Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?  (Read 876 times)

N9MXY

  • Member
  • Posts: 52
Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« on: March 11, 2020, 05:03:34 PM »

Given the amount of time I have to be on the radio these days I'm thinking about a HF-VHF base rig like the Icom 746.  I like a selective recv  and was wondering given the extra cost of roofing filters if the consensus is that a pro gives the best bang for the buck vs a non DSP with aftermarket roofing filters for that generation radio and if that answer still hold true today.

TIA
Logged

W0CKI

  • Member
  • Posts: 637
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2020, 05:35:50 PM »

I had a 746 back in the 90’s. I used it with an amp and HF beam along with a 2 meter beam. The receiver performed extremely well. Great selectivity and not at all subject to overload. When I moved I sold it. I wish I had kept it as my backup. It was also a good performer on 2 meter SSB. I never had a single problem with the rig. If you can find a great example grab it.
k
Logged

K6SDW

  • Posts: 527
    • HomeURL
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2020, 09:30:13 PM »

I had the 746Pro for many years and it was an excellent performer. However, it did show signs of the infamous screen problem that many 746's ICOM sold. Anyway, I sold it and bought Elecraft. So, my opinion is to buy a much newer rig, there's a ton of new rigs out there, if I were in the market to buy a new/used rig the ICOM 7300 would be my first choice. From the reviews I've read on the 7300, I'm guessing it would run circles around a used 746. Newer rigs should still be repairable for many years to come....maybe not so with 10+ year old radios

Gud luk and welcome to ham radio
Logged

N9MXY

  • Member
  • Posts: 52
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2020, 04:58:10 AM »

I currently have a 706MKII that I bought new at one QTH and a IC7000 at the other.  I like having HF and VHF in one rig but would lie to move up to a bigger box in the near future.  Is there any base radios newer than the 746 that go from 160-2M ?
Logged

AF5CC

  • Posts: 1664
    • HomeURL
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2020, 10:27:19 PM »

Yaesu FT991
Logged

K5LXP

  • Member
  • Posts: 6823
    • homeURL
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2020, 07:08:13 AM »

It depends a lot on how much you are willing to spend on a 746.  I've seen some pretty good bargains for these at hamfests and for a few hundred bucks they make a dandy backup or 2nd radio. 

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
Logged

VE3TMT

  • Member
  • Posts: 1176
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2020, 04:58:48 PM »

The backlight issue can be resolved very easily.
Logged

N9MXY

  • Member
  • Posts: 52
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2020, 12:56:46 AM »

Yaesu FT991
Thanks for the heads up on the yaesu, I'll do some digging on it!
Logged

N8FVJ

  • Member
  • Posts: 1270
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2020, 08:26:26 AM »

The Yaesu FT-991A is the better radio. Plus has 70cm band coverage.
Logged

NA4IT

  • Member
  • Posts: 363
    • HomeURL
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2020, 08:43:18 AM »

Well, I've had a Yaesu FT-840, a Yaesu FT-900AT, an Icom IC-706MKIIG, and a Yaesu FT-857D. And each one of them did fine. I did some tricks a tips, such as using external filters (the Radio Shack DSP 40 and the Heathkit HD-1418) and had a lot of fun operating.

To me, it has always been about the learning experience, instead of the appliance.
Logged

KA4ETV

  • Member
  • Posts: 84
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #10 on: April 10, 2020, 11:53:03 AM »

I still have my IC 746 purchased in the 90's and its seen very little use. Not because its a bad radio but more lack of time. Honestly just writing this I realized how long I've had it. I would give it a big thumbs up. The IC7300 effect has probably brought prices down as well. Of course there is no 2M on the IC7300. At the end of the day this is an excellent radio from the older tech of the 90's.
Logged

KX2T

  • Member
  • Posts: 1545
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #11 on: May 12, 2020, 07:33:08 AM »

If you really desire 160-2 meter radio the 746 Pro is hard to beat, the none pro was also a nice radio but by the time you end up finding or buying extra crystal filters that brings up the price of the none pro so with the Pro you have an unlimited arrangement of very good DSP filtering plus excellent noise reduction which was a big improvement over the none Prop radio. There were some with some transmitter issues but a call to Icom should give you what serial number batch in which they fixed that  issue.
As far as the radio it cover six and two meters as well as HF and both the transmitter and the receiver kick ass on the dumpy Kenwoods 2000 which may give higher VHF/UHF bands but that radio was like trying to place 10 pounds of crap in a 2 pound bag, it has the worst receiver and on transmit there are a few in my area which when they go on six meters they take 10 khz up  on SSB,  very poor IMD issues with that one. Maybe if your into ESSB that might be what some want at HF but 3Khz is all you really need with good SSB communications.
Yes on HF and six the 7300 is better but you end off leaving two meters off that radio plus its gonna be by rebate time around $900 were a decent 746Pro should run between $500 to $600 tops, yes there are some that want up towards $750 but basically they will not sell at those prices.
I have had two different 746Pro's one was bought back in 2006 and I sold it in 2010, then I came across another one in 2014 sold that one in 2018 with also a 7300 plus a Yaesu FTDX3000 plus some cash to buy the 7610, I am still kicking myself for selling that Pro, I should have kept that puppy  as a backup but have today a 7300 for that. Yes the 7300 RX side is hard to beat but the 746Pro was not bad.
Icom has since came out with there DC to light rigs like the 9700 but not everyone wants DC to light radio, if they added just 2 to an existing 7300 and maybe just a few more features that would be another killer radio but the Japanese Marketing doesn't think the way we do.
When I had my last Pro and the 7300 side by side the CW selectivity in the 7300 was better but the 746 was not bad at all, just that the 7300 was better, on SSB at times yes the 7300 was better but hear again the 746 did a good job but the DSP technology that the 746Pro had in it was very good for its day and a head of the curve for its time.
Logged

AF5CC

  • Posts: 1664
    • HomeURL
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #12 on: May 13, 2020, 07:36:15 PM »

The Icom 9100 can often be found on the used market as well, and it should be new enough that Icom still supports it.  It does allow for full duplex on the satellites, and somewhat dual receive, two things the FT991 doesn't do. 

JOhn AF5CC
Logged

KX2T

  • Member
  • Posts: 1545
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2020, 07:58:38 AM »

To answer the op's main question on selectivity there are two camps that are presented here, the either stock Icom crystal lattice filters or aftermarket ones will give good selectivity but this comes at a slight loss from anywhere between 6 to 10db of insertion loss depending on the number of poles and shape factor plus they are mainly solid up to about 60db down but after that they tend to go wide per say. In the DSP type filters that loss is nowhere near as bad plus the shape factors are much tighter and go out past 80db besides the continuous ability to change there shape to the incoming signal besides the fact that the twin PBT circuit becomes very effective. I used to love the older radio's that had multiple stages of crystal lattice filters but today modern DSP eats them alive with allot less signal loss. My call would be on the Pro.
Logged

N8FVJ

  • Member
  • Posts: 1270
Re: Standard Vs Pro best bang for buck?
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2020, 09:16:25 AM »

IMO, the more modern Yaesu FT-991 is a better transceiver and the DNR is excellent for bring signals out of the noise.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up