The collector current in a typical amplifier is always is set such that the operating point is dominated by the biasing resistors and not HFe. A correct design will make this operating point stable wrt changes in HFe.
Hfe is really only relevant when designing the transistor to operate as a switch.
Look again at a CB amplifer design and the bias resistors.
eg on a Cobra 148GTL-DX that uses a typical common base amplifier the source impedance providing the base bias is less than 1k ohm. (2k2 ohm from 8V source with 820R shunt)
The resistance in the emitter is about 1k ohm at full RF gain.
The source to bias it is about 8V. So you get maybe 2.2V at the base and 1.5V at the emitter.
The collector current is therefore about 1.5mA. (ballpark from just looking at a circuit rather than measuring it)
So as you claim you are are 'not daft' why don't you work out the spread in collector current across devices with HFE ranging 80 to 220?
How far different will that 1.5mA collector current be?
I suggest the deviation from 1.5mA will be vanishingly small. (I'd guess ballpark 1% change but you can work it out more formally if you like?)
You seem to think there will be a big difference?
Keep it coming. Answer my stuff above and below and lets see who is daftest?
