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Author Topic: Kenwood still in the ham business?  (Read 3830 times)

KA4DPO

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #60 on: April 14, 2022, 09:59:20 AM »

Then why does the biggest ham radio retailer not have any of their radios?
Just looked up the TS-890S on their website.
Try Reading, HRO states: Out of Stock Delivery Will Be Delayed.

It doesn’t mention Discontinued or Kenwood going out of business.

The sky is falling?

That is true however, if you look at the HRO ads in QST, they stopped advertising Kenwood some time ago, all you see is Yaesu and Icom.  Makes me wonder if they didn't have some kind of tiff with JVC-Kenwood over sales.  They do still carry the full line of Kenwood products.
Anything is possible. It could be something as simple as profit margins.

I totally agree with you, but I am waiting for KA4WJA to show up here and insult you before I say any more ;). ;D ;D
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K1FBI

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #61 on: April 14, 2022, 06:03:58 PM »

Then why does the biggest ham radio retailer not have any of their radios?
Just looked up the TS-890S on their website.
Try Reading, HRO states: Out of Stock Delivery Will Be Delayed.

It doesn’t mention Discontinued or Kenwood going out of business.

The sky is falling?

That is true however, if you look at the HRO ads in QST, they stopped advertising Kenwood some time ago, all you see is Yaesu and Icom.  Makes me wonder if they didn't have some kind of tiff with JVC-Kenwood over sales.  They do still carry the full line of Kenwood products.
Anything is possible. It could be something as simple as profit margins.

I totally agree with you, but I am waiting for KA4WJA to show up here and insult you before I say any more ;). ;D ;D
Would not surprise me one bit. 🤣
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K3UIM

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #62 on: April 14, 2022, 06:41:49 PM »

<hidden text>Darned kids! Sheesh!!<end text> ;D ;D
Charlie
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Charlie. K3UIM
Where you are: I was!
Where I am: You will be!
So be nice to us old fogies!!

KW1L

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #63 on: April 18, 2022, 01:52:34 PM »

Does anyone know if Kenwood will be at the Dayton Hamvention 2022?
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VE3WGO

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #64 on: April 19, 2022, 06:04:55 AM »

I don't see Kenwood or JVCKenwood listed on the indoor vendors confirmed or reserved list yet.

Hamvention points to this link https://www.make-it.ca/hamvention/   then scroll down to Indoor Commercial Vendors on the right-hand side.

Meanwhile Icom has 7 booths, and Yaesu has 10.

73, Ed
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SWMAN

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #65 on: April 19, 2022, 08:56:47 AM »

 They might just surprise everyone. You never know.
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KA4DPO

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #66 on: April 26, 2022, 01:55:23 PM »

Looks like Kenwood is not going to be at hamvention this year.   Could this be an omen?  a sign of things to come? 
I seriously doubt it, my guess is they don't have any new products to advertise so they are not going to waste the money and manpower to go to Dayton.
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N4NYY

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #67 on: May 26, 2022, 06:44:20 PM »

Looks like Kenwood is not going to be at hamvention this year.   Could this be an omen?  a sign of things to come? 
I seriously doubt it, my guess is they don't have any new products to advertise so they are not going to waste the money and manpower to go to Dayton.

I was waiting to see if they went. They did not attend. They have not released any new HF rigs since the TS-890, which is a $4K radio. The 590 is going on 10 years. They have not responded with a product to compete with hybrid SDR or SDRs from Yeasu and Icom. I think they are done.

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VE3WGO

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #68 on: May 26, 2022, 08:19:28 PM »

Not so fast. 

I tend to share your skepticism, but in reality since the entire radio industry is moving relentlessly toward commoditization of SDR hardware and software components, I expect any company involved in any aspect of receiver and two-way radio business to have it already in their technology toolbox, or will have it very soon.  That includes Kenwood which plays big in the audio and radio entertainment systems business.  Even AM-FM-Sirius car radios will become SDR...  it just makes economic sense.  I mean just look at the sub-$500 SDR radios that are hitting the market these days...  SDR technology seems to have already gone over the "early adopters" phase, and it isn't expensive or out of reach anymore.

The jump to SDR is likely going to be no harder than the jump from the hybrid tube/solid state to purely solid state radios that Yaesu and Kenwood had to make during the 1980s.  Icom led the pack to wideband solid state PAs much earlier.

Maybe Chinese radio companies are hollowing out the low and middle ranges of the handheld and base station markets, and radio prices are racing to the bottom because many hams are attracted to low prices no matter what the quality is, but the high end market is still very strong.  So if Kenwood does exit the ham radio market, I would be disappointed and surprised.  I think they don't have a good excuse for doing that.

73, Ed
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G8FXC

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #69 on: May 27, 2022, 02:24:54 AM »

The jump to SDR is actually pretty easy from the engineering point of view - just make sure that you have a well specified A/D converter and processor and plenty of memory - then you can make major changes to the functionality and performance simply by releasing new firmware. An analogue design is a lot more risky - get a time-constant or the gain in some stage wrong and you are faced with recalling thousands of devices for workshop modification.

Martin (G8FXC)
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VE3WGO

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Hamvention Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #70 on: February 13, 2023, 08:45:20 AM »

Kenwood has reserved 3 booths at Hamvention.

https://www.make-it.ca/hamvention2023-indoor/     (see jvckenwood, in the lower half of the page)

73, Ed
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K4GTE

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Re: Hamvention Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #71 on: February 13, 2023, 09:26:54 AM »

Kenwood has reserved 3 booths at Hamvention.

https://www.make-it.ca/hamvention2023-indoor/     (see jvckenwood, in the lower half of the page)

73, Ed

It looks like JVC/Kenwood is no longer listed on the commercial vendor roster.
https://www.make-it.ca/hamvention2023-indoor/

Kenwood has not had a presence at a US hamfest for three years now.
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WA2CWA

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #72 on: February 13, 2023, 09:45:43 AM »

JVC Kenwood is still on the "Reserved"  list but they haven't "Confirmed" yet. Probably means they haven't paid for the space yet.

JVC Kenwood    1503 1504 1505    Reserved    Rebecca Hinton

Pete, wa2cwa
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ZL4AI

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #73 on: February 13, 2023, 01:32:51 PM »

Every Issue of QST in the last 2 years has 2 full page advertisements for 890s & 590SG. Kenwood are saying by this these models are for sale. HRO, Gigaparts, Martin Lynch and Sons all have stock for sale. Martin Lynch has just done a You tube video 2 days ago promoting the TS-990 and TS-890 with mics and speaker extras at apparently no extra cost.
ebay has 6 new 890s online now. All are way cheaper than the USA Dealers, One is only US$3048.

Seems new transceiver are definitely available but servicing is only provided by the Kenwood Service Centre in the USA
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N8NK

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Re: Kenwood still in the ham business?
« Reply #74 on: February 13, 2023, 03:31:26 PM »

If not, it doesn't mean they won't be back in amateur radio engineering.
Look what happened to Yaesu when Vertex Standard purchased the co.
Still...
I'd trade my own children away for a TS-890. I really would. lol.
Chuck
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