Hi Tim KU4J, and the group,
As you suggest that you will be primarily operating RTTY/PSK, with
occasional RTTY contesting, including CW, then I would have to suggest that
the IC756ProII is the one to go for!
If you were mainly operating CW, with some SSB, then I think the FT1 MK-F
would have the advantage.
I use the IC756Pro and there are distinct advantages to the Icom for RTTY
operation.
For me, these are the primary plusses:
No extra filters needed, and you can configure your own filter widths.
Built in RTTY twin-peak filters (when needed).
Bandscope is so useful for seeing where the signals are!
Apart from the RTTY Twin Peak filters, both other reasons are also very
useful for CW.
The bandscope is such a useful thing! In contests, you can easily "see"
those additional signals that are way up the band!
In a pile-up for that rare DXpedition, you can easily "see" where the bulk
of the split is operating from.
In many cases, you can also see where the DX is operating - eg, he may be
using one specific frequency despite saying "up 2 - 5", or you may be able
to see a pattern in his reponses.
One other major plus for me is that the IC756Pro will handle the full 100
watts output in RTTY mode, and stays quite cool. This is not so for the
FT1MK-F.
Being able to decide on your own filter widths is most useful! Personally, I
don't actually use the built-in twin peak filters as they only work with the
high tones (2125/2295) as I prefer the low tones (1275/1445).
However, (with either tone set), you can configure 3 different filter widths
for each mode.
For RTTY work, I have 1000Hz, 500Hz and 200Hz. For general listening around
the bands, 1000Hz is fine. For a QSO, I often switch down to 500Hz. In a
contest, I select 200Hz.
However, you can change this on the fly with the use of the passband tuning
knobs, and I will often go down as low as 150Hz. I know RTTY has a width of
170Hz, but with the filter shape, you can easily decode RTTY with 150Hz
filter shape. You can also shift the Rx slightly with this as well, if you
get a strong signal close by.
The FT1MK-F has fixed filters, and you have to buy them as extras, thus
increasing your expenditure by quite an amount!
When you listen to both VFO's, you are right that the audio is mixed, but
you can "fade" from one to the other, with a mix at the mid position. You
cannot split left and right. Personally, I don't use this anyway, and have
never really found a positive use for it.
You may also wish to consider which interface you are going to use, as this
may have a bearing on your final choice. I use a Rascal interface with my
Pro, and this works very well. Check back through the archives, as there
have been comments on some that don't appear to work that well with some of
the FT1000 models.
Lastly, if you find a 756Pro, rather than the ProII, it is still worth going
for, and should be that bit cheaper!
A friend of mine has the ProII, and there is very little to choose from in
day-to-day operation.
Like Ekki, I am biased towards the Icom, but I have used various Yaesu
radios previously.
73 for now
Phil GU0SUP
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