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You're forgetting that this is a hobby - one that requires some
technical aptitude. And it's supposed to require that. That's why
the FCC even lets us (in the USA) have this hobby.<br>
<br>
Most of the programming software is done by volunteers, free of
charge. The commercial programs don't have enough sales to warrant a
lot of time spent on them. If you don't like what's available, you
are welcome to create something better - that's what this hobby is
all about. :)<br>
<br>
- Trevor, AG7GX<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/22/2018 3:28 PM, Brandon Clark
wrote:<br>
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cite="mid:CA+qrvM-uuAWcH_GV8jpPnkHFctGKWgRxYm1aE+0Jd_c0d1C9UA@mail.gmail.com">
<div dir="auto">
<div dir="auto">I couldn't agree more with your observations
Chris. The state of programming in ham radio is embarrassing
at best, I would bet that everyone on this board knows someone
who started in radio, got a handheld, and then left the Hobby
and discussed because they could not get it programmed. That
kind of thing is not at all uncommon and goes beyond
embarrassing to the point of being harmful to the Hobby.</div>
<div dir="auto">The problem in radio right now is that every
manufacture insists on being an island and not working
together. System Fusion, d-star, p25, and so forth. These are
all great modes that have their place but where is the
manufacturer willing to put their pride down and openly allow
licensing to everybody to use "their" mode? And everyone
wonders why digital voice never catches on.</div>
<div dir="auto">The programming situation is even worse. The
only radio I have owned which uses a standard USB cable is a
Kenwood aprs HT. Not exactly an entry-level radio. And in the
complexities of software, and it becomes a nightmare.</div>
<div dir="auto">Radios needs to behave like phones, plug them
into the computer with a USB cable and then simply drag and
drop your CSV file into the right folder for the radio to read
it. Not exactly state-of-the-art technology these days, yet
ham radio manufacturers are still reliving the 80s. How many
of those new hands who quit the hobby would still be hands if
they could program as easily as they could save photos on
their cell phone?</div>
<div dir="auto">Brandon</div>
<div dir="auto"><br>
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<div dir="auto"><br>
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<div dir="auto"><br>
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<br>
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The whole concept
of programmable devices that can be programmed to
destruction by interfering with the 'wrong' memory is flawed
from the start and I don't understand why people buy them.
The whole concept of programmable devices that require the
use of non-standard cables which in turn require the use of
out-of-date drivers on the programming device is ridiculous.
Why these radios have gained such a following is beyond me.
Why most of them have not been returned for refunds the
minute they exhibit the faults that I have read about on
here time and time again is also beyond me. Whatever
happened to Plug And Play?<br>
<br>
As an example, even the cheapest printer has more complex
user-selectable parameters available than most of the
programmable radios. Printers come with drivers that work,
with user-friendly user-interfaces that only allow the
programming of whatever is sensibly programmable, and with
hardware interfaces that are connected to the programming
device via standard cables available from the average
supermarket down the road. When I bought my UV5R it came
with a programming cable that didn't work, and an
incomprehensible CD full of software that is mostly useless.
When I finally got something to work the user-interface to
the spread-sheet lookalike was at best clunky - I would
describe it as awful. There were no instructions to speak of
and no support from the suppliers.<br>
<br>
When I add up the hours I have spent and apply a reasonable
hourly rate it becomes obvious that these radios are not
cheap at all.<br>
<br>
I recently read somewhere that recent handhelds from at
least one of the big three suffers from the same problems.
That's it then - the end of amateur radio is nigh. My one
regret is that me and my UV5R have contributed to that
because I did not return it for a refund.<br>
<br>
(The UV5R is not a particularly good radio anyway. The
colour display uses far too much power and cannot cope with
bright sunlight. Mono displays are generally far better in
both respects, and who really needs colour?)<br>
<br>
73, Chris, an Amateur Radio operator since 1973.<br>
<br>
<br>
________________________________<br>
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