I just glanced over the new ARRL review of the IC-7800 to compare it to the
Orion II. Although they have improved on the 5 kHz blocking numbers, the
'up-conversion' scheme results in very little improvement in the 2 kHz numbers.
Comparing the reviews:
2 kHz Blocking Dynamic Range:
IC-7800=114/117 dB Orion II=139/136
2 kHz 3rd Order Dynamic Range:
IC-7800=86 dB Orion II=94 dB
The Orion II still has a 22 dB advantage in close-in blocking, and if we can
project some of Rob Sherwood's test data, the Orion II numbers are about the
same at 1 kHz, while we can assume that the IC-7800 continues to deteriorate.
I have noticed that DX pile-ups are often QSX "up 1" instead of "up 2" or even
"up 5", and in contesting, I often hear stations 'running' .3 to .5 kHz away
from each other. If the station you want to work is S-1 and the next up is
+40, the difference can be noticeable.
Not to take away that the IC-7800 numbers are still excellent and the radio has
a number of top features including its beautiful display, but I doubt it
performs better in a CW contest or pile-up than an Orion II or an Orion
'Classic'.
Ron N6IE
www.N6IE.com
(Formerly N6AHA)
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