hardie (01/16/83)
I have been looking at 2M Hand-held rigs since I now can afford to splurge on one and would have liked to have one to take to San Diego. In Canada the TR-2500 costs about $439 , the FT208R costs $319, or $289 from a place that just happens to be out of stock! The IC-2AT is $309. The Azden and the Santec are not in the race for me unless I can find a Canadian supplier. Of course, the Kenwood and Yaesu are fully synthesized (10 memories, scanning etc.) and the Kenwood is a better designed rig than the Yaesu but I don't think it is $120 to $150 better. The ICOM is a neat beast as long as you don't mind thumbwheel entry (and NO memory, scanning etc.). Questions. 1. Is anyone out there in a position to say whether ICOM is going to come up with a fully synthesized rig to take out the other guys? In Canada, the difference of only $10 between them and the 208R suggests that their sales have to be slowing down a bit. (Although I doubt that Canadian sales are a determining factor in their marketing strategy, I think the same type of thing is happening in the U.S.) It seems odd that their mobile rigs (e.g. 25a) are marvellous little beasts with memory, scanning and so on, but their H.T. has still got thumbwheels. 2. Yaesu has recently dropped their price on the 208R by about $100 and they did the same sort of thing to the FT-101-ZD just before they brought out the FT-102. Anyone know if they are just trying to compete with the TR-2500 (as the Kenwood supplier disdainfully told me "Our rig is better") or is there something better coming down the pipe? Please mail to me. Tx + 73 pete ve5bel harpo!utah-cs!sask!hardie