[ICOM] Digital modes with IC 706 MK2G

[Dave AA6YQ]

>>>AA6YQ comments below


At present, my only HF radio is an Icom 706 MK 2 G.  The antenna used is a
dipole cut for 40 meters and hung as an Inverted V about 35 or 40 feet high
in a tree.  The feed line is 300 Ohm twin lead.  None of that is going to
change any time soon.  As I press the 'Mode' button at the top right side of
the display, the various operating modes available are shown across the top
of the display (LSB-USB, CW (CW-R), RTTY (RTTY-R), FM (WFM, AM).  In the
owner's manual pages 35, 36, and 37 describe how to set the '706 up for
RTTY, RTTY(FSK), RTTY (AFSK), and PACKET operation.  I can find nothing that
describes the process that will allow PSK modes to be used.

Questions:  When I want to set the radio for PSK should I use USB/LSB or the
RTTY mode? 

>>>Either USB or LSB; PSK31 does not require you and your QSO partner to use
the same sideband. A few PSK variants like QPSK do require you and your QSO
partner to use the same sideband, but these variants are rarely used.

Would it make much difference which sideband (USB or LSB) might
be used for PSK on HF?

>>>No

The owner's manual cautions against operating at
power levels over 50% for any of the digital modes (CW, RTTY, FSK, and
AFSK). 

>>>Step-by-step instructions for setting an appropriate audio output level
for PSK can be found in

<http://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/SettingAudioOutputLevel>


The instructions for the modem that will be used also have similar
cautions about the power settings and go a little bit farther.

>>>What do you mean by "the modem"? PSK transmission and reception is
usually accomplished with a PC application and soundcard, though some
outboard modems do support PSK (e.g. the SCS PTC-IIe). In general, the
panoramic reception and broadband decoding offered by PC applications makes
PSK operation much easier.

The instructions say to set the radio power setting to about 40% (or between
30%
and 50%) then use a tune setting for the modem to adjust the final power to
closer to the 30% to 40% range.  Again, should these settings be made while
the radio is in USB/LSB mode or in CW/RTTY mode?  I have found that in RTTY
mode trying to adjust the power brings up a set of menus that apply to RTTY
more than other modes and in CW mode the menu offers options to CW tone,
pitch, and speed.

>>>Run PSK with your rig in USB or LSB, and follow-the above instructions to
set its power output level.

   73,

        Dave, AA6YQ