The Corsair II is a fine radio, from what I saw of a friend's one. It
might be adequate for all your hamming desires. However, another issue
is how much longer will parts be available for it, should something fail?
I am thinking the same of my various radios, Kenwood 450, and Scout, and
Argonaut V.
I suppose we can find some irony in this. Transceivers constructed
pre-digital (displays, control, DSP, etc) likely have better longevity than
those built afterwards. New chips are born quickly -- and die quickly. But
consider any Collins, Hallicrafters, or Drake gear. With minimal effort,
one can find replacement parts -- many of which are better than the
originals. For example, Sprague Orange Drops or yellow-jacked Polypropylene
in place of black beauty caps. Also, carbon film resistors in place of
carbon composition. So, if I had to keep only one set of equipment working,
I would gravitate toward pre-1980s equipment.
Paul, W9AC
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