| AA1ZO |
Rating:  |
2004-05-27 | |
| A Great Rig! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| This has to be the best radio I have ever owned. I have owned some really good ones, but nothing comes close to the Pro II. I have owned this for about a year. It hasn't given any trouble. The receiver is superb. I like AM mostly on 75 and 40 meters and this radio shines on AM. It has a nice mellow sound when mated with a good microphonium. The power supply that came with it is very efficient and performs very well. I really love the TFT display. I can set the band scope for 100khz wide in either direction. I can set the the radio to sit on 50.125 and with a glance I can tell if there is activity up and down on the band. The on screan menus are great as well. Once you have a radio with a TFT display, you will never go back to the more conventional display again. All in all this is a radio that reminds me that if I was to do it over again, I would in a heart beat. |
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| N4BAA |
Rating: |
2004-05-25 | |
| 3 DAYS AND OUT |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Just received my PRO II..and it is a great rig...except....that after the third day (20 QSOs 0r s0)...it quit transmitting!
Yep! Called Icom and they were not very sympathetic..said, "Send it in"!...MAN....
Good thing the ole TS-940SAT is still hmmming...
In reality..being an electronics Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy....I understand "trons" and what they are capable of....
Still think the rig is going to be just great!...but I happen to get the 1/1000 that has issues!!!
73's,
Jose - N4BAA/YI9BAA |
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| NK7J |
Rating: |
2004-04-06 | |
| Great radio but... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have only owned this radio about a week but I need to write this while it is fresh in my head.
I purchased this unit new From HRO and already have the orignal PRO. I decided to keep the PRO for just a bit so I can compare the two radios side by side.
I love my PRO, just thought I would try something else. So here is what I have found so far.
Audio quality on both radios are almost identical, both TX and RX.
The noise floor on the PRO2 seems to be slighlty (ever so slightly) better.
Weak signal work, now here is where I expected the PRO 2 to be a better radio. Much to my suprise it is not that much better with the DSP and RF Gain set the same. Now if you fiddle with the RF Gain some on the PRO 2 you can copy weak signals a little better. Yes they were both on the same antenna using a switch.
Crowded band conditions were not that easy to find to try out the PRO 2. About the best I could come up with is finding a weak signal right next to mister 1500 Watts talking to his buddy. The PRO 2 did show some improvments here but not a lot, at least not in my eye (or would that be ear).
I like the display a little better on the PRO 2 beings you can have a few more options on it.
To tell you the truth I cannot tell that much difference between the two radios, for me as a casual DXer and casual contester the PRO would do just as good a job.
I think the PRO 2 is worth the money for what you get but seeing what a used PRO goes for it would be hard to pass one up.
Great radio! Good Price. Cant really go wrong.
Jack NK7J |
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| ASTROHAM |
Rating: |
2004-03-11 | |
| A new standard |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Coming back to Ham Radio after being absent for several years (first licensed in 1981), I was faced with choosing from the big three, the FT-1000Mk5, TenTec Orion, and the 756Pro2. Other than the roughly $4000 price (with all the desireable extras) tag on the Orion, it is large and too heavy to be a candidate for my often portable operations. The FT-1000 was a performer equal to the Icom in most respects, but was still a large rig and the rig's esthetics and ergonomics were 15-20 years old, in my opinion. The 756Pro2 impressed me by being small enough to carry around, while having state-of-the-art performance. The color screen is a very progressive improvement and those who claim that it is only "impulse buyer window dressing" are missing the point. The color screen and spectrum display gives you the ability to actually "visualise" the band for signals and manage the receiver's characteristics at a glance, which can be priceless during contests. The receiver is impressive and I count no less than 16 controls that must be used to optimize the receiver (NB, NR, NR Level, DSP Shape, AF gain, RF gain, Filter width and PBT, two Pre-amp levels, three attenuator levels, Auto Notch, Manual Notch, and RIT). Thus, this receiver is not an "appliance" that gives warm audio automatically when the power switch is activited...it must be optimized for each situation. I found that this receiver can easily overload the DSP and create a raspy digital audio unless the RF gain and/or attentuators are brought into use. The signal-to-noise ratio can also be optimized by use of the attenuators, pre-amps, and other controls, and the best RX setting won't necessarily correspond to the max receiver gain, so don't be surprised if pulling a weak signal out of the mud involves use of an attenuator! The only improvement I would suggest to improve the receiver would be to add an audio DSP to complement the IF DSP. I use a GAP Hear-It speaker with my rig and there are situations where the audo DSP works better than the rig's IF DSP and vice-versa.
The IF filters are very good, but as usual, perform best on CW because the signal bandwidth is generally narrow. You can literally tighten the filter to rediculously-narrow widths and completely isolate a signal. On SSB, the receiver does well, and listens sharply only to what is there. However, given the abundance of over-modulated and over-powered lids on the bands these days, even the 756Pro2 can't remove splatter and excessive transmit bandwidth that are present on the listening frequency. So, as good as this rig might be, it still can't perform miracles.
As far as operating is concerned, the rig is quite intuitive to operate and can be functional without reading the manual. The manual is well-written and shows the way for use of the deeper features.
Since I am in an antenna-restricted housing development I purchased the AH-4 auto antenna tuner to match my 80-foot 22-guage random wire antenna. The 756Pro2/AH-4 pair works flawlessly on all bands.
So far, I am pleased with the product and would recommend it. 4/5 score for an outstanding rig, but the audio DSP is missing.
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|
| 9M2YP |
Rating: |
2004-03-10 | |
| Serial Number |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I recently imported a 756 Pro II from the States and I found that the quality made for the U.S. market is of very high quality compared with rigs made for the Asian market. It could be prejudice, but I noticed that the feel of the set is better than those bought locally. I have absolutely no trouble with the rig from day one. Before deciding to buy the rig from the States, I had fears of warranty repair, should there be any as I may have to return the rig to the States under very expensive transportation cost. But after a month of usage, I am getting a feel of confidence that the chances of failing would be low. It is a good set. The serial number though is 002414, much too low for a very popular rig. I just wonder if someone out there could comment on whether a serial number has any relationship with its date of manufacture. It just keeps bugging me that the set I got may be from some old stock and not manufactured recently, but otherwise it is working as it should be. |
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| KC5NMW |
Rating: |
2004-02-15 | |
| Poor Mans 7800 |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Simply put it is the best rig bar none for the money. I have owned 2 and I would put them up against any of the boat anchors out there. I have put it up against all three of the Big Boys 775DSP, 950 SDX and 1000D ( I own all three of these) and could find little or not enough difference to justify the difference in cost. Besides The others don't even have a 100k wide band scope to monitor the band with. Great audio and receive. Only wish it was as wide on TX as my 950SDX is. I plan on keeping mine. |
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| W9YP |
Rating: |
2004-02-13 | |
| High Performance Rig for High Performance Hams! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
The IC-756pro2 is a high-performance radio that will fill the requirements of the most demanding operator.
I've owned some of the best analog radios ever made and this rig's ability to pull weak signals out of the noise and mud is far superior to even the best analog transceivers.
If you can't hear 'em you can't work 'em. The IC-756pro2's receiver is second to none in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. In a real-world operating environment with an A/B test the pro2 clearly stands out as the best receiver.
The front end of the pro2 is much improved over the old 756 and 756pro in the sense that it provides the operator much greater signal isolating flexibility when copying weak signals with strong adjacent signals on the band. Also, extremely strong nearby signals don't desense the receiver front end. Even superb analog transeivers with the best filters can't provide the brick-wall selectivity that the pro2's advanced DSP filtering provides.
For DX and weak signal work, this radio can't be beat! |
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| WB9JOX |
Rating: |
2004-02-13 | |
| fantastic rig |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
All I can say is one heck of radio.Just imagine what the 7800 is going to be like.I cant wait.
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by WB9JOX on 2003-04-07
Hey I just want to say, the pro 2 is a excellent rig. Im just having a ball with it.Great recieve and tx audio just fanstatic.I own a few rigs, including markv, icom 746 and a few others.But its put the fun back in. So Icom keep up the great work. Ted wb9jox |
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| W6FYL |
Rating: |
2004-02-12 | |
| One of the Best HF Rigs Ever Made! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
After taking the IC-756PRO2 through nearly one year of heavy-duty use in the most demanding conditions, I have to report that this rig is absolutely, possitively one of the best HF radios ever manufactured. No doubt, the PRO2 will be remembered as one of the great radios in ham history.
What makes this rig so awesome is its superior DSP engineering. I have owned some of the best radios ever made, including the IC-781 and Yaesu FT-1000D, and because of this radio's superior DSP, it stands above the rest in nearly every important category.
The advanced DSP in this rig provides nearly unlimited flexibility in handling weak signals, especially when nearby strong signals are present. Unlimited filters, flexible filter shaping factors, advanced NB and NR that actually work without affecting the readability of the signal all contribute to this rigs amazing receiver performance. The third order intercept is more than respectable and the IMD along with blocking dynamic range are good numbers.
If you are looking for a superior rig with superior modern DSP functionality, this is your rig! I love it! |
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| ZL2ORA |
Rating: |
2004-01-08 | |
| Excellent rig |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I have been a ham for 45 years and just treated myself to the Pro 2. Attractive, easy to use work of art. Would not hesitate to recommend this unit. Had it shipped trans Pacific from Burghardt Radio and had it up and running in minutes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED |
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