Hi; I have owned the Ft-736 R and the Ft-847, which I am using now. No matter which rig you decide to buy the most important thing is the antenna system. I use KLM,s with switchers and pre amps. I switch my pre amps off and on from the shack. My 847 has a pre amp built in too. Nothing is better than MAST MOUNTED PRE AMPS THOUGH. If my 847 goes bad I will replace it with another used 847. I also work a lot of HF too. I run barefoot on HF all the time. I also get through all the pile ups because I have a good antenna with gain. Through the years I have made over 15,000 satellite contacts alone. 73,s Jerry w0sat