Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often, I am unable to pick out stations that seem to be in the mud, even
using my audio filter.

I have the feeling that there are better transceivers out there for CW, and
I don't want to rely upon the word of radio salesmen (whom I believe
generally to be honest guys), and so I am asking people who are experienced
operators for their opinion. (I have spoken to a few of my local friends,
but not many operate CW, so their opinions are suspect).

The write-ups in the adverts make my mouth water (especially the ones for
the Orion and the K2/100), but I have found that in real life a product
NEVER matches the advertising. I am also a bit suspicious after reading the
product reviews in eham.net. I suspect that a lot of the "5/5" type of
review says "Look, I bought it, and therefore it has got to be great".

Now that I have retired and have a few extra bucks available for a rig, I
would welcome any comments that you DX operators would be kind enough to
offer.

Thanks and 73,

Joseph

Joseph,

I have two K2 radios. They are the best you can buy. The Orion is pretty
good; but, it is not as good as the Elecraft K2. I sent the Orion back as
did Earl, K6SE.

I am a wireless (RF) engineer by training and vocation; I have one of the
world's best RF labs at my disposal. I have over thirty years experience
in wireless design, development, and implementation. I know what I am
talking about.

Go onto the Elecraft website and sign up to send and receive messages on
the Elecraft reflector. Ask to borrow one of the rigs.

Once contest season is over I might let you borrow one of mine if you pay
the freight both ways. I bet you'll have a new rig by then though.

There are plenty of amateurs who will build it for you if you don't enjoy
construction. Really, though, it is easy to build if you know how to
solder.

Give me a call or email back if you want more details on the K2.

Bill, NI5F



On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 16:14:31 -0500, jotis wrote:

Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham
radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it
is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often, I am unable to pick out stations that seem to be in the mud, even
using my audio filter.

I have the feeling that there are better transceivers out there for CW,
and
I don't want to rely upon the word of radio salesmen (whom I believe
generally to be honest guys), and so I am asking people who are
experienced
operators for their opinion. (I have spoken to a few of my local friends,
but not many operate CW, so their opinions are suspect).

The write-ups in the adverts make my mouth water (especially the ones for
the Orion and the K2/100), but I have found that in real life a product
NEVER matches the advertising. I am also a bit suspicious after reading
the
product reviews in eham.net. I suspect that a lot of the "5/5" type of
review says "Look, I bought it, and therefore it has got to be great".

Now that I have retired and have a few extra bucks available for a rig, I
would welcome any comments that you DX operators would be kind enough to
offer.

Thanks and 73,

Joseph

Joseph,

I have two K2 radios. They are the best you can buy. The Orion is pretty
good; but, it is not as good as the Elecraft K2. I sent the Orion back as
did Earl, K6SE.

I am a wireless (RF) engineer by training and vocation; I have one of the
world's best RF labs at my disposal. I have over thirty years experience
in wireless design, development, and implementation. I know what I am
talking about.

Go onto the Elecraft website and sign up to send and receive messages on
the Elecraft reflector. Ask to borrow one of the rigs.

Once contest season is over I might let you borrow one of mine if you pay
the freight both ways. I bet you'll have a new rig by then though.

There are plenty of amateurs who will build it for you if you don't enjoy
construction. Really, though, it is easy to build if you know how to
solder.

Give me a call or email back if you want more details on the K2.

Bill, NI5F



On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 16:14:31 -0500, jotis wrote:

Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham
radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it
is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often, I am unable to pick out stations that seem to be in the mud, even
using my audio filter.

I have the feeling that there are better transceivers out there for CW,
and
I don't want to rely upon the word of radio salesmen (whom I believe
generally to be honest guys), and so I am asking people who are
experienced
operators for their opinion. (I have spoken to a few of my local friends,
but not many operate CW, so their opinions are suspect).

The write-ups in the adverts make my mouth water (especially the ones for
the Orion and the K2/100), but I have found that in real life a product
NEVER matches the advertising. I am also a bit suspicious after reading
the
product reviews in eham.net. I suspect that a lot of the "5/5" type of
review says "Look, I bought it, and therefore it has got to be great".

Now that I have retired and have a few extra bucks available for a rig, I
would welcome any comments that you DX operators would be kind enough to
offer.

Thanks and 73,

Joseph

jotis wrote:
Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often,

SNIP

Joe, the 706MKIIg is an excellent mobile/portable rig. It's bandwidth is
factory set for SSB at approximately 2.7 KHz at -6 dB on the filter
curve. It opens up to approximately 6.0 KHz at -60 dB. A poor set up for
CW to be sure!

You could add the FL-100, a 500 Hz filter, for fair CW. Then the 3rd
order performance will limit performance.

Moving on to the IC-746, not PRO, I use the FL-100 for CW and find it
entirely adequate. The 3rd order performance was tested by ARRL and
determined to be 99 dB at 20 KHz at 14.02 MHz. That corresponds to an
adjacent signal at +50 over S9 at 20 KHz from the receive frequency with
a bandwidth of 500 Hz producing a barely discernible change in the
minimum detectable signal level.

This is about average to average plus for a $1200 - $1400 rig.

With the APF function I can DSP the bandwidth down to almost 100 Hz or
slightly below.

I own both the 706 MKIIg and the 746 [non-PRO] models.

The IC-756PRO has a better receiver than the 746.

I'll let the YAESU users comment on the performance of that line of
equipment.

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

jotis wrote:
Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often,

SNIP

Joe, the 706MKIIg is an excellent mobile/portable rig. It's bandwidth is
factory set for SSB at approximately 2.7 KHz at -6 dB on the filter
curve. It opens up to approximately 6.0 KHz at -60 dB. A poor set up for
CW to be sure!

You could add the FL-100, a 500 Hz filter, for fair CW. Then the 3rd
order performance will limit performance.

Moving on to the IC-746, not PRO, I use the FL-100 for CW and find it
entirely adequate. The 3rd order performance was tested by ARRL and
determined to be 99 dB at 20 KHz at 14.02 MHz. That corresponds to an
adjacent signal at +50 over S9 at 20 KHz from the receive frequency with
a bandwidth of 500 Hz producing a barely discernible change in the
minimum detectable signal level.

This is about average to average plus for a $1200 - $1400 rig.

With the APF function I can DSP the bandwidth down to almost 100 Hz or
slightly below.

I own both the 706 MKIIg and the 746 [non-PRO] models.

The IC-756PRO has a better receiver than the 746.

I'll let the YAESU users comment on the performance of that line of
equipment.

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

"Dave Shrader" wrote in message
news:gDYRb.46509$U%5.243832@attbi_s03...
jotis wrote:
Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham
radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it
is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often,

SNIP

Joe, the 706MKIIg is an excellent mobile/portable rig. It's bandwidth is
factory set for SSB at approximately 2.7 KHz at -6 dB on the filter
curve. It opens up to approximately 6.0 KHz at -60 dB. A poor set up for
CW to be sure!

You could add the FL-100, a 500 Hz filter, for fair CW. Then the 3rd
order performance will limit performance.

Moving on to the IC-746, not PRO, I use the FL-100 for CW and find it
entirely adequate. The 3rd order performance was tested by ARRL and
determined to be 99 dB at 20 KHz at 14.02 MHz. That corresponds to an
adjacent signal at +50 over S9 at 20 KHz from the receive frequency with
a bandwidth of 500 Hz producing a barely discernible change in the
minimum detectable signal level.

This is about average to average plus for a $1200 - $1400 rig.

With the APF function I can DSP the bandwidth down to almost 100 Hz or
slightly below.

I own both the 706 MKIIg and the 746 [non-PRO] models.

The IC-756PRO has a better receiver than the 746.

I'll let the YAESU users comment on the performance of that line of
equipment.

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

The answer to your question is constantly changing.

The best stats appear to go to the Orion and K2. However, you ought to
consider how you operate.
Do you like large or small knobs? Do you like menu operation? Etc. Try the
rigs you think you might like
and make a choice based on the ergonomics you like
rather than the statistics. There is the best radio and
then there are the most comfortable and the most capable.

Ed, N5EI

"Dave Shrader" wrote in message
news:gDYRb.46509$U%5.243832@attbi_s03...
jotis wrote:
Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham
radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it
is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often,

SNIP

Joe, the 706MKIIg is an excellent mobile/portable rig. It's bandwidth is
factory set for SSB at approximately 2.7 KHz at -6 dB on the filter
curve. It opens up to approximately 6.0 KHz at -60 dB. A poor set up for
CW to be sure!

You could add the FL-100, a 500 Hz filter, for fair CW. Then the 3rd
order performance will limit performance.

Moving on to the IC-746, not PRO, I use the FL-100 for CW and find it
entirely adequate. The 3rd order performance was tested by ARRL and
determined to be 99 dB at 20 KHz at 14.02 MHz. That corresponds to an
adjacent signal at +50 over S9 at 20 KHz from the receive frequency with
a bandwidth of 500 Hz producing a barely discernible change in the
minimum detectable signal level.

This is about average to average plus for a $1200 - $1400 rig.

With the APF function I can DSP the bandwidth down to almost 100 Hz or
slightly below.

I own both the 706 MKIIg and the 746 [non-PRO] models.

The IC-756PRO has a better receiver than the 746.

I'll let the YAESU users comment on the performance of that line of
equipment.

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

The answer to your question is constantly changing.

The best stats appear to go to the Orion and K2. However, you ought to
consider how you operate.
Do you like large or small knobs? Do you like menu operation? Etc. Try the
rigs you think you might like
and make a choice based on the ergonomics you like
rather than the statistics. There is the best radio and
then there are the most comfortable and the most capable.

Ed, N5EI

I have been using the Yaesu FT-1 for quite a few years. This was one of the
first super rigs, from Yaesu. I have over 300 CW DX countries logged, most
with this rig. They come up on EBay at times. Mine has the memory module
and the CW filters. For the price as a used rig it would be a great buy.
Art K5FNQ

"jotis" wrote in message
...
Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham
radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often, I am unable to pick out stations that seem to be in the mud, even
using my audio filter.

I have the feeling that there are better transceivers out there for CW,
and
I don't want to rely upon the word of radio salesmen (whom I believe
generally to be honest guys), and so I am asking people who are
experienced
operators for their opinion. (I have spoken to a few of my local friends,
but not many operate CW, so their opinions are suspect).

The write-ups in the adverts make my mouth water (especially the ones for
the Orion and the K2/100), but I have found that in real life a product
NEVER matches the advertising. I am also a bit suspicious after reading
the
product reviews in eham.net. I suspect that a lot of the "5/5" type of
review says "Look, I bought it, and therefore it has got to be great".

Now that I have retired and have a few extra bucks available for a rig, I
would welcome any comments that you DX operators would be kind enough to
offer.

Thanks and 73,

Joseph

I have been using the Yaesu FT-1 for quite a few years. This was one of the
first super rigs, from Yaesu. I have over 300 CW DX countries logged, most
with this rig. They come up on EBay at times. Mine has the memory module
and the CW filters. For the price as a used rig it would be a great buy.
Art K5FNQ

"jotis" wrote in message
...
Hello-

After a hiatus of about 25 years or so, I recently got back into ham
radio.
I bought an IC 706MkII G rig, an antenna tuner, an audio filter, and an
artificial ground. I quite like the 706, but I have the feeling that it is
just an "OK rig". I mostly operate CW (with only modest success) - very
often, I am unable to pick out stations that seem to be in the mud, even
using my audio filter.

I have the feeling that there are better transceivers out there for CW,
and
I don't want to rely upon the word of radio salesmen (whom I believe
generally to be honest guys), and so I am asking people who are
experienced
operators for their opinion. (I have spoken to a few of my local friends,
but not many operate CW, so their opinions are suspect).

The write-ups in the adverts make my mouth water (especially the ones for
the Orion and the K2/100), but I have found that in real life a product
NEVER matches the advertising. I am also a bit suspicious after reading
the
product reviews in eham.net. I suspect that a lot of the "5/5" type of
review says "Look, I bought it, and therefore it has got to be great".

Now that I have retired and have a few extra bucks available for a rig, I
would welcome any comments that you DX operators would be kind enough to
offer.

Thanks and 73,

Joseph