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Reviews For: ICOM IC-746PRO

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

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Review Summary For : ICOM IC-746PRO
Reviews: 304MSRP: 1,870 (Street)
Description:
All mode HF+SIX+TWO base tranceiver, 32 bit if DSP, 100 watts all bands,digital if filter (51 types),SSB/CW Synchronous Tuning, Lots more....
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/hf/index.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
123044.1
AI4QT Rating: 2008-05-19
Not Happy Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
My Icom746pro had issues—fortunately, the radio was under warranty. My (new) Icom746 stopped transmitting less than three months upon its arrival to my QTH.

Icom had to replace the RF pre-driver and resistors on the PA board. I also had problems with the CI-V port on the radio. It stopped communicating with Ham Radio Deluxe.

The Icom 746pro should not have gone dead within three months. No one enjoys putting out 1400+ dollars for a radio that may fail in short order. AND-- I resent having to pay 50 bucks for shipping my radio to the Icom Service Center in Washington state. Icom should reimburse the shipping charges. I guess its customary for companies not to reimburse for shipping for warranty work.

I do have to say two positive things about Icom. I do have to commend Icom service for repairing my radio in a timely manor and their service reps were professional in addressing my issue.

However, my experience with the 746pro only allows me to give it a 3 out of 5 rating.
K1NW Rating: 2008-05-16
Five year report Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this radio seemingly forever - though I have also owned Yaesu (FT-767GX and 857D) and Kenwood (TS-570D) and used many others. I love my 746Pro! I did have the failed transmitter chip issue - which ICOM repaired for free three years after my purchase. Otherwise it is dependable, I get good audio reports almost daily, and it has a great receiver (I installed two INRAD filters). For a radio that cost me only $1,400 after the rebate, I think the ICOM 746Pro is a great deal. It is much more fun to use than either of the Yaesus or the Kenwood. I now have it driving an AL-811H, controlling my SteppIR yagi and hooked up to my computer as well. Fun!
KM5ON Rating: 2008-05-16
Dead transmitter Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It is with deep regrets that I cannot give this radio a 5. I have used it for psk31, cw, and ssb qso's and its performance was great for all modes. In my opinion the notch filter and pass band tuning capabilities is one of the best that I have used. The problem with reliability needs to be addressed though. I purchased this radio new at the end of January 2008 and by the end of April 2008 I experienced the dreaded dead transmitter issue. The radio is still in for repairs so I don't know the story behind the failure yet. I seldom operated the rig at full output and always tuned with minimal power. PSK31 operation was always at 25 watts or less, and most SSB operation was at 75 watts or less. The rig was well grounded and always used with good operating practices. In a nut shell, I really love the radio, but no one expects a new rig to fail for any reason after just 3 months of operation. If ICOM can solve the reliability issues with this rig it would certainly be the best rig for the money out there in my opinion.
73's to all........
N2FWR Rating: 2008-05-01
pre driver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchase a new IC-746PRO transceiver. To my surprise the vhf band did not have an auto-tuner. HF has auto tune protective circuit that will shut down the radio if the SWR is high. In my case many operators are experiencing the same difficulties with this on going problem. Why not have an additional auto tune section as well.
K1FU Rating: 2008-05-01
Back light for lcd problems Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's on the way to Washington, assistant service manager wants to look at it.

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Earlier 2-star review posted by K1FU on 2008-04-17

It's a fine little radio for the money but after the warranty runs out the money you spend for 1 flaw makes it a piece of crap. When they designed the backlight for lcd display they underated the regulator that drives the flouresent light. In the past two years I have had this repaired twice and its going back for the third time again. Get a good supply of flashlight batteries if you buy this radio.
KE4NU Rating: 2008-04-06
Great! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
After a year I'm please to say it works superb and hope to have it for a long time. I've had no problems with the rig and recommend it to anyone wanting to upgrade from a low end rig without having to spend a couple of grand.
KC2LYQ Rating: 2008-04-06
Perfect! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had the '746PRO now for 3 years, and I couldn't be more pleased. The RX is excellent, there is a great variety of filters (plus you can customize them yourself), and the signal from this thing can't be beat. I use a G5RV dipole up 20 feet, and I've QSO'ed stations from New Zealand to New Mexico. The menus are very simple to use, and it's very easy to learn how to use. Within the first day I was up and running. There are so many features packed it, it's impossible to discover them all. I am still learning about new features. The DSP is excellent, and really filters out the noise. You won't be disappointed with this as your base rig.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KC2LYQ on 2004-10-17

I purchased my IC-746PRO in May of 2004. It is a great rig!!! I absolutely would reccommend it to everyone looking for a transciever. It has all the features you need and the DSP is outstanding. Pulls in signals like a vaccum:-).
Great job ICOM!!!
AI4VR Rating: 2008-02-21
Excellent radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
It's not a "contester's dream", nor a "CW delight"; it is just a fine radio. If it were a car, it would be the one you would depend on to start on a cold winter's morning. If you want "cruise control", buy a different (more expensive) radio!

KG6WLV Rating: 2008-02-15
The 746 Pro and the TS-2000... some comparisons Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This rig has been a good solid performer for me. I use it for casual ragchewing on HF and run a Sidewinders on Two 2-meter sideband net with it. I also DX the AM band, listen to shortwave broadcasts and utility transmissions, etc.
No problems with the PA or display, yet. I bought it to supplement/replace a Kenwood TS-2000 that had a multitude of problems (THREE trips back to the repair facility.)
Here's what I like about the rig:
Much, much better receive performance than a TS-2000, both on ham bands and as a general coverage receiver. The TS-2000 is mediocre by comparison. DSP works pretty well, also. The quality of the receiver in this rig and its ability to function in large segments of the radio spectrum make it a must-buy if you want to listen to local public service FM/VHF, aeronautical VHF/HF, shortwave utility or broadcast transmissions and/or DX the AM Band, in addition to having a hot receiver and lots of noise reduction features to pull out weak ham signals. I found the TS-2000's receiver a real drag to use when I put it through its paces outside the ham bands, and nothing special within the ham bands when conditions were poor.
The 746 Pro has triple-band stacking registers and actual band switching push buttons. (The TS-2000 lacks both, believe it or not.)
Passband tuning works well, as does auto and manual notch. The noise blanker is fine, too.
Three AGC constants are selectable with a front panel button. The constants can be individually programmed for each mode.
Three selectivities are available on the front panel and these are also each user programmable.
The 746 Pro has a built-in ANTENNA ANALYZER that sweeps antennas and graphs the SWR curve on its display. This is a GREAT feature, and one long overdue on rigs. It's also a feature which Icom fails to mention in their brochure for the rig.
Decent ergonomics and feel to controls with the exception of the "stick" knobs, noted below.
100-Watts out on 2-meters, all modes except AM.
Tunable memories. Select a memory position and you can tune from it without any other extra fiddling around.
Nice receive audio both on ham bands and broadcasts.
I also like the variable tuning rate options.
The rig has easily selectable transmit bandwidths. Receive and transmit tone can also be customized.
What's bad about this radio:
Icom went to the trouble to stamp their logo on the top of the case, but neglects to mark back panel jacks, connectors, etc. Unless you label them yourself or have a very good memory, you have to refer to the manual contantly to make sure you've connected things correctly.
Taper on audio control and DSP potentiometers is poor at low settings. The change from low levels to higher ones is much too sudden.
Cheapo stick knobs for mic gain, RF output, CW pitch and keying speed. Icom installs much better retractable knobs on the 7800. I'm sure they wouldn't go broke phasing out these fragile controls on all their models.
Memory management is poor. All of the 100 memory positions are lumped together, unlike the ten groups of ten memory channels apiece that the TS-2000 has. Memory groups can be selected one at a time on the TS-2000, and individually labelled.
Does anyone know how to activate the alphanumeric labelling on the 746 Pro? I can label a memory channel, but cannot seem to get it to display when scrolling through the memories. The instruction manual gives no light on that. (See below.)
No backlighting on control panel or on any of the knobs or buttons, unlike the TS-2000.
TCVCO is available as an option, not standard. I had a buddy (thanks N6MDJ!) install mine for me, which would have been beyond my skills. This should not be an option but should come standard. Without it, plan on letting the rig run for a half-hour or so to get it to stabilize before you try something like 2-meter sideband or digital modes.
As someone else noted, the power supply fan is a bit loud, and it cycles on and off quite a bit. The leads on the PS are very short, so you can't get it away from the rig to reduce the noise. However, I think the PS is otherwise quite good, and it currently comes free with the rig.
I think the instruction manual is poorly written. Based on my experience with manuals from the "big three", Kenwood's are by far the best, and Yaesu and Icom both have a long way to go to match Kenwood's clarity, accuracy and inclusion of pertinent information. Even something as simple as programming a memory channel for repeater use can be a bit tricky with the 746, at least for me.
Given the differences in the features set and performance between the TS-2000 and the 746 Pro, I'll probably end up keeping them both and using the TS-2000 for satellite and repeater work, and as a backup for 2-meter sideband and HF work. I'll be using the 746 Pro for EVERYTHING else, and that's saying a lot.
N4CR Rating: 2008-02-07
What a great radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I work mostly digital modes and I find the IF based DSP to be extremely useful in eliminated adjacent signals in crowded conditions.

The IF DSP can resolve down to a 50 hz bandwidth which is just wider then a PSK-31 signal. And on top of that, the AGC works after the IF DSP, so those signals that were cut out by the DSP no longer pump the AGC.

Simply amazing. I'm not the tiniest bit sorry that I sold all my other radios to buy this one.