[ICOM] IC-706MKIIG Issue

[Doug & Kathy Davies]

I have the above radio that is having a weird issue.  It's had this issue
since it was new.

It appears to me that the radio is overly sensitive, both on HF and VHF.  I
bought the rig for mobile use but, due to this problem, it is unusable.  I
did the required stuff to the vehicle to reduce vehicle noise but soon
found that the vehicle wasn't the problem.  It's the radio.

When on HF, I get a constant S9 to to +20 noise level.  This occurs on all
HF bands.

When on VHF, particularly in an urban area, I have to have the squelch so
tight to avoid noise I cancel out most all signals.  The interesting thing
about this one is that on the commercial frequencies I monitor, I can back
the squelch almost all the way off with no noise showing up.  Every one of
the amateur frequencies, however, requires the squelch to be nearly fully
closed.  When I pass a bus or a recent model car, I get a quick splash of
noise as the vehicle passes unless I have the squelch very tight.

This issue had made the radio virtually unusable on the amateur
frequencies.  I need to know if this is a common problem with the 706 and
if anyone else has experienced it.  Also, is there a fix for it?

Doug