I recently purchased a second hand Icom IC-706 transceiver (original
version, not MkII or MkIIG) after a long absence from amateur radio. I
have noticed that I hear a lot of noise with my doublet at 20 feet. In
particular, when I turn the preamp on, the noise level is S9 on all HF
bands. Is this normal for this rig? With the preamp off, the noise
level is usually down near S1-3. I know the S-meter is not well
calibrated in the IC-706, but has anyone observed this behavior?
Obviously, this makes the preamp useless, as only stronger signals are
above the noise level.

Thanks.

Steve, KI8AA