Quote Originally Posted by rkumetz View Post
Right now the cheapest alternatives that you can buy new are an R400 receiver for $499 and a Merlin FMV transmitter for $105 bringing the total to $604. I may be off by a little but that is what I quickly found by searching the "big three" falconry stores.

For that price you get a 216 system that only has a 2 element yagi and a transmitter that has its battery held in with heat shrink tubing. For $391 more you get a modern sealed UHF transmitter that has GPS AND a conventional "beep".

I have a job and bills too. But working in broadcast electronics and communications industry all of my life I also see the flip side of the coin. You are not just paying for the materials an labor to assemble the system.
You ARE paying for the cost of the engineering talent necessary to develop such a system. Companies have to pay for that above and beyond the cost of production if they want to keep abreast of changing technology.

Jim,
After re-reading your post I may have, err, well, come down a bit hard on you. While everything I said is true, what you said may not have deserved the rant. Particularly after your answer to Robert's reply. Sorry if I was a bit abrupt.

Ron