[ICOM] IC-7600 at Tokyo Hamfair 2008

[bonddaleena at aol.com]

Pete, here's something else to think about.....


Back MANY years ago as a lad, stuff "Made in Japan", was considered 
junk. And it was.
However, Edward Demming went there after WWII and taught them 
'Stastical Process Control'. They were (and are GREAT) students. The 
rest is history.

As the owner of a small, personal machine shop, I looked at the prices 
of Japanese lathes and the price of Chinese lathes. Heck, there was NO 
real choice (at least not for me).

Yep, the Chinese lathe and milling machine I own are 'fugly', but they 
WORK. I cannot ask for better repeatability on my lathe (once you 
disassemble it, clean the sand out, etc).

Getting back to my MAIN point....

Have you noticed how MUCH better the Chinese stuff is getting????
They ARE evolving the way the Japanese did years ago.
In a Ham Radio vein, how long do you think it will be before the 
Japanese have their radios made in China? How long before the Chinese 
start making 'knock offs' of the popular Japanese radios at MUCH lower 
prices.


I remember on one trip to Tokyo, I was looking at some beautiful, 
kinda' high end (mechanical) watches. The tag stated:

"All parts made in Japan, assembled in China"

Think about this.... It was cheaper for them to ship the watch back and 
forth to China, than to assemble it there in Japan.


China's comin' gang. Just keep buyin' at Wal Mart!!!! ha ha

My girlfriend is a Wallyworld Manager!!!


ron

N4UE

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Markavage <manualman at juno.com>
To: icom at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 9:11 pm
Subject: Re: [ICOM] IC-7600 at Tokyo Hamfair 2008



Of course, Icom still markets the IC-910H that covers 2M, 440, and
optional 1.2 Gigs. The 7600 looks like a well stripped down version of
the 7700. Maybe they designed it in the tradition of "Mad Man Muntz"
design engineering. I've heard reports that of the top 4 HF rig
manufacturers, 3 of them are now U.S. based. It would seem to me that if
Icom, and the Japanese manufacturers wanted to stay in the forefront of
current and evolving amateur technology, they would be working harder
and/or faster and not let some small "home-spun" U. S. companies run
right past them. Time will tell if the 7600 makes any dent.

Pete, wa2cwa

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:16:02 -0400 bonddaleena at aol.com writes:
>
> Hi Adam. I was kinda excited to hear about the 7600, until I saw the
>
> pictures and realized it was ANOTHER HF/50MHz radio. As I have
> mentioned several times in the past, I DO know about Marketing /
> Sales
> Demand, Cost / Feature ratios, etc.
>
> However, just think HOW successful the 706MKg has been! Don't tell
> me
> there is not enough room inside a 7700 or 7600 to add 2 and 432!.
> Sorry, that doesn't wash.
>
> Having bought both a 706g and a 756PRO in Akihabra, (and having
> spent a
> LOT of time there), I understand the Japanese reluctance to offer a
> "DC
> to Daylight" radio. Maybe they saw how other companies' radios
> didn't
> make it, in that segment of the market.
>
> HOWEVER, times have changed! The Yaesu version needed 'optional'
> modules to cover the VHF bands. The 706 doesn't!
>
> I firmly believe that Icom, with all it's great Engineering talent,
>
> could come up with a 7500 that covered 160M thru 432 (or 1296). Come
>
> on, we know that the MMICs work wonders in a small space.
>
> Perhaps, someone could suggest to Icom that they make a 'trial'
> version, to judge reaction?
>
> Hell, I know I'd be putting a ROOM full of Icoms on ePay, er, eBay,
> if
> they would come out with a radio like this!!!
>
> Yes, I have worked for both IBM and Lexmark, and I DO understand
> demographics. However, they may not be using a wide enough audience
> as
> a 'focus group'.
>
> You expertise is ALWAYS appreciated!!!!
>
>
> ron
>
> N4UE
>
> ex-N4KCM
>
> EM80pa
>
> North Florida
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