RadioBanter - Drake R8B side by side with an Icom 756 PRO III

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- - Drake R8B side by side with an Icom 756 PRO III (https://www.radiobanter.com/shortwave/47282-drake-r8b-side-side-icom-756-pro-iii.html)

Drake R8B side by side with an Icom 756 PRO III

Anyone interested in having a look at a side by side comparison between the
venerable Drake R8B and Icom's latest digital transceiver offering the 756
PRO III can do so at
http://www.dxing.info/equipment/icom_ic756_plimmer.dx
The Icom has some impressive features for a SW DXer with performance to
match

--
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
Icom IC-756 PRO III with MW mods
RX Drake R8B, SW8 & ERGO software
Sony 7600D GE SRIII
BW XCR 30, Braun T1000, Sangean 818 & 803A.
Hallicrafters SX-100, Eddystone 940
GE circa 50's radiogram
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop

"John Plimmer" wrote in message
...
Anyone interested in having a look at a side by side comparison between
the
venerable Drake R8B and Icom's latest digital transceiver offering the 756
PRO III can do so at
http://www.dxing.info/equipment/icom_ic756_plimmer.dx
The Icom has some impressive features for a SW DXer with performance to
match
Nice job John- and very much appreciated. I am using the original 756PRO
and find it to be an exceptional LF--HF RX. For the LF experimental band,
the ability to precisely set the BFO offset makes it possible to run ARGO in
the narrowest of BW and be certain the signal will fall right where it
should.
I too would like sync detection, but find that tuning in the 1Hz step mode
allows fantastic Exhaulted carrier detection.
The scope is a real plus, and would be very much missed on any other rig.
I run line audio out to a HiFi amp and find the audio superb, but lacking
( as you mentioned) if I just use another speaker on the 8 Ohm output of the
Icom.
73,

Dale W4OP
for PAR Electronics, Inc.

"Dale Parfitt" wrote in message
news:SH3Cd.15352$Y57.9979@trnddc08...

"John Plimmer" wrote in message
...
Anyone interested in having a look at a side by side comparison between
the
venerable Drake R8B and Icom's latest digital transceiver offering the
756
PRO III can do so at
http://www.dxing.info/equipment/icom_ic756_plimmer.dx
The Icom has some impressive features for a SW DXer with performance to
match
Nice job John- and very much appreciated. I am using the original 756PRO
and find it to be an exceptional LF--HF RX. For the LF experimental band,
the ability to precisely set the BFO offset makes it possible to run ARGO
in
the narrowest of BW and be certain the signal will fall right where it
should.
I too would like sync detection, but find that tuning in the 1Hz step
mode
allows fantastic Exhaulted carrier detection.
The scope is a real plus, and would be very much missed on any other rig.
I run line audio out to a HiFi amp and find the audio superb, but lacking
( as you mentioned) if I just use another speaker on the 8 Ohm output of
the
Icom.
73,

Dale W4OP
for PAR Electronics, Inc.

I have a R75 and other radios but my question applies is basic. Exactly how
is the 1 Hz steps best used in ECSS?

I read that in AM one should tune in up or down 2.5Kz one half an AM
bandwidth to get best results? Is this right?? What is it for SSB??

Thanks
Lucky

Thanks for the review. It's very interesting.

I wonder: Why doesn't the Icom 756 Pro III have sync detection? Does
any one know? There has to be some interesting explanation of this,
given that we're talking about a $2000 unit.

John Plimmer wrote:

Anyone interested in having a look at a side by side comparison between the
venerable Drake R8B and Icom's latest digital transceiver offering the 756
PRO III can do so at
http://www.dxing.info/equipment/icom_ic756_plimmer.dx
The Icom has some impressive features for a SW DXer with performance to
match

Pricewise... after reading the review, I'd have to say that the R8B still wins,
hands down, no question.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

--
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
Icom IC-756 PRO III with MW mods
RX Drake R8B, SW8 & ERGO software
Sony 7600D GE SRIII
BW XCR 30, Braun T1000, Sangean 818 & 803A.
Hallicrafters SX-100, Eddystone 940
GE circa 50's radiogram
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop

Volker Tonn wrote:

I have a Sony 2001D/ 2010 and a NRD-525.
The NRD has no sync detection and it runs circles around the Sony in
*every* aspect.

It should!

I just switch to SSB-mode selecting the sideband and the bandwidth
wich is working best. I'm rarely listenig in AM-mode.

If you had a good sync detector, you might listen more in AM mode. A good
sync detector basically provides auto-ECSS.

--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html

There are many similarities in the 756Pro series. The ProII and ProIII were
"evolutionary" improvements, not major changes in performance compared to
the original 756Pro (which I own, and use for tropical bands and TP MW
DXing). It becomes a much more interesting value comparion when it's between
the R8B and a used 756Pro (~$1400-1500 on Ebay), a used 756ProII (~$1600)
or even a new 756ProII (currently around $2100 from ham outlets).

I agree with all of John's comments in his review of the 757ProIII as
applying to the 756Pro. John and I had a lot of email exchanges before he
found his excellent deal on a new ProIII, and the only area we disagree on
is the usefulness and ease of adjustment for the manual notch. I find it's
70 db depth to be phenomenal and simple to operate. I prefer it over the
auto notch, which works well.

BTW, the IC-746Pro's AM detector is a synchronous type, and a fine one
according to Dallas Lankford. Too bad that ICOM makes no mention of it, but
an ICOM tech confirmed to Dallas about the synch detector. There are MANY
circuit similarities between the 746Pro and the 756Pro, and perhaps the
756ProII/III also has the same detector? Dallas says in his 756Pro review &
modifications article at www.kongsfjord.no :

"Here are some things that put the 746P at the top of the heap. The AM
detector is an AM synchronous detector. Why ICOM doesn't advertise this
feature of the 746P is a mystery to me. I discovered it merely by noticing
that it sounded like an AM synchronous detector and asking ICOM Technical
Support if it was. They confirmed what my ears had already told me. And it
is not just any old AM synchronous detector. It is an outstanding AM
synchronous detector. It doesn't lose lock (no growling on extremely weak
signals fading in and out of the ambient noise floor) and you can tune the
signal with the AM carrier anywhere you please in the passband, and even out
of the passband, and still no growling. In other words, the 746P AMSD is
completely transparent to the user. You never know it is there except that
the quality of AM reception is better than with an ordinary AM detector for
some weak signals at the ambient noise floor and for some strongly fading
signals, and better than ECSS."
---------------------------------------

For my money, a mint-cond., late serial number 756Pro was an excellent
value. I've had a Ten-Tec RX340 in the shack for a month, and it performed
significantly worse on tough DX than my modded R-75 and the RA6790GM I used
to have.

Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA USA

"dxAce" wrote in message
...

Pricewise... after reading the review, I'd have to say that the R8B still
wins,
hands down, no question.

dxAce
Michigan
USA