It seems questionable as to wether or not 7 watts is particularly useful with a rubber duck antenna anyway. I suppose the 7 watts would be more useful when connected to an outdoor antenna at a more useful height eg in "fixed" mode.
My gripe with most of these hand-held radios is the tiny size /battery. I wish ALL handhelds had a much more robust battery and were a bit larger so that I felt more like I had my money's worth rather than feeling like a toy with scant battery life.
There is a market segment of folk who live in rural areas where a dual band radio is extra complexity & cost because there are no UHF repeaters or users. The case is apparently an "acoustic lens" to aid in apparent loudness & articulation. Most people will operate the radio at a lower power level & use 7 watts only when actually needed. I personally have had all of the gadgetry I want to see. This radio will appeal to those who desire functionality & reliability instead of a "bells & whisles" showpiece. I still have a pair of IC-2AT handhelds that have worked perfecttly for 41 years ! Cheers! Brian
I like it. At $169.95 list, it will soon sell for under $150, maybe $140. That's high, but reasonable for quality. In my area, Dallas/Fort Worth, most UHF activity is digital (DMR, D-Star, C4FM) so a dual-band HT is a wasted expense. The FT-70 from Yaesu is in the same price range, and is a good, solid little HT. This should appeal to new (and seasoned) hams that want a well designed, well built HT that can put out a good, solid signal AND has a loud enough speaker to hear it above crowd noise at a public service event. Seven watts, meh, it's a marketing bullet point, not a meaningful distinction over other 5 watt HTs.
well to me it looks like a good little hand held compared to some of the radios with the flimsy SMA connectors. If the proven BNCs are not your thing don't buy it instead of running it down.
I have been using The V82 version now for over ten years now and have not suffered any ill effects yet. DUH!! Now what was I talking about now I forgot. NE7NE
htx 202 remember! it probably is the best ht ever.....built for man hands not no tiny purse! best audio & receive ever it also had a bnc.
I loved the IC-V8 I bought brand new in 2005 and which is still as solid a performer today, 14 years later. As I remember the major complaint in the day was that the display screen is too small and that is true today as my eyes are now 14 years older! Ha! I bought it as part of a package deal with an Icom IC-V8000 75 watt 2 meter mobile also a solid performer, plenty of power and a front firing speaker... Very nice. I found the IC-V8 to be a down to earth basic 2 meter radio that was built to mil spec, takes a beating and keeps on working, easy to program manually. In the field, an excellent performer and I expect no less out of the IC-V86. I purchased a reservation and anxiously awaiting the arrival.
It is an everyday carry radio, simple but works, single band has less to go wrong, and you don't need to carry an instruction book if in an emergency, to run it!
Interested to see how it compares to the Kenwood TH-K20A (about as simple as a modern radio can be). The V86 has a very high capacity battery, offers a DC power option, but the keys are not lighted (from what I can determine).
