[Kenwood] TS-870 MkII

[Rob Atkinson, K5UJ]

I think Tex. Towers has them for $1600.

I heard the 870 is in "limited production" which probably means
they wait until they get enough orders and start up  the assy. line
as described below.  I aggree with this poster--my reason for buying
one recently was that it seems to be a good radio and it has been out
long enough to be debugged.  I also have a feeling that this may be
their last TOL rig, but that is a purely subjective notion.   It's based
on their focus in advertising on the 570 and 2000, their introduction
of a mobile rig as their first new rig in a while, and the lack of a 
complete
station line, i.e. amps, tuners, etc. in addition to transceivers.  I have
a feeling they are moving in the direction of Alinco but I hope I am
mistaken.

Thanks to everyone who wrote about my ALC problem with the TS-850.
The problem proved to be a combination of things--one of them being
foldback due to swr into the amp.  Also I used the peak hold option on
the f.p. wattmeter and found the rig really was putting out a bit more
than I thought at first.

73,

Rob Atkinson
K5UJ


<<I agree with Rick's reply.  I heard from a pretty reliable source that
the 870's are being built in lots, on an as-needed basis, and has not
been officially discontinued yet.  Given that the TS-480 rigs are new, I
also tend to believe that we won't see a new high-end replacement for
the 870 anytime soon.  And, if we did, it certainly wouldn't be called a
870_mkii_ (that's icom terminology).  These rumors seem to crop up every
couple of months.

There are some incredible deals on the 870 right now - new for under
$1700, and I think one dealer (burghart maybe) had it for $1600.  Even
if it is going to be discontinued soon, I wouldn't let that bother me.
This radio has been out for 8 or 9 years, and has a very solid
performance record (you don't hear about many that need repair).>>

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