Flex will NOT go out of business they will just have more radios with knobs. The format used from 1999 until approximately August 2008 is numeric: First digit is the year code, add 1998 to get year. Until then the TS-990S is still a radio that can hold it's own during any contests and field day with no effort and on nights like tonight where the bands suck, I still pulled a couple of SSB QSO's out and had a good time. Kenwood serial numbers issued from 1999 come in 2 formats. I suspect, and hope it will be more like the K3 and FTdx101D/MP with crystal filtering also for better performance. My feeling is one day Kenwood will go into the SDR world also, but I will be surprised if it will be like the IC-7300, IC-7610 or IC-9700 and the Flex world of pure direct sampling. I like SDR radios, but in reality the reason the new Elecraft K4 and the FTdx101D/MP will kick butt is they are hybrid.thus have a stag with old fashion crystal filtering like the TS-990S and TS-890S (which does have one stage of SDR but as I understand it, it is only used for the display). The direct conversion IC-9700 is a real winner. KENWOOD does not offer extended warranty contracts, please contact your dealer for information regarding extended warranty contracts. It is far better then the IC-756PROII, IC-7000, IC-7100, IC-7200 I have had in the past. My IC-7300 is a blast to use and is way under rated by many. The K3 plus the P3 made a nice SDR set up.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |