Can't say that I agree with this assessment. The original R70s had some
issues with poor soldering, but beyond that, I have heard of few major
problems. The trim caps on the VCO are a weak point with the R71. The
good news is that you can fix this yourself for under $20 in the field.
Try that with the newer radios. Also, these problems tend to develop
after 15 or more years of use. Kenwood was much worse with their potting
compound fiasco in the TS440 and R5000. Yaesu FRG8800 has PLL problems
the requires repair as well. Icom still supports the R71A, and the US
military bought lots of them too. I'm sure mine will go for another 10
years. And don't worry about the lithium battery - it too can be swapped
in the field for under $10.

Chris VE6RDC

Bill Hennessy wrote:
Icom in general has quality control problems. The R70 R71 and R71a were
among the worse. Thay will be in the shop being fixed more than on the air.

Bill, N5NOB