Yes, I too, am disappointed in the 516 price. Price has limited the
production life of some good radios, notably the Argonaut 515 and the
Argonaut and Delta II.
In my opinion, the competition for the 516 is not the K2 but the
SGC 2020 and perhaps the Yaesu FT817. The SGC is about $675, but if you
want DSP, the price is $800; the same as the 516. However, the SGC has a
more rugged portable look. (Whether it is indeed rugged I don't know.
The pigtail antenna lead is not a reliable design). The FT817 sells for
$670, but it needs the filter to make it really useful on CW. This
brings the FT817 price to $830. Now the Yaesu has no DSP, but it covers
2m and 440 MHz and it is ultra portable, which makes it very appealing.
In output power The FT817 is at a disadvantage (look for a lot of 817's
for sale when we get into the sunspot minimum).
As a further comparison, suppose you bought a Scout at $550 along with
the noise blanker and all of the band modules. This would run about $700
and you would not have DSP or general coverage receive.
So, the 516 price is not completely out of line, compared to similarly
equipped radios, but the price isn't low enough to capture a really big
part of the market and it doesn't have the same "portability appeal" as
the SGC or Yaesu rigs.
I would really like to see TT sell thousands of 516's, but I think the
price has to come down to $700. Also, some accessories that would appeal
to portable operators might help to sell it, like a matching battery
case or carrying pouch.
Also, we'll have to wait for some user reviews and magazine reviews. THe
first review can make or break a product.
73,
Bob WB2VUF
"J. Duffy Beischel" wrote:
>
> Well I was disappointed when the higher price was announced for the 516. Now
> that I have seen the rig up close at
> Dayton today, in my opinion, it is very overpriced. They had the rig opened
> up for all to see plus another rig that you
> could play with. The meter was crooked, and the rig just did not have that
> quality look to it. $595 would have been a
> fair price, $695 pushing it a bit, $795 - they're kidding. The only thing
> going for it is that you can update the firmware.
>
> I'm not bashing TT, as I have been happy with my Paragon II, Omni VI+ and my
> Jupiter and have been a big supporter.
> Just my opinion of the radio.
>
> FWIW,
>
> Duffy
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> J. Duffy Beischel - Amateur Radio WB8NUT - http://www.wb8nut.com
>
> Member of: ARRL, NRA, Kiwanis, Republican Party, Masons, and Shriners
> and the vast Right Wing conspiracy to get the Clintons
>
> "If the government owned all the guns, would we still be a free people?"
>
> "Taxation WITH Representation is not that great either."
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
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