Although I'm 100% Ten-Tec, it's a sad day for amateur radio when any
manufacturer leaves the ham radio business, especially an American
manufacturer. Competition is good for the hobby, but there's just no money
anymore in the ham business. With Ten-Tec Jupiter's ability to be upgraded
by software, it seems that hams will soon have no need to buy a new radio
unless the box just falls apart, or like some car buyers, they just want
something with a different look.
I fear someday that ham radio will only be a small segment of a larger
pasttime called "digital wireless," which will be some strange mixture of
Internet and HF frequencies. It will continue to become more menus and
software and less knobs and switches. That's just my humble prediction!!
73, Winston K4CWQ
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Hopper" <khopper@uchicago.edu>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>; "QRP-L" <qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU>; <tentec@qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 15:02 PM
Subject: [TenTec] Kachina discontinued
>
> From: <kachina@sedona.net>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
> Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 12:41:24 -0400
> Subject: [Kachina] 505DSP to be Discontinued
> Message-Id: <200105161641.MAA12318@swiftwireless.net>
>
>
>
> Hello All,
>
> Yes, it's true. I am sorry to report to you that effective 5/24/01,
Kachina
> Communications, Inc. will discontinue production of all HF radio products,
> including the 505DSP and its related accessories. As you may know, many
of
> the top management of Kachina are hams, so this has not been an easy
> decision to make. However, given the reduced worldwide demand for amateur
> radio in general, and HF radio in particular, it seems the only sensible
> choice for us to make.
>
> From discussions with some of the top contacts in our industry over the
last
> several years, it has become obvious that most companies manufacturing
> amateur radio products these days (including the top Japanese brands) do
so
> out of a labor of love, supporting the losses from other more-profitable
> ventures. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources of a Kenwood or
> Yaesu, and simply cannot afford to support an unprofitable product line
> indefinitely.
>
> Kachina Communications, Inc. will remain in business in Arizona, as we
have
> done for the past 25 years. In future we will concentrate on our Swift
> Wireless line of broadband wireless Internet products and services. Swift
> Wireless operates a wireless Internet service in several Arizona
communities
> and provides turn-key services to other ISPs throughout the Southwest.
We
> will continue to provide service and spares for all Kachina HF radio
> products for the forseeable future, and will honor all factory warranties
> through the duration of the warranty period.
>
> The amateur radio products remaining in our inventory will be made
available
> through our web side at clearance prices, so if you are looking for a
> bargain, check there (http://kachina-az.com) beginning May 25th.
>
> I would like to thank all of those who purchased the 505DSP over the last
> several years. I am sorry that we could not continue to manufacture the
> 505DSP, but we will do our best to continue to provide service to you in
the
> future. I would also like thank Sherman Leifer of M&S Computers, who was
a
> big supporter of the 505DSP for a number of years, and singlehandedly sold
> more 505DSP than all the HRO and AES outlets combined. Sherman and I do
> not always see eye-to-eye on everything, but his efforts and abilities
kept
> the 505DSP alive for a lot longer than it might have otherwise been.
>
> Thanks and best regards,
>
>
> Cameron Earnshaw
> Vice President
> Kachina Communications, Inc.
>
> --
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> Problems: owner-tentec@contesting.com
>
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