[FARC] Price Comparison, Yaesu FT-857D and Icom IC-7000

[Joseph M. Durnal]

I was answering a question in another forum and thought I'd share my
analysis.  I'm not trying to promote one product over another, just
give the readers some information to ponder when comparing brands &
models.

Is the Icom IC-7000 really worth so much more than the FT-857D?

I thought about it for a moment, and I realized that it depends on
what you really want, but in most cases, yes, the Icom IC-7000 is
worth that much more if you'll use the features.

First, if you are looking for a good all around rig at the lowest
price, the Yaesu FT-857D is a great choice.  The FT-857D also gives
you the option of easily controlling the ATAS-120 mobile antenna, a
combination that is probably the quickest and easiest way to go
mobile.

Now that that is said, I'll explain why I think the Icom IC-7000 is
the better value.  The Icom has the IF DSP of course, and doesn't
require add on IF filters but for the Yaesu you can add two at $170
each ($125 from INRAD).  The Icom already has ± 0.5ppm frequency
stability, a $100 option for the Yaesu.  A fully equipped FT-857D will
cost you about $1160 ($1070 with INRAD filters) and still doesn't have
the feature set of the Icom IC-7000 at $1250.

*Prices stated were the best deals I could find online on 2/14/08.

73 de Joseph Durnal NE3R