MORE on Radios - TS-2000 vs. IC-756proIII, also FT-2000
I was over at Universal Radio last night to pick up some things. I had to plan it for yesterday because I am taking off today for another backpacking trip in Southern Ohio through Sudnay. The drawback to going to Universal yesterday was that my last class ends at 4:18 - which puts me right in to rush hour traffic. I battled some stop and go traffic on my way in, maybe a half hour total.
I didn't intend on spending a whole lot of time in there as I needed to get back home. However, with the traffic on the way in I figured I would vegetate in there for an hour and a half or so. They ended up being open until 7:00 that day anyway.
While I was there I took the time to play with the IC-756proIII some more. I compared it to the TS-2000 several months ago when I first started searching for other radios. I did a direct A/B comparison then and found the IC-756proIII to not be too spectacular over the TS-2000, though its been long enough that I couldn't remember what all I did with the DSP on the pro.
So I took the time to really sit down with the rig yesterday. I varied the filter widths and adjusted the skirts with the Twin Passband Tuning (a cool feature), as well as the shape (only sharp/soft selectable in the menu). I also played with the Digital Noise Reduction and CW pitch (which is basically a whole passband shift like RIT but it moves EVERYTHING - filter, frequency).
I tuned around 20 meters and found some weaker CW signals. Then I would synchronise both radios to the same pitch and switch the antenna between the two real quick. I found that I could tweak the IC-756proIII to pop the CW tone out of the noise better.
Usually it was the CW pitch control that did it. I closed down the 250hz filter with the twin PBT, centered it over the signal, and rolled the pitch control until the frequency of the tone had the most cutting affect through the noise.
This control is very unusual for me. I have the ability to adjust my CW transmit tone (and it moves the received tone also, unfortunately) on my TS-2000 in 50hz steps from about 400hz to 1000hz. I usually use the VFO to adjust my received tone and keep my transmit tone around 600hz. For some reason I can't get the same frequency-popping affect. With the proIII it is almost like there is a point at which you hit a special harmonic that pushes the signal up over the noise better.
For those of you that are familiar with narrow filtering, you know that most of the time you tend to get ringing below 250-300hz, depending on the radio. The TS-2000 is a good example. Though you may be able to close the filter down to 50hz, the affect of that on the signal you are trying to hear is pretty bad. You go from having too much noise with a clean signal to very little noise and a "ringing" tone. The best way I can describe it is if you know what reverb is on an electric guitar amp. The affect makes it sound like you are playing in a hallway with a large amount of "echo" (it isn't the kind of record-and-play-back delay type echo, it is a ringing reverberation). Take this control and crank it all the way up and then play a few individual notes. They almost blend together.
The 756proIII was not immune to ringing, though it was better than the TS-2000.
Though the debate is still valid that I wasn't using the rig to it's full potential, I definitely spent some time with it and went over it with a fine-tooth comb as best as I could with my knowledge level and ability to figure out controls. My test was not a scientific test, but a sit-and-play session that had a real purpose for me - analyzing the two radios to see how they would compare with each other using different receiver paramaters.
My conclusion on the IC-756proIII is that, in my test, I was able to bring weaker CW signals out of the noise better than the TS-2000 within the operating environment I experienced.
While I was there I also took the chance to ask about the FT-2000 a bit more. I guess they don't have a very large market for this radio and it is sketchy when and if they will even have a new one in stock, let alone a used one in on trade. Getting a test-drive session is pretty much out of the question at this point in time. Maybe in the future that will change, but right now that's the way it is.
If you have an FT-2000 or FT-2000D, are between or near Central and Western Ohio, and wouldn't mind a sit-and-play session (like what I did comparing the IC-756proIII and TS-2000) let me know! I am really eager to see what this radio will do. It is one thing to look at specifications, reviews, and what not on the rig, but until I sit and hear what one will do with the controls avalible it will be impossible to get a real "feel" for the radio. I did get to spin the knobs at Dayton, but anyone that has been there can tell you that is not a great place to test-drive a rig - 20,000 people, a noise level inside that would rival a football game, and everyone bumping in to you wanting to shove their hands in on the radios also... I just want a real sit-and-play session where I can hear what the features do.
I didn't intend on spending a whole lot of time in there as I needed to get back home. However, with the traffic on the way in I figured I would vegetate in there for an hour and a half or so. They ended up being open until 7:00 that day anyway.
While I was there I took the time to play with the IC-756proIII some more. I compared it to the TS-2000 several months ago when I first started searching for other radios. I did a direct A/B comparison then and found the IC-756proIII to not be too spectacular over the TS-2000, though its been long enough that I couldn't remember what all I did with the DSP on the pro.
So I took the time to really sit down with the rig yesterday. I varied the filter widths and adjusted the skirts with the Twin Passband Tuning (a cool feature), as well as the shape (only sharp/soft selectable in the menu). I also played with the Digital Noise Reduction and CW pitch (which is basically a whole passband shift like RIT but it moves EVERYTHING - filter, frequency).
I tuned around 20 meters and found some weaker CW signals. Then I would synchronise both radios to the same pitch and switch the antenna between the two real quick. I found that I could tweak the IC-756proIII to pop the CW tone out of the noise better.
Usually it was the CW pitch control that did it. I closed down the 250hz filter with the twin PBT, centered it over the signal, and rolled the pitch control until the frequency of the tone had the most cutting affect through the noise.
This control is very unusual for me. I have the ability to adjust my CW transmit tone (and it moves the received tone also, unfortunately) on my TS-2000 in 50hz steps from about 400hz to 1000hz. I usually use the VFO to adjust my received tone and keep my transmit tone around 600hz. For some reason I can't get the same frequency-popping affect. With the proIII it is almost like there is a point at which you hit a special harmonic that pushes the signal up over the noise better.
For those of you that are familiar with narrow filtering, you know that most of the time you tend to get ringing below 250-300hz, depending on the radio. The TS-2000 is a good example. Though you may be able to close the filter down to 50hz, the affect of that on the signal you are trying to hear is pretty bad. You go from having too much noise with a clean signal to very little noise and a "ringing" tone. The best way I can describe it is if you know what reverb is on an electric guitar amp. The affect makes it sound like you are playing in a hallway with a large amount of "echo" (it isn't the kind of record-and-play-back delay type echo, it is a ringing reverberation). Take this control and crank it all the way up and then play a few individual notes. They almost blend together.
The 756proIII was not immune to ringing, though it was better than the TS-2000.
Though the debate is still valid that I wasn't using the rig to it's full potential, I definitely spent some time with it and went over it with a fine-tooth comb as best as I could with my knowledge level and ability to figure out controls. My test was not a scientific test, but a sit-and-play session that had a real purpose for me - analyzing the two radios to see how they would compare with each other using different receiver paramaters.
My conclusion on the IC-756proIII is that, in my test, I was able to bring weaker CW signals out of the noise better than the TS-2000 within the operating environment I experienced.
While I was there I also took the chance to ask about the FT-2000 a bit more. I guess they don't have a very large market for this radio and it is sketchy when and if they will even have a new one in stock, let alone a used one in on trade. Getting a test-drive session is pretty much out of the question at this point in time. Maybe in the future that will change, but right now that's the way it is.
If you have an FT-2000 or FT-2000D, are between or near Central and Western Ohio, and wouldn't mind a sit-and-play session (like what I did comparing the IC-756proIII and TS-2000) let me know! I am really eager to see what this radio will do. It is one thing to look at specifications, reviews, and what not on the rig, but until I sit and hear what one will do with the controls avalible it will be impossible to get a real "feel" for the radio. I did get to spin the knobs at Dayton, but anyone that has been there can tell you that is not a great place to test-drive a rig - 20,000 people, a noise level inside that would rival a football game, and everyone bumping in to you wanting to shove their hands in on the radios also... I just want a real sit-and-play session where I can hear what the features do.
posted by Steve at
9:21 AM
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