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Re: The Railroads blew it big time!
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 03-12-2014 - 18:04
> Sorry, gang, but railroads are not a large enough market for radio products to make much
> difference. The rest of the land mobile market is where the money is.
>This leads to competition and better quality radios for less money.
So which way is it? Sorry dude - If the first sentence is true, then the last cannot be, and vice versa.
Actually, if competition could cause better quality radios to be made, or could motivate price reductions; then it stands to reason that it could also make optional features available, tailored to the needs of any special group of customers. Especially when a group of customers is buying tens of thousands of 'em!
But then of course - that means the railroads are a large enough customer, making the 1st premise entirely false. And if competition cannot lead to availability of those optional features, it ain't likely to lower the price or improve quality either - calling into doubt the last premise. Why? - Customer service costs money! Money that could've gone to the bottom line.
In fact, competition can do none of these things, making the last premise false. That is, unless someone is willing to break ranks with other competing manufacturers; of course costing bottom line money to do so. And that of course, will cost 'em in the capital marketplace; and sooner or later afterwards, the CEO will loose his job - and we're all back to square one - back in line with the competition again. Just ask Rob Krebs (pre-merger ATSF).
In post-modern America, competition always leads straight to the middle ground - straight to mediocrity; because most companies must also compete in capital markets that have become wholly and entirely speculative in the short term, rather than principled in the long term.
That guy in the middle, the 2nd best, or 3rd best, ALWAYS wins at this game. The worst are washed out by their customers turning away; whereas, the best are washed out by their investors turning away. Any competitive field then, always shrinks to just a very few mediocre players, making the American notion of competition in a free market, an ineffective illusion. There are no truly free markets, due to this corrupting effect of the capital market.
But not to worry; Americans have always been good at pretending anyway. They used to say "Built a better mouse trap and they will beat a path to your door." But reality is that the only ones beating a path to that door, will be the tax collector, and the debt collector; and soon enough, the "hatchet man" from the board room!
The only time the mediocre do not win, is when some company discovers a major breakthrough by way of honest hard work, that puts them at a major advantage; in which case the best actually wins - for a time. Of course, The worst can sometimes win too, by all sorts of subterfuge, back room deals, or other inequities, that gives them a major (unfair) advantage - for a while until the customers catch on. But most of the time its the mediocre that in fact, Win!
Conclusion:
Railroads will get whatever hardware they need in radios from any number of sources - even special order if need be. But that's because their needs are really only marginally different than anyone else's. What is proving very hard though, is finding workable frequency allocations, both in voice channels (actually shared with others) and especially in data radios for the PTS.
The railroads will have to give in some areas to get in others. That means digital voice is inevitable. But despite the current problems with digital voice mentioned here (very real ones); it will eventually be learned how to make it work right - all the time - in all locations. Currently though, railroads are proceeding very slow and cautiously, to their credit.
But due to the nature of the most probable solutions, reception will always be very spotty or unreadable any distance away from the tracks (even while still working along every inch r.o.w.). So even if NXDN scanners become available, and even if railroads do not encrypt; the era of listening in by hobbyists will soon end. Too Bad!
> difference. The rest of the land mobile market is where the money is.
>This leads to competition and better quality radios for less money.
So which way is it? Sorry dude - If the first sentence is true, then the last cannot be, and vice versa.
Actually, if competition could cause better quality radios to be made, or could motivate price reductions; then it stands to reason that it could also make optional features available, tailored to the needs of any special group of customers. Especially when a group of customers is buying tens of thousands of 'em!
But then of course - that means the railroads are a large enough customer, making the 1st premise entirely false. And if competition cannot lead to availability of those optional features, it ain't likely to lower the price or improve quality either - calling into doubt the last premise. Why? - Customer service costs money! Money that could've gone to the bottom line.
In fact, competition can do none of these things, making the last premise false. That is, unless someone is willing to break ranks with other competing manufacturers; of course costing bottom line money to do so. And that of course, will cost 'em in the capital marketplace; and sooner or later afterwards, the CEO will loose his job - and we're all back to square one - back in line with the competition again. Just ask Rob Krebs (pre-merger ATSF).
In post-modern America, competition always leads straight to the middle ground - straight to mediocrity; because most companies must also compete in capital markets that have become wholly and entirely speculative in the short term, rather than principled in the long term.
That guy in the middle, the 2nd best, or 3rd best, ALWAYS wins at this game. The worst are washed out by their customers turning away; whereas, the best are washed out by their investors turning away. Any competitive field then, always shrinks to just a very few mediocre players, making the American notion of competition in a free market, an ineffective illusion. There are no truly free markets, due to this corrupting effect of the capital market.
But not to worry; Americans have always been good at pretending anyway. They used to say "Built a better mouse trap and they will beat a path to your door." But reality is that the only ones beating a path to that door, will be the tax collector, and the debt collector; and soon enough, the "hatchet man" from the board room!
The only time the mediocre do not win, is when some company discovers a major breakthrough by way of honest hard work, that puts them at a major advantage; in which case the best actually wins - for a time. Of course, The worst can sometimes win too, by all sorts of subterfuge, back room deals, or other inequities, that gives them a major (unfair) advantage - for a while until the customers catch on. But most of the time its the mediocre that in fact, Win!
Conclusion:
Railroads will get whatever hardware they need in radios from any number of sources - even special order if need be. But that's because their needs are really only marginally different than anyone else's. What is proving very hard though, is finding workable frequency allocations, both in voice channels (actually shared with others) and especially in data radios for the PTS.
The railroads will have to give in some areas to get in others. That means digital voice is inevitable. But despite the current problems with digital voice mentioned here (very real ones); it will eventually be learned how to make it work right - all the time - in all locations. Currently though, railroads are proceeding very slow and cautiously, to their credit.
But due to the nature of the most probable solutions, reception will always be very spotty or unreadable any distance away from the tracks (even while still working along every inch r.o.w.). So even if NXDN scanners become available, and even if railroads do not encrypt; the era of listening in by hobbyists will soon end. Too Bad!
