"D Peter Maus" wrote in message
...
Lucky wrote:
"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
...

"Lucky" wrote:


"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
m...

"Michael" wrote:


I find that there isn't anything that I can hear with
the R-75 that I can hear with more expensive radios.

That's true. Images, birdies, artifacts, intermodulation products --
it's all there.

The R-75 is dumpster fodder. Value? yep. Value for money? yep.
Absolutely a good value? Not even close.

You need to experience a truly good radio. See
http://www.sherweng.com for some guidelines.



I personally think you made a fool out of yourself with your drivel and
that's about it.

Lucky


You can believe that all you want. I owned an R75 for years. When I
was selling it at a hamfest, Bob Sherwood came by and I offered it to
him, and he just laughed.

I'll say it again: It *is* value for the money, but it is *not* an
absolute value.

For me, the issue that is important is front-end overload. There are
several flamethrowers that put millivolts worth of signal on my
antennas. I don't have problems with close-in dynamic range... no one
should really have problems with sensitivity on HF.

The R75 was nothing but images below 10 MHz without both preamps off
and the attenuator on.

--
Eric F. Richards

"Nature abhors a vacuum tube." -- Myron Glass,
often attributed to J. R. Pierce, Bell Labs, c. 1940


Hi

I have about 10 radios. For $425, the R75 is my best rig. I have no
problem with images here in Miami. There are many Hams down here and lots
of the time the bands are terrible. But, with my R75, I can clean the
signal up very well and enjoy the conversations. I can't do this with my
other rigs. Here they. They are not all very good but I started out as a
novice.

1] Kenwood 5000
2] Lowe HF-150
3] JVC NRD 525
4] Yaesu FRG-7
5] TenTec 320-D for DRM
6] Yaesu FRG-7700
7] Nasa Target HF3
8] Kenwood QR-666 {really the R300}
9] Degen 1103
10] Icom R75

I would say the next best rig is the HF-150 then the 5000 and 525 are
about equal with the 525 giving you a few more options. If I mean
business I use the R75. All I know is that I bought a brand NEW radio
with **DSP and **dual PBT plus easy computer control for $425. Just being
able to mix and match filters is superb. The built in 2 level pre-amp
works great.

How in the freaken world can you argue this point? How? Point me to a
decent receiver for $425. Please, show me so I can buy it.



Not to state the obvious, but he did concede that, for the money, R-75
is a value. What he's saying, what I've said, and what has been repeated
here over the last few years, is that R-75 is not an absolute value. For
$425, yes, it's a good deal. But as an absolute value, it's like most
ICOM's (of which I've owned several and loved every one of them): It's
potential is not realized until it's been modified. No one is saying that
it's a bad radio. No one is saying that it's not worth having, and that
it's not a strong player, and to reiterate for those in Rio Linda, FOR THE
MONEY, it's a good value.

It's just not all it can be.

As much as I loved my R-71, I was very much looking forward to R-75's
release. And was ready to close a deal with Universal as soon as it was
available. But after playing with one for the better part of a day, I was
less than impressed. And went in another direction. A direction I've been
very pleased with. In fact, I've not bought a new radio since.

I liken ICOM's to cars at the drag strip. Do you know why there are so
many Fords and Chevy's are used as racing platforms? Ånd you don't see so
many Lincoln's and Cadillacs? Not because the Fords and Chevy's are
superior, but because they're a good buy for the money. For an economical
outlay, you can buy a platform, that when modified to taste becomes
precisely the car you want. Exactly built and tuned to the application
you've chosen for it. A Lincoln would be a better platform. Sturdier, more
finely tuned suspension. But with fewer mods available, and at
dramatically higher cost.

I"ve seen Lincoln's at the race track. And I watched one mop up a Taurus
in the quarter mile, but at 20 times the outlay for a dragstrip car.

ICOMs are solidly built, and decent performers. Like entry level
domestic cars, their design has great potential for performance. But
production cost shortcuts and economies produce a product that could be
far more than it is. Requiring modification to extract the performance
built into the design. When you're finished, add up price of the radio,
the cost of the mods, shipping, old battery and recappable tires, and
you've got a radio that's actually more expensive than it would have been
had they not cut the production corners in the first place.

But then, at least, the absolute value of the radio would be
established.

There's nothing wrong with you loving your R-75. And as Eric has said
more than once, it IS a good value for the money.

It's just that as it comes out of the box, it's potential is not
realized. And for many users, that's a deterrent to ownership.









Lucky

Hi Peter

I'm happy with my R75 just the way it is. I added a pair of 2.8's {9mhz and
455Khz} and the voice synthesizer, the remote option and that's all I need
right now. I can use other options besides the sync on the R75 to reduce
fading. I always find a way to get the signal in nicely.

I get good strong signals here in Florida so the sync is not a big issue for
me. I also don't overload. If I ever do, I again use the great options on
the R75 to fix it. All in all besides being a fantastic value for the money,
it's a great communications receiver.

The SSB and ECSS on it can't be beat, period. It's SUPERB in this regard. I
love that radio. For BCB, the 2.8 does it for me.

Lucky