New Product Announcements

weirdjim

weirdjim

Ejection Handle Pulled
Joined
Jul 8, 2008
Messages
4,171
Location
Grass Valley, CA (KGOO)
Display Name
Display name:
weirdjim
Are new avionics product announcements allowed in this ng? RST is considering putting one new product a month out for the next year to see how it goes.

The problem with magazine advertising is that you need sales to afford magazine advertising but you need magazine advertising to get sales.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

If anybody has other suggestions for online avionics stuff like this, I''m all ears. Mostly all, some other stuff.

Jim
 
Jim that probably made a lot of sense to you but..

So you've got enough "stuff" to introduce one product every month for a year. Are you asking for suggestions for more "stuff" or more online methods to advertise it? Or both?
 
We have seen other less frequent contributors to this site advertise products here. As one who has personally received help from Jim on this site, I for one would welcome seeing Jims offerings.
 
Yep, I bought the HF battery charger based on his recommendation. I too would like to see more reviews from him.
 
weirdjim said:
If anybody has other suggestions for online avionics
Click to expand...
Since you already write, develop an article(s) discussing avionics topics that you could interject your product(s) as a possible solution/example. Then peddle the piece to all your target market pubs. It seems to be a trend at least in rotorcraft side. Who knows, you may even get paid for submitting the article.
 
Bell206 said:
Since you already write, develop an article(s) discussing avionics topics that you could interject your product(s) as a possible solution/example. Then peddle the piece to all your target market pubs. It seems to be a trend at least in rotorcraft side. Who knows, you may even get paid for submitting the article.
Click to expand...
I follow his good (they are all good) articles in Kit Planes magazines.

I do something similar, at scientific meetings. The trick is to avoid looking like an informercial, while still conveying information that captures the potential customer's interest. Essentially, I show a useful technique using the products made by my employer, which helps a researcher do their own work. The last trade show, over half of our leads came from the poster presentation as I came up with a very useful purification technique; I'm working on a manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal at customer suggestions.
 
weirdjim said:
Are new avionics product announcements allowed in this ng? RST is considering putting one new product a month out for the next year to see how it goes.

The problem with magazine advertising is that you need sales to afford magazine advertising but you need magazine advertising to get sales.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

If anybody has other suggestions for online avionics stuff like this, I''m all ears. Mostly all, some other stuff.

Jim
Click to expand...

I'm in a much different business (guitar parts, repair, etc.), but I found online advertising in forums to be just barely worth the cost, even when it's free. Advertising is part of the startup cost. At some point you generally have to decide to invest a little more and try to recoup it.
 
@weirdjim -- we had a case study on how NOT to do it last year. I think it was something about AoA indicators.

But seriously, I think if you put it in Classifieds once per item you'll do just fine.
 
What sorts of things are you thinking about selling? I love me some gadgets. :)
 
Timbeck2 said:
So you've got enough "stuff" to introduce one product every month for a year. Are you asking for suggestions for more "stuff" or more online methods to advertise it? Or both?
Click to expand...

Yep. I've got five buckin' and one in the chute right now. If I can't do 6 more by October of next year, I just ain't trying. Just to announce it, single advert if you want to call it that. No repeats in this group for the product.

Jim
Bell206 said:
Since you already write, develop an article(s) discussing avionics topics that you could interject your product(s) as a possible solution/example. Then peddle the piece to all your target market pubs. It seems to be a trend at least in rotorcraft side. Who knows, you may even get paid for submitting the article.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I've got a gentlemen's agreement with my current publication to do one-a-month until my drivel generator runs dry.

Jim
 
Cap'n Jack said:
I follow his good (they are all good) articles in Kit Planes magazines.

I do something similar, at scientific meetings. The trick is to avoid looking like an informercial, while still conveying information that captures the potential customer's interest. Essentially, I show a useful technique using the products made by my employer, which helps a researcher do their own work. The last trade show, over half of our leads came from the poster presentation as I came up with a very useful purification technique; I'm working on a manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal at customer suggestions.
Click to expand...
I do that with velvet gloves at Oshkosh and used to do it when I could afford to do Sun-n-Fun. I gave away a dozen of my pre-prod experimental versions at The Show this year.

Jim
 
Eric Gleason said:
I'm in a much different business (guitar parts, repair, etc.), but I found online advertising in forums to be just barely worth the cost, even when it's free. Advertising is part of the startup cost. At some point you generally have to decide to invest a little more and try to recoup it.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but if I'm full of toro ca-ca this group isn't hesitant to call me on it. That is invaluable information when I go to spend a few buckaroonies on ink.

Jim
flyingcheesehead said:
What sorts of things are you thinking about selling? I love me some gadgets. :)
Click to expand...
The goal is to do little stuff under a hundred bucks to generate a stable funding source. Stuff like lamp dimmers, nav lights, maybe a collision beacon light, antenna splitters, and the like. That will give me enough of a base to do my ultimate goals ... a microprocessor based audio panel for less than $200 and a 760 channel com for less than $400. But that's next decade stuff. Right now I just want something more on the web page than a couple of inexpensive antenna kits and an ADSB that I don't make squat on.

Jim
 
Godspeed Jim and good luck. I could have used the antenna splitter a couple years ago when I was installing DME, audio panel last year and I'm keeping an eye out for the radio.
 
I have an idea for you jim. how about make a simple ads-b out UAT that will satisfy the 2020 requirement, may be wired to digital transponders and altitude encoders for reliability and accept position from either a WAAS panel mount or the GRT GPS. somewhat like a navworx redux minus the FAA smackdown.
 
FORANE said:
I have an idea for you jim. how about make a simple ads-b out UAT that will satisfy the 2020 requirement, may be wired to digital transponders and altitude encoders for reliability and accept position from either a WAAS panel mount or the GRT GPS. somewhat like a navworx redux minus the FAA smackdown.
Click to expand...
How about I shoot for something more practical ... like a 6 place homebuilt that uses a C-85 engine choked down to 2 gph and a 3000 mile range? :cheerswine:
 
weirdjim said:
How about I shoot for something more practical ... like a 6 place homebuilt that uses a C-85 engine choked down to 2 gph and a 3000 mile range? :cheerswine:
Click to expand...
And 200+ kts...
Yes please
 
weirdjim said:
Yeah, but if I'm full of toro ca-ca this group isn't hesitant to call me on it. That is invaluable information when I go to spend a few buckaroonies on ink.

Jim

The goal is to do little stuff under a hundred bucks to generate a stable funding source. Stuff like lamp dimmers, nav lights, maybe a collision beacon light, antenna splitters, and the like. That will give me enough of a base to do my ultimate goals ... a microprocessor based audio panel for less than $200 and a 760 channel com for less than $400. But that's next decade stuff. Right now I just want something more on the web page than a couple of inexpensive antenna kits and an ADSB that I don't make squat on.

Jim
Click to expand...
Could you describe how to build them and how they work as you do now, them mention at the end of your Kit Planes articles that you can get them all built, tested, and ready to install from your company? Depends in part what the editors think about it. There's people who build a Stratux ADSB and sell them, who simply assemble the parts. Your projects are generally a tad more complex than the Stratux since one actually needs to solder, make circuit boards, etc. Alternatively, sell the parts/circuit boards like the old Heathkit kits.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Could you describe how to build them and how they work as you do now, them mention at the end of your Kit Planes articles that you can get them all built, tested, and ready to install from your company? Depends in part what the editors think about it. There's people who build a Stratux ADSB and sell them, who simply assemble the parts. Your projects are generally a tad more complex than the Stratux since one actually needs to solder, make circuit boards, etc. Alternatively, sell the parts/circuit boards like the old Heathkit kits.
Click to expand...
Evidently you haven't heard of RST. The ONLY way we put stuff out is in kit form. The exception being the ADSB out. We've made 760 channel nav-coms this way and so far as we know, we are the ONLY company to ever get an FCC type acceptance certificate on a kit-built transmitter.
I became a Heathkit believer at 10 and have never wavered from that idea for the last 65 years.

Jim
 
weirdjim said:
Evidently you haven't heard of RST. The ONLY way we put stuff out is in kit form. The exception being the ADSB out. We've made 760 channel nav-coms this way and so far as we know, we are the ONLY company to ever get an FCC type acceptance certificate on a kit-built transmitter.
I became a Heathkit believer at 10 and have never wavered from that idea for the last 65 years.

Jim
Click to expand...
I've heard of RST Engineering- it is listed just after your name in the byline. But that actually proves my point, it doesn't say exactly what RST Engineering does. You actually say more about what you do in PoA than what your company does. With respect, that byline doesn't give me a reason to look at RST Engineering's web page.

I don't know where the problem lies, but a message like I see below doesn't help either (URL from from the October 2018 Kitplanes, p. 72). The URL that does work is: http://www.rstengineering.com/ and should be listed instead in your by-line.
upload_2018-10-2_19-20-17.png
 
Cap'n Jack said:
I've heard of RST Engineering- it is listed just after your name in the byline. But that actually proves my point, it doesn't say exactly what RST Engineering does. You actually say more about what you do in PoA than what your company does. With respect, that byline doesn't give me a reason to look at RST Engineering's web page.

I don't know where the problem lies, but a message like I see below doesn't help either (URL from from the October 2018 Kitplanes, p. 72). The URL that does work is: http://www.rstengineering.com/ and should be listed instead in your by-line.
View attachment 67758
Click to expand...

I have no idea what all that alphabet soup does. RST has been selling avionics kits since 1973 and I'm sorry you are a latecomer to the game that doesn't recognize us. Burt Rutan and I started our businesses in the same year. You've heard about Burt, yes. although his REAL first name is Elbert. And he uses my antennas.

I don't like to pimp my company or my products in a forum meant for discussion and discourse. I suppose I could say at every turn that "RST Engineering is the preeminent supplier of avionics to the industry and has a worldwide network of thousands of distributors of our products." That (a) would be pimping and (b) not be accurate.

So what's your problem in a couple of lines?

Jim
 
weirdjim said:
Are new avionics product announcements allowed in this ng? RST is considering putting one new product a month out for the next year to see how it goes.
Click to expand...

What America needs... is a widget (Arduino or Raspberry PI based?) that can interrogate a remote channeled DME and/or VOR receiver, and provide GPS-like area navigation for when the Chinese or solar storms take out the GPS constellation. Maybe use an iPad app as a user interface? Or just give a lat /long signal to the iPad so ForeFlight et al thinks it’s GPS in...

Paul
 
weirdjim said:
I have no idea what all that alphabet soup does. RST has been selling avionics kits since 1973 and I'm sorry you are a latecomer to the game that doesn't recognize us. Burt Rutan and I started our businesses in the same year. You've heard about Burt, yes. although his REAL first name is Elbert. And he uses my antennas.

I don't like to pimp my company or my products in a forum meant for discussion and discourse. I suppose I could say at every turn that "RST Engineering is the preeminent supplier of avionics to the industry and has a worldwide network of thousands of distributors of our products." That (a) would be pimping and (b) not be accurate.

So what's your problem in a couple of lines?

Jim
Click to expand...
Jim- Please don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't have a problem; I would suggest that you might have one.

When looking for information about aviation electronics, I really don't care about Burt Rutan, or when you and he started your businesses. RST Engineering doesn't have the same name recognition as Burt Rutan, however he spells his name.

Why should I recognize your company? Why should any person new to aviation recognize your company? Believe it or not, I am trying to help you. I feel I'm fairly typical of your readers and potential customers.
  • You mention RST Engineering in your Kit Planes by-line. The URL (web link) listed there doesn't work. Please explain to me how a non-working web link helps people to look at your products? The web-link listed in kit planes should be replaced by the one which does work.
  • You can mention your company in a quiet fashion. For example, add your web page link to your signature here on PoA (I don't believe that violates the rules here) next to your company name. You merely need to mention that "RST Engineering provides avionics solutions to light aircraft owners", or something along those lines- looking at the working web link, that was my view of your company. No pimping, no exaggeration. Simply a statement about what RST Engineering does.
  • When you answer questions here, or on other sites, provide links back to your articles and products as appropriate. Here is an example how I do it: https://www.researchgate.net/post/H...noid-rich_fraction_from_the_leaves_of_a_plant . Other means may work for you.

Again, I am really trying to help. The original post asked for suggestions, and I am trying to provide them.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Jim- Please don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't have a problem; I would suggest that you might have one.

  • You mention RST Engineering in your Kit Planes by-line. The URL (web link) listed there doesn't work. Please explain to me how a non-working web link helps people to look at your products? The web-link listed in kit planes should be replaced by the one which does work.
  • You can mention your company in a quiet fashion. For example, add your web page link to your signature here on PoA (I don't believe that violates the rules here) next to your company name. You merely need to mention that "RST Engineering provides avionics solutions to light aircraft owners", or something along those lines- looking at the working web link, that was my view of your company. No pimping, no exaggeration. Simply a statement about what RST Engineering does.
  • When you answer questions here, or on other sites, provide links back to your articles and products as appropriate. Here is an example how I do it: https://www.researchgate.net/post/H...noid-rich_fraction_from_the_leaves_of_a_plant . Other means may work for you.

Again, I am really trying to help. The original post asked for suggestions, and I am trying to provide them.
Click to expand...

And I thank you for your help.

  • You are correct. The URL does NOT work and you are the first one in ten years of that byline error to point it out. Twenty years ago when I started writing this column it worked just fine and then we changed ISPs and changed the domain at the same time. FIRST ONE that caught the error in 120 columns. Thank you. I'll take care of it immediately.
  • I sort of shy away from tooting my own horn, probably to excess. I detest infomercials of any sort and to that end probably go overboard to avoid doing them myself.
  • I'll take that to heart.
Thanks for the suggestions; I'll act on them.

Jim
 
weirdjim said:
And I thank you for your help.

  • You are correct. The URL does NOT work and you are the first one in ten years of that byline error to point it out. Twenty years ago when I started writing this column it worked just fine and then we changed ISPs and changed the domain at the same time. FIRST ONE that caught the error in 120 columns. Thank you. I'll take care of it immediately.
  • I sort of shy away from tooting my own horn, probably to excess. I detest infomercials of any sort and to that end probably go overboard to avoid doing them myself.
  • I'll take that to heart.
Thanks for the suggestions; I'll act on them.

Jim
Click to expand...
You are most welcome.

We are in agreement about the informercials. Both of us (In my opinion) work with customers who want to be helped, not "sold". We need to steer clear of the Scylla of doing little to no marketing while avoiding the Charybdis of trying to do too much marketing and selling. Keeping to the facts and avoiding "puffery" is probably best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top