3521 Shallow Ford RD

Temple, TX 76502

January 27, 2006

RE: Repair Order 30152618

 

 

 

 

Vertex Standard

10900 Walker Street

Cypress, CA 90630-5013

 

Attn: Chip Margelli

 

Dear Sirs:

 

While I do not enjoy hassles and disputes, I am compelled to complain about the recent service you performed on my FT-857.  I am concerned for the following four reasons:

 

  1. The estimate was $160.00 but the final bill was $329.30.  Some variance is to be expected, but an estimate of $320.00 might well have caused me to decline repair until you provided some details for such a high charge.

 

  1. The charge of $152.23 for a 2SC3102 transistor is de facto robbery when this part is available for $49.95 or less several places on the internet (e.g., http://www.rfparts.com/2sc.html#3101).

 

  1. You returned the radio with a loose screw internally.  Fortunately I noticed it before applying power (which I actually have not yet done), but had I, who knows what further damage would have occurred.

 

  1. Finally, and I’ll consider that on this concern I could be in error, but your service does not seem to match the failure mode.  I wrote in my repair request: “After two and one-half years of flawless HF and VHF mobile operation, my FT-857 simply quit transmitting on all modes and all bands, HF and VHF.  This occurred with no fanfare, no smoke, no indication of trouble.  I tried (several) master resets to no avail.  I removed power and repowered it also to no avail.  I hear the T/R relay and receive a full scale ALC indication when I key the rig on FM, AM, SSB, and CW on all bands, but no PWR or SWR indication, so I am guessing something has gone out in the transmit logic.”  Why would a radio in a stable installation for two and one-half years suddenly lose the vhf final stage, and why would that cause the rig to fail to transmit on hf?  You did not replace the hf finals.  Why would this failure cause a full-scale ALC indication on both vhf and hf with no power out on either?  I have to wonder if you not only robbed me on the price of the vhf final, if you were just guessing when you replaced it.

 

There seems little I can do at this point other than alert you to this problem and avoid Yaesu products in the future.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

John Dvoracek, KE5C

http://www.ke5c.net/mobile/

 

c: Loretta (per instructions when I called)