After having my Icom IC-7000 since August and really loving it, I finally broke down and decided I needed to get something for dedicated base use and also something more portable for when I'm out of the truck or just hopping in another vehicle for the day.
I researched it out for months and ordered the Kenwood TS-2000x for base use - mostly for the all-mode / all-band features and ton of built-in items that would be optional on any other rig (did I mention all-band/all-mode). The x version adds the 1.2g module for a steep price and I don't know how many folks are active on 1.2g in my area, but I like to plan for future growth. As there really aren't any options, ordering is easy - just plunk down $1,900 and go.
After debating the Yaesu VX-7 and VX-8 forever, I went with the Icom 92AD for versatility of the digital D-Star modes (pretty active group in my area and "what the heck" it can't hurt). I also opted for the GPS mic that cost nearly as much as the VX-8
. After an extra battery, the drop-in rapid charger, a 12v car charger and programming software with cable I was looking at $1,200 for a freak'n HT!
Everything arrived just before Christmas and the UPS box was placed neatly out of the way in the garage corner (directly beneath the garage heater that I almost never turn on). But the weather has been pretty cold the past month so when an ice storm covered my car while parked outside at work just before Christmas, I managed to get home into the garage and decided to put the heater to use!
I was awoken just before 6am by my wife shouting that the garage was on fire
(hell, the house attached to the garage couldn't be far behind!). Luckily, a short burst from the extinguisher hanging in the garage and the gas-fueled fireball was out. But not before the melted fuel line managed to incinerate the UPS box full of goodies (no joke, the actual boxes were GONE into ashes and the HT radio and related stuff wasn't recognizable at all - I'd forgotten about the stuff even being there until my daughter asked about the big metal block that turned out to be the heat sink on the TS-2000x - and that was noticed the day after the fire!).
On the bright side, virtually no damage to the garage/house courtesy the concrete floor and solid limestone walls - only very, very minor scorching of the wood above (but another 3-5 minutes and those 100-year-old joists would have carried the fire to the entire house). Only long-term damage was the heater (no big loss there) and the radio gear.
I reordered the 92AD without the GPS mic or any other accessories - it arrived this week and is working out nicely. I'll have to wait on replacing the rest of the stuff. Given the abscense of any damage to the house/garage, I don't think an insurance claim would be worth the increased rates that would result in future years.
Maybe I can sue the heater manufacturer or the jackass that installed it years ago (but that would be me
).
I researched it out for months and ordered the Kenwood TS-2000x for base use - mostly for the all-mode / all-band features and ton of built-in items that would be optional on any other rig (did I mention all-band/all-mode). The x version adds the 1.2g module for a steep price and I don't know how many folks are active on 1.2g in my area, but I like to plan for future growth. As there really aren't any options, ordering is easy - just plunk down $1,900 and go.
After debating the Yaesu VX-7 and VX-8 forever, I went with the Icom 92AD for versatility of the digital D-Star modes (pretty active group in my area and "what the heck" it can't hurt). I also opted for the GPS mic that cost nearly as much as the VX-8
. After an extra battery, the drop-in rapid charger, a 12v car charger and programming software with cable I was looking at $1,200 for a freak'n HT!Everything arrived just before Christmas and the UPS box was placed neatly out of the way in the garage corner (directly beneath the garage heater that I almost never turn on). But the weather has been pretty cold the past month so when an ice storm covered my car while parked outside at work just before Christmas, I managed to get home into the garage and decided to put the heater to use!
I was awoken just before 6am by my wife shouting that the garage was on fire
(hell, the house attached to the garage couldn't be far behind!). Luckily, a short burst from the extinguisher hanging in the garage and the gas-fueled fireball was out. But not before the melted fuel line managed to incinerate the UPS box full of goodies (no joke, the actual boxes were GONE into ashes and the HT radio and related stuff wasn't recognizable at all - I'd forgotten about the stuff even being there until my daughter asked about the big metal block that turned out to be the heat sink on the TS-2000x - and that was noticed the day after the fire!).On the bright side, virtually no damage to the garage/house courtesy the concrete floor and solid limestone walls - only very, very minor scorching of the wood above (but another 3-5 minutes and those 100-year-old joists would have carried the fire to the entire house). Only long-term damage was the heater (no big loss there) and the radio gear.
I reordered the 92AD without the GPS mic or any other accessories - it arrived this week and is working out nicely. I'll have to wait on replacing the rest of the stuff. Given the abscense of any damage to the house/garage, I don't think an insurance claim would be worth the increased rates that would result in future years.
Maybe I can sue the heater manufacturer or the jackass that installed it years ago (but that would be me
).