Larry.....I meant IC-M710......not "702" ...but...you probably realized
that. Mine is the "open" version. Despite it's faults (below) ..is one of
the finest out-of the-box HF rigs I've played with.

I should add one of the commercial computer controls to it.....navigating
the bands without this is a real pain....but can be done.

NO CW TX on that 802!??? Rubbish, Icom!

Yes, the HF spectrum has been in poor shape.....this too, will pass. The
digital stuff remains reliable, as do the various e-mail services, from
reports I've heard.

Take it easy! Joe
"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 13:16:06 -0400, "JAD"
wrote:

I like the flush install....looks like everything will remain easily
accessable from the top, too.

Yes, I agree.

How do you like the new Icom 802 from an operation standpoint? The VFOs
gotta be the biggest improvement (I have a 702.) How about rapid channel
access, the usability of the "pre-programmed" ITU channel banks and their
content?????

The VFO function is part of the channelized section, which actually
works great.

You need to "open up" the VFO function by pressing MODE + 2 + TX
buttons simultaneously, holding them down, while turning the unit on.
Once this is toggled on, you can press Rx button after selecting a
channel and the VFO function will start tuning from the channel
setting. Of course, this requires the operator to KNOW that his
marine ship license must NOT be used on any other frequency except the
channelized ITU channels.....unless he's a South American drug
kingpin, it seems. They operate all over the bands.

The left knob in VFO mode switches the digit you will be "tuning"
while the right knob in VFO mode switches the number. It's nearly
like having a commercial HF transceiver. Works very nice on all the
bands. It's unfortunate the programming wasn't included for the ham
band segments to automatically go to the proper sideband or mode as
you tune into them....USB on 20, 15, 10 and LSB on 160, 75, 40M, for
instance. AS the radio is only an SSB rig, that I can find, it's just
a receiver for FSK, CW, AM, etc...

I set up another 702 on my friend's ketch in New Zealand that
came with the Icom dealers standard "South Pacific" programming....and it
was nearly useless as it came. What a PIA trying to squeeze all of "the
good stuff" into the user channels from the panel..... How is the SOUND
QUALITY from the 802 speaker? (The 702s is phenominal compared to most
internal speakers in amateur gear!)

The 802 audio is "communications friendly". It's not Hi-Fi, and
shouldn't be. I'd say audio bandwidth is from 800 Hz to 3 Khz in SSB
positions, maybe 4Khz on AM with more bass for listening to
"shortwave" broadcasting.

Internal speakers in ham gear is made to sell EXTERNAL speakers that
match at Lexus prices....

I REALLY hope you sent your rant on those connectors to ICOM....they
need
some feedback on this. Marine electronics guys and RADIO MEN are very
often
different animals.........they should have gotten this right in the first
place.

Joe

Icom suffers from bean counteritis. Squeeze every dime out of every
radio, same as in ham rigs. The boater-buyers won't know any better,
unless their techs point these things out to them. The techs,
however, valuing their jobs, will keep quiet as their BOSS probably
sold 'em the radio in the first place.

We got ours with the M602 VHF from Sailnet. $1649 on sale, now. At
that price, it's a helluva deal.

I hope new HF-equipped boaters aren't too discouraged by current band
conditions. The HF bands are in TERRIBLE condition due to high K
indexes from lack of sunspots to charge up our ionosphere. 20 meters
(14.000-14.350) ham band was nearly dead by dark. 75 meters was
trashed early by static from huge thunderstorms across the SE USA.

It's a nice automated radio in the tradition of commercial FM or CB.
Channelization in its native channel-only mode will make it useful for
non-radio savvy users, once they know the rules and which channels are
guarded by which agency, ships, etc.

The 702 wasn't an option without the ham bands and VFO.....(c;

Larry W4CSC
HM S/V "Lionheart"
Charleston SC USA


Larry W4CSC

Isn't it becoming more practical by the day to make
Iraq's desert the new World Nuclear Waste Disposal Site?

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 06:07:00 -0400, "JAD"
wrote:

Larry.....I meant IC-M710......not "702" ...but...you probably realized
that. Mine is the "open" version. Despite it's faults (below) ..is one of
the finest out-of the-box HF rigs I've played with.

I should add one of the commercial computer controls to it.....navigating
the bands without this is a real pain....but can be done.

The M802 is as simple to operate as a CB rig. If you are in
Group-Channel mode, its default mode, the first 50 channels are the
most popular HF simplex channels on all the marine bands. You flip
through them and it's just like operating CB....totally channelized.
The first 500 (I think) channels are all user programmable preset
programmed for the most common from the factory. All these channels
can be the start of a band cruise on frequency mode. All you do is
press the RX button and it switched from where the channel is into
frequency mode, without changing the channel programs unless you force
it to change. Whoever thought this up was really smart. It will
allow my captain to use it, once we get him accustomed to which
channels are the call and working channels and CG channels like he had
to with VHF channels. All the ITU channel assignments are easily
selected by switching the GROUP knob to the band then the CHANNEL knob
to the ITU channel which are totally separate in ROM from the user
channels. It won't write over the preset ITU channels, I don't
think...

NO CW TX on that 802!??? Rubbish, Icom!

No AM, either.....only SSB and maybe FSK. The CW filter in it is
about 300 Hz wide.....nice CW receiver. I was copying a ship-shore
QSO on 8 Mhz last night and the dock walkers heard it through the
hatch. They all came down to watch, so I started writing it down so
they could see what's going on. My Morse is rusty, but I can still go
about 16-18wpm pretty fair. The ship station had boiler problems and
needed to have a valve made special. They were still underway but on
reduced oil burners making a cool spot in the boiler which isn't good
for mileage.

I supposed if you DID want to operate CW you could always plug your
code oscillator into the mic jack on SSB. I'd want to make sure the
tone was quite pure, but after listening to the ships that STILL chirp
like birds with their WW2 equipment, I don't think anyone would
complain.....(c;


Yes, the HF spectrum has been in poor shape.....this too, will pass. The
digital stuff remains reliable, as do the various e-mail services, from
reports I've heard.

Take it easy! Joe

Marine radio really needs to ditch SITOR for PSK31. I'll have PSK31
on board as soon as the buildout is complete and I have time to play.
The nav computer is a new Dell P4 notebook as powerful as a mainframe.
Winwarbler will be installed...(c; Has a great soundcard. It'll be
playing MP3s through Winamp into the boat stereo at the low end of the
installation priority list. Silly computer has 256MB of memory and a
60GB hard drive. I have the Archos Studio 20 portable hard drive-MP3
player. It had a 20GB drive that would store 800 CDs in MP3 format at
128Kbps, but I found a deal on a 60GB Hitachi notebook drive for it so
swapped it out. We won't need CDs aboard. I'll just bring the music
from home in the Archos and either play it directly through the boat's
stereo amp or let the Dell USB port play the music stored on the
archos with Winamp through the USB ports. I also use the Archos to
transport large software to the notebook permanently mounted on a
swingout arm.

The dock neighborhood has DSL broadband in a dockbox close to the
boat. 802.11b wireless didn't work well, even with the amplifiers.
Must be all the masts causing lots of loss or reflections. We
switched it out for Netgear's RP614 router plugged into Netgears great
powerline RF interconnect XE-102. Netgear has a transceiver built
into a wall brick you plug into any outlet in any boat in the marina.
The brick has an Ethernet port on it. Every AC outlet in every boat
now has broadband DSL at full speed through the Powerline router
system. What's really crazy is on HF the powerline noise of the
marina blocks a lot of HF freqs really bad. But this doesn't seem to
bother the powerline router system at all.....operating right on the
powerlines with the same HF bands!....2 to 42 Mhz!

Sure is nice to logon and get all the WX charts, forecasts, tides,
etc. before you leave the dock.....



Larry W4CSC

Isn't it becoming more practical by the day to make
Iraq's desert the new World Nuclear Waste Disposal Site?

Hi, I'm looking at my M802 manual and on page 51 it shows CW break-in
function which toggles transmit and receive with CW keying. The default
mode is full break-in. Acc pin 1 is labeled CW and FSK keying input. Page
12 describes how to connect keyer and mode of operation. Why are people
saying it won't transmit on CW?
"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 06:07:00 -0400, "JAD"
wrote:

Larry.....I meant IC-M710......not "702" ...but...you probably realized
that. Mine is the "open" version. Despite it's faults (below) ..is one
of
the finest out-of the-box HF rigs I've played with.

I should add one of the commercial computer controls to it.....navigating
the bands without this is a real pain....but can be done.

The M802 is as simple to operate as a CB rig. If you are in
Group-Channel mode, its default mode, the first 50 channels are the
most popular HF simplex channels on all the marine bands. You flip
through them and it's just like operating CB....totally channelized.
The first 500 (I think) channels are all user programmable preset
programmed for the most common from the factory. All these channels
can be the start of a band cruise on frequency mode. All you do is
press the RX button and it switched from where the channel is into
frequency mode, without changing the channel programs unless you force
it to change. Whoever thought this up was really smart. It will
allow my captain to use it, once we get him accustomed to which
channels are the call and working channels and CG channels like he had
to with VHF channels. All the ITU channel assignments are easily
selected by switching the GROUP knob to the band then the CHANNEL knob
to the ITU channel which are totally separate in ROM from the user
channels. It won't write over the preset ITU channels, I don't
think...

NO CW TX on that 802!??? Rubbish, Icom!

No AM, either.....only SSB and maybe FSK. The CW filter in it is
about 300 Hz wide.....nice CW receiver. I was copying a ship-shore
QSO on 8 Mhz last night and the dock walkers heard it through the
hatch. They all came down to watch, so I started writing it down so
they could see what's going on. My Morse is rusty, but I can still go
about 16-18wpm pretty fair. The ship station had boiler problems and
needed to have a valve made special. They were still underway but on
reduced oil burners making a cool spot in the boiler which isn't good
for mileage.

I supposed if you DID want to operate CW you could always plug your
code oscillator into the mic jack on SSB. I'd want to make sure the
tone was quite pure, but after listening to the ships that STILL chirp
like birds with their WW2 equipment, I don't think anyone would
complain.....(c;


Yes, the HF spectrum has been in poor shape.....this too, will pass. The
digital stuff remains reliable, as do the various e-mail services, from
reports I've heard.

Take it easy! Joe

Marine radio really needs to ditch SITOR for PSK31. I'll have PSK31
on board as soon as the buildout is complete and I have time to play.
The nav computer is a new Dell P4 notebook as powerful as a mainframe.
Winwarbler will be installed...(c; Has a great soundcard. It'll be
playing MP3s through Winamp into the boat stereo at the low end of the
installation priority list. Silly computer has 256MB of memory and a
60GB hard drive. I have the Archos Studio 20 portable hard drive-MP3
player. It had a 20GB drive that would store 800 CDs in MP3 format at
128Kbps, but I found a deal on a 60GB Hitachi notebook drive for it so
swapped it out. We won't need CDs aboard. I'll just bring the music
from home in the Archos and either play it directly through the boat's
stereo amp or let the Dell USB port play the music stored on the
archos with Winamp through the USB ports. I also use the Archos to
transport large software to the notebook permanently mounted on a
swingout arm.

The dock neighborhood has DSL broadband in a dockbox close to the
boat. 802.11b wireless didn't work well, even with the amplifiers.
Must be all the masts causing lots of loss or reflections. We
switched it out for Netgear's RP614 router plugged into Netgears great
powerline RF interconnect XE-102. Netgear has a transceiver built
into a wall brick you plug into any outlet in any boat in the marina.
The brick has an Ethernet port on it. Every AC outlet in every boat
now has broadband DSL at full speed through the Powerline router
system. What's really crazy is on HF the powerline noise of the
marina blocks a lot of HF freqs really bad. But this doesn't seem to
bother the powerline router system at all.....operating right on the
powerlines with the same HF bands!....2 to 42 Mhz!

Sure is nice to logon and get all the WX charts, forecasts, tides,
etc. before you leave the dock.....



Larry W4CSC

Isn't it becoming more practical by the day to make
Iraq's desert the new World Nuclear Waste Disposal Site?