[Icom] IC-746PRO vs IC-756PRO

[Paul S. Serio]

Thinking about selling my original 756 and buying a new 746PRO. The price is
very low now and they are throwing in the power supply. Curious as to how
much difference there is between the 746PRO and 756PRO performance wise.
I could pick up a used 756PRO for about the same money. Anybody compared
these two rigs side by side? Also does anyone know if the band scope on the
746PRO is a continuous display or does it work like my 706 and make one scan
of the band with the audio muted? Thanks.
Paul, N5PS

Don Rasmussen wrote:

> Kelly Wrote:
> > My question.  To me, some of the audio sounds "raspy" or "fuzzy".  I
> > realize this is a DSP rig where my TS850 is analog.  However, I've seen
> > lots of rave reviews about the audio in the 'Pro.  Is this fuzziness
> > normal?  It is especially noticeable on CW signals with the 500 & 250 hz
> > filter in.  And some signals tend to have more "fuzz" than others.  This
> > could also be entirely user error as there are so many settings on the
> > Pro.  One thing I have noticed is that using the NR fuction tends to
> > "smooth" out the fuzziness, although not completely eliminate it.
>
> Hi Kelly and guys,
>
> Kelly, your serial is very late, my one year old (original) Pro is in the
> 3000 series. As for the rave reviews for audio in the pro, that could relate
> more to phone modes than CW. Still, the DSP CW filters seem very robust in
> contests, possibly even better than a TS850.
>
> As for the fuzz/rasp, that can be dialed out fairly easily by turning up the
> CW PITCH control (775hz or better). I don't know why, but it helps. Also
> make sure the NR and NB are off. The speaker is also hyper-critical, if you
> try every speaker you have you will find that the signal is very loud from
> some speakers and mixed in the background with others. I like the Drake MS4.
>
> Even after increasing the CW pitch you will still hear a rushing sound with
> the steeper skirted filters. (BFP on display) This can be unwelcome for
> ragchews and can be eliminated by choosing the softer skirted filters. In
> the original Pro that means selecting 600hz or wider then narrowing it down
> as desired with the PBT controls. Finally, in quiet conditions you may
> notice a "watery" effect in the background even after all of these changes.
> I don't enjoy it so I set the RF GAIN at S3 and leave the preamp at 1. That
> removes any traces of it and still leaves lots of gain in the receiver as
> opposed to simply leaving the preamp off which leaves the receiver pretty
> deaf. This setup is optimal for me and leaves nothing to be desired in
> comparison with my best analog transceivers.
>
> For what it's worth, TenTec is saying that their new high end transceiver
> has all of the fun of a DSP radio but without any of the DSP peculiarities.
> I'll need to experience that first hand to believe it!
>
> 73,
> de WB8YQJ
>
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