So, after not using my V7A for a long time due to my newer radio 
application, I go to fire it up the other day and after reading from the 
cheat sheets and manual and everything I could lay my hands on, I waited 
till my young son got off work to read the display for the individual menu 
changes I needed to make.  No display!  The dumb thing was dim and only half 
the display even worked.  I got a friend to walk me through the steps to 
turn the brightness up and that did nothing.  Now I find out, Kenwood admits 
the display going out on the V7A models years ago was their biggest problem. 
I called Kenwood and listened to their 10,000 menus on the phone, finally 
found what I thought I wanted, called that number, a kids who sounded 15 
years old said, "What are you talking about."  It was the Kenwood ham radio 
west coast repair department and he didn't even know what radio I was 
talking about.  What was I talking about; Icom radios?  Come on!  So, since 
he had the I Q of a grasshopper, he said, "I'll ring the guy who handles 
that radio.  It rings 4 times, a female recording comes on and says, "You 
have reached..." with a blank spot for a person name who handles those 
calls, and then she says, "So leave your number and we will call you back." 
I left a message longer than the U S Constitution, hung up, dialed up the 
website, type out a request email, and then when it saves and sends, it 
says, "We will answer you in 3 to 5 days."  What?  You heard me.  In this 
technological age of the internet, Kenwood can't answer emails about repairs 
for 3 to 5 days.  Ain't being a ham fun?  If I had the money, I'd get the 71 
but you know how that goes.

Phil.
K0NX