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| Reviews Summary for ICOM IC-706 - All flavors |
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write your own review of the ICOM IC-706 - All flavors.
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N3WXW
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 3, 2008 08:25
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EASY TO USE AS MOBILE
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I only gave a 4 .My 706 mkiig had a problem since i purchased it new. It was intermintent the recive would go deaf on hf . Every time I was ready to box it up I would recheck it and it would start working again for months. Eventualy the PLL went into total failure. Cost me $300.00 For repairs . The fellow at Comtec did a wonderfull job repairing it. It has been a year now no issues at all.
The most outstanding part of a IC-706 is that they are simple to operate while mobile. Great just out of the box.You need no other options. I have put both filters in my 706. I perfer the filters to using the Dsp function. Most any one would be quite happy with just the DSP .
Would I buy anoter one? Yes I would !
73 de Ed
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KG4TQQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 2, 2008 21:20
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Great Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my 706MKIIG for about 4 years and have had little problems with it. I did have a friend (KA6R) come to the house and help me learn a little more about it. He has one himself.
The only problem I have had with this radio is that it gets very hot to the touch on the sides of the radio(especially the right side as you are facing the radio front). I bought a computer fan and set it up beside the radio to help cool it. That seems to have made a difference. It does not get near as hot now. I have talked all over the world using a G5RV antenna and a MFJ-969 tuner with this radio. I have to keep the manual nearby as I have to read it on occasion to figure out how to do certain things but the more I read the manual the more I am getting used to the radio. I know it seems that I would be quite knowledgeable about this radio since I have owned it for 4 years but I won't turn it on for a month or so until I get the fever back and begin using it again. I probably use it 8 months out of the year. I am very happy with this radio and plan on using it for many more years to come if it continues to work.
I forgot to mention that I use this radio as a base station and have never put it in a vehicle. See my other review for more information about this radio.
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K0KS
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 6, 2008 11:18
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A Workhorse of a Rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I use 2 IC-706 MKIIG from 160M clear up to 3/4M and many modes. One has been mobile for 3 yrs and the other is backup for my 746 so it is on VHF/UHF a lot. One radio failed completely at 2 yrs old with a corroded trace caused by residual flux left on the board after a shield was soldered. Not under warranty. The NB and DSP are not the greatest for mobile use.
For VHF & UHF FM use, the lack of a noise squelch is annoying because the carrier squelch requires constant attention. Most repeaters do ouput a tone and the tone decoder solves this problem.
If you have huge hands this is not your radio because things are tight.
73 de Ken, K0KS
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KJ7XJ
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Rating: 4/5
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May 30, 2008 07:01
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So far so good...
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just bought a new to me MK2G off ebay from a silent key estate. The rig is in excellent condition. I have had the chance to play around only a little and I have only made U/VHF contacts as my dipole needs a tuner which I have on order. I also have a couple new antennas on order so I can see how it really works with better "ears" I can already tell the the DSP works wonders when I am listening to SW broadcasts and I was able to pull 4z out of the mud the other night and hear a couple 9k stations in Iraq as well.Ill give it 4 for now and im sure after a play around and make some HF contacts I would give it a higher mark. Great radio for the money!!
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KM3DR
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Rating: 5/5
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May 27, 2008 15:57
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MK2G great for portable use.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Some years ago, I had a 706mk2 that was used for portable ops. It was ran on a battery or various power supplies in all sorts of environments on many bands except 160M without any problems on loops for VHF and HF, yagi's, verticals, and various verticals or wires with tuners. I sold the rig thinking that what I purchased would be smaller and better. After issuse with RF feedback, distorted audio,and failures with ferrite cores, bypass caps, and various grounding methods in an attempt to solve the issues, I've decided to give the Mark2G a try. So far, I'm pleased that I went back to the 706 series as a portable rig. It seems to hold up well on HF as well as 6 Meters at low power levels (10 to 50 watt range) with a 7AH SLA with various methods to recharge. Right out the box, the 706 series has been a great rig for backpack,portable ops, or travel.(I've owned 2 mark2's, but never had the original)
73's de Lee / KM3DR
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KG8JF
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Rating: 5/5
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May 11, 2008 06:16
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great little radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am now one of the great number of hams who own the mkiig in one iteration or another. I love the little radio and it is very easy to use, intuitive is the term, I think they call it
My radio is set up in a backup role and it also functions as my digital station
Ilove the radio and woulde definitely buy it again
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HB9ECV
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Rating: 4/5
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May 11, 2008 05:28
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Better than a FT-857D
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I own a (damaged) Icom IC-706MkII and a Yaesu FT-857D. I purchased the Ft-857D after my IC-706's VOX and CAT functionality was fried when I had a shortcut on the socket for the wire antenna tuner (AH-3). I decided to purchase the Yaesu because it is cheaper and smaller than an IC-706MkIIG, but meanwhile I regret this decision. The IC-706MkIIG receiver is slightly better than the FT-857D if you believe the ARRL QST reviews. But the main reason why I am not so content with the FT-857D is the fact, that the IC-706 is much easier to operate! The disadvantage of a Transceiver as small as the FT-857D is the lack of space for buttons! I need the FT-857D's manual often because it is hard to find what you need to set in a menu with almost 100 entries!
Ok, back to the IC-706MkII. The AF DSP is not that usefull in my opinion, but the 500Hz IF filter is a must. Just make the rig believe that the 500Hz filter is the 2.4kHz SSB Filter in the initial set menu and you can use it not only for CW but for PSK31 operation as well. Together with the easy to handle IF shift, this is a big plus for PSK31. I also like the ability to build a small adapter (check www.mods.dk) for the AH-3/4 tuner socket, that reduces the output power and sends cw for some time every time the tune button is hit - perfect for manually tuning an antenna.
If you want an all-band all-mode rig and the budget is too limited for an IC-7000, take a IC-706MkIIG. Don't touch the FT-897/FT-857, they are less fun to operate.
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SWDUNCAN
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 22, 2008 09:36
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solid radio
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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After wanting a 706MKIIG for many years, I finally bought one because I was afraid that with introduction of the IC-7000 the 706 might be discontinued. I'm very pleased so far.
My cons:
1)No VSWR display on VHF or UHF, silly IMO.
2)Purely subjective, for me the menu system is ponderous and make no logical sense, why is the NR and NB not on the same row? What's with "S", "G", and "M" rows? Why not just numbered rows and A, B, C buttons, like Yaesu does. I like their way of doing the menu, but again, this is subjective.
3)The price is too high compared to the Yaesu like radios, 857/897.
My Pros:
1)Large display.
2)Effective NR and NB.
3)Very respectable RX audio from the internal speaker.
4)Good TX audio from the stock mic.
5)Runs on less than 13.8 volts when portable without degrading the audio as some other radios will do.
6)Time tested radio with a good reputation.
Overall I'm very pleased and consider this along with my TS-520S and FT-817ND a definite keeper and don't regret the purchase. cheers.
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G4EDR
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 30, 2008 08:48
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Good performer
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is my 2nd MK2G. Got the first in 1999 as a standby HF rig and to use on 6/2 meters. Worked 29 countries and 95 grid squares on 6M just with a vertical from home QTH.
Started to use it portable but found it a little on the heavy side. So after 5 years sold it and got a FT-817. I missed the extra power, larger display and tuning knob and as I don't operate portable as much I decided to get another 706.
The new price here in UK has just dropped to less than half of what I paid in 1999. I wonder if this is a sign that Icom are about to dis-continue the 706? If so get one while you can!
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KC9KOW
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 1, 2008 21:18
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Testdrive Summary
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Upon a test drive of this rig used in harsh conditions, I was impressed! While hooked up to a 102 foot G5RV at more than a wavelength above ground and an antenna tuner, this radio performed great!
SWR was flat with maximum output power, and great audio and signal reports on all bands. This includes VHF and UHF. This is on my list for sure!
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