[NLRS] I may be crazy!

[John P. Toscano]

Bill K0AWU wrote:

> Hummmm .... I "maybe" interested in a new radio. Really have not
> decided that this is what I want to do or not. I am looking at the
> IC756Pro to be used with transverters or the TS2000.

Zero first-hand experience with these rigs, but I'll offer a few
opinions anyway, since I've been  V E R Y  casually thinking about
a new IF rig myself and have been doing a little reading.

The IC756Pro and ProII lack the 2 meter band, so you will have to
work a little harder to interface them with most transverters of
902 MHz and higher (which most commonly use a 2 meter IF).  Of
course, Down East Microwave has a device called 144-28DC in a
variety of forms from fully assembled to complete kit to partial
kit to bare PC board, which is a moderately-priced 144->28 MHz
transverter optimized for the job of transverting a 28 MHz IF
rig to the 144 MHz IF required by their microwave transverters.
You could use one of these, along with appropriate switching,
to take the IC756 up to any of Down East's transverters from
902 MHz to 10 GHz (and most other brands too, of course).

Some pertinent Web references:
------------------------------
http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/144dc.htm
http://www.icomamerica.com/support/documents/brochures/ic-756proii.pdf
http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/hf/ic756pro.html
http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/hf/ic756proii.html
http://www.icomamerica.com/downloads/ic756pro.doc
http://www.icomamerica.com/downloads/756propresentation.ppt
http://www.icomamerica.com/downloads/ic-756pro_ffb.pdf
http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/hf/whatisdifferent.html

The lack of 2M got me interested in the IC746/IC746Pro, both of which
include the 2 Meter band.  Even looking carefully at the the available
online brochures, I can't tell for certain if the 746 models have a
built-in transverter interface.  But interfacing to Down East Microwave
transverters should be pretty straightforward, even without a dedicated
transverter interface in the rig, especially DEMI's newer models that
don't even require split Tx/Rx. 

The 746 does have a crude bandscope, certainly not on a par with the
IC756, but it may be better than none at all.  I know that on my
IC-706MkII, the bandscope feature can only be used in a manner that
mutes the audio, so you can't hear anything while the radio sweeps
through the bandscope passband and makes its plot.  I don't know if
the 746 has the same limitation.  This might be one of those things
you'd want to try out in a local radio store or in the home of a
ham lucky enough to already own one of the rigs in question.

Some more pertinent Web references:
-----------------------------------
http://www.icomamerica.com/support/documents/brochures/ic-746.pdf
http://www.icomamerica.com/support/documents/brochures/ic-746pro.pdf
http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/hf/ic746.html

The Kenwood TS2000 has other bells and whistles, such as an option to
add the 1.2 GHz band into the radio itself (not a big draw for me or
you, since we already have external transverters), plus full-duplex
split-band Tx/Rx (highly desirable for satellite work), but lacks
the high-end DSP features of the Icom 746/756 models.  I have not
looked very closely at it, since I already have a Yaesu FT-847 which
has the satellite features, all band coverage from 160M through 70cm
except for 1.25M, etc.  I personally am quite happy with it, though
I keep hearing that its performance is compromised by virtue of the
fact that it tries to do so much, and that a "real HF radio" would
do a better job.  I assume that the same criticism can be applied
to the TS-2000, and wonder if the criticism applies to the IC746
(or if the criticism applies more to the IC746 than the IC756, etc.)

I have to admit, I've also been tempted to trade up my IC-706MkII to
an IC706-MkIIG, and use that for all the transverters, and I would
cover all the bands I have with one radio, instead of the current
arrangement, using an IC-251a for 902 and 1296 (and future 2304 and
10368 MHz) IF, using the IC-706MkII directly for 2M and as the IF for
222, and using the FT-847 for 6M and 70cm.  And I've been tempted by
the tiny little FT-817 as an IF rig, since the low power output is a
benefit there instead of a liability.

For now, I've decided that I'm gonna buy more bands (transverters)
before I buy any new radios.  In fact, I should probably start
SELLING radios instead of BUYING them!  But that's a discussion for
a different time.  ;-)

Good luck on your decision.
John (KB0ZEV)