Need objective comments on radio gear
The following was also posted in the 1:8 scale buggy forum for drivers to reply to.
Just seeing what the 'masses' will say about crystal radios in general. As many of you know, I started Performance Devices about five years ago. Crystal sales at that time was insane. Business is still pretty good (Especially with our International crystals), but we are seeing a bit of a decline in demand due to the Nomadio's of the world on the market. In my visits to various hobby shops and looking at on-line radio pricing, crystal-less radios are a pretty decent deal! The dealers seemed mixed also, as many state that a lot of drivers are going back to crystal radios, but they still push non-crystal radios. This is coupled with dealers also stating that they get a LOT of new customers that bought crystal radios really cheap from drivers (and some flyers) that have gone to sythesized, thus creating more demand for crystals.
For the flyers:
50 times more reistance from flyers to switch to a non-crystal radio Vs the drivers (From most feedback I get), especially with the chopper pilots that have a LOT to risk, so I need to understand what the flying community in general thinks: Stay with a crystal radio or go with synthesized radios?
So here I am sitting on a decent amount of crystal inventory wondering if I'll be in business in two years! Your feedback would be most appreciated, especially from users outside the USA, as the new-age gear may be much more expensive there.
Thanks in advance,
Pete