On Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 5:26 PM, Simon (HB9DRV)simon@hb9drv.ch wrote:
Also I suggest that for satellite work a radio with such staggeringly good RX figures is overkill.
Simon Brown, HB9DRV www.ham-radio-deluxe.com
Thanks to all for this interesting discussion. There are a couple of points that haven't been noted yet.
I suppose if one used transverters intelligently, the duplex HF rigs could operate as a HF and satellite station, something like the TS-2000. However, it really does help to have multiple inputs all in one box. I see five connectors on the Icom; persumably the two N-connectors are for 1.2 and 435 MHz.
I note that the sign on the Icom says the 2m output is limited to 50w. Not a problem for satellite work, but might be an issue if someone wants to get their feet wet with EME. Perhaps more important for satellite operators is the *minimum* power of the transmitter on UHF and VHF. I find it annoying that the TS-2000 doesn't let me get below 5w, which is going to be quite a bit of power when I get my 11x11 2m antenna installed.
One thing I very much do like about the TS-2000 is the digital filters. The real cost of an Icom is considerably higher due to the cost of filters.
Finally, it appears this rig has a USB port. It really would make sense for manufacturers today to use the FTDI serial chip and avoid all the silliness with serial/usb converters not working properly with their protocols.
73, Bruce VE9QRP