[K3PZN-List] Is Kenwood dropping out of the Amateur Radio market?

[Al Bisasky]

Not according to their sales manager that I spoke to in person this week at
the IWCE convention in Las Vegas.  Kenwood, who had the largest booth
(bigger even than Motorola!) at the show, had part of their Amateur Radio
line on display including the TS-2000, TM-7A, TH-7A, and TH-F6A.  The "hot
news" is a new replacement for their venerable TS-50 HF mobile which will
include VHF/UHF.  It is designed to compete with the Icom IC-706 and Yaesu
FT-100.  I asked if it would be introduced at Dayton and he indicated that
it was a "possibility".  Future plans are to introduce a new "flagship" HF
rig for 2004 as a replacement for the TS-870.

Before you start drooling, I've heard lines like this in the past from
company rep's that were higher up on the corporate food chain about future
releases that have never seen the light of day.  Like we used to say at the
phone phactory, "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you
see."

73 Al K3ZE