Who builds small amps that i can contact?

[dave457]

Hey linearone....... don't sugar coat it.... tell us how you really feel

 

[linearone]

Hey linearone....... don't sugar coat it.... tell us how you really feel

I just wanna make cool shit and put it on the internet. People make it into something it doesn't need to be.

 

[linearone]

I'll put this into perspective.

I've been a builder and a technician since the 80s. Built and worked on everything from one transistor 30 watt PEP amps back in the 80s to some pretty wild multi tetrode and triode stuff taking 1800 amps from the service drop. So, I deal or have dealt with a lot of people.

I'll give you a 'for instance'. I now live on an island. 4 thousand miles from my family. Whatever. I pretty much keep myself available to old customers and clients even though I don't build anything tube or large solid state just because of shipping.

When my family shows up for 4 to 6 weeks out of the whole year, I go MIA. I tell people I'm going MIA.

One of my clients has messaged me every fu(king day for 6 weeks. You there? You see my text yesterday? Morphs into "Hey, I been texting you, you get my messages"?

Which turned into daily messages on facebook for two weeks.

I have over 100 messages, from one customer.

Now, during this time, I have another customer, haven't worked directly with him since I moved out of the area 20 years ago, but I still make myself available.

As soon as I answer one text, I'll have, literally, 20 more. Then a set of guidelines, I wanna do this, but I don't want to use this tech. Which morphs into 3 or 4 days of me having to argue with the person that while you don't want to use this style of widget, it's the best thing you could use, and the cheapest. So, I'll have another 15 to 30 messages about it. Finally culminating in being told 'ill go to the technology I said I would never use'.

Great.


Now, multiply this by how many stations have I helped set up, across the USA (time zones, ya know. Always nice to be 4 hours ahead of California and have some asshole text me at 8 or 9 oclock their time, when I have to be up in 3 hours to go to a day job), across multiple time zones, etc. and it just gets to be a lot of headache for what?

So I can have to argue with the next newbie that comes down the pike about some channel 19 crap?



So, this is what builders, technicians, etc. have to put up with on a daily basis. When I was actively building, one week my wife kept track of my phone texting and calls. I spent more time on the phone texting and taking phone calls than I actually did building amps. Like, 5 plus hours a day on the phone. I seriously started working half the time and making more money going back to doing my day job.

Future customers. If a tech answers the phone on the first ring, and can always answer you back, constantly, within a few minutes........ Ask yourself, why isn't he building amps or working on radios instead?

Don't get me started on the tire kickers. And then the idiots that make slick videos that get clicks, but can't technician their way out of a Uniden PC33.

If a tech is making 20 hours of slick videos with cool production, Mmm Mmm Mmm bullshit explanations, etc..... But constantly complains that he has a 6 month waiting list, go somewhere else. A good tech doesn't make a lot of videos, etc. I know. I have multiple people asking me to make videos. I don't have the time. And it's sad, because I can get a Galaxy to stop drifting, I can get better than -40 dB on a cobra 29 for intermod, etc. I'd like to teach people, but that time is taken up by phone calls and texts.



I'm not bitching. I'm giving you the reality of your question. This is what it's like for someone who works on equipment nowadays. You asked why a guy doesn't answer the phone for you for a few minute call to answer your questions. Probably because there are 18 other guys that have a question and he's stuck on the phone with someone else.

Anyway, ./end rant.

--Toll_Free

I want to learn the ways of the tetrode let me be your Padawan

 

[nomadradio]

I spent more time on the phone texting and taking phone calls than I actually did building amps.

A good part of why we don't build here any more. Fixing broken stuff just pays more.

73

 

[Toll_Free]

Omg, i had no idea. From now on I will only call them once, and if they dont answer i wont ever call again. I would hate to make them mad and ruin their day because i tried to contact them to make a purchase. Because of your very long comment, I understand now us nobody know nothings must bow down and be humble when we want to purchase a product they are selling. Thank you for your help and great advice, it really helped me out

This response pretty much sums up and repackages everything I just said.

Sadly.

--Toll_Free

 

[Toll_Free]

A good part of why we don't build here any more. Fixing broken stuff just pays more.

73

You're right.

Years ago, one of my protoge's stopped building amps, stopped answering the phone.

Except he still had an active ebay account.

I asked why. He said, you burned out and got out. I started to burn out and realized I'd spend no time on the phone and be able to sell boxes for more via ebay'.

His box output doubl d and he made more on each one due to assembly line fashion.

And yup, I found out in the early 90s repairs where a lot more profitable.


--Toll_Free

 

[Toll_Free]

And to continue the perspective, I woke up to two more texts from one of the guys and after I wrote my post last night I had no less than 14 from the other guy.

So like I said. Someone else might not be ignoring you. It might just be they have 737255284957362572949594 texts/calls in front of you. And they are in a parent teacher conference.

Anyway

--Toll_Free

 

[9C1Driver]

Good information from a different perspective there Toll_Free.