Better get on air than someones nerves.

I totally agree!

Do your homework and read a lot about grounding and lightning protection before you decide how to do things, there is a lot of misconceptions about grounding amongst hams that could cost you your rig or/and the house when the lightning strikes.

I will follow this necropost (a almost 1,5 year dig-up..)  after all, this subject is still interesting 


IC-718 is a outdated but cute radio without any fuzz, it's inbetween stationary and portable, a dream to operate but lacks some functions that a base trx may or should have.
I sold mine and missed it for a while, until i bought a IC-7200, stupid me sold that too...and now i miss that radio too 
I bought a FT-950 and like it a lot, although i still longing for a IC-7200, the ease of operation, the no-fuzz, the USB-interface, the ruggedness (to the looks..) i want my IC-7200 back!!

So...
the performance is similar between IC-7200 and FT-950, the old IC-718 is out of the leauge here.

If you can live with the small face of IC-7200 you will have a [insert hot place here] of a receiver and a dream rig for running CW all at a nice pricetag.

If you never go CW and already have interfaces to the computer and just want a big VFO-knob on a cool looking performer, the FT-950 is right for you, but the pricetag is a bit higher.


If i were to choose just one rig, right here, rigt now, for the rest of my life it would be the IC-7200, sorry Yaesu 


(Forgive me for my sometimes strange english, it's not my native language so..)

Agree... often mobile antennas have an efficiency of something like 2-7%  make the improvement there instead of raising the power into the roofmounted dummyload 

I cant answer for your vehicle but many vehicles starts to behave strangely when RF powerlevels getting close to a kilowatt.

There will be no discernible difference between 55 and 75W, triple, or better, quadruple the output power makes difference.

Go easy with opening repeaters with directional antennas, you might end up with a whole forest of open repeaters unless they use a large number of different CTCSS-tones.

Great choice!


It would be nice with a preventive fix to this problem, just soldering some R/C network or zener somewhere..  

Unit or cable is broken, thoroughly check the cable for damages/try another hookup cable, if that does not work, the fault is most likely inside the SP-2000, warranty return?

At full volume and in front of the speaker your ears should fall off 

I have the same setup and i dont have any issues with low volume.

Are you using a correct cable?
- maybe the cable be stretched, oxidized or compressed in such way it is almost shorted?
- are you using some cable that may contain attenuator/resistors inside the connectors?

After owning a lot of different Icom and Yaesu mobile radios my conclusion is that Yaesu is a winner,
Icom may have an edge as far as the ergonomics but it looses when it comes to intermodulation.
If you live in a town with RF-intensive environment, go with Yaesu, otherwise it does not matter which brand you choose as long as you dig the ergonomics.

Yes, the Yaesu FT-90, albeit hard to find.
next in size would be the Yaesu FTM-10, i had one but i could not get over the triple/quadruple functions of each button... 

Given you will never talk into both microphones at the same time,
there will be no problem powering both radios with a single Astron supply.

Welcome "on the air" 

I sold my IC-7200 for a few weeks ago, that was my biggest mistake ever,
now i'm looking for another one  

Without doubt it is as good as, or i some cases even better, receiver than my new FT-950.
It actually runs in circles around IC-746Pro, TS-2000, IC-756 and FT-847 and all the simpler rigs as FT-450/897/857, IC-706mkIIg and so on, i never had a chance to compare it with IC-7000 though.

This radio is great if you want a good receiver with good audio and easy connection with your computer, Ham Radio Deluxe is a dream with this radio whetehr you run rigcontrol or PSK31.
It is quiet, even under long transmissions, easy to operate and not very "deep" menus at all.

The only "drawback" i can find on this radio is that it is too small if you want a big cool radio on your desk.

edit: I only got compliments on the good audio, i did the HM-46 modification that is recommended on some of the mikes.

I have also seen that there are some negative reviews for the CN-801HP
I'm very happy with mine and trust it as i trust my old Bird,
in order to get a PEP-reading you have to add 12V via the supplied lead, without 12V i can understand if people complaining of bad PEP measurement 

...ooops, my first post on eham.net forums, bring out the cake!!