Kenwood TS-990

[K0BG]

I didn't see anyone else commenting about this, so here goes.

What was with the plastic box over the Kenwood TS990 at the Hamvention? Heck, even the guys in the Hilberling booth had their $15,000 plus radios out there for anyone to twist the knobs!

I ask a couple of questions when I finally got to someone I could ask, and the answer was, "... it's our newest radio, and the finally specs haven't been decided". Decided? Geez!

[N8MSA]

I asked them, and the answer was that it was a mock-up. They simply didn't want people trying to twist the fixed controls to the breaking point.

[KJ4VTH]

What? I thought it was just waiting for FCC approval. Maybe next year, huh?

[W3WN]

I didn't see anyone else commenting about this, so here goes.

What was with the plastic box over the Kenwood TS990 at the Hamvention? Heck, even the guys in the Hilberling booth had their $15,000 plus radios out there for anyone to twist the knobs!

I ask a couple of questions when I finally got to someone I could ask, and the answer was, "... it's our newest radio, and the finally specs haven't been decided". Decided? Geez!

The radio displayed was a prototype or mock-up, it was not a fully functional rig. That's also why the back panel of the radio was covered up.

The Kenwood guys were evasive on specs, price & availability. Until the radio passes FCC muster (what we used to call type acceptance) they can't offer it for sale. And that radio wasn't anywhere near ready for testing.

Smoke & mirrors.

[N9ZP]

There is a video floating around of Bob Heil and Gordon West powering up the 990 and turning the VFO. Looked pretty real to me.

[W4PG]

Kenwood is about 10 years behind Icom. Go figure. I looked at their "mock up" and thought, "isn't that what the 7800 was all about years ago?" Seriously??

[N9ZP]

Kenwood is about 10 years behind Icom. Go figure. I looked at their "mock up" and thought, "isn't that what the 7800 was all about years ago?" Seriously??

Not sure how you can make a comment on the unknown. I haven't seen the specs posted for the 990 to compare. If anything the 7800 is old technology now.

[W4PG]

Not sure how you can make a comment on the unknown. I haven't seen the specs posted for the 990 to compare. If anything the 7800 is old technology now.

I don't disagree. It's just the mock up they had looked nothing different than the 7800 with the spectrum display, etc etc. Now, that doesn't mean that when the specs come out, their numbers won't beat the 7800!!

[WB2WIK]

The radio displayed was a prototype or mock-up, it was not a fully functional rig. That's also why the back panel of the radio was covered up.

The Kenwood guys were evasive on specs, price & availability. Until the radio passes FCC muster (what we used to call type acceptance) they can't offer it for sale. And that radio wasn't anywhere near ready for testing.

Smoke & mirrors.

The FCC does not test nor certificate such gear. The only thing a new transceiver must "pass" is 47 CFR Part 15 for radiated and conducted emissions, and that's primarily because it has oscillators that operate on multiple frequencies and the receivers are capable of scanning. There is no Part 97 requirement for certification of ham equipment other than amplifiers.

Simple analog ham gear, even made today (like many QRP rigs) require no such certification at all. None.

The "pending FCC certification" statement is silly. The manufacturer can choose any one of 200+ legitimate registered EMC test labs to certify them for Part 15, and the process takes a few weeks. When I see this statement published, I know for sure they're nowhere near ready to release a product.

For amplifiers, it's more complicated and the process can indeed take months.

[N8MSA]

There is a video floating around of Bob Heil and Gordon West powering up the 990 and turning the VFO. Looked pretty real to me.

Do you have a link to that?

EDIT:
I found several links to what is most likely the video you mentioned. Not sure if it is exactly the same unit, but all I know is what the booth staff told me. Shame on them if they're fibbing...