So for a non-professional like myself, what makes these radios so expensive?
Supply and demand, and what the customer the product is aimed at is willing to pay.
Supply of multi-band, multi-mode public safety radios is limited to a handful of manufacturers. All of them are considered "high tier" products and are priced accordingly.
Is the quality of these radios such they cost 5, 6, 7, and 8 thousand dollars.
Not really. Even a former Motorola Solutions board member was quoted as saying that in his opinion, a high tier portable radio for public safety should not cost more than $700-1000. (I am paraphrasing here)
The APX is a high quality line, but so are high tier radios from EF Johnson, Kenwood, Icom and Vertex Standard. Never owned a Harris, so I can't comment. Can't even get them out to demo their product around here.
I can see why a LE officer or firefighter needs a military spec radio, but someone in public works?
You won't get an argument out of me there. I would think buying a mission critical radio for public works or the garbage man a total waste. Having said that, there are lower tier P25 radios (sinlge band) that are a fraction of the cost of an APX aimed at those markets. Still pricey IMO, compared to say, a DMR/NXDN radio that would probably fit the bill just fine for those work groups.
Is the quality of these radios that much better, for say 450-470 MHz, than a high quality amateur radio for 70 cm.
Absolutely. The typical ham rig lacks filtering on the front end, no true narrowband capability, less transmitter stability, and of course, isn't built to be abused the way a commercial radio is. Of course, a ham rig isn't expected to be relied upon as a life safety tool, despite what some whackers might think.
Are these prices inflated because those using the radios don't actually pay for them, or is there some real inherent value that puts these radios at such a premium?
The first part may be true in some cases. There are governments that love to spend money like a teenaged girl with Daddy's credit card gone wild at the local mall. When it's other people's money, the sky is the limit. But these governments do this with more than just radio systems, they do it with everything.
There is a certain value that high quality tools have in certain applications. What that value is, is purely based on what the customer is willing to pay. That is how our system of capitalism works.
Personally, I think an iPhone 6 or Galaxy 6 should not cost $750-800. No way there is that much hardware in a cellphone with a screen the size of a small paperback book when I just bought a 65" Samsung flat screen LED Smart TV for not much more.
But people like up outside stores and get in fights over them. It's all in what one is willing to pay my friend.
Is the reception of a radio like an APX really that much better than a high quality non-professional radio?
ABSOLUTELY. Ham radios generally suck compared to
ANY professional radio. Doesn't have to be an APX either. I have acquired many Icom LMR radios, and they
blow away any ham gear, even Icom's ham stuff, for RX and TX audio quality, sensitivity, selectivity, user interface, and build quality. Even the basic stuff like my IC-F6021 which can hear stations connected to the SAME antenna as a Kenwood TM-V71A cannot. That is the difference between a
TOOL and a
TOY.
I am truly interested in electronics/radio and would love to own a professional radio, just for the sake of owning some of the best.
You don't have to buy an APX to have the best. You can buy other lower cost Motorola P25 radios if you need P25 for a song on the surplus market. Icom, Kenwood and Vertex Standard also make GREAT commercial radios that program into the ham bands with no real effort and will last for years and can be had at VERY AFFORDABLE prices.
My latest score for example:
Icom F3261DS Hand Held Portable Radio Receiver Fire EMS Police Programmable | eBay
I am the first one to admit that prices are inflated big time in many respects. And believe me, the costs are often inflated. That's why we are in the health-care cost dilemma we currently face.
As someone who works for a large metro area non-profit health system, I agree 200 percent. But you also know how it works. So many mice are wanting a cut of the pie. The same thing is at play with the procurement of the large radio systems in use. Many contractors, sub contractors, insurance, lawyers, all of this causes the bloat in price.
Combined with a limited market, that makes it go up even more. Just like our health care system, does a customer REALLY have a choice when EMS is transporting them to the closest ED? Nope.
Likewise, many governments
feel they don't have a choice. Some perceive a want versus a need and act accordingly. Many are just inept and don't care. Some are misled by vendors who prey upon their ignorance, incompetence or corruption.
It's a complex issue as others have stated. I don't disagree that there is waste, but again, it isn't just in the procurement of radios. It's a mentality of zero accountability.
And that can be blamed on us, the citizen, for not getting involved and providing the oversight. They are NOT gonna do it for us.
So back to radios, is an $8000 dollar APX radio 8 times better than a $1000 radio?
I would say they are IF you need a multi-band, multi-mode operation, phase 2, encryption, the highest tier coolest portable radio on the market today.
If you want something just as rugged and superb performance in a single RF band configuration, you have A LOT more choices at a fraction of the cost, even new.
What makes a professional radio truly different from our scanners and amateur radio equipment (which I know can also be quite expensive).
Thank you.
I think I've covered that. But build quality, superb RF performance, manufacturer support, and longevity are what makes commercial gear superior to hobby toys.
and scanners...no comparison, especially for reception of simulcast digital. All these problems I keep hearing about with so called "simulcast distortion" simply don't exist on P25 radios. Scanner manufacturers refuse to use the correct circuitry for reception and demodulation/decoding of simulcast digital so they SUCK at it and always will IMO.
Why is that?
Because their target market doesn't care and will buy whatever they are sold. Does that sound familiar now?