Try to enjoy this somewhat tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, snarky, familiar jab at all those enjoyable
troll reviews of anything and everything...
CLUE: there isn't any science in these exclamations at all - NONE!
The general claim that a lot of people/everyone has one is NOT a technical
qualification of goodness, performance, effectiveness, reception, transmission,
efficiency, propagation, magic, elves, angels, SWR, impedance, resonance,
gets-out-gooder or any other measurable comparison applicable to radio.
If YOU like something, or not, at least state why, and if possible how you
measured it being better or worse so someone else has a basis of comparison versus
an opinion.
GREAT is an opinion.
SUCKS is an opinion.
Opinions, personal taste, individual fit, taste, preference are NOT specific relevant
objective comparisons when it comes to technical subjects and products. PERIOD.
Respect for and heed of opinions may only be based on reliable trust, and frankly we don't
know any of us from G Gordon Liddy or Marie Antoinette, so your GREAT is probably SUCKS to everyone
else based on measurable technical criteria. Your SUCKS is probably GREAT if everyone else used
the product correctly.
The Science of GREAT !!! vs. SUCKS !!!
- aka - there is no science here
- aka - you should use this because *I* insist (I'll take it personally if you do not heed my recommendation)
Facts, data, measurements, numbers... are GREAT.
The GREAT Antenna
- cheap
- easy to install (no holes, tiny mag mount)
- makes contacts
- NO technical measurements relative to SWR, impedance, resonant points in or out of band
- a LOT of people buy them!
The GREAT Radio
- cheap
- easy to use (free software, cheap or free cable)
- do not have to learn front panel programming? for what, three local repeaters?
- makes contacts
- a LOT of people buy them
The GREAT After-Market HT Antenna
- cheap
- looks good
- balances out the feel of the radio in the user's hand
- appears to provide one more bar of signal strength that day
- makes contacts with the same repeaters
- a LOT of people buy them
The GREAT Coax
- it's double-shielded so I must get less noise and more power out
- everyone else thinks it's great
- that Belden RG-214 95+% dual-braid silver-copper mix is OLD style coax
- I don't have to solder it as much
- a LOT of people buy it!
The GREAT Coax Connector
- Radio Shack carries them
- I don't have to solder
- they screw on (just like screw-off beer bottle caps and pop-top cans!)
- they have NYLON insulators (nylons were GREAT during WW2!)
- when they go bad I just have to screw on another one, easy
- a LOT of people use them
The Science of SUCKS !!! vs GREAT !!!
- aka - there isn't any!
- You shouldn't use this product because *I* said so... (I'll take it personally if you like something else)
LACK of facts, data, measurements, numbers... SUCKS.
That Radio Sucks
- doesn't look good to me, should not look good to you
- I can get what I think are the same specs (not that I read them) for $35
- one ham in town had one, it broke when his kid dunked it in the toilet, SUCKS, DO NOT BUY THIS RADIO
- the SMA antenna connector is male, that SUCKS
- the SMA antenna connector is female, that SUCKS
- I had to buy a different speaker mike
- I had to buy a different programming cable
- I had to re-do my programming (of all THREE channels I use)
- it would NOT transmit on my local PD 480 MHz channel
- when I used it on FRS I kept hearing GMRS traffic bleed over
- the coverage wasn't good when I put it in my glove box
- I hate blue backlighting
- I don't like the display font
- nobody *I* know has one
The Sucky HT Antenna
- it uses the wrong SMA sex
- it looks ugly
- the truth is ALL HT antennas that are NOT a true resonant quarter wave are a compromise!
- the reality is few if any portable radio has enough metal/counterpoise area to offset at least a quarterwave
- IF we are lucky the manufacturer engineers a matching network to make up for the lack of counterpoise
- ALL HT antennas SUCK!
- nobody *I* know uses it
The SUCKY Coax and Connectors
- requires SOLDERING the damned connectors
- requires crimping
- the darned silver tarnishes, ain't shiny like that nickle on brass (clue, silver oxide is VERY conductive!)
- ain't got 'em at Radio Shack
- it's too big
- it's too small
- only comes in black
- nobody *I* know uses it
© 2015 de Jim Aspinwall, No1PC
Rights of referenced and linked material up to their respective authors/publishers/owners.
