[Icom] Icom Rigs

George, W5YR [email protected]
Mon, 15 Jul 2002 08:13:36 -0500


Just an observation on Dave's comment below:

David Aukamp wrote:
 The
> 756 (and 775-DSP) have dual watch which allows you to listen to two
> frequencies (in same band) simultaneously and to determine how loud one
> signal is in relation to the other. Turn the mixing control to one end and
> it works like dual vfo's. It took some getting used to for me.

When I first got my PRO nearly two years ago, I tried using the Balance or
Mixing control in Dual Watch. Frankly, I found it to be so distracting that
I had to turn it off. It is a personal thing, but if I am listening to one
frequency - usually a "target" in a contest - and need to monitor another
frequency where I will be calling and want to avoid being QRMed, then
hearing that other frequency's racket and noise obscures the principal
station I want to monitor.

My solution to all this was to not use Dual Watch for this mode of
operation, but instead to use simple SPLIT mode and to use the XFC button
to listen on the transmitting frequency. That way, I hear only my target
station unless I push and hold the XFC button to pipe the audio from the
other frequency into the headphones. 

This procedure is more useful to me than using Dual Watch and having to
keep the Balance knob fully CCW except when I wanted to listen on the
proposed transmit frequency. Then it meant twisting the knob to listen and
then return it to the CCW position to continue monitoring only the
"target." 

All this is highly subjective, of course, and each person has to find his
way. I think that Dual Watch and the Balance control are great for
monitoring an alternative frequency on a band where the second frequency is
relatively quiet and activity there is unlikely to present a distraction.
But at least you have a balance control to set the degree of distraction!  
<:}

73/72/oo, George W5YR - the Yellow Rose of Texas         
Fairview, TX 30 mi NE of Dallas in Collin county EM13qe   
Amateur Radio W5YR, in the 56th year and it just keeps getting better!
QRP-L 1373 NETXQRP 6 SOC 262 COG 8 FPQRP 404 TEN-X 11771 I-LINK 11735
Icom IC-756PRO #02121  Kachina 505 DSP  #91900556  Icom IC-765 #02437