Seems like DSM/DSM2 and FASST compatible Rx'es are being pumped out of China now. Listings on Ebay and certain big HongKong retailers seems to be proof of this. There's also first hand accounts of people talking to the factories involved.

But what does it all mean?

Consumers
This is great news for us consumers - finally a reasonably priced Rx for that $1000 brandname radio you already bought. Or yet another reason to not wait any longer with purchasing that dream radio.

Manufacturer
At first this looks bad. Really bad. Then again, maybe not. It really is about market share. If you (think you) can control a factory and let it pump out compatible products in an (almost) acceptable fashion, there's a greater chance that someone might pay up for that Tx, as the Rx'es aren't that expensive. Look at the older 72/40/35MHz bands. Look at the computer industry 2.4GHz stuff. So, it's really not bad after all. The better products will excel.

Any good?
Reports on the Ebay version of the parkflyer DSM2 AR6100 seems to indicate about the same range as the original version. The build quality differs a lot, some are good, some are very bad. The technology involved seems too advanced and so indicate that the backyard factories don't play a part, so some level QC can be expected. Until proven you still should expect a high percentage of duds, IMHO.

Why?
The big question is really "why?". Why is this happening? Is DSM3 with added features such as encryption for regaining lock-in about to surface? Is FASST2 (veryFASST?) coming? If so, the next generation needs to be backwards compliant due to the amount of DSM/DSM2 and FASST Rx'es already sold. Swap program - maybe. But it'll be expensive, and the mfgr will surely push the expense back to the consumer, leading to an even more expensive next generation rx. Whatever brand. It could also be as simple as chineese factories running chineese business tactics to fill customer demand.

All in all, a very interesting development and it will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming months...