ICOM IC-705

As many will know, this is the first transceiver for many years that I really like. The FT818 was a total disappointment and Yaesu seems to have given up on the QRP market. More and more they come over as "has beens" unable to "read the market".

On the other hand ICOM seem to be always one step ahead. If you were to ask me who will be around in 5 years' time my bets would be on ICOM, whereas I can see Yaesu and Kenwood dropping out of the market.

I suspect ICOM will design in Japan, but find a country with lower manufacturing costs to do the building, much as Apple does. Currently, this is China, but by 2024 it could be somewhere else altogether. Remember when "made in Japan" were the words on the streets? In the end Japan got too expensive.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/ic705