I keep meaning to add more info to that. I don't want to get too crazy on the forums because I don't know how appropriate it is to be talking about business stuff.
Basically the core element handles the 225-900 type stuff, one set of long elements handles the mid VHF 140-170 type stuff, and the longest set handles VHF Air. It's very difficult to describe designs like this, because no matter what you say, you'll get a negative response with some people. If I put what I just listed above, guaranteed some people will think it ONLY hears stuff in those areas and nothing else. Then on the other hand, if you put the old '25-1300' shtick, that isn't exactly accurate either.
I personally am not a big fan of the do-it-all antenna. It's physically impossible to make one antenna do everything well, but I know that's still what a lot of people hope for.
Reaper... I'm not sure what the problem is, but VHF should definitely not be less than a 20-176. All that is, is basically a 2 Meter ground plane. At very worse, the Omni should do as good as that. Maybe check all your connections, and also the overdriven theory may be a possibility too. I know some people have had problems like that in the past. Lots of times people describe something as "static" or "poor signal", when in the end I found the radio was actually getting TOO much signal.
On to prices... Believe me, I do everything I can to keep the prices down... There's numerous reasons why it's very hard to do so. For one thing, we don't outsource anything to China. I know most people couldn't care less where something is made now, but believe me, you should. Read some reports on the economic state of the US, and it will scare the snot out of you. We basically make nothing anymore, which means we have nothing to offer the world economy. Also... There's a reason why most companies focus on commercial and government sales. I think I saw a post the other day that said the people who make the Mon scanner antenna said they weren't going to be making them anytime soon, because they were too busy making stuff for the aerospace biz... There you go. The hobby market is tiny compared to the commercial and gov fields. You can sell hundreds of units to them for high prices, and basically it's like... 'Where do we send the check'. As compared to the hobby market which is small to begin with, and everybody is looking for the best deal possible. I think the thread about the $3 mobile antenna went on for about 3 months. That says a lot about where the mindset is for the average consumer level buyer, and that's not something that inspires manufactures to go after that crowd, when they can make millions in comm and gov sales. I personally want to create things for hobbyists, but people have to realize that it takes money. That money isn't ever going to come from quantity, because there isn't any in hobby stuff. So it has to come from the price. Lastly... In all fairness, if you look at the few other people offering a consumer grade LP designs out there, we are still well below the going market rate. The other two I can think of specifically are retailing for about $300-400. We're still more than $100 below that, and frankly, I don't know how much longer that can last, because those other two companies really deserve what they are getting for those... Labor-wise, the LP is basically like making two yagi antennas and sticking them together. So if you bought two co-phased yagis, you'd be looking at maybe $300?
Just to put it in perspective...
Labor on one MilLP
10 electrical elements = 20 physical elements, 20 cuts, 40 ends sanded and coned, 20 holes drilled, 20 holes tapped, 20 holes countersunk, 20 pieces polished.
2 Booms = 2 tubes cut, 4 ends sanded, 81 holes drilled (ever tried drilling 81 perfect holes in one piece of anything?), 81 holes countersunk, 40 of the holes reamed, 28 of the holes de-burred from the inside.
Then you've still got to make the cable harness, horizontal boom, boom polishing, assembly, wrapping... I've never tried to figure out the actual hours time put into each LP unit, because frankly I'm scared to.
I'm not trying to be smart or hostile, I'm just trying to give a feel for the effort that has to go in. Believe me, if it was me and I didn't know better, I too would probably look at it and think, what's the big deal? But it is one big pile-o-labor to make those things, let me tell you. Yes, CNC is an option, but that goes back to the money. People who have CNC and other automation afford it through either high individual prices, or lower prices through quantity. So much about why people buy or don't buy things is just psychological. I've often seen people pay over $200 on eBay for some banged up old gov discone, and all I can do is scratch my head. Same goes for posts I see where people complain about cable or other costs, but list $6000 of radios in their sig. But that's the psychology of sales.
I personally would love to keep making unique consumer level stuff that most other companies don't want to bother with. I'm working on building our own anechoic chamber for testing, and I've also been working on some other new stuff, like an SBS-1 model. But the future depends on whether the consumer field is viable enough to support this. There has to be some real money there at some point, or a decision will have to be made. I guess what I'm trying to politely say is... If people want unique products at less than commercial prices, they will need to cough up the dough sometimes. Same goes for radios and everything else.
Anyway... I blabbed more than I intended, but there it is.
Dave
www.DPDProductions.com
Antennas & Accessories for the RF Professional & Radio Hobbyist
