[CQ-Contest] ICOM 775 vs ICOM 756 PRO 2 vs YAESU FT 1000 MP5

[David A. Pruett]

Bill,

Dayton 1995.  There I was, owner of two IC-765s which I was very pleased 
with, and wrestling with the exact same decision as you.  IC-775 or 
FT-1000D?  W8WD and I must have walked between the ICOM and Yaesu booths a 
half dozen times.

My decision was compounded by the fact that I harbored an active dislike 
for Yaesu radios.  I owned (and still own) a FT-107M (the WHITE radio) with 
which I won the 1984 ARRL ARRL DX CW from HR1DAP.  Still, every other Yaesu 
HF radio I used struck me as rather odd: FT-101s (any version), the FT-102 
and any model of the FT-7x7 family.  I harbored a secret fondness for the 
FT-ONE which I got to use at N5AU in the 1982 CQWW, but it still had its 
oddities and a huge price tag to boot.

I walked out of Dayton 1995 with a brand new FT-1000D.  In the seven years 
since I've acquired four more used ones ("Ya got a used FT-1000D for sale, 
call K8CC - he'll buy it" :-)).  Another FT-1000D is a long term guest in 
the shack, courtesy of a friend on assignment in DL-land.  This past 
January I bought a used FT-1000MP from AES to see if I was missing 
anything.  Multi-multis consume lots of radios...

When I sit down to single op, the FT-1000D is radio I get behind.  Compared 
to my IC-765s, its a much better SSB radio which is what I was looking to 
improve.  The SSB crystal filtering of that era (dual 2.7 KHz filters 
yielding a -6dB bandwidth of 2.4 KHz) was not narrow enough.  The IC-775 
struck me as a DSP wrapped around the back end of a IC-765.

I am a big fan of "simple to operate".  In this regard, the FT-1000D is 
better than the FT-1000MP, although I've gotten used to it by now.  The 
TS-950SDX IMO was the worst in this regard - lots of little knobs with 
medium gray legends which were difficult to read.

K6KM makes an excellent point - if you're going to do SO2R, you really need 
two radios of the same model.  I did 1991 SS with one IC-765 and one 
IC-761.  Same front panels, but different controls in different spots.  The 
same condition exists between the FT-1000MP and MKV/Field.

So there are a few data points to consider.  If all you can do is replace 
the blasted radio, I'd get another IC-775.  If you want simple to use, 
150W+ and competitive capabilities, I'd sell the IC-775 and get two FT-1000Ds.

FWIW

73,

Dave/K8CC



At 10:01 PM 8/22/02 -0400, Cqtestk4xs at aol.com wrote:
>Ah, the joys of living in Florida...another lightning hit.  It looks like the
>main xcvr, an Icom 775 is toast.  The other 775 was not in line so it looks
>like it is clean.
>
>Insurance will be buying a new transceiver and since the 775 is approximately
>the same price, if not more than the 756 Pro and the FT 1000MP5, it looks
>like decision time.  I loved the 775 and am tempted to get another.  The
>reliability and simplicity of use are great.  I have also heard very nice
>things about the 756 and the 1000.
>
>I am primarily a phone contester and like the fact that both the 775 and the
>1000 put out more than 100 watts which is handy for contests with the 150
>watt limit.  I do operate some CW and plan on doing more in the future but my
>main love is SSB contests.
>
>Some of the review posts suggest quality control is more of an issue with
>Yaesu than Icom.  More trips back to the shop, but some suggest the 1000 is
>the ultimate rig.
>
>My question is this:  knowing what my operating habits are, if you were in my
>shoes and price were no object, which of the three would you purchase and
>why.  Also which of the stock filters would you recomnmend. You can either
>send the suggestions and critiques to me or post them.  I am not trying to
>start a war of Icom vs Yaesu, only to get a feeling from the community about
>the pros and cons of each.  .This should be interesting.
>
>Thanks for the help.
>
>Bill K4XS
>
>
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