At around $3 thousand USD's list price. this might come in a bit steep, especially for those of us who already have the AOR DV1. Granted the scope function is very nice (at least from its initial appearance), and I sometimes wonder if AOR could add a stand-alone scope to the existing DV1 receiver.
Another little birdie is whispering in my other ear that for those who have the BIGGER bucks, there could very well be an Icom R9600 on the distant horizon----- that is an R9500 with all the next digital functions incorporated. Of course, you're now getting into the price range of a small call.
I'm a bit perplexed about the missing DMR and Fusion functions in the R8600. In NYC, DMR is in extremely wide use, not just on business channels, but on the 440 ham band as well. And while Fusion is certainly not running neck-in-neck with DMR, it is outpacing D-Star.
Another item on the downside is that the width of the scope is WAY to narrow to be useful on VHF or UHF---- its philosophy is geared more toward the use on the amateur radio bands below 30 MHz.
