The CQ worldwide CW contest this weekend gave me a lot of
time to practice tuning and filtering signals.  I've also gotten a
little more out of the manual and can memorize frequencies into
memory channels without sighted assistance.  Almost all the keys
on the front panel beep, or don't beep if you are in the wrong
mode setting or wrong menu setting, so that helps.  Some have
single beeps, double beeps when holding the button in for 1
second, and some have high and low beeps.  I have also
discovered, the main menu button, although it is multi purpose,
has short beeps and one slightly longer beep to indicate you are
at the top of the menu group or you are exiting the menu group.
Frankly, I have done a lot of guessing, after writing down all the
buttons on the front of the radio to use as a cheat sheet when I
forget, because some of the Icom 7000 transceiver is similar in
operating as the R75 or at least it has the same principles
involved.  Truthfully, the IC7000 is much more complicated than my
R75 receiver.  Just as I did back in the days learning DOS with my
first talking computer, I realized I wasn't going to learn much if
I didn't start thinking like a computer, in a manner of speaking,
and from then on, my learning curve rose quickly.  So it is with
these fancy radios when not everything speaks when you wished it
would.  I have learned how to tell what memory group I am in, for
example, by cycling the button and using Function Key F3 at the
bottom of the front panel because this F3 key, cycles you through
three different levels of filtering in each individual operating
and receiving mode.  The three levels range from 100 Hz to 2.9 MHz
when in the AM broadcast mode.  The other group settings have no
discernable effect upon Function Key F3 that I have noticed but it
does change filtering sounds from mid range filter, to very
narrow, to wide.  Then, once you realize which filter you have
selected, you can switch to the small protruding knob that clicks
as you turn it, and also its clicking skirt tuner behind the
protruding knob.  This is likewise a multi functional control from
RIT, to several other functions, and to change memory banks.
There are 5 memory banks that each can hold 100 memories which are
basically labeled A through E, or Alpha through echo but they
don't speak, and this protruding knob, with it's tuneable skirt,
also functions as a channel memory selector, and crystal filter
fine tuning down to about 12 HZ based upon signal strength.  The
total of three knobs on the front panel, including the large
tuning knob, are all multi purpose when used in various mode sets
and menu groups.  Yes, it is confusing but not after you have
played around as many hours as I have so far.  I got the radio
home November seventh, got the flue that night, and didn't pull
the equipment out of the boxes for probably three or four more
days due to the dumb flue I had.  since then, on the other hand, I
likely have spent well over 100 hours playing around just with the
receiver.  I do have the microphone hooked up so I can use the
buttons on the microphone to tune the band or switch to channel
memories and today I hooked up my MFJ CW keyboard, but not to the
radio, so I have not even attempted one contact yet.  Besides, the
antennas aren't up yet and I'm using my shortwave long wire to
receive.  Before transmitting, I want to know exactly what button
is what and how to change functions, or get out of any mistake I
make pushing the wrong key.  Using the Millennium QSYer keypad for
frequency entry, makes loading up memory channels a snap.  You
preset the radio into a memory mode, tune the protruding small
knob to a blank channel, type in the frequency using the Qsyer
keypad, make any other changes to filtering, band width, noise
blanking, pre amp on or off, etcetera, and press Function key F2
on the front panel until you hear a double beep and you are done.
If you want to jump back to where you were on another band, press
the number sign key on the QSYer keypad and you are back to that
VFO frequency and out of channel setting mode.  Of course, the
QSYer does many other things such as tell you, in slow CW, what
mode you are currently using.  It triggers the voice synthesizer
in the radio and reads out the signal strength, current VFO
frequency, and the mode you are in, switchs VFO A to B with one
touch, and you can jump to any preprogrammed channel.  That means,
if you are on 20 meters working sideband and want to sign off and
listen to Paul Harvey news, you hit zero and a number, if it is
programed from 1 to nine, or other wise, you hit one key on the
keypad of the QSYer, type in 10, for example, and everything
instantly changes to the radio station on the AM band you have
preprogrammed including filter settings, noise blankers, and
everything you set in that individual channel.  As you can guess,
this is true for all bands and all modes, including split
frequency settings for 2 meters and 70 centimeters.  I noticed the
RF gain knob beeped like the channel selector knob which also
doubles as the crystal tuner for fine filtering.  It also has a
rotating skirt behind it, which functions as the squelch control
and the like.  Wondering what the beep was for, figuring it was a
menu or something, and not being able to locate it well enough to
understand it in the PDF manual copy I have, I waited till my son
came over to look it up in the manual.  We sat down and started
looking things up.  Pushing the volume control protruding knob in
and hearing a beep, brings up 51 menu items on the display.  Wow!
We were trying to find the volume and speed of the speech of the
voice synthesizer.  We also found how to turn up the beeps at top
and bottom band edges and the beeps the buttons make.  It isn't a
lot louder but it helped.  In the sub menu, there are all types of
defaults you can set, including AGC settings and way more but I
doubt it would be worth trying to learn too much about it all but
you could make a cheat sheet and easily count over to what you
wish to change and make the changes as you desire.  This is quite
similar, for those using the V7A as I do, or I'm assuming the V71A
is likewise using typical menu structures.  I've read about menu
settings using the four front panel function keys.  Those four
keys control, on the fly, things like vox off and on, anti vox
settings, break in CW, full, semi, foot switch operation and the
like, AGC settings, side tone settings, recording incoming signals
or pre recording out going messages for calling CQ or contesting,
and multiple memory settings, including weight control, for the
built in electronic Keyer.  If you use one that is.  When I have
enough figured out to make it worth while, I'll record an MP3 file
to put on my website to talk a person through all this stuff.
Unless, of course, somebody beats me to it.  I hope somebody does,
too.  Over all, the radio, and its capability, is more fun than I
have experienced in ham radio in many years and I haven't even put
it on the air yet.

Phil.
K0NX