[CW] Re: opinions: Icom 706 Mk II G

[David J. Ring Jr - N1EA]

I found this on the internet on this page:

http://www.mods.dk/mods.php3?radio=icom&model=ic-706&selectid=all

From: randall@informix.com (Randall Rhea)
ICOM IC-706 HF/VHF AMATEUR RADIO TRANSCEIVER
Product Review, Hints and Tips, and Modifications
As Of: December 28, 1995
by Randall Rhea, KG0HW
Overall impression
"Too good to be true". This was my understandable reaction to Icom's
announcement of the IC-706 amateur radio transceiver last summer. It looked
like my dream mobile rig: very small size, detachable face plate, all HF
bands, FSK, 6 meters with 100 watts ... AND 2 meters, all in one rig? It
sounds too good to be true, but after using this radio in my car for about a
month, I can tell you that this radio is real. Although the rig is not
without its faults, Icom has produced an innovative masterpiece. The rig
does just about everything as advertised. It is an easy-to-use radio that
replaces several other radios that I was operating in my car.
Over the Christmas holidays, I took a couple of long car trips here in
Texas. The 706 was installed under a car seat, leaving plenty of room for
luggage and packages. (Do NOT block the top of the rig. Leave room for air
circulation. The rig gets VERY hot when transmitting!) The face plate was
installed just below the dash within easy sight when driving. I used
headphones, so my wife and daughter could listen to CDs while I was working
DX. The headphone plugged into the face plate. I used a 7-foot whip mounted
on the trunk of the car tuned for the SSB portion of 6 meters, my favorite
band. The radio was a pleasure to use, even while driving.
During a nice opening on 6 meters on the evening of December 27, I worked
several new grid squares in the midwest and Arizona. I also worked North
Dakota for the first time. I was able to work a station in Mexico City quite
easily, despite the pileup. That 100 watts sure helps. (I previously used a
10-watt rig.) The sensitivity of the receiver, although not quite what the
"pros" would want, was quite adequate. Noise from the car engine was only a
minor problem; the noise blanker was effective for SSB.
During the trip I also listened to a football game on TV channel 2, listened
to truckers' traffic reports on CB channel 19 (27.185 MHz), worked a couple
of 10m stations during the sporadic E opening on December 27, worked a
couple of 20m stations, listened to WWV on 2.5, 5, and 10 MHz, eavesdropped
on some interesting baby monitors and cordless phones on 49 MHz, listened to
NOAA weather forecasts on 162.55 MHz, monitored some aircraft traffic, and
did some ragchewing on 2-meter repeaters. Not bad for ONE radio!
PRICE
I paid $1249 for mine at Tucker Electronics in Dallas. They told me that
they have sold about 200 of them in six weeks, making the IC- 706 their best
selling rig of all time. They are getting them from Icom in lots of 20 and
are having trouble keeping them in stock.
Prices for accessories are pretty high. There is little profit margin in the
box, so they make up for it with high accessory prices. The cable to allow
for front-panel detachment is $48.
UNIQUE FEATURES AND INNOVATIONS
See www.icomamerica.com/icom/amateur/hf/#IC-706 for a list of features.
The smallest HF rig on the market (similar in size to the Kenwood TS-50)

Detachable face plate with a jack for a speaker or headphone. The mic plugs
into the face plate using a plug similar to a modular telephone plug. (A
spare plug is included.) The cable to allow for this detachment costs extra.

Full HF/VHF transmit coverage from 1.6 to 54 MHz and 144-148 MHz (the rig
transmits only on the ham bands out of the box, but an easy modification
unlocks the transmitter, see below)

General coverage receive from 50 KHz to 163 MHz (requires modification, see
below) Rig receives up to 200 MHz but with poor sensitivity above 162 MHz
even with the modification. You will be able to receive: longwave, AM
broadcast band, shortwave broadcast, all amateur bands in all modes from
160m to 2m, FM broadcast band (wide FM), aircraft (118-136 MHz AM), VHF from
30 MHz to about 162 MHz, US TV channels 2 through 6, NOAA weather at 162
MHZ.

6 meters and 2 meters, all-mode

100 watts on HF and 6 meters (10 watts on 2 meters)

Innovative, easy-to-operate menu system. It becomes quite easy and natural
to use after reading the well-written manual for about an hour. (In contrast
to my Yaesu FT-470 HT, which I still cannot figure out.)

The manual is very well written, with lots of easy-to-understand diagrams.

Simple, but useful and configurable band scope. (Previously available only
on very expensive rigs like the Icom 781.) This allows you to examine nearby
frequencies for activity.

Split frequency operation appears complicated at first, but the rig's "quick
split" mode makes it fast and easy.

Built-in electronic keyer at no extra charge. The Up/Down buttons on the mic
can be used as a paddle. This has rejuvenated by interest in CW. I worked a
couple of slow CW stations on the novice portion of 80m, which made me
remember how fun CW is.

FSK (Nice feature for this price range)

DTMF and programmable offset for repeaters and split frequency work

Good audio reports from contacted stations. A station on 3.85 MHz reported
"a very good signal for a mobile". A 2m FM station reported "very good audio
... so that's the 706 I've been hearing about."

Works very well with the AH-3 antenna tuner. This is the Icom HF (1.8-30
MHz) random wire tuner that worked with the 725. The tuner is mounted under
the trunk lid of my car with cable ties. It can also be mounted outdoors. It
will tune any 8-foot whip or wire for any HF band. (You need 40 feet for it
to tune to 160m.) You can press a button to enable the tuner, or the tuner
can fire off automatically if your SWR is too high. With my 7-foot 6-meter
whip, I can tune to any HF band above 3.5 MHz. That means I need only one
simple antenna for HF and 6m.

100 memories that store frequency, split offset, mode, and FM tone.

Two antenna connectors: one for HF/6m and one for 2m. The connectors are
switched at 60 MHz.

Jacks for remote speaker and/or headphones on both the face plate and the
back of the rig.

Multifunction meter: S meter, SWR, relative power output, ALC.

DRAWBACKS/FLAWS
Extended VHF receive requires modification (see below).

Poor sensitivity above 162 MHz.

Noise blanker does not work on AM. Very irritating pulse noise on AM while
the car's engine is on. The blanker works well on other modes (except FM,
where it is not needed). Not good for listening to AM while driving. A
rather serious flaw in my opinion, since my $40 CB has a noise blanker that
works well.

Poor QSK (full break-in) capability. Not recommended for high-speed CW
operators who want QSK. Use semi-break-in instead.

No CW narrow filter. You can install one as an extra-cost option or use an
external CW filter or DSP unit.

The built-in speaker provides surprisingly good audio for its size, but you
will probably want to use an external speaker. The speaker can be connected
to the face plate or to the rig itself.

Automatic repeater offset is not programmed into the rig. You need to
program -600 or +600 yourself through the menu system. This is not a problem
if you store your favorite repeaters into one of the 100 memories.

The S-meter is inaccurate below S9. Above S9, it is quite accurate.

High prices for accessories (typical of just about all other vendors)

The AH-3 antenna tuner is shipped with an unshielded cable, which picks up a
lot of auto engine noise. You need to make your own shielded 4-wire cable.
The AH-3 also blocks signals above 54 MHz. It also only works for HF, not
for 6m or 2m.

Expect performance and receiver sensitivity similar to other rigs in this
price range. This is a low-end rig in terms of price. For price vs.
performance, this is probably the best amateur radio of all time. However,
it will not outperform your $4000 rig. You probably won't win contests with
it. You will have a lot of fun and own a nearly ideal rig for mobile work.

HINTS AND TIPS
Take time to read the manual. The menu system will be bewildering unless you
read the manual. One you get used to it, you will find the rig to be
amazingly easy and fun to use.

You need to set the mode to wide FM to receive FM or TV broadcasts. Tune to
the station, press the MODE key until the front display shows FM, then press
and hold the MODE key for 2 seconds. WFM will appear in the display, and you
will hear the station with nice audio.

Don't use the noise blanker on AM. It will not be effective and may distort
your audio.

Don't use the QSK feature.

The rig gets very hot while transmitting. Keep the top of the radio clear to
allow air circulation.