8 Dec 2024

New radios

Looking forward, certain things seem apparent to me. These are:

  • Manufacturers want to be competitive. This usually means high volumes and low variations between markets. For example products for the USA market should have the same hardware as for Europe and most of the world. Programming with different software is easy.
  • People are finding prices high, so are looking for good value and to buy as few products as possible. The "shack in the box" looks attractive.
  • Ideally many would like a radio that can do all bands (HF and VHF) in all modes. 
  • A radio that could be used in the shack or car/truck means fewer variants, so higher volumes.
  • Small size makes fitting in small spaces easier.
  • Manfacturers must be mindful of low cost manufacturing areas around the world.
One solution might be a low power product with a separate linear?

So an ideal product might be the ICOM IC-705 or the Yaesu FTX-1F.

In my view the companies that will remain around are the ones that recognise these and develop products accordingly.

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