[ICOM] 706MKIIg versus FT450

[Bill Gallagher WA3RA]

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I have A/B'd these rigs in my SO2R HF mobile. The 706 is still there, the '450 did NOT replace the still extant FT747SX (with a remote front panel...ever see one of those?)

In their intended locations, using marginal antennas, the 706 wins hands down in practical circumstances. The front end is broad as a barn door, so filters are a must for anything beyond casual use. As an aside, the 706 seems to prefer the AH4 tuner with a 21-foot whip (AB116 x2, -117,-118 on athe matching -77 mount) over the SGC-230 with the SGC whip. Brand 'Y' has sharper selectivity, but the 706 can work stations that the 450 can't even hear. I would not hesitate to use the Yaesu on a decent antenna system at home, and it is a fine transverter IF. The Yaesu DSP is quite a bit better than the 706, but that is more a function of the 450 being newer, but the Icom is more intuitive and the less cluttered display is easier to read at a glance, always a consideration when mobile. To tell you the truth, if the 450 didn't fall in my lap. I'd probably have gotten an IC-7000. I'm waiting to see a -7200 in the wild, now...but my radio money is going to be scarce for a while...all three of our cars got hit yesterday morning; two are totals, and the third will take 4-6 weeks before it drives again. Oh, the SGC survived the hit, except for the rubber spring...and I'm afraid to call them to find what a replacement will cost...

Forget the lab figures...in the car, you won't get within 30dB of them...bottom line, the '706 is a great mobile rig; the -450 is a 'home' rig that wants to pretend that it's a mobile.

Oh, I use a mondo cap and inductor to filter my DC from the main car system, and a similar system on my switching supplies at home for spike protection; I can also switch to the secondary system, which can be isolated from the primary