[CW] Radio Recommendations Requested

[mikea]

On Sun, Apr 13, 2008 at 10:23:27AM -1000, Ken Brown wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I am kicking around the idea of buying a new radio. Last time we (me and 
> K6FK) took a trip to the mainland, I brought a dual band 2M/70cM FM rig 
> along. I was of great utility on the road. It occurs to me that a lot of 
> the recent do it all JA produced rigs are not much bigger than the 
> VHF/UHF rig I used last time AND they also have HF capability. Next time 
> we take a trip to the mainland it would be nice to have MF/HF/VHF/UHF 
> capability. Perhaps I'll attempt an HF mag mount antenna, or perhaps 
> I'll only operate HF when stationary, using a wire in a tree and a tuner.
> 
> I would like to hear some of your impressions of the performance and 
> ease of operation of some of the current small rigs. At home on HF CW I 
> use a Ten-Tec Omni VI. I really like the QSK and the receiver 
> performance of the Omni VI. I also like ease of getting to the pertinent 
> controls on the full sized radio. I realize in a miniature rig there are 
> going to be some things that are not going to be quite as nice as with 
> the full sized rig, yet I want to know from your impressions what the 
> pro and cons are for  the various rigs available.
> 
> Here are my requirements:
> 
> I want to have MF/HF/VHF/UHF all in one box, so that I can use repeaters 
> while on the road, and while camped  make so CW QSOs. (there will be a 
> microphone for the FM operation anyway, so I might even use HF SSB too)
> 
> I want QSOs to be easy to make. I want 100 watts on HF. I don't want to 
> settle for 10 watts.
> 
> I want at least some semblance of QSK capability. I don't expect it to 
> be as good as my Omni VI.
> 
> I don't want to have to carry a separate keyer, so there needs to be a 
> built-in keyer.
> 
> I want some narrow filter options.
> 
> The Icom IC-7000 looks like a real nice rig. I understand that it does 
> not have any optional filter slots, relying solely on IF DSP filtering. 
> I wonder if I would be satisfied with that. Can anyone comment on using 
> the IC-7000 to pull a weak signal from a band with a bunch of strong 
> signals all inside the wide roofing filter of the IC-7000?
> 
> The Yaesu FT-857D does not have as pretty a face as the IC-7000, though 
> it does have space for an optional narrow filter. There are 2.3kHz, 500 
> Hz and 300 Hz filters available. I guess you have to choose only one, 
> 'cause there's only space for one.
> 
> The Yaesu FT-897D seems to have pretty much the same capabilities as the 
> 857, with the additional capability of having an internal battery or 
> power supply. It is a bit larger than the 857, I guess. I wonder if the 
> controls are easier to use than on the 857.
> 
> The Icom IC-706 has been around for a while. Is is still a current product?
> 
> I'd like to hear from any of you who have these rigs, regarding their CW 
> functionality. Are the controls convenient for CW? Or are the controls 
> needed for CW operation hidden deep in multi-level menus? Are there some 
> other rigs that I should be considering?

I have both FT-857D and FT-897D, and like them both. The DSP functions 
(noise reduction, birdie eliminator, and bandpass filter) can be turned 
on or off with at most two button pushes: DSP and then button A or B or 
C. To actually set or change the NR level or birdie eliminator level, 
you need another button push (hold in A or B for a second or two) and 
twiddle the big knob to the setting you want, push the Function button
store the new setting and get back to the operational display. Settting 
both upper and lower edges of the bandpass filter is a bit more complex
because it involves two different settings, but I really don't change 
those frequently. The 857D and 897D have good-enough QSK for me, even 
though it's not true QSK: RX and TX share an antenna connector. 

The receivers are sensitive enough for my uses, though my R-390 can hear
a _bit_ better and the really high-end transceivers probably hear better
as well. . The transmitters work well, and put out a good, clean signal. 
I've done mobile CW on a trip from OKC to ABQ, and had a ball doing it 
with the 857D. 

I can't speak about the ICOM rigs, since I don't have any. 

-- 
Mike Andrews, W5EGO
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old sysadmin