Hi Jeff!
With the TH-D74, you get new features for receive filters. For SSB, the high-cut value has possible options between 2.2 to 3.0 kHz. For CW bandwidth, it can be specified values between 0.3 and 2.0 kHz. On AM, the high-cut value can be between 3.0 and 7.5 kHz. This is, I think, the sort of filtering that the TH-F6A sorely lacked. Having this filtering makes the TH-D74's all-mode receiver work reasonably well, especially as an SSB receiver for satellite downlinks. I am comfortable with using my TH-D74A as an SSB receiver in place of one of my FT-817NDs or an SDR receiver.
The TH-D74 also has an audio recording function, when a microSD card is plugged into the radio. I used that to make recordings of different passes I worked (FM, SSB, packet), and also testing a Bluetooth headset with this radio. I posted those recordings in the "TH-D74A" folder at http://dropbox.wd9ewk.net/ . If you want to hear recordings from SSB satellites specifically, please let me know and I can get you those file names.
I think Kenwood missed the mark a bit with this radio, not designing it to have the cross-band full-duplex capability of the TH-D72 and TH-D7. Since the TH-D74A also operates on the 222 MHz band, it is possible that Kenwood's engineers based the TH-D74 on the design of the TH-F6A, but with lots of improvements and new features that weren't possible with the older radio.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK
On Sun, Dec 4, 2016 at 5:55 PM, Jeff kb2m@comcast.net wrote:
Does it still have the 6k something + wide SSB frontend like the 10+ year old TH-F6a? I read Patrick's post about it and I don't remember any Kenwood rep at Dayton say it would do full duplex. I think Kenwood really missed the boat on this one.
73 Jeff kb2m