[ICOM] original 706

[W5HTW at att.net]

Had mine since fall of 1996.  Never considered the fan noise a bother in the slightest.  Could be because I spent too much time around commercial/military electronics with gobs of cooling fans, but even in the car, the 706 fan only bothers me in that I know if I leave it on for several hours with the car engine off, it could pull down the battery.  Might take a couple of days.  In the house, the AC supply with controlled fan is louder, so are three computers with internal fans, all in close proximity, the fan on the ts520, the two fans in the amplifier (since I rarely use the amp, that isn't a problem either) and the extra box fan on the Drakes.  Guess if the 706 was the only radio in the house, with no computers, no heat, no air conditioning, I may would notice it.  

The Preamp switch turns the preamp on, which is probably what a preamp switch should do.  It also turns it off.  But it also inserts an attentuator if held in a couple seconds.  So it really has three 'positions'   - preamp ON, preamp OFF and Attenuator ON.  

Mine has been mobile, fixed, and portable, and still purrs right along.  Only problems have been operator error when I forgot to ground an antenna and a static charge took out the VHF receive, but Icom fixed it under warranty.  

Good radio.  If I ever need 440 capability I might consider a MarkIIG.  

--
Ed Brooks, W5HTW
http://w5htw.home.att.net/index.html
Active since June 1956 Extra since
Jan 1970