Where can an equivalent item be purchased in the same price bracket ?
there are some dev boards available which can be used for an DIY SA, all you need is the knowledge how to use them (how to plug some cables and click on the button "run" of the provided monitor app). E.g. SI4362 based, check that board, mouser 634-4362-PRXB434-EK . Add BPF to that, second sourced when you don't want to think too much. There are as well lot of good (and available for few bucks) Mixer/PLLs. You can get complette boards for 100USD, when that too much then download e.g. LTC5510 dev board design files and modify for your needs. Today you can easily cover 0.01-4GHz range for 200-250USD (and that can be sale price for 100units or one-off price when you buy only boards and use manufacturer tools).
As much i support people with their own startups/nice project ideas, as much i hate when ppl trying to make their products "magic". Note: I don't know Ariel and don't want to make him bad or so, this is just general statement.
Who will build such a unit for me from scratch for the retail price of the Explorer?
everybody can, but not everybody need it or will spend time on that. The others will get shocked every day by "this is magic" statements.
There is no serious market for such items, because if there would be one then you can be sure internet would be full of them.
There is huge market, but these few "manufacturers" are trying to hold price as high as possible and as long as possible.
Choose one or more from above.
Who will offer free assistance and development on going at no extra cost ?
internet and manufacturers app notes.
Are you willing to build a better product and sell it at no, or little profit to strangers ?
so that's it, no big profit no business? No, it is not like that (at least for me). Not for technical products that don't need any innovation. Honestly 2yrs ago i was thinking about toy SA, but never got green light from share holders. Guess why.
Are you an RF tech who has actually ever built such a unit ? If so please detail and show.
what do you want to check? my penis size? I was doing ham radio for 6yrs, then i moved to other country and focused on other important things (lot of kids, womans and work). Did i ever build anything RF related? Oh yes, i did^^. When you wish copy of my personal Genesys license, sure, you can get it. That didn't makes me "all wise RF gure", far from that, but don't forget one thing, we not talking about serious equipment but more or less toys based on ICs desigend for other thigns (than an SA). For sure they will do the work, within specs of course (as long the design stick to app notes). Some will be even better than all these crap chinese Hameg clones. And exactly here is the point - most ppl didn't even know how easy is (today) to build such "equipment" and how hard is to build a real piece of hardware.
I will stick with my two $54,000 Advantest SA's (do you honestly think they cost that to build ?) and my lowly, dishevelled
and apparently overpriced RF Explorer
so what are you trying to tell me here? That a cheap ass RF Explorer is as good as $27,000 Advantest SA ?
For sure is R3261A not the best unit ever, today worth maybe 1500USD, maybe bit more with options. But it is still good piece of SA.
Or do you trying now to be fanboy? Really, when you claims to
>> I am a practicing RF Tech so RF is 'my thing'
then you should know the difference between toy SA and professional equipment.
So what's your point? Or you simply trying to support Ariel too much, being too much "naturally protective of him and his product".
I'm not sure if he would like that, one could think you assiociated with RF Explorer and trying to do "self advertisement".
On the other side that reminds me on how i was "fighting" to protect Tekway DSOs, not being assiociated or fanboy/buyer "affected". I did it simply because i liked them. So for sure i can understand your rant
Having dealt directly with Ariel and witnessed his generosity I am naturally protective of him and his product.
your message appears both dismissive and very unkind towards another persons hard work and IMHO excellent product for the money.
you misunderstood something, his hard work, i support that. All i said is "it can be done better". But i'm sure he is aware of that.
As long my company had provided enough revenue i did supported some interessting projects/startups, however not RF Explorer as i discovered it too late.
Take a look at the marketplace....
i know, every shit that claims to be SA costs lot of money. We don't have to look too long, check that topic thing from TI, how the hell can they try to charge 250USD for that thing? Their own dev board cost 50USD, and they even published sources for very similar UI and firmware. So why the hell someone have to pay extra 200USD to get nice antenna, lol, and the "compile button click" work done. Hard to understand, really. But it is SA, "magic", huu huu. Check that marketing video, crazy.
It drives me slightly crazy when people state that a units BoM is only X Dollars yet the retail price is Y Dollars and complain about it. Sorry people, welcome to the real world.
oh well, after years of acceptable/good business my company fucked up within 6 months and i'm the "luck guy" who can pay the price. So yes, i know how to make calculations (haha, my wife will probably say "no, you don't". She is MBA, i'm not).
On this occasion you came across as pretty arrogant and unkind. I know you are normally better than that.
of course i'm arrogant, i simply hate when a 1:1 copy of dev board from X or Y will be sold as "magic" to ppl with no clue. And i hate even more when fanboys claims over the inet how great something is. Sure, because it has been designed by someone who know what to do (the X/Y board manufacturer), but that didn't means that the product based on that board are still good
As for the IM-Me....you have to have a sense of humour....it's a PINK girls toy that has been hacked into a BOYS toy
i like pink, the color as well
'narrow minded'
rude, arrogant, narrow minded - yeah, that's me. I wasn't always like that, but everyday business(shit) can move mountains, and for sure burn out/change people.