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Reviews For: ICOM IC-756PRO2

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

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Review Summary For : ICOM IC-756PRO2
Reviews: 152MSRP: 2969.95 Street
Description:
HF+6m Transceiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://WWW.ICOMAMERICA.COM
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001524.5
PY1BR Rating: 2004-11-26
It´s a pleasure to have this rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Now that I own the IC756Pro2 for 2 years I would like to write a new review. I made some experiences with different speakers. I tried to get better audio output than the original Icom SP-20 speaker. After built a speaker that was very close to the SP-20, I stopped testing. One day, I friend of mine (a Ham) came to my shack and after few minutes he wanted to buy my home brewed speaker. I explained to him that right thing to do is to buy the IC-756Pro2 not the speaker. He said "It's too expensive." Some reviewers complained about the audio. Well, I tried some other rigs and I still think that the IC-756Pro2 will be probably worst than the Pro3, not the others. It’s a pleasure to have this rig. For DX or ragchewing. 73, PY1BR

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by PY1BR on 2001-10-29

I switched my PRO for a PROII a week ago. I used the PRO during 5 months. The PRO II improvements are really noticeble whenever you turn it on. I consider the original PRO outstanding, what should I say about the PRO II ? Outstanding plus plus?
There's no doubt: an Icom rig may be not the best of all for all Hams, but is the most advanced always. With the new improvements, probably the PRO II is very close to what a Ham needs as a gear today. I used the PRO II during the 2001 CQ WW and it was amazing the PRO II receiver performance.
Great product
W3AE Rating: 2004-11-25
outstanding radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have owned many HF rigs the pro2 has been the best so far. This radio is awesome and a joy to operate. The color bandscope is beautiful and a useful tool that I wouldn't want to be without. An outstanding receiver and transmitter, to me this radio leaves little to be desired.
The only items I would change:

1. Front panel CW jack seems unnecessary.
Space is crowded enough.

2. Adjustment control pots are very close
together and a little hard to see.
The pots appear to be PCB mounted and
not mechanically secure. Apparently not a
problem or reliability issue.

3. RTTY text on scope is too small. Those of
us with reading glasses are OK.

Overall, I love the pro2 and am pleased with my purchase. Congratulations, Icom on a nice job.
VK4KDD Rating: 2004-11-25
Bad audio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hi I have an IC756 proII for 2 years now.
I started off with the 756 and skipped the pro1.
I had the idea that all the bugs would be out by now. Unfortenately Icom produced a radio which is of bad quality considering the expensive price tag I paid for it.
It was advertised as the best of the best.
Any way if I listen 15 minutes to the audio my ears start to get tired because of the DSP sound.
The DSP is bad disigned since it produces a sort of high frequency noise of about 10Khz or so.
If I use the notch filter and adjust it manual, I get rid of the noise.
To get rid of the bad audio, Icom introduced 2 bandpass curves. A soft and a sharp filter.
The soft filter sounds better, but makes the filter narrower and I loose signal.
When compared with my TS850, the 756proII has a lot to learn.
Sensitivity: I really need to have the preamp no 2 switched on and that makes the IP3 of the radio bad. Again, the TS850 wins here easy.
Any body can make a radio with a high IP3 if they put an attenuator infront of the radio.
IP3 should be measured with all preamps on.

I have been loyal to ICOM for many years but I feel that I have been tricked by them.

Would I buy on other Icom ?
No, I would suggest they solve this problem first.

The least you could expect from a transceiver is decent audio where you could listen to me.

This case is not on its own.
My friend Hans PA1HR told me he had the same problem and sold its 756proII and he bought a second hand IC775.
Why don't they make any radios any more like that.

Lets get a way from these digital filters.
The best radios are made between 1990 and 2000.

Ron VK4KDD/VK6KDD

PS check out this site and compare:
http://dk9vz.com/rx.htm

Any solutions please email to
rmeiring@bigpond.net.au
PE2KW Rating: 2004-11-15
Excellent RIG ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For me it's an excellent radio! Very good reception, good audio quality for both TX and RX and easy / practical to use.

My ears are very critical for a good receiver and it is ! Compared also to a TS 950 SDX, the receiver from the PROII wins it easily.

Also the filter setup, and hard/soft filters are very usefull when listening to a far far away DX station when 1000 other calling together.

Comparde to the 756 the bandscope is much more optimized and very usefull. Especially for the rare conditions on 10 and 6 meters it is very usefull.

Only I suggest a good external loudspeaker (e.g. The SP-20) and you've got HIFI in the shack.


Nothing more than good remarks I can say : try it and when you tried you bought him allready :-)

73 de Raymond PE2KW


KK5DR Rating: 2004-10-17
It just keeps going! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My 756ProII is coming up on three years old in Apr.2005. During this time I have logged hundreds of hours on it, and never had a moments trouble.
It is by far the finest HF radio I have ever owned or used. I have owned at least 85 HF radios since I got into ham radio, and so far the ProII is the best yet.
I love this radio, and can't imagine getting rid of it. I'm going to keep it until ICOM service tells me it can't be serviced anymore. Then, I'll buy another ICOM, and repeat the cycle.
Stop by my web site for a more indepth review article; www.qsl.net/kk5dr
KG2FX Rating: 2004-10-16
Great Rig & Service Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have owned this rig for about 8 months.
After having it in the shack for 1 1/2 months it took an indirect lightning strike.
Can you say RF OVERLOAD!!!??
No transmit any band any mode..
Long story short sent it back to Icom & they repaired it at no charge.

I feed audio into it from the rear modulator input with A 31 Band Behringer EQ & Composer pro noise gate compressor.
Studio quality audio reports.

The band scope is top of the line in fact I use it to find stations when I switch to my FT-1000MKV.
: )

You can't go wrong with this radio... The only way it will come off the desk would be because I got the pro III...


KJ2T
JT
W2ISB Rating: 2004-08-01
Nice rig, some problems! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I'm on my 3rd Pro II. The first two had display failures... lines in the display and now my third one that's about a year old had a spurious transmit problem on 6 meters.

It didn't matter if the rig was transmitting into a resonant antenna or coxial dummy load. In either SSB position keying the rig at any power level setting would result in both the power and ALC meters pinning... the signal being generated wasn't on 6 meters!

I emailed ICOM Bellevue and they replied that they had no clue and to send the rig in for service. In scanning the net I found the mod, explanation and cure at www.mods.dk. My sincere thank to Kay, DF1AS for posting this 12-27-03.

In further cruising the net I found quite a few Pro II's with this problem... and ICOM knows nothing?!

Be careful out there.

Gerd, W2ISB

http://www.mods.dk/view.php?ArticleId=2905
W1TXT Rating: 2004-07-13
Nice Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As a Kenwood fan for over 25 years, I reluctantly purchased a 756 Pro II after my TS-2000 was destroyed by lightening. No TS-2000's were available, so I decided to purchase the ICOM. I have to say, I'm very pleased with the Pro II. I have another TS-B2000 and have done A/B tests between both radios. The Kenwood is a great general purpose radio and does many things. If you could only have one radio, it should be the TS-2000. However, if you want a HF+6M radio (only), the ICOM beats the TS-2000 series hands down with it's excellent receiver selectivity. Comparing sensitivity between both radios indicates they're about the same to my ear for weak signals.

Regards,
Tom / W1TXT
KC7NYI Rating: 2004-07-12
BEST OF THE 25 HF RADIOS I HAVE OWNED Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
GREAT RADIO>
W5RL Rating: 2004-05-29
Excellent Rig! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased my PRO2 over a year ago. Performance has been outstanding. Previously owned a new 756PRO which I loved, and upgraded to a PRO2. Like the PRO2 better. This is one rig I plan on keeping for a long time. I'm not an avid contester, but do more casual operating in my spare time. Before purchasing, I thought maybe the PRO's would have too many bells and whistles for me. I don't like complicated radios and layers of menus to run through. I like to keep it simple. The PRO2 feels simple. Operating the radio feels natural and comfortable. Supurb features without alot of complex menus. I especially like the built in off air voice recorder and of course the color bandscope. Such a useful tool, I wouldn't want to go back to another radio without it. I've never been a big fan of switching power supplies. My PRO2 is powered by an Astron RS35M workhorse supply. It just sits there quietly effortlessly delivering the amps with great metering to see what's going on. I'm very happy with my PRO2 and would not hesitate to recommend this radio. It's truly amazing how the state of the art in amateur radio has changed over the years. I was first licensed in 1965 and operated an all tube crystal controlled Heathkit DX-20 transmitter.
Seems like the dark ages of equipment, but like baseball and our hobby, the game is still about the same.