[aprssig] Kenwood Status - Thinking about TH-D7AG purchase

[Bob Burns W9RXR]

Quoting K7FTP <k7ftp at commtechreview.net>:

> I was in our local ham radio store (not AES or HRO) and the owner said
> that Kenwood is essentially out of the game.  He didn't have any
> Kenwood radios, and he told me that the general perception is that they
> are getting out of amateur radio.

Really? I heard the doom and gloom ten years ago that Kenwood was  
getting out of amateur radio. They're still here.

If Kenwood is getting out, then why did they spend so much time and  
money developing the TM-V71 and TM-D710?

If Kenwood is getting out, then why are they still running full-color  
advertisements in the amateur radio magazines?

I think the European RoHS regulations caught Kenwood off-guard. That's  
why the TM-D700 was discontinued in Europe before the TM-D710 was  
released. And, if Kenwood's production facilities are switching over  
to RoHS-compliant methods, that may be why the other radios in their  
line are a bit hard to get right now.

It will be interesting to see what Kenwood has to offer at Dayton. The  
V71 and D710 were their big, new radios last year. If they have  
nothing new in their booth this year, there may be something to the  
rumors of their demise. Or, it may just be rumors.

Bob...