R.I.P. Icom R75?

[TailGator911]

I have had a total of 3 R75s over the years, 2 R71s, and now the R8600. Once I got the 8600, I chased the same freqs with the R75 and the 8600 on two different pairs of antennas at the same time - the PAR end-fed wire and the W6LVP Magnetic Loop - and, in my opinion based on several comparisons, the 8600 is by far the superior radio. It has everything I wish the R75 had, and then some. Not to knock the R75, I love them, and I'll most likely end up doing what I always do, buying another on eBay when I start to miss it and get those late night Sellers Remorse Blues.

 

[GB46]

I have had a total of 3 R75s over the years, 2 R71s, and now the R8600. Once I got the 8600, I chased the same freqs with the R75 and the 8600 on two different pairs of antennas at the same time - the PAR end-fed wire and the W6LVP Magnetic Loop - and, in my opinion based on several comparisons, the 8600 is by far the superior radio. It has everything I wish the R75 had, and then some. Not to knock the R75, I love them, and I'll most likely end up doing what I always do, buying another on eBay when I start to miss it and get those late night Sellers Remorse Blues.

The R8600 is bound to be superior to the R75 in some respects, especially in the wider frequency coverage and all those additional bells and whistles. But look at the price difference -- it's like comparing a Bentley with the old Ford Pinto that I used to own, which was hell on wheels!

 

[ridgescan]

The R8600 is bound to be superior to the R75 in some respects, especially in the wider frequency coverage and all those additional bells and whistles. But look at the price difference -- it's like comparing a Bentley with the old Ford Pinto that I used to own, which was hell on wheels!

My Dad had a '74 Pinto wagon-root beer brown with the fake wood grain slabs. I had to borrow that car for dates when I was in high school. I think that 2300cc 4cyl was only around 80HP but man was that little car reliable.

 

[ridgescan]

I have had a total of 3 R75s over the years, 2 R71s, and now the R8600. Once I got the 8600, I chased the same freqs with the R75 and the 8600 on two different pairs of antennas at the same time - the PAR end-fed wire and the W6LVP Magnetic Loop - and, in my opinion based on several comparisons, the 8600 is by far the superior radio. It has everything I wish the R75 had, and then some. Not to knock the R75, I love them, and I'll most likely end up doing what I always do, buying another on eBay when I start to miss it and get those late night Sellers Remorse Blues.

My R75 has always impressed me as a rig capable of tailoring and refining SW signals very well when I engage its filters, PBTs and work the RFgain. It has outstanding noise filters too. But the R8600 will take it up from there and make SW stuff even cleaner with its S-AM upper, lower or digital PLUS the extensive variable notch filters. I've done my due diligence comparing the two rigs many times and yeah, the R8600 is the Bentley, the R75 is the Crown Vic.

 

[GB46]

My Dad had a '74 Pinto wagon-root beer brown with the fake wood grain slabs. I had to borrow that car for dates when I was in high school. I think that 2300cc 4cyl was only around 80HP but man was that little car reliable.

Not mine, and it was not fun to drive, either. My left hip used to ache from holding down the Pinto's clutch pedal in heavy traffic, as the pedal was very tight and high above the floorboard. The car itself sounded more like a truck.

None of my radios have ever given me the hard times I got from my Pinto. It was a '72 4-speed coupe that I bought used in '79. The car seemed in good condition, and most of the problems I had with it didn't start until after a year or so.

Eventually the heater manifold came loose from beneath the dashboard so that there was no defrost; to keep the windows from fogging up in the winter I had to fasten a separate 12-volt fan on the back window with suction cups. During heavy rains the engine used to stall if I hit a large puddle. The differential had so much play in it that it would knock when I turned corners. The engine had a tendency to run on after the ignition was shut off, and in order to stop it I had to release the clutch with the car in gear and my foot on the brake. The radiator needed to be overhauled when the seam at the top opened up and started leaking.

In one case I was on my way to the airport to catch a flight for attending my mother's funeral. It was urgent, as I had been given very short notice. Well, the car broke down only a mile or so from home, and I would have missed the flight had I not called a taxi. That's where the comedy began, because in my rush to find a phone booth I accidentally locked myself out of the car with the luggage inside, so the cab driver had to unlock one of the doors with a coat hanger that he always kept handy. The car remained parked at the curb, because I had no time to deal with it, so it got towed away and had to be retrieved from the impound lot on my return.

Sorry about drifting off topic, but I got carried away by memories of that Pinto.

 

[GB46]

My R75 has always impressed me as a rig capable of tailoring and refining SW signals very well when I engage its filters, PBTs and work the RFgain. It has outstanding noise filters too. But the R8600 will take it up from there and make SW stuff even cleaner with its S-AM upper, lower or digital PLUS the extensive variable notch filters. I've done my due diligence comparing the two rigs many times and yeah, the R8600 is the Bentley, the R75 is the Crown Vic.

Ah! A Crown Vic, that's a little better! Or maybe a Mercury Grand Marquis, which is a bit more luxurious. Around here the Crown Vics are usually ex-police cruisers.

 

[WB9YBM]

Wiggle them enough and signals or power (or both) will drop out for sure when metal fatigue sets in.

Only if you imitate an orangutan instead of a tech!

 

[WB9YBM]

I'm surprised mic connectors don't break more often due to flexing (I wonder how much flexing even the high-flex rating cable will take?)

 

[GB46]

I'm surprised mic connectors don't break more often due to flexing (I wonder how much flexing even the high-flex rating cable will take?)

I had one break on me about a year ago. It was on the patch cord I use for feeding a radio's audio to the computer's mic input for digital decoding. The cable had hardly been used before that. The fault was due to insufficient strain relief on the connector. My current one looks a bit stronger, but time will tell.

I've seen plugs from AC adapters break as well. One shorted out and started smoking, so I cut off the plug and attached a new one. Those thin strands of wire are very hard to solder to. They're about as thin as a human hair, and there aren't enough of them in the cable for making a good connection.

 

[GB46]

GB46 said:
Wiggle them enough and signals or power (or both) will drop out for sure when metal fatigue sets in.

Only if you imitate an orangutan instead of a tech!

Which goes to show that if you can't imitate a tech, you shouldn't be "monkeying" around with those wires!

 

[WB9YBM]

I had one break on me about a year ago. It was on the patch cord I use for feeding a radio's audio to the computer's mic input for digital decoding. The cable had hardly been used before that. The fault was due to insufficient strain relief on the connector. My current one looks a bit stronger, but time will tell.

I've seen plugs from AC adapters break as well. One shorted out and started smoking, so I cut off the plug and attached a new one. Those thin strands of wire are very hard to solder to. They're about as thin as a human hair, and there aren't enough of them in the cable for making a good connection.

yup, all common problems--especially in the case of a mic cable getting caught in a slamming car door.