Honestly, if I used my 706 more than 3 or 4 times a year at special event 
stations and vacation, I'd upgrade to the 7000, I just can't see the reason 
to when I only use it that much but for what you're doing it probably is the 
better choice. Not to mention when I got my 706, it was about $200 cheaper 
than it is now and the 7000 wasn't even thought of. I could probably sell my 
706 for what I paid for it if I tried but, it serves it's purpose for now.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 12:56 PM
Subject: Comparing Icoms


>I was going to buy the Icom 706 from Ham Radio Outlet here in Denver, along
> with a number of other things, antennas and the like, and so I talked with 
> a
> guy, faxed in my long list of add on CW filters, narrow SSB filters, voice
> card for the 706 and the like, and the guy at the store called me back to
> ask me some questions.  He told me that the 706 will only handle two 
> filters
> of your choice but the 7000 had all filters built in including the speech
> card.  Plus, if you go to the Icom America sight and read about both rigs,
> you will see that the 7000 is a far superior receiver with filtering up 
> the
> ying yang.  Furthermore, the 7000, purchased in the store at HRO, is 1300
> dollars.  The 706, with my extra filters, was going to cost me 1,350
> dollars.  Plus, Icom is giving a 50 dollar rebate on the HF radios right
> now.  So, I emailed John, who builds the QSYers, and he confirmed he could
> wire the QSYer keypad for the 7000 and strongly recommended I get the 7000
> instead.  The Digital Signal Processing, adjustable crystal filtering, not
> to mention the noise blanking capability, reads like a Star Wars movie.
> Anyhow, if you are going to spend 1300 dollars on a new radio, it is the
> better deal when you read all the filtering capability that is built in.
> Plus, I am a big shortwave listener, love hunting for beacons, love tuning
> the low wave bands below 500 KHz, and I have, my whole life, just about,
> been a big timer A M broadcast band listener for DX.  The 7000 is the CW
> operators dream beyond the imagination, but all
> that filtering for broadcast listening and shortwave listening is beyond
> anything I can imagine.  I never even looked at the IC 7000 because I
> figured it was one of those 7000 dollar radios, with that big model 
> number,
> or at least 2 grand, which I couldn't afford at the moment, but I'm glad
> this salesman told me, plus I've heard others talk about the 7000 on this
> list.  The DSP description alone blows me away and I already have that in 
> my
> Icom R75 receiver but have never felt it was worth bothering with after
> hours of trying it.  I hate learning new stuff, on the other hand, but 
> this
> will be worth it.  It took me long enough just getting used to using and
> tuning the R75 receiver but I also noticed the 7000 runs 35 watts on 70
> centimeters instead of 20 with the 706.  No, that isn't any big deal but 
> it
> is just one more improvement.  I like the recording ability, too, for
> contesting, calling CQ, or whatever you wish to record plus other incoming
> recording capability.  Anyhow, I just typed in a google search for the
> IC-7000 and found the full description, of course, on Icom America's site
> and the features list alone read like science fiction.  And to think I was
> in hog Heaven, as a novice 42 years ago, with a DX20 running 10 watts
> output, a 100 foot long wire and no tuner, and a BC 348 receiver with a 2
> KHz crystal filter that didn't filter anything out.  Just thought some of
> this might be of interest.  I'll report more once the antennas are on the
> tower, the amp is up and running, and the bands are opened, which could be
> 11 years from now the way things are going.  Besides, it may take me that
> long just to learn how to switch this radio on.  I hope I don't forget the
> code before I learn how to use the radio.
>
> Phil.
> K0NX