Episode 202 of The Two Way Radio Show Podcast is now available! We discuss the complex and evolving trade war between the U.S. and China, how it reignited in 2025, and how this and a future trade deal may affect the price of two way radios in the marketplace.
As always, comments and feedback are welcome!
TWRS-202 -Tariffs on Two Way Radios in 2025?
Show Notes:
TWRS-202 -Tariffs on Two Way Radios in 2025? (buytwowayradios.com)
I listened to #202 yesterday. I’m not a business person. I remember how tariffs affected us in the power industry from not just China but many countries. I don’t envy you guys and hope for the best for your business. It will be interesting to see what the world is like by this time next year.
I was one of the lucky folks that snagged one of the KG-XS20H radios you had in stock. Great little radio. I mounted it in my old Toyota FJ. I will continue to use the G version on trips in my wife’s vehicle. I didn’t need a new radio, but…
Sean
The US has the tariffs, and the UK has not got customs between England, Wales and Scotland going to Northern Ireland - which of course is part of the UK. Post Brexit, there is no border between Ireland (the South, in the EU) and Northern Ireland (not in the EU) - so you drive down the road and suddenly speed limits are in Kilometres, not Miles, and money becomes the Euro. No border, you just suddenly are in a different country.
However - If I sell a radio to say, a Belfast customer, I now have 4 customs documents, tariff codes and less choice of carrier, as many just wont do ‘overseas’ postage any more.
Business to business transactions are even more complicated. I’m just hoping nobody buys a radio for their business - I think it’s just not worth doing for the time it takes.
Hopefully the US import system will quieten down soon. The daft thing being virtually all radio equipment comes in from overseas. Madness really!
I am still very much listening to the episode (and while I may take a year plus hiatus from the forums doesn’t mean I don’t still listen) but let me bring something up from a different point of view.
Of the roughly 1,900 APX series radios I currently have deployed almost every single one of them was made in Malaysia. In fact, even the new APX NEXT we are getting are made in Malaysia and sell for over $10,000 each. It really makes me wonder how tariff’s are going to affect everyone. Of course, the Federal users will likely be exempt from some things but what about the rest of the public safety users who purchase radios using tax funds? Think about it, there probably isn’t more than 100,000 federal radio users out there…but the number of state, county, local users out there is closer to the millions range.
Motorola – Made in Malaysia (though some federal stuff comes out of Mexico/USA)
Kenwood – Made in Japan
Icom – Made in Japan
EF Johnson – Made in Japan by Kenwood (not Irving, TX or Waseca, MI anymore)
L3-Harris – Assembled in USA of foreign components (likely from Japan)
BK Technologies – Assembled in the USA but some of the components are sourced outside of the USA.
Doesn’t look good does it? Tariffs on multi-thousand dollar radios or at least imported components of those assembled in the US…it can be quite imposing and at the end of the day all of that excess cost just gets passed along to the taxpayer.
During and after the pandemic, I became very leery with how we have allowed the China (CCP) to become the primary manufacturer of many goods, especially consumer electronics. I remember laughing at Ross Perot, when he said NAFTA would create a great sucking sound as business moved their manufacturing out of the USA. Thirty years later, I’m not laughing. I remember my father talked about how the US helped fund the Japanese war machine prior to WWII. He told me the same thing about China before he passed away. I’m willing to pay more for products produced in the US, if you could find them. Read the book, War without Rules several years ago and I understand that China is not our friend.