[ICOM] Icom 706MKIIG vs Yaesu FT450

[Jim Hargrave]

John,

The 706 noise floor was measured at:
minus 138 to 136 with Preamp off and minus 142 to 140 with preamp off

The FT-450 noise floor was measured at:
minus 126 to 107 with preamp on and minus 136 to 114 with preamp off.

The 706 provided much better noise floor numbers under lab conditions. This
would imply that in real life situations the 706 should be a quieter
receiver given the same antenna setup and QRN/QRM additions.

As Paul has pointed out "The 706 series are great radios but there are
compromises."
I find that any small package has its compromises. You can only get so much
blood from a turnip, but the portability for mobile use makes either radio a
nice addition to complement the home station. The main drawback to these
little jewels is the small knobs and too many menu driven functions. Makes
for tricky operation doing 70 mph on the Interstate highways.

To some extent I support both radios. I tend to lean toward the 706 because
of the VHF bands and the fact that I have some on-hand experience with it.
However I still prefer my IC-735 and fortunately I have room for it in the
Motorhome.  I may be a little partial to Icom because of the reliability
that I have had with the 735 for the 22 years that I have owned it. On the
flip side my Yaesu FT-920 fits very nicely in my home operating desk. I
think its among the nicest radios Yaesu has built. So I basically support
both brands. Each has its Pros and Cons.

   * 73's Jim W5IFP *


   >-----Original Message-----
   >From: icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net
   >[mailto:icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of John Geiger
   >Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 2:13 PM
   >To: ICOM Reflector
   >Subject: RE: [ICOM] Icom 706MKIIG vs Yaesu FT450
   >
   >
   >But that will lead to a noisy receiver.  That kind of
   >sensitivity isn't useful on the HF bands, where the
   >atmospheric noise floor is above that, and so is the
   >man made noise floor.  Most sensitive doesn't always
   >mean better.  Selectivity plays a big part in receiver
   >performance, as does the front end and blocking and
   >IMD dynamic range.  The amount of noise one hears is
   >also dependent on how many IMD products the receiver
   >is generating in a crowded band.
   >
   >I think QST measured the 706MKIIG noise floor with the
   >preamp off around -138DBm, which really isn't useful
   >in real life conditions because the typical noise
   >floor most of us have when an antenna is connected is
   >around -120DBm or so.  The rest of the sensitivity
   >just comes thru as noise.
   >
   >73s John AA5JG
   >
   >
   >
   >> The following are the specification for both radios
   >> for a "10db S/N" ratio:
   >>       IC-706		FT-450
   >> HF	.15 microvolts	.2 microvolts
   >> 6M	.12			.16
   >> VHF	.11			------
   >>
   >> This would lead one to believe the 706 has a better
   >> receiver.
   >> End of subject. Its time we moved on to more
   >> fruitful discusson.
   >>
   >>    * 73's Jim W5IFP *
   >>
   >>
   >>
   >>    >-----Original Message-----
   >>    >From: icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net
   >>    >[mailto:icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf
   >> Of Paul Gates, KD3JF
   >>    >Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 12:13 PM
   >>    >To: ICOM Reflector
   >>    >Subject: RE: [ICOM] Icom 706MKIIG vs Yaesu FT450
   >>    >
   >>    >
   >>    >I gave you substance... If you do not want a
   >> noisy
   >>    >receiver do not choose the 706G
   >>
   >>
   >> ----
   >> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC:
   >> icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
   >> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
   >> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
   >>
   >
   >
   >
   >
   >
   >----
   >Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC: icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
   >Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
   >Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
   >