[VHFcontesting] IC746 vs FT920 vs TS570SG

[Robert Cumming]

John

I had the chance to try all three of these radios at our club's field 
day operation one year and the only one whose front end didn't fold 
under the Field day environment was the IC 746.  The TS570 was 
useless on any band in a high RF environment. It simply desensed as 
soon as another station started transmitting.  The 920 was better 
(and heard better on 6M) but the 746 was the best overall.  I tried 
the TS570 on 6M on an AB switch against the 746 and the 570 was 
deaf.  there were stations in the noise that the 746 and 920 heard 
perfectly well.  This past year someone loaned us a TS 2000 and we 
went back to the 746 again.  If you can find one at a good price the 
original IC756 was a dynamite 6M radio and great on HF but its dsp 
isn't as good as the dsp on the newer ones in the 756 series.

For my home station I use the 756PRO for 6M and HF and the 746 as my 
b/u and also my "Digital" radio for 6M and 2M and a IC735 as the IF 
radio for 144, 222,432, 902 and 1296.  An old IC290H serves as the if 
for 2304, 3456 and 10368.

When I am on HF I leave the 746 on 6m on a M2 HO loop during E 
skip  season and haven't had a problem hearing openings while running 
1500 watts on HF.  The Loop is on another tower- away from the HF 
Beam (my 6M beam is mounted on the same mast as the Triband 
Beam).  At only 66" separation between the 6M7JHV and the KT34M2 I'd 
probably melt the front end of the 746 with 1500 watts but there 
isn't a problem with the loop about 50' away on the other tower.

IMHO the 920 is the most sensitive but the 746 is best overall and 
includes 2M.  The 570 is a very basic entry level radio with 6M added 
(like the IC 718).   I had a friend who traded in his TS520 for a TS 
570 and went back to AES and returned it for his old rig - he said 
there was no comparison on HF.

Just my $0.02 worth

VRY 73
Bob Cumming
W2BZY
QRV 160M-3CM (5760 next)
from EL98hr

  At 07:20 PM 3/5/2007, John Geiger wrote:
>All 3 of these radios came out around the same time
>for the same price, and seemed to be comparable
>models.  Has anyone had the chance to compare any of
>them to each other on HF and 6 meters?  How do they
>compare, and which is the best value?
>
>73s John W5TD
>
>
>
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