Shelf life of the R6 and R20?

[safetyobc]

Any idea how long Icom will keep the R6 (and R20) on the shelves before replacing them with newer models? I know the R20 has been around for quite a while now. The R6 only a couple years.

How long was the R1, 2, and 5 on shelves before being replaced by its predecessor?

Thanks for any info. Release dates for the 1, 2 and 5 would be great if anyone has them.

 

[trap5858]

Icom keeps cranking out the R-20's. I am not sure how large the market is for that type of receiver. I have owned one for quite a while and as far as I am concerned for what it does, there is none better. I gave the AOR 8200 mkIII a try about 2 years ago and sold it out of pure frustration. The R-20 is slightly more user friendly and covers the same range of frequencies but has the added benefit of ctcss tones built in as well as the recorder feature.

Alinco has a new wideband handheld on the market but not sure well it compares to the performance of the R-20.

 

[oregontreehugger]

Good question... from looking at RigPix, this is what I found for handhelds:

R1 - 1990
R2 - 1998
R3 - 2000
R5 - 2002
R6 - 2010
RX7 - 2008
R10 - 1996
R20 - 2004

I honestly wonder if Icom even has any future receivers planned. I'd love to see an R30 with louder audio, P25, and trunking. Or even a small mobile/desktop a la the R100. But that is probably wishful thinking. It seems as though the heyday of DC-to-daylight receivers has faded -- especially with the rise of the 'net, the decline of SW, and the availability of all sorts of digital modes. But I keep hoping...

 

[safetyobc]

Thanks for that info!

Looks very random as far as their release years go. The R5 to the R6 was 8 years! I didn't realize that. I have never owned a R20. Even though I have always wanted one. But it just seemed like buying a new $500 trunking scanner always came first. I have owned the R5 and the R6. R6 was a great receiver and I have regretted selling it the instant it was sold. I will probably get another one soon. Would love to see an updated R6, as long as the R7 isn't an indication of what they are going to produce. It didn't get very good reviews.

I thiink if Icom added trunking and P25 to the R20, the price would be well above their current $500 mark. Licensing costs, R and D, etc. I keep an eye out for a good used R20 but they go for around $400 even used. Good that they keep their resale as that says a lot about a brand to me.

Again, thanks for the information.

 

[trap5858]

Check this out

Icom IC R20 and IC R6 Communications Receivers | eBay

Looks like it might be in your price range. well maybe not exactly as inexpensive as you are looking for but it is two radios.

 

[safetyobc]

That is a good price for those 2 radios. Excellent price actually. Unfortunately it is still more than I can pay at this point.

 

[SCPD]

r20 vs 8200

Icom keeps cranking out the R-20's. I am not sure how large the market is for that type of receiver. I have owned one for quite a while and as far as I am concerned for what it does, there is none better. I gave the AOR 8200 mkIII a try about 2 years ago and sold it out of pure frustration. The R-20 is slightly more user friendly and covers the same range of frequencies but has the added benefit of ctcss tones built in as well as the recorder feature.

Alinco has a new wideband handheld on the market but not sure well it compares to the performance of the R-20.

I had both the R20 and the 8200,to me they are both easy as pie,the 8200 to me has louder audio.

 

[trap5858]

I will agree that the 8200 had better audio but for me the casual user, the R-20 is more to my liking, I guess because I have had it longer and have gotten used to the sub menus and such. Also, the arc-20 software is better in my opinion than the Icom software.

Most of the time when I am listening to the R-20 I am using an earbud.