Just got the latest Tower Hobbies flyer and see that the Tactic 850 is back in their inventory. Does that mean that it is still in production? IMHO it was one of the best buys for a 8 channel radio in-so-for as being easy to program, use inexpensive receivers, very reliable etc.

Check online. It's listed as discontinued. At this time, only the TTX650 is the most advanced Tactic transmitter available.