You may be on the track here.  I do recall the mast mounted GAsFet now
and that really is a good way to go if possible.  If I had a decent
tower I might get back into that weak signal stuff.  I spent a lot of
time at other hams homes doing that stuff and really enjoyed my attempts
at moon bounce though never did make any contacts, other than my own
echoes which were s8 or so.  

That ham W7UBI (I think silent key or lapsed to say the least) developed
some home brew log periodic with about 19 DBI which were real workhorses
for the FM work I was doing at the time.  They however succumbed to a
microburst which is rare for my area and I also lost the tower as well.
Needless to say the wife has been adamant about no towers unless done to
milspec which put a real crimp in things.   


###
BRETT WINCHESTER
[log in to unmask] 
208-639-8386
###


-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lou Kline
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 6:06 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Antenna switches.

Hi Brett.

I can fill in some of the blanks here.  The Icom IC271 and 471 series
radios used the EX310 voice synthesizer which is extremely difficult to
find.  I ended up dumping my Icom radios because they were just
impossible to find and it turned out that buying a used Kenwood TS790A
and a VS2 voice synthesizer was the path of least resistance.  Other
than the fact that there isn't accessible documentation anywhere for the
'790, it is a pretty good radio--actually a bit more sensitive than the
Icom 271H.  I never did a comparison on the UHF side before I sent the
Icoms down the road.

The Icom 271 had an optional AG20 GaAsFet preamp, and I think there was
another one available.  One could be installed in the radio, the other
was a mast mount preamp.  Unfortunately, I had neither, but the Icom
271H was at least as sensitive as the Kenwood TS711A (I had one of those
too) and a bit more sensitive than my old Icom IC290A.

Mutek Ltd made a replacement receiver front end board for the IC271
series radios which really brought the performance of the receiver in
that radio up to a world class radio.  Perhaps the one that you heard
had one of those Mutek frontends as they were quite popular with weak
signal VHF enthusiasts.

73, de Lou K2LKK



At 04:21 PM 10/4/2007 -0600, you wrote:
>You are right but I too forget the model number.  Wish I had a pair or 
>better yet the Icom of that era.  The receivers were reputedly  (by 
>those in my area working weak signal satellite or moonbounce)better on 
>the Icom but I forget if the 271 471 had speech.  I do think that they 
>had a GasFet preamp option which explains the receiver difference. =20
>
>
>###
>BRETT WINCHESTER
>[log in to unmask]
>208-639-8386
>###
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: For blind ham radio operators
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Miller
>Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 2:39 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Antenna switches.
>
>I think there was a 6 meter version of that too but good luck finding 
>one.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Dave Marthouse" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 4:18 PM
>Subject: Re: Antenna switches.
>
>
> > The 711 is a two meter all mode rig.  Make sure the radio has the
>speech
> > board and the pl board.  I had one and its companion the 811 for
432.
>The
> > radios worked very well and were real workhorses.
> >
> > Dave Marthouse N2AAM
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----=20
> > From: "Chris Schulte" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 4:12 PM
>
>
>
>--
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.1/1050 - Release Date: 
>10/4/2007
>5:03 PM

Louis Kim Kline
A.R.S. K2LKK
Home e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Work e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Work Telephone:  (585) 697-5740