Lucky wrote:

"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
...
"Lucky" wrote:


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

Isn't the 2nd pre-amp really meant for use up in the 50-54 MHz range?

How in the freaken world can you argue this point?

It's an ICOM... so it's very easy to argue the point!

dxAce
Michigan
USA

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

Lucky wrote:
"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
...

"Lucky" wrote:


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

"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

"Lucky" wrote:


"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
...
"Lucky" wrote:


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

[...] Value? yep. Value for money? yep.
Absolutely a good value? Not even close.
[...]

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

I have about 10 radios. For $425, the R75 is my best rig.
[...] Point me to a decent
receiver for $425. Please, show me so I can buy it.

You can't read, can you?

Try again. slowly.

For. The. Money. It. Is. A. Good. Value.

(rolls eyes)

--
Eric F. Richards

"...there are moments (as when Gore speaks... slowly... and... heavily....
to... grown... men... and... women... so... that... you'd... swear... he...
was... trying... to... explain... Wittgenstein... to... three... year...
olds) when you have the disconcerting thought that the vice president may
come from Mars."
Lance Morrow, http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/...rrow7_21.a.tm/

Hi, Peter,

D Peter Maus wrote:

Lucky wrote:
"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
...

"Lucky" wrote:


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

"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.


Thank you for clearly articulating what I could not. That's what I
get for posting when in a crummy mood, I suppose.


Unfortunately, the only fix for *my* issue with the R75 would have
been a seriously good manual preselector. Since the CI-V computer
info could have continuously updated external gear, one could conceive
of an electronic tracking preselctor, but at a cost several times that
of the '75 itself.

....kinda like starting with a Cessna 150 with the goal of making a
supersonic jet from the airframe...

--
Eric F. Richards

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

"D Peter Maus" wrote in message
...
Michael Lawson wrote:



I keep telling myself that an
R-5000 is just as good.




More or less, it is.

Okay, Peter, I'm curious. What do you think of the
R71A vs. the R-5000?? Some year I'm going to spring
for one of them or one of the R8/R8A/R8B's (depending on
price point used). Since you were in lurk mode when
the last discussion on that happened, what's your
opinion??

--Mike L.

"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

Michael Lawson wrote:
"D Peter Maus" wrote in message
...

Michael Lawson wrote:



I keep telling myself that an

R-5000 is just as good.




More or less, it is.


Okay, Peter, I'm curious. What do you think of the
R71A vs. the R-5000?? Some year I'm going to spring
for one of them or one of the R8/R8A/R8B's (depending on
price point used). Since you were in lurk mode when
the last discussion on that happened, what's your
opinion??

--Mike L.




When I made my choice, I played with each for more than a day,
and did all the reading I could on each model. What I found was that
it's a virtual dead heat between the two. Performance differences
are insignificant, and pretty evenly balanced between the two. Build
quality is nearly the same. Ergonomics for each are uneven. I
preferred the keypad of R-71 over R-5000 for it's more standard
layout, but the buttons on R-71 are smaller. In the dark, one is as
easy/difficult to use as the other. Audio quality is better on the
Kenwood. Prices on the used market are about the same. And both
have excellent pedigrees. The RAM battery on the ICOM is only as
much of an issue as you want to make it. Mine was still the original
battery, and the guy who bought mine is still using it as it was
sold to him. The WillCo board eliminates that issue entirely. But
diligent preventative attention prevents calamatous loss of
function, too.

Now, looking at each as an aging example of a long discontinued
product, R-71 seems to have fewer debilitating foibles than R-5000.
Seems to be more readily repaired or reconditioned than R-5000.
R-5000 displays are tough to come by, encoders are starting to fail.
Then again, the DC-DC converters for R-71's display are starting
to need rebuilding, the trimmers on the PLL unit need to be
replaced, and the heat around the regulator is causing solder joints
to fail.

What it really comes down to is how much you want to screw with
one, today, and which one you personally prefer. In real world
usage, what you would gain by switching from one to the other is a
matter of taste, not hard performance.

"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
...
"Lucky" wrote:


"Eric F. Richards" wrote in message
...
"Lucky" wrote:


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

[...] Value? yep. Value for money? yep.
Absolutely a good value? Not even close.
[...]

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

I have about 10 radios. For $425, the R75 is my best rig.
[...] Point me to a decent
receiver for $425. Please, show me so I can buy it.

You can't read, can you?

Try again. slowly.

For. The. Money. It. Is. A. Good. Value.

(rolls eyes)

--
Eric F. Richards

"...there are moments (as when Gore speaks... slowly... and... heavily....
to... grown... men... and... women... so... that... you'd... swear...
he...
was... trying... to... explain... Wittgenstein... to... three... year...
olds) when you have the disconcerting thought that the vice president may
come from Mars."
Lance Morrow,
http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/...rrow7_21.a.tm/

I get your point Eric. I was trying to go beyond the arguement of it just
being a good value by showing how good it is regardless of price. It's good
radio period, not just for the "value".

Lucky

"Howard" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 21:13:56 GMT, D Peter Maus
wrote:

snip
Yes, it's more than simply pushing a button. It's been a number
of years since I've used one, but as I recall, there were some gain
adjustments, and filter selections. Once dialed in, sync worked fine.

What I've found that helps is to reduce the RF gain and to set the
AGC to fast and often going to the wider filters helps.

There are some specific parameters that need to be addressed when
using sync on RX-350, too. But if you're attentive to the details,
it, too, works as promised. The best sync I've used to date is on
AR-7030+. Dials itself in and stays locked through the deepest
fades. Second is sync on HF-150.

I have a Drake. SW-2. Sync is fine, but more prone to losing lock
than the AOR.

For the record, I'm not as passionate about synchronous detection
as some here. It's a tool, nothing more. It doesn't cure cancer,
ingrown toenails, or receding hairlines. And it's not worth starting
a religion over. It's a tool for reception of radio signals. AM
Stereo uses it, too. In fact, that's where the Drake sync detector
came from.
Well I beg to differ, since acquiring a Sony 7600 and later the R75 -
both with sync detection - I've not had a single ingrown toenail !!
Unfortunately I bought them after the hairline receded.

I use it rarely. Mostly I rely on a good set of filters, a
comprehensive ground, and an antenna that can suck the pubic hairs
from between your teeth.

Nothing replaces good basics.
Agreed! I seldom use synch either - perhaps if I had a radio with
the famed Sherwood synch detector or a Drake I would find it more
useful. In any case, yes it is just another tool. It reminds me of
the saying "if your only tool is a hammer - all of your problems look
like nails." There are more tools than synch and it pays to gain
familiarity with what they do and when to apply them.

As to R-75 status - I think they're still around due to the existing
stock supply not because of Icom deciding to continue production.
That opinion, and $2.00 US will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Howard





Hi Howard

I found that using the sync manually works better then the auto mode.

Lucky

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


For the record, I'm not as passionate about synchronous detection
as some here. It's a tool, nothing more.

It is how I feel as well.

It doesn't cure cancer,

No problem...

ingrown toenails,

No problem...

or receding hairlines.

...rats.

I use it rarely. Mostly I rely on a good set of filters, a
comprehensive ground, and an antenna that can suck the pubic hairs
from between your teeth.

Nothing replaces good basics.


Amen. I agree with that last sentence wholeheartedly.

--
Eric F. Richards

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

So true. You can have the best rig money can buy but without good basics,
the money is wasted on it. I think many people leave the hobby or not get
into it because they didn't set things up right. I know I did a lot of
things wrong when I first started out and I'm still learning.

Lucky