[ICOM] Icom 7200 at Dayton Big Disappointment???

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

If, as Adam has suggested may be possible, the FM capability 
had been omitted by Icom's engineers to provide a far more 
capable HF performance in conditions of intense RF density,
then I'd say that the omission of a mode that might interest
less than one tenth of a percent of operators was a superb 
decision!

73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 
Oklahoma City, OK 
 

___________________________________ 
 
> Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 10:55:13 -0700 
> From: ve7bgp at shaw.ca 
> Subject: [ICOM] Icom 7200 at Dayton Big Disappointment??? 
> To: icom at mailman.qth.net 
> 
> Hello Icom !! 
> 
> Wake-up Where's FM on the new IC-7200? I was shocked by the omission of 
> that mode. FM was missing on the IC-718. Prior to the IC-718 every other 
> Icom introduced in the past 1/4 Century had FM mode. Even the venerable 
> old IC-740 had FM as a option. Available as a option also in the IC-745 
> and low end Rigs IC-725-707. Higher end rigs and the great old IC-735 
> all had FM Mode standard equipment. What good is having coverage on 6 
> Meters and completely MISS THE BOAT on the new IC-7200 by leaving off 
> the FM Mode? That 7200 will be Icom's First Rig to have 6 Meters and 
> leave off FM Mode. Come On ICOM Even your old IC-726 & IC-728 early HF/6 
> Meter rigs had FM standard equipment! Even the Venerable Old Yaesu 
> FT-757GX included FM as Standard Equipment and that Classic Celebrates 
> it's 25th Birthday this Month. I think it was introduced at Dayton '83 
> and first Advertised in June '83 Issue of TCA Mag. Canada's equivalent 
> of QST Mag. at that time put out by CARF. The "New" IC-7200 is not gonna 
> create much excitement, and is not very New by leaving off the Important 
> *FM mode for 6 Meter operators. *I'm afraid Yaesu these days are 
> offering Hams more than Icom in the lower end of rigs. I thought that 
> new IC-7200 was something exciting when I first saw the Photos at the 
> Tokyo Ham Fair event last August. That IC-718 is now getting Stale on 
> the market is now outgunned with Yaesu's FT-450 and FT-897D offerings 
> doing so well in the "Affordable" market. That new FT-950 Yaesu 
> introduced at the same time as the IC-7200 was Talked About and is still 
> only "Talked About", was on the Dealers Shelves and in shacks 6 weeks 
> weeks later. Was the IC-7200 shown at Dayton even working Yet??? or just 
> a stagnant display Item! That FT-950 is giving the now getting stale 
> "Trouble Prone" TX and Display Backlight failure's Galore IC-746Pro a 
> good run for It's Money. So far no major Reliability Problems have 
> cropped up on the new FT-950 like the Dead TX issue of the IC-746 Pro. I 
> am afraid Yaesu today has become No 1 in the marketplace. 
> 73 
> Gerry VE7BGP 
> 
> Alex wrote: 
> 
> -------------- Original message from Gary : -------------- 
> 
> 
>> I was very disappointed by the lack of 
>> FM and signalling (according to the brochure). I found the control head easy to 
>> use and had every hope of buying a couple 7200's this year but without FM and 
>> signalling I may not buy at all. What was Icom thinking? 
>> 
> 
> Sounds like it's going to be a replacement for the IC-718 (and the IC-78 probably). 
> I think that the omission of FM is a good thing because then you  don't have to design 
> a rig that has to pass a wide FM signal through its filters. But for your application that 
> may indeed not be a good thing. 
> 
> "What, no FM?" Now that is truly an omission of a feature to pack more performance 
> in a small package. ;-) 
> 
> 73, 
> --Alex KR1ST 
> http://www.kr1st.com