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Reviews For: ICOM IC-756

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

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Review Summary For : ICOM IC-756
Reviews: 71MSRP: 2799.00
Description:
160 thru 6 meters TX, Gen coverage RX, 100 W, SSB,CW, AM & FM
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00714.4
TI2CDA Rating: 2003-10-24
Display troubleshooting Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought it 6 months ago in Fl.It was working great untill i went back to Costa Rica.Horizontal blue lines started to appear,i heard that might be because of the humidity,i still don't have a solution for this synthom.I'll appreciate any information.
Besides this problem the radio is just GREAT.
Exellent audio,transmision,filtering i love the traditional S meter and the monitor is really helpful.
MANYRADIOS Rating: 2003-10-18
My favorite radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've tried many radios, and this is still my favorite. I replaced the useless 15kHz wide AM filter with a 6kHz filter, and now the radio has the perfect balance with a 6 or 9kHz filter choice, If you can find one of these on the used market, get one.
LU4DJC Rating: 2003-08-07
Display anomalies Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Creo que ya fue dicho casi todo en los comentarios anteriores. El equipo es muy bueno. Yo lo tengo desde hace 5 años y tuve los siguientes problemas:

1. Falla en el display ( lineas horizontales azules ) cuando en el ambiente sube la humedad por arriba de 70 % aprox. Con 60 % de humedad o menos no tiene defecto.

2. El scuelch en FM se abre con cualquier ruido, comparado con el IC 746. No es muy práctico en 6 metros FM.

Como receptor 10 puntos.
G0PGM Rating: 2003-07-31
Superb! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I read all the previous reviews on this radio before buying one second-hand and have to say I agree with all the superlatives and disagree with the '..this doesn't work too well' crowd. A superb radio, especially at today's prices, it cannot be beaten!
N1XXU Rating: 2003-05-16
Excellent Rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In 1998 When I upgraded to General Class I decided
to treat myself to a new HF Rig. I wanted one with
6 meters also and was torn between the 756 and the Yaesu 920. I went to the local ham store to check both out.Compared to the 756 the 920 felt like a cheap VCR! The controls on the Icom were of a much higher quality and the receiver I felt was far superb.I have used it for the past 5 yrs with no troubles or complaints.I was a little leary in those days of going from a "Traditional" display radio to the screen of the 756 .I didn't think that I would like it but now I'm very pleased at my decision.I see many people trying to dump their 920's online but not many 756 owners want to part with this gem. 73
SV9DRU Rating: 2003-01-29
Noisy receiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Had I not owned a 756 myself, I would really be tempted to assume that it is a dream radio to operate... Maybe its test performance numbers are excellent, and much better than for example the 746’s, but real world experience reveals a receiver very tiring to listen to due to the constant high frequency noise present in all bands. Is it due to unecessary high sensitivity? Is it due to poor AF section design? I do not really know, but shortly after buying it new in summer of '97, I returned it to HRO, exchanging it with an FT 920.…
Poor judgment ? maybe, but the 920 was for sure a much better receiver to listen to. Not as selective as the 756 was, but at least I did not have to buy an external DSP unit to make it tolerable. By the way, the DSP in the 756 was not impressive at all since it would suppress this annoying background noise somewhat but with introduction of considerable AF signal distortion. On the contrary the DSP in the 920 worked wonders in making my life easier when listening to the radio for extended time periods.

Sometimes I wish I still had my FT920, but I would never considering go back to the 756...

Just my $0.2 cent of opinion not as an advanced electrical engineer, but as a radio user relying on my own ears for the above comparisons and recommendations.

73,
Marinos, sv9dru
N6SMR Rating: 2003-01-28
Good Rig Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.

Ive owned both the 756 and now the 756PROII and the ProII is overall a better rig. Excluding any lab test reports, my real world comparison tells me that while both are GREAT receivers, the ProII seems to handle extremely strong signals better than my 756 did and with what seems like unlimited filtering adjustments, the ProII is just an absolute pleasure to operate. The NB on the Pro II works WAY better than the 756 and is fully adjustable. The scope now is much more sensitive to weaker signals as well...Not to mention the gorgeous color screen on the ProII. The newly redefined DSP on the Pro II is the absolute best ive ever heard!
Do i recommend the 756... you bet. At the used price range that these are going for, no other rig comes close $ for $. In my opinion, the IC756 was one of the boldest radios to come out in a long time. BTW, it really doesnt matter if you get an early 756 or the last run of 756 Icoms because they were solid from day one!
AC5XP Rating: 2003-01-28
Beter than the PRO and PROII Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Icom IC-756 (original model)
By L.J. d’Hont AC5XP

Well, I’ll try to not go into my usual long-windedness on this one. I don’t really have to; this radio is in one word: Phenomenal.
I decided to spend the remainder of my end-of-year bonus and buy the IC-756, in used-condition of course as the radio is not produced any more. But I did not regret it.

For those of you who keep track of the QST test reports, you might have noticed that this radio holds second place of best receiver characteristics ever tested there, right behind the IC-775. The IC-756 is actually better than the IC-781, which it replaced.

Icom won’t tell you, but the latter models of the 756 (PRO and PROII) are basically cost-reduced versions of the original 756. The latter was too expensive to produce. Accordingly, the PRO and PROII have considerably less-good receiver characteristics, just compare the QST reports!

I have always liked the light blue and soft purple LCD screen of the original 756. It’s successors color screens look too much like a cheap consumer product, and the resolution of these color screens might actually be less high than the original 756.
The original IC-756 uses an IF DSP at about 15 kHz, where all modulation and demodulation is done. This means the sideband generation and demodulation also is done in the digital domain. This is where a DSP really shines. DSP today is still is too immature for IF filtering with high enough dynamic range. So the 756 uses good old crystal filters for this instead, which results in its excellent dynamic behavior. AGC pumping is not an issue with this concept

This radio also has the best "tuning feel" with its large, robust main dial of any radio I ever used. I also love the spectrum scope and the dual receiver concept.

You should take some time to have a look at the IC-756 schematics radio at http://hamradio.online.ru/sch_eng.html . Unbelievable that transceiver concepts like these were used for a ham radio. It beats any professional and military radio I have ever worked with (and those were MANY.) Like I said, in one word: phenomenal.

To summarize: the best radio you can buy on the used-market. And it beats ANYTHING available on the new-market today, with the exception of the IC-775. But for that latter one you got to shell out much more dough.

Let’s see if Icom’s new IC-785 will beat this one, when it issues!
SP1EK Rating: 2002-12-13
Great rig Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have IC 756 since year with two filters FL-232(350Hz CW/RTTY) for 9MHz and FL 222 (1.8kHz SSB)they help me when I start in contests and I think it`s really great rig for contest.Reciver is very sensitive and another plus is 50MHz.I love spectrum scope because I can find free space in contest to cq-ing and help me to find where are working stations.Howewer you can see station on Scope when signal is more than 5 on s-meter.I`d like exchange expirience with another users.
WB5TMD Rating: 2002-10-16
Great rig Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I own the 756 and 756PRO, I think I like the plain 756 better.I think the reciever is a bit better and quieter. nothing wrong with this one.for the price it is hard to beat.