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Old June 20th 07, 12:58 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.equipment
Alan WA4SCA Alan WA4SCA is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 34
Default Kenwood TS-2000 / TS-480SAT vs. ICOM 746PRO/IC 7000?

Gary,

It depends on what you want to do. The TS-2000 is a Swiss army knife
sort of rig. It is great for satellite operations, and it is a
favorite of people who do digital modes heavily. It is a good, but
not great HF rig. For serious VHF and UHF operations, most people use
a good RX pre amp for satellite or weak signal work. Lots of menus to
dig through, though there are a few cheat sheets around to tell you
how to do specific things. Also, the Sky Command, now legal in the
US, is a very cool way to operate remotely from you HT or mobile.

Both of the Icoms will be better HF rigs, and will certainly do
digital modes as well. There are a lot of IC-7000s out there due to
some dealer incentives. As you say, it has a bit of a learning curve,
with some of the locals forming what amounts to an unofficial users'
group to swap ideas. However, it does work very well, though the
stock microphone does, in the opinion of many, need to be replaced, or
have a simple modification done to it. Two locals who replaced their
756's at Dayton with the 7000 are, after a bit of initial frustration,
glad they did. They also like the modified microphones, which in A/B
tests with the originals sound much better. http://www.7000mic.com/
So talk to people on the air, and if at all possible try operating.

FWIW


--
Alan
WA4SCA