opinions please 1 more time

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ridgescan

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going in to HRO Friday...the Sattelit750 is STILL on backorder so meantime I have been eying the Icom IC-R75. Been studying old reviews on it. Anybody here with some knowledge on this one? Here's the thing-I will spend up to $800.00 so if the Grundig is a no-show, what would you recommend that has full coverage, SSB and a good S-meter even? Thanks!:)
 

KC0QNB

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Send a pm to Ernie, Shortwavewave, he seems to really like his R75, and won't hurt to watch his video on his guardrail antenna it is here.
 

mancow

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For that price why not go with a Yaesu FT-897D?

It's not that much more and good used ones can be found sub $700 on ebay. That way you get everything from AM Broadcast to about 480 Mhz with transmit capability too. It's like having a communications receiver coupled with a transmitter.
 

prcguy

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I would hate to see someone pay full price for an R-75 when they show up used for about half what HRO gets. For $800 new you can get one of several mid class 100w HF transceivers that may have a receiver that rivals the R-75. Some of these transceivers will also have VHF, UHF and air band coverage.
prcguy
 

Shortwavewave

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Well up to $800 the R75 or Ft857 would be your best bet, if you want smaller in size the Ft817 is a great rx for its size.

The palstar r30 is a nice one too, not as meny bells and whisles but it actully preforms better on MW than most radios, including the R75.

pcrguy is right, the R75 is good, but its not the best, and for $1200 you can actully get some top of the line Rcvrs.

The grundig750 will be a nice all around radio. it cant be any worse than the E5 and the E5 has had nice reviews, and actully stays in the race with the E1.

Either if you get a new, or used R75 you wont be sorry, its a rugged rcvr, that will be around for me "time wise" a long time. Its already lasted in 110degree weather
and 0 degress, while it was snowing.

The internal speaker is less than great, but with an extrenal speaker, its HIFI, Ive actully blown a Bose speaker with it.

Most R75s come with the DSP, its a nice tool, but I dont need it ....
TIP: If you take the DSP completely out, and use a 12volt car battery the R75,with the backlight set to about 1 or 2, it will actully last 4 days and 5hrs(ive actully time/tested this) and you might could get more with a bigger 12volt battery because the one I use was made for a dinky car.
 
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Bill_White

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The real cost of a new, loaded, Icom IC-R75:
IC-R75…………………………………………………….599.95
CR-282 High Stability Oscillator………………..….139.95
FL-222 SSB Narrow 1.8 kHz Filter 455 kHz IF…199.95
FL-223 SSB Narrow 1.9 kHz Filter 9 MHz IF…… 89.95
MB-23 Carry handle…………………………………… 12.95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL……………………………………..……………1042.75

I’m with the pcrguy on this one…
The NEW IC-7200 with IF DSP will cost about the same as a loaded R75:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0026.html
And the Yaesu FT-450, which also has IF DSP, is a little less yet:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0450.html
I have also seen used IC-746PRO’s in the $1000.00 price range:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0074.html
 

ridgescan

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Wonderful facts and opinions, guys-thank you! As far as getting the Yaesu 450-then I'm gonna want to pursue a license settin there staring at that mic hole:D I fully understand about the add-on filters and the antidrift-I'm probably going to wind up with about 10 different units on the counter at HRO and a crash course on each one. However, just the 'look' of that R-75 as Ernie worked it in his vehicle-it looked like a friendly and durable companion for sure:) Well, tomorrow I either come home with something along that line, or I hold out for the arrival of that damm elusive Grundig! Either way guys I do appreciate the generous food for thought here that will be re-read repeatedly. Ernie-I do have an odd question about the 'guardrail' as an aereal: theoretically, did your unit actually utilize that entire strip of metal?..or was your reciever energy (however many microvolts that is) "absorbed" actually by a portion of that rail? I always wondered about that phenominon. Like maybe if you utilized some sort of powered antenna booster you may then have been using the whole thing. I just think that something that dense and massive would actually be 'resistant' to a point?
 

prcguy

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Personally, I think Icom missed the boat on the new IC-7200. I am a military radio collector and HF pack nutcase and to me and all the other HF pack persons, the 7200 is a gimmick to look like a rugged military radio but it has nothing in common with a true militarized radio. Portable operations also require low current consumption, especially on receive and the 7200 is a power hog. I hear its based on the IC-7000, which gets poor marks in receiver performance. See Bob Sherwood's testing of the 7000 (http://www.sherweng.com/table.html), the R-75 is up higher on the list when considering top end receiver specs. I have also talked to many hams that "upgraded" from an IC-706MKIIG to the 7000 and were so disappointed in the receiver they went back to a 706MKIIG.
prcguy
The real cost of a new, loaded, Icom IC-R75:
IC-R75…………………………………………………….599.95
CR-282 High Stability Oscillator………………..….139.95
FL-222 SSB Narrow 1.8 kHz Filter 455 kHz IF…199.95
FL-223 SSB Narrow 1.9 kHz Filter 9 MHz IF…… 89.95
MB-23 Carry handle…………………………………… 12.95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL……………………………………..……………1042.75

I’m with the pcrguy on this one…
The NEW IC-7200 with IF DSP will cost about the same as a loaded R75:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0026.html
And the Yaesu FT-450, which also has IF DSP, is a little less yet:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0450.html
I have also seen used IC-746PRO’s in the $1000.00 price range:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0074.html
 

ridgescan

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Hi guys:) picked up the Icom IC-R75 today-SWEET unit I am running it as we speak and am going back to it to orientate....thanks again for your help! 73s
 

ridgescan

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Well I can give some real testimony here-I heard 'voice of Turkey' in english for the first time in my life:D at 7.325khz 8-9:00pm Pacific! Fun stuff!! This thing can really pull stuff in.
 

iMONITOR

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Be advised the current production of Icom IC-R75 receivers no longer have sync detection. The source for parts dried up so Icom eliminated this feature permanently. Too bad they didn't reflect this shortcoming in their price. Instead they raised the price!

The new Palstar R30A for $670.00 is a good buy!
 

Zaratsu

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If you are looking at the caliber of radio that the R75 is in and higher, then why in the world would you even consider a Sat 750? They are apples and oranges. The Sat 750 is a nostalgia piece that happens to pick up SW. The Icom is a REAL HF reciever. They will both pick up Dr. Gene Scott, but only one can be used to pull in a distant signal from new zeeland out of the background noise and listen to japanese fishing trawlers or NATO aircraft coordinating refueling over the atlantic.

If you simply must have a Grundig, then get the Eton E1, or at the very least, get a "real" grundig from the German days.
 

ridgescan

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Well-like I said twice here, I got the R-75. No more thoughts of Grundig. My HF equipment has been a downed '54 SX-88, a '76 Patrolman, and a '59 Transoceanic. So as you can see, Dan, I needed an upgrade:) the 750 with the digital tuning and modern signal processing alone would have been better than what I have:D but YEAH!! Voice of Turkey!!!! Never heard THAT one till the R-75. I have been educated! True HF reciever for sure Dan. I'm looking forward to the discoveries. I just realized this R-75 was made in Osaka, Japan! That Grundig 750 is made in China..
 
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ridgescan

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That's fine with me:) I will continue having a ball with this radio. I actually thought it was transmitted from Viet Nam but I have quite a bit to learn. This thing still is a heck of alot better than my old radios. Thank you for the knowledge Bill:)
 

ridgescan

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Oh boy-in researching that it's looking like I got "Voice of Turkey" from that very same relay bill?? CRAP!!!!:D I'm glad you pointed this out to me-I hate being delusional. So how about Russia-Japan-China-Netherlands...am I achieving ANY true overseas hookups here???
 
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