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F.A.Q.'s (Frequently Asked Questions) and other Things we would like you to know Why e-mail works best HF Radio on Board is a "one-man band" - I'm normally busy because if I don't do it - it doesn't get done. That means if I am packing orders, testing radios, working on the website, taking out the trash or any of the thousand of other things that comes with running a small business, I need to get that done, and it doesn't get done if I am constantly answering the phone. I try to answer it, but sometimes it just can't be done. So - either leave a message and I WILL call you back as soon as I can if it is between 10 A.M. and 5 P.M. (and PLEASE speak clearly and give your phone number S-L-O-W-L-Y. You know it, but I don't, so rattling it off in a rapid fire fashion only makes it necessary for me to have to listen to your message several times). Or - better yet - send an email. I check email frequently and often and it is a LOT more efficient for me to respond via email rather then trying to call you and getting YOUR voicemail (and playing phone tag) or calling you in the middle of the night when there is a 8 hour time difference and I didn't realize it. I also check email up until about 9 PM Pacific Time and start checking as early as 6 AM Pacific Time, pretty much 365 days a year. Email just plain works better, as you will find when you go cruising.
Shipments outside the continental United States (this means Alaska, Hawaii and Canada too!) If you are outside the 48 contiguous United States, then the shipping shown at checkout IS NOT CORRECT. There is no way I can build a table to take care of that. The easiest thing is to go ahead and enter all the information and place the order. That will give me ALL the information I need to calculate the shipping. You won't get billed automatically - I still review each and every order and process the credit card manually. What WILL happen is I will calculate the freight charges and email you back a final invoice for your approval. Shipping on a SSB system UPS to Alaska and Hawaii is typically about $25 - $30 more then what is shown. Canada about $30 to $40. We have recently negotiated some very favorable international shipping rates from DHL. Below is a table of international shipping cost for the most popular items we sell. First - look up your zone in this table. Then find the rate for that item below. This will also give you a general idea what the shipping cost would be for other items we sell. For example - a VHF radio is about the same size and weight as a PTCIIusb kit. It will likely be less because the insured value is less and it may weigh a bit less, but it isn't going to be a LOT less. Same with the M710 works package - it weighs more (but the insured value is less) the the M802 Works - so it will be slightly more - maybe 10 - 15% more. The point is it gives you an idea. In the end, as stated in the previous paragraph, we will confirm the freight charges with you before we bill and ship your order.
If you want us to ship via FedEx, DHL (in the US), or bill the shipping to your account, there will be a $25 handling fee. FedEx on international high value shipments is typically more then UPS, I have to schedule a pickup by 1 P.M. (UPS comes here EVERY DAY around 4 P.M.) and the FedEx website for processing international shipments is a giant pain. Unless it is a small, low value item (under $100 - the charge will be the same as UPS ground), we WILL NOT ship via the postal service - period! For larger, high value items, there is no reliable tracking, insurance is ONLY for loss NOT damage and I have to take it to the post office in order to get either. That means a 1/2 hour drive each way plus time spent waiting in line. Time = money and I can't do that for free - so in the end - it would cost more anyway.
Payment by Credit Cards from outside the U.S. There is no reliable verification
process for us to use on Credit Cards from outside the
U.S. - even Canada. Some international customers find that a wire transfer
is LESS expensive as most credit card companies charge a
large currency exchange fee. You should verify this with
your credit card company. I called you to order a radio, but the price you quoted me was higher then it is on the website. Why is that?
Because when you place your order on the web, it is
easier for us to process your order as all the
information is available for us in print form rather
then having to take it from you over the phone or in
person. As a result, we spend less time processing
your order, so it cost us less to provide you with
product. So we pass along the savings to you. Even
if the price is the same (like with our SSB radio
systems), it is easier for us if you enter your
order on the website for a lot of reasons - see "Why
email works best" above.
I want to order the M802 "The Works" system but there are some items I don't need. That's easy! Just indicate the items you don't want in the comments section at checkout and we will deduct them from the order and send you a corrected invoice for your approval. The difference will be approximately less then the cost shown on the website for those items but in some cases - the cost of the items when purchased in the works package (like some of the grounding items) is less then when purchased separately. I am replacing an existing system and I already have a...(tuner, antenna tuner cables, etc.) will it work with the Icom radio? This is one we get all the time! The answer is maybe - but even if it will, you would be better off replacing it. First - let's say it is an antenna tuner like an Icom AT120 that went with the older M600/M700/M800/810. Yes - it WILL work with an M710 or M802, BUT - the AT130 (M710) or AT140 (M802) works BETTER for email as they tuner to a lower SWR - Standing Wave Ratio (trust me - lower is better - higher is bad in that things may heat up and fail when it is used for email). Also - there are issues with the antenna tuner cables going back to the radio that need to be addressed. The connectors are different and there are components that need to be added for email. But a bigger reason is we cannot support a "system" when we did not sell a "system". The only way we can do that is by constructing and testing all the cables and components of the system on the bench in our shop. Setting up a radio email system is like making chocolate chip cookies - if you change one ingredient they probably won't taste as good. Lastly - if you have a radio that you are going to sell - it will be much easier to sell with the tuner. I have some questions about installing a radio on my boat I would like to ask. Most people do - but because we are one of the few people who seem to really understand installing SSB/Ham radios on boats, and we have to work for a living, we have to somehow be compensated for our time. One way is to buy a radio system from us. We include one hour of technical support with the purchase of a radio "system" (radio, tuner and cables between them) and/or a PactorII modem with our cable kit (two hours total for both). We rarely have anyone take more then 15 minutes and frequently, like in the letter from a customer on our home page, people are able to install the whole system without calling us at all. That is the way it works - we provide a system with installation information and support by telephone, email (remember - email works best!) or in the shop (by appointment). We have never met a boat that we couldn't install a radio in (though in a couple of cases there was a better alternative and we told the customer that). Our pricing is VERY competitive (we aren't making a killing either - in the end, we are lucky to make 10% profit) AND we provide systems and support that you can't buy ANYWHERE at any price. But we just can't take the time to discuss specifics unless either you have purchased a system from us or are willing to pay us a consulting fee. We can help you with the installation of equipment you purchased elsewhere, but we have to charge you for our time. We didn't make the equipment, we didn't sell it to you and the manufacturer doesn't pay us to provide support. We have to pay the rent, the light bill, the phone bill, the web service bill - hopefully you get the picture by now. As a former business associate said once - "Love don't pay the rent." So - please don't contact us with questions about equipment that came with your boat, you purchased (or are thinking about buying) elsewhere (including eBay) unless you are willing to pay our fee of $115/hour with a 1/2 hour minimum. Help and support on products we did not supply is on an "as available" basis. Certain times of the year we are very busy, and our first commitment with support is to those who made a commitment to us by purchasing their equipment from us. We have to be available for them, and we can't do that when we are helping someone else. I brought a radio system from you 4 years ago. I just brought a new computer and I can't make it work. OK. It did work at one time. When you brought your system, our commitment was to get you up and running. Once that happened, then we feel we fulfilled that commitment. We just can't provide cradle to grave support on a product at no charge. At some point we have to charge to help you. That is the way it is with software and other hardware you brought. Initially, support is usually included. But after a period of time, there is a charge for support. In some cases, after support just isn't available after a while. I am having problems making the system I purchased from HF Radio on Board work on my computer. Can I bring it in to you for help? Yes, but we ask that you call or email first and make an appointment. That way we are sure to be here. You will probably have to leave your computer here over night for us to work on it. Think about it - if you have a problem with your car, you usually make an appointment with the service department and leave it for them to fix. It isn't any different with us. We can't just simply drop what we are doing when you walk in the door with your computer over your shoulder (even BY appointment) and spend an indeterminate amount of time helping you. We have to fit it in with the daily needs of running our business. If we have the time and it sounds simple, we may try to fix it while you wait - but no promises. Click here for our Returns Policy Return to H.F. Radio On Board Homepage
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HF Radio On Board, 2005. All rights reserved.
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