[Kenwood] My comments were for KENWOOD

[Rob Atkinson, K5UJ]

I doubt if i will ever pay $10,000 for a rig but who knows. i know to never
say never.

I agree with the comment about the looks of the 2000.  I can't put my finger
on it, but
whatever it is, it turns me off.  maybe it's that swept back front panel
that to me, makes
it look like it was made to move through the air, like it should have wheels
on it.  i am aways
suspicious of rigs that cover extremely wide range of frequencies but maybe
I'm behind the
times.  I guess it has been a winner for kwood though because they keep
making and selling
them.

anyway, I own an 870 and have been happy with it.  I do not demand a lot
however as
I do not dx or contest so I have never had it in a situation where i need to
cut out a lot of qrm.
the rx and tx audio quality and the monitor are all fantastic.  it is also
easy to operate and figure out
for the most part.

yes, the new rigs are a pain to work on--i have to have dime store
magnifiers on,
an iron with a sharp point, bright light and steady hands.  The 850s are
showing their age, as they
develop problems--one of the more frequent ones is the BA1 lithium battery
leaking.  Kwood
installed it behind the f.p. in a permanent holder where it is actually
soldered in so it can't even
be pulled out and replaced without pulling the rig apart and unsoldering the
battery/holder.
that kills me--what were they thinking?

it would be great if someone made a new rig with
descrete components and thru hole boards or hand wiring but the cost would
be out of sight and
it would either have no bells and whistles, or if it had all the modern
features it would be huge and
cost 50K.  it is all about offering features and being affordable and to do
both the mfrs have to
use robot assy with smt construction and lots of chips.  the result is a box
that can do tons of things but
is a real pain to work on.  most hams would not pay for a new hand wired rig
as to be affordable it
would have none of the features they have become accustomed to.  it would be
like a hw101 and they'd say
Where's the speech proc.?  where's the auto-notch?  where's the built in
keyer?  Noise blanker?  memories?
and they would not buy because to them being able to work on it would not
make up for the lack of all this stuff.

rob/k5uj



----- Original Message -----
From: <WA2JJH at aol.com>
To: <kenwood at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2004 6:41 PM
Subject: [Kenwood] My comments were for KENWOOD


>   I do not want to offend Cliff.  Kenwood was darn lucky to have choosen
him.
> Best radio guy I ever used. Since Cliff no longer repairs Kenwood, think
> about your next rig purchase.
>
>    Kenwood was a clear leader with the affordable TS-520, the
revolutionary
> tiny TS-50. The TS-850 and 950 have RCVRs that come very close to my
commercial
> HF
> Harris 1446U and most Drakes and Racal.
>
>    Kenwood you make the best radio's that do NOT LAST or have QC problems.
> My TR-'7's and R7A are 25 years old, I have hardly had a problem with
them.
> When there is a problem, the average ham can do their own repairs with the
> decent clear service manual and a Wavetec-3000S or better comm analyzer.
>
>   The TS-870 did nothing for me. Mr Kenwood, you need a new flagship
radio.
> OK you will do a $10,000 job like ICOM.
>
> Ten Tec is gathering steam with the ORION. Please, your next rig.........
> A TS-890 if you will. Under $3000, and better QC
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