I don't find the small control head to small for finding the right buttons.
I think it's very well laid out. The control head has a plate that the head
sets on and it is adjustable for the proper tilt. I really like the way you
can handle the menus and the RF adjustment on front panel is very easy,
just push the number 5 on the keypad button for one second and adjust the
function knob which announces where you have it set. My normal station is
a TenTec Omni six plus which I really like but the CW keying, Q S K works
excellent on the 480. My three cents worth. Ed K7UC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lloyd Rasmussen" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: TS-480 vs. IC-746 Pro
> Thank you for all of the input so far. By the time you add in a CW
> filter, a DC power supply (which I don't have) and a voice guidance
> board, and the discounts currently being offered for the 746 Pro
> (they can throw a PS-25 in), the prices come out almost even. My
> brother was at Dayton yesterday and looked at both radios. He wasn't
> impressed with the 480 at all, partly because the control head wasn't
> mounted to anything solid, and he thought the buttons were too small.
> I haven't seen either one yet, but the fact that they had to cram
> all of the 480's buttons into a space smaller than 3 by 7 inches
> concerns me a little. Do you find yourself making mistakes,
> activating one function when you wanted another? And the receiver on
> the 746 has an RF gain control, whereas the 480 relegates this to the
> menus, I think. I don't mind separating the control head from the
> radio; I can picture it directly behind my computer keyboard.
>
> I really don't care much about two-meter coverage, especially FM and
> PL tones; my concern is for HF, possibly 6-meter SSB and CW, full
> break-in, contesting, and lots of SWL-ing. I probably said before
> that I have a 50,000-watt AM station less than a mile from me, and
> some times and in certain directions the power-line noise can be
> dreadful around here. Theoretically, IF signal processing should
> work better than audio DSP, so the Icom would offer a wider selection
> of receive bandwidths in different modes. But if they are buried in
> menus, or if the band-stack register function is hard to figure out,
> it might be a problem. I'm an engineer, so I like to have lots of
> things to adjust. Do the menus in the Icom give you any indication
> when you have gone all the way around, or set to a default state, or
> something?
>
> Thank you for all your ideas. I don't want to keep this permathread
> going permanently, but as far as I'm concerned, ham radio is HF, and
> a good HF radio is basic to enjoyment of the hobby. I hope to make
> this choice, then stick with it for many years.
>
> 73
> Lloyd, W3IUU
>
> On Fri, 20 May 2005 20:28:02 -0700, Kevin Nathan wrote:
>
>>Hi Lloyd,
>>
>>I sold my 746 Pro in order to buy the 480. In my book, the two are almost
>>evenly match in terms of the CW receive. I can't think of anything the
>>746
>>Pro would do that the 480 will not. I feel the receiver is definitely as
>>good as the Icoms and much better than the TS-2000.
>>
>>In terms of chattiness, I like my 480. The one annoying thing the TS-2000
>>does is when you rotate through the memories, the thing says memory each
>>time y0ou move the dial. This can drive you nuts after a while. The 480
>>doesn't do that. It also announces all of the other functions including
>>the
>>PL tones for 6 meter repeaters and I find it an absolute joy to use.
>>
>>I hope that helps a little and very 73. Please write if I can help any
>>more.
>>
>>Kevin :)
>>Amateur Radio: K7RX
>>Navy Marine Corps MARS: NNN0SHS
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Lloyd Rasmussen" <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 20:14
>>Subject: TS-480 vs. IC-746 Pro
>>
>>
>>>I know that accessible HF radios is a permathread here on the
>>> Blind-Hams list. From looking at specs, it appears to me that the
>>> Icom IC746-Pro would be likely to be a better CW receiver, with more
>>> options for adjustment of IF bandwidth, etc. Have any of you
>>> compared it against a 480, either for receive or for ease of
>>> operation or control panel clutter? I understand that the 746 Pro
>>> can take a speech board and speaks little more than frequency and
>>> S-meter readings. Have you 480 users ever thought that your
>>> transceiver was too verbose? I'm frustrated because my local HRO
>>> store is over 30 miles from here, and they said they never stock
>>> their demo radios with accessory filters, voice boards, etc.
>>>
>>> I still don't know when I will actually buy something new, but it
>>> might be this year. My R4C really works, but I like general coverage
>>> SW listening, and the FS-4 frequency synthesizer is starting to
>>> become very flaky again.
>>>
>
> Some people think that the devil is in the details. Actually, God is in
> the details.
> Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, Maryland
> home: <http://lras.home.sprynet.com/>
> Work: <http://www.loc.gov/nls/z3986>
>
|
