New Equipment Rumors?

I'm in the market for a new HF rig, would like it to also have 6/2/70cm the usual for todays rigs. I would also like it to be portable enough to grab and take with on a trip. And my wife (also a Ham) insists it must have a simpler menuing system than say the FT-897D has. But near as I can tell most of the rigs have been around for a while, I was wondering what's coming?

Has anyone heard any rumors from the Kenwood or Yaesu or Icom or any other for that matter on new equipment that might be just around the corner?

 

Icom is coming out with the ic-7200
http://www.universal-radio.com/CATALOG/hamhf/0026.html

Kenwood NO!

Yaesu they resealed at Dayton the VX-8R HT
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/0008.html

Best bet would be to go with something like the ft-857d or a ic-706mk2g.

Hope that helps,

KC9MAV

 

One vs. Another

Anyone care to give their opinions on the Yaesu 857d vs. 897d vs. IC-706MKIIG. Looks to me like they are all three in the running to become my next rig and maybe the IC-7000 but that seems so pretentious I'm not sure it will stand up to the treatment it would get.

 

Well basically the FT857d and the FT897D electrically are the same, have used both Icom 70611G and the FT857D.And both perform well in the shack and mobile but IMHO the FT857D has the edge over the Icom in performance and price.And very simple to use and set up the menus once set thats it don't need to touch them again.

 

I will admit that I'm highly biased, that said my money is on the 857d.
while the 897d is electricaly the same radio it isn't as flexible, it's much larger than the 857d,
the pricetag on the internal supply or batteries is very high for what your getting,
the 857d will switch to low power (alc limited to 20w) the same as the 897, and you can get twice the battery capacity for half the cash and still take up less space than the 897.
this isn't meant to slam the 897, wich for it's intended purpose is an excellent rig, that being picknick table/tailgate portable or dedicated in shack use.
the 857d is capable of filling those rolls allbeit not as pretty or substantial looking,
it has the advantage of small footprint wich lends itself to mobile/portable use,
ok so you have to pack a few sealed or gel cell batteries,
you still come in under weight/footprint of a loaded up 897.
the 897d takes up a little itty bitty chunk of your car, none of the other contestants come close.
it's small size also lends itself well to dedicated digital mode use, or ragchew/backup rig duty in the shack.
now throw in the fact that you can get an 857d with a filter or 2 and the mh-59 remote mic for the same or less than a base 706mkIIg and it's an easy choice.
as for the menu thing, all of these radio's are menu infested,
the 857/897 are fairly straight forward once you get over initial menu shock.
and despite the common gripe over commands burried in menu's, all of the most used features are in the first layer,
ie press func rotate select till what you want shows up, some of these features settings are 1 layer deeper but there easy to get to when your using that feature.

any way you slice it the 857d isn't a bad investment, it can serve enough rolls effectively that it will more than pay for itself, it's built like a tank, fits where no other 100w rig will, and much like a swiss army knife it does allot of things effectively at an affordable price, it's not going to compete with rigs more than double in price, or rigs missing 6m/vhf/uhf, it shouldn't be expected to

 

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to chime in on my question. My wife and I are both Hams and deciding isn't an easy thing. After all these reviews and other reviews we read, she is now wondering about the IC-7000 because a lot of the extras are already there. With the extras there would be no need to buy additional filters for example and we both think the display would be easier to read for long periods of time like during a Field Day event.

My original concern about the IC-7000 still stands, is the unit capable of being thrown around a little bit on camping trips and the like? You can look at the 897/857 units and see they are but can the 7000 take a licking and keep on ticking?

 

Neither the IC 706 or IC 7000 are as physically tough as the Yaesu rigs. Display size on the Yaesu rigs are small. I have a TS 480HX and it is a great HF/6M radio (no vhf-uhf) for mobile use---but it is mounted securely and not subject to "being tossed around".

 

Well certainly the IC-7000 is a fine radio with more bells and whistles,but performance wise very little in it if you compare the price difference,.Myself would invest the money saved in buying the FT 857D,in the most important part the antenna.I have used the FT857D extensively mobile and made around 7000 plus HF contacts.Yes the display might be small but all the information is there and can be easily read.And the FT857/897D can take all that you can give them in the field,mine has not missed a beat.IMHO the FT are a lot tougher than the IC 703 or 7000 and certainly a lot easier to use.But afraid the final choice must be yours,a all singing dancing rig.Or just plain Jane a tough little rig that does what you want just as good.And even taking account of the say SSB filter it would still be cheaper than the Icoms.And looking at the other side of the coin both the FT transceivers have been around now for a few years and well tested in the field with very little problems,but both the Icoms have had a few problems

 

Deciding between the ICOM 706MKIIg and either the Yaesu 897D or 857D is probably mostly personal preferences as to the way the menus work or the physical appearance of the rigs.

If I was only going to operate SSB phone on HF plus VHF phone modes, and I needed the absolute lowest price, and with the most flexibility, I would select the 857D.

If I wanted to include digital modes, and wanted the lowest possible price, I would select the 897D since it has the TCXO included in the price, which in effect makes it the same price as the 857D. I like the larger size for portable operation and heat sinking ability vs. the smaller units, but it is not as practical for mobile. I check out an 897 (not the D) during field day and did not like the readout as much as other rigs.

If cost was less of an issue, and I wanted to have maximum flexibility, mobile or portable, smallest form factor, TCXO included for digital modes, no CW filter or filters to buy and with many choices of bandwidth (also for digital modes and somewhat for phone), superb readability of the screen, and DSP at IF instead of at AF, I would select the 7000.

In fact, after my wife got a 7000 for her vehicle, primarily for HF phone, we purchased another one for my operating position so that we can experiment with 2 meter SSB.

As far as being strong and of well built construction, I would expect all the rigs to be similar. The screen on the 7000 provides a lot more information about filter bandwidths, modes, etc., and could be more easily scratched or damaged due to the size.

I was concerned about all the talk of the amount of menus and submenus but after using the rig for a few weeks have found that it is not near the problem that I imagined that it could be. There are several menu sections and you have to learn about the M (main one) the S (the Sub one) and with another control, the Q (Quick one). I don't know how the menuing system compares with the other rigs.

One real surprise was that the QSK keying is really quite good although there is a relay operating that makes it less desirable on HF. It appears that on VHF you have silent QSK. Not that you need it there

 

Your wife may not mind the 897 with computer control, such as with Ham Radio Deluxe.

Might be another option to explore. Course, for portable use that may be difficult. I have the 857 though, and though I don't use it on HF (mostly 6/2/440 SSB) I've found that most of the settings are set and forget.

But your mileage may vary of course

 

I have yet to be told that my signal is drifting in any digi mode beit psk rtty sstv cw jt65, none of them, while probably a nice whistle for a later date I can't see in any real world way outside of a lab a tcxo being required to run digi modes of any type, there are ancient tube rigs noted for there spectacular drift being used everyday for digi modes.
it all comes down to what will serve best for intended use and environment, many of the bells and whistle's will go largely unused while mobile or outside of a contest digging for points scenario.

here's a simple comparison, you can have 1 ic7000 with lots of bells and whistles.
Or you can have 2 857d for the same or less $$$ that work just as well in 95% of the listed uses, they fit where no other radio will, they are tried and true, and will fill 95% or more of your needs just as well at half the cost.
got money to burn, Icom will happily take it off your hands.
Want the most bang for your buck in a rock solid flexible package, minus the "status" symbol bragging rights, yaesu's got your workhorse...

 

Get an 817ND

You hear them you can work them
dont take 100 watts at all

 

For the money, and features, I would take a very hard, long, look at the Yaesu FT-450 or FT-950. As for future Kenwood HF gear, you'd be better off trying to buy a hundred pounds of chicken lips.

 

At leas one thing we do not half too worry about. Kenwood offering a new HF rig. Now that would be a rumor.

 

My 2 cents.....LOL!

Hi,

I've been a licensed ham for over 25 years, but a HAM all of my 60+ years, Hi Hi. I started out in the radio/electronics hobbyback in '58 at the age of 12. I got interested in BCB Dxing, then into short-wave, then listening to hams on the old, tube rigs. I would really prefer to operate an old boat anchor but I'd have to modify both the transmitter & receiver to fit the WARC bands, not an easy task.

The only Kenwood HT I ever owned was the 2400, a real, bad, battery-eater. Now, I have a pair of Kenwood Twins that I was given some years ago, but I've never set them up to operate.

Instead, I operate a Icom 706 MkII-G and have had good results with it, as much as I'm on-the-air. This will probably be the last rig I will ever own, besides what I now already have: Heathkit 2036, Heathkit SB-220 amp, Radio $haft HTX 10 and Radio $haft HTX100 & Kenwood "Twins".

Radios certainly aren't getting cheaper, but I enjoy what I have.

Respectfully,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ