Just talked to Eric @ RF Limited on the phone just a few moments ago . . .
Sam Lewis has indeed passed away. He died from cancer which he had been battling the last few years. His son Eric now runs the business. Sam was a mover and shaker in the Ham/CB community for decades, as many here are aware of.
I liked Sam, and had many interesting conversations with him.
They did inform me that the CR-577 mic has been discontinued due to a lack of availability/supply of same mic elements with the same audio quality. There is a new mic on the drawing board that will be coming soon. It will be shipped with the new radio models and will also be available separately . . .
In addition, there are five new Magnum radios that are going to be released by RF Limited in the next few months. Since CB Radio Magazine/online magazine is retired, I am going to write the review when the first radio becomes available. This new radio will be capable of 10 -12m operation - for starters . . .