Eric Roskos <roskos@IDA.ORG> (02/22/90)
narayan@photon.tamu.edu (Sriram Narayan) writes: >Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for their >comments on the ICOM R71A and Kenwood R-5000. The gist of >it is that the ICOM is a slightly more professional receiver, >but the Kenwood is without doubt, better in terms of audio >quality. Also, the service of Kenwood left a lot to be >desired (very long response times) and many swore they >wouldn't buy another item from Kenwood. It is best to post the hilights of individual comments and leave the debate unsummarized following such a survey since you will offend those of us who have the differing opinion :-). The Kenwood is a newer receiver; it uses a newer technology. It also supports the VC-20 VHF option internally, so you can receive 2 meter ham communications (and nearby public service bands) with the same receiver you use for HF. The maintenance manual is excellent. And it has its program in ROM, not in RAM which gets lost when the battery runs out, requiring you to send the receiver back to the manufacturer for reprogramming, as is the case with the R71A. The main thing I liked about the R71A, the continuously variable bandpass filter, was deleted about a year ago, supposedly because of alleged patent infringements (according to an article in one of the SWL magazines). I like the S-meter that reads in microvolts and millivolts on the R5000, too, and the remote control relay and timer, which is useful to turn a tape recorder on and off. I wish the timer was a multiple-event timer that could switch the frequency, though. I don't understand the comment "slightly more professional" since neither is a professional receiver. I would certainly buy another item from Kenwood, except that at present I have no need for another, since the R5000 is sufficient for all my needs but WEFAX, for which I use a receiver made for that purpose. I would, nevertheless, be happy to own either of them, and am only disappointed to find Kenwood criticised in this way. -- Eric Roskos (roskos@IDA.ORG or Roskos@DOCKMASTER.NCSC.MIL)