Date
1 - 11 of 11
Icom 9700?
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Bruce Draper
With Dayton discounts sure to come in the next day or two, I’ve been wondering about the IC9700. In its short life, has it had a good reputation among the VHF/UHF gang?
I’m curious about something else... is there a good technical reason it doesn’t cover the 6-meter band? -Bruce AA5B |
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Alden Oyer
Hi Bruce and all, I’m at Hamvention and plan on purchasing a 9700 if I can find a good deal. If not, I’ll order it when I return home. Rumor is that it’s a good performer, but I haven’t discussed it’s performance with someone who has one. I’m attracted to the direct sampling receiver. I suspect it lacks 6 meters because that band is standard on HF rigs (IC-7300) these days. It’s marketing, not technical. By the way, Elecraft is rumored to be making a significant new product announcement this weekend (no further information). If true, I suspect information will be up on the website too. Cheers, Alden, AG5S On May 15, 2019, at 20:05, Bruce Draper <bruceaa5b@...> wrote:
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Scott K5TA
I have one. It’s only been here for 3 days, so I’m in no position to comment with authority. I’ve not had any exposure to the modern Icom line, (My old ‘706 is still in service, but bears little resemblance to the new stuff) so my experience with the ‘9700
so far is limited to climbing the learning curve regarding basic operations. Also, my only antenna at the moment is a 2m vertical on the roof, so that’s another limitation.
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Leaving the frequency coverage aside, I really like the look and feel. Maybe in another week I’ll know how to operate it competently.
There are some who have raised objections about frequency drift and lack of 9600-baud packet capability — read the 1-star review on DX Engineering’s site.
I am thinking seriously about doing some roving in VHF contests, and I really enjoy satellite operation, so I’m not too worried about those issues.
I got mine from GigaParts for $1,899 after a $200 AMSAT discount code. I contacted DX Engineering to see whether they would match the price, but they blew me off. Not a good business practice.
To be continued....
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I'd read up on the moon-net list about this one. The big themes have been that Icom completely missed the mark on the 10MHz input on back (used only to do manual calibrations), it drifts in digital modes, and is overall not suited for EME work. -Bob N3XKB On Wed, May 15, 2019 at 6:05 PM Bruce Draper <bruceaa5b@...> wrote: With Dayton discounts sure to come in the next day or two, I’ve been wondering about the IC9700. In its short life, has it had a good reputation among the VHF/UHF gang? |
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Alden Oyer
Thanks Bob, Maybe I’ll wait a while. 73 de Alden, AG5S On May 15, 2019, at 23:16, redarlington <rdarlington@...> wrote:
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Bruce Draper
For those of you willing to take the plunge, the price dropped to a little under $1900 today (DXE, GigaParts, etc.).
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On Thursday, May 16, 2019, Alden Oyer <atoyer@...> wrote:
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Bill
Good observation Bob. Freq stability and precision are pretty important, and easy to achieve. The technology took giant leaps during the development cycle of the 9700 and I wonder if Icom just got caught “out of step” on that issue. Should become an aftermarket opportunity for companies with shorter development spans.
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Still, it’s a good time to be a VHF’r. One thing to keep an eye on for those interested in emerging capabilities is Downeast Microwave’s multi band transverters. They’re leveraging frequency agile PLLs and other technology to achieve that. Check their website for new design notes outlining their efforts. Bill W7QQ On May 16, 2019, at 11:02 AM, Bruce Draper <bruceaa5b@...> wrote:
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Looks like 3rd parties are already working on a "fix" for the reflock deficiency: On Thu, May 16, 2019 at 11:20 AM Bill <bill4070@...> wrote:
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Also, this might be a better option. I have a feeling these guys "did it right" as it were. -Bob N3XKB On Thu, May 16, 2019 at 1:34 PM redarlington via Groups.Io <rdarlington=gmail.com@groups.io> wrote:
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Bill
Thanks for sharing that info Bob.
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On May 16, 2019, at 1:37 PM, redarlington <rdarlington@...> wrote:
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Michael Daly
Bruce I think I saw a price of $1699 Mike
From: nmvhf@groups.io [mailto:nmvhf@groups.io] On Behalf Of Alden Oyer
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2019 6:19 PM To: nmvhf@groups.io Subject: Re: [nmvhf] Icom 9700?
Hi Bruce and all,
I’m at Hamvention and plan on purchasing a 9700 if I can find a good deal. If not, I’ll order it when I return home. Rumor is that it’s a good performer, but I haven’t discussed it’s performance with someone who has one. I’m attracted to the direct sampling receiver.
I suspect it lacks 6 meters because that band is standard on HF rigs (IC-7300) these days. It’s marketing, not technical.
By the way, Elecraft is rumored to be making a significant new product announcement this weekend (no further information). If true, I suspect information will be up on the website too.
Cheers, Alden, AG5S
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