Hi y'all,
OK, so I'm finally going to get rid of this IC-T81A that I got from my
uncle some time ago...anyone who wants to know...it's not an easy HT
for a blind ham to operate. Finally decided it's time to stop fighting
it and get a radio that's easier to use. My good ol' ADI AT-600
died...so...of course, it's the usual question: Icom IC-T90A or
TH-F6A. I looked at some reviews, and it seems the Icom may have a
better receiver, but some reviews seem to indicate the Kenwood is
built a bit sturdier (at least, the antenna connector is better), and
it seems like it's easier to use and set up. Also, the accessories are
cheaper and the battery is bigger. Couple more questions though:
1. Anyone found a better after-market rubber duckie for 2/220/440 than
what it comes with? $45 or $50 for a rubber duckie from Kenwood seems,
ah, a bit excessive.
2. What about the Batteries America or Maha battery? The Maha is
bigger and $10 les than the Kenwood one; the Batteries America one is
really cheap. Will either of them charge with the included Kenwood
charger, or do I need to shell out extra bucks for a drop-in charger?
3. All HT's get hot when using high power. One review indicated this
one has a lot of plastic and not much of a heat sink...does this rig
get noticeably hotter than others in your experience?
4. What about overload/intermod/etc.? Of course, I expect some in any
HT on a decent antenna. How does the TH-F6A compare to, say, the
FT-530 or FT-51 Yaesu, for instance?
5. Should I reconsider and get the Icom instead?
While the SW coverage and wideband receive is nice, they're sort of
minor considerations. I don't plan to use the shortwave receiver for
any more than very casual listening anyway. I nderstand the Icom has a
better receiver for UHF TV...not quite enough to sway my decision,
though, but something else might be.
Oh yes. One more. Who has the best price? Gigaparts has the TH-F6A for
$299 (including shipping, apparently); the Icom for like $249. Anyone
got a better price? I haven't seen a better price. Found Gigaparts
once for a sweepstakes. They have another sweepstakes now if anyone
wants to win a TS-480SAT...course...I'm gonna win it this month...this
is my month :)
Vy 73,
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV
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