More super expensive and impractical bling from Icom.
Why Icom still invests millions of dollars developing new mid-high tier hardware defined receivers when SDR is taking over the world by storm, is beyond me.
I doubt that Icom have made any profit from any of their receivers for the last ten years or more.
Sure, they will sell a few to gullible enthusiasts who buy them for their collections, but even Government users are now embracing SDR because of its almost unlimited flexibility.
Yaesu and Kenwood realized there was no ROI in making these things years ago.
I do agree with the SDR type radios but there is something about a radio with dials and knobs that you can turn instead of doing it with a computer!
I use both and both have their good and bad points but I do enjoy seeing Icom still developing a normal radio.
Knowing Icom, there will be no trunking support but maybe with 3rd party software as can be done with their R2500 line although not as well as a dedicated scanner. Then the R1500 and R2500 are full of blocked holes thanks to the FCC AMPS band restrictions.
Icom's receivers are usually superior to any scanner though.
I still use my R7000 and R9000. Those radios are virtually immune to overload or desense compared to any scanner made.
Of course they are old now and lack a lot of basic features like simple PL/DPL decoding but they are great for pulling in signals that most scanners cannot even detect in a high RF environment.
It would be nice if Icom could make an SDR radio that can also be controlled from the radios front panel if desired.
Hopefully someone will find the specs on these new models and of course the cost.
Thanks for posting the findings Lindsay!