, AA6DP had a problem with his Yaesu FT-857 just before Field Day and they were able to get it going again in time though, so there is still service around if the problem isn't too tricky and the cost-of-repair is a fraction of the cost of the equipment.


Glen Kippel
KHCS
Palm Desert, CA