Not sure if this is the appropriate place, but thought I'd offer up a buyer beware, as these two seemed to be working together. Anyway, I opened a case w PayPal today, we shall see if I have a bunch of inoperable parts or it gets resolved. PayPal has rescued me in the past, so here's to hoping.
I purchased this radio:
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/kenwood-ts-850sat-low-audio.628074/#post-4803835When it arrived, I expected a radio with a functioning transmitter and receiver, just low audio output on receive.
What I got was a radio with no transmit (fuse wasn't in the back of the radio), the receiver receives 60 over 9 static with your finger in the so239. Yes, the receive output is low, but it also has no agc action, the bandpass filters have been heated so bad there is discoloration on the metal above it. The gas tube / neon / lightening protection / static discharge bulb in the input has been removed and reinstalled with what can only be described as a 100 watt American Beauty having done the job. Someone tried replacing the leaking electrolytic capacitors on the boards, doing a horrendous job.
I took a chance in a radio with a known problem. I HAVE capacitor kits for the ts850 here, as I repair them. But, I'm not going to take a radio that has been sold by one ham in Chicago (Dan Cotsirilos) to another ham in South Carolina (Gary North or Gary Pichette, he uses both names) who then uses his friend Joe Green to sell the equipment when he decided he didn't want it.
Joe was a nice person, responsive to my emails, etc. until the point I got the radio and was unhappy. Then I needed to deal with his friend directly (whom Joe said earlier didn't have a computer, but he was able to produce an email address for this friend, and said friend was also able to purchase this radio from Dan in Chicago with no internet as well). Well, now nobody answers their email and I've opened up a case with PayPal.
To be sure, these are the people involved.
Joe Green. WB0MMZ (I sent him the money)
Gary Pichette or Gary North. AE1CT (He sent me the radio).
From what I can gather, it was originally sold as a Ts850 with low audio and HOT!!! Receiver from Dan in Illinois. Gary wasn't happy with his purchase and wasn't able to recoup his money or didn't try, just attempted to dump the radio in someone else. So, he employed Joe to try to get rid of the radio.
I have full email trails of the incident.
Just want to make sure nobody else gets it like I did.
--Shane Youhouse
KD6VXI