While I'm on my soapbox, here's another thing that some
companies (NOT TenTec) are guilty of...misleading marketing hype:
"Announcing the IC-7800!
At the 2003 Hamvention ICOM America proudly introduced the IC-7800, a
legacy radio for Mr. Tokuzo Inoue, JA3FA.
Many asked why is this a Legacy Radio? Simply put +40 dBm TOI. This is
the specification of the Third Order Intercept point of the IC-7800. While
the IC-756PRO II and a couple of other new rigs boast a +25 dBm TOI, there
is nothing in the amateur radio world that can even come close to this
specification."
To put it kindly, this is unadulterated marketing hype, which will be
proven when ARRL tests both radios. Icom is focusing on ONE spec, TOI,
which is not qualified in terms of signal-spacing, sensitivity or dynamic
range. I believe the way they achieve +40 dBm TOI is using the Rhode-Schwarz
technique of automatically adding attenuation when signals of a certain level
are detected. Big deal, I can make the Orion's TOI +42 dBm by manually
switching in a 6 dB attenuator! But what happens to that noise-floor signal
I was trying to copy when I did that? It disappears! And BTW, I wonder
what Icom's TOI will be at 5 kHz spacings? Not very good I predict.
In fact, the PRO2 is nowhere near the $599 Elecraft K2 in
strong-signal
handling at 5 kHz spacing (per ARRL measurements cited previously), and I
seriously doubt the IC-$7800 will be either.
I was in marketing for part of my 30 year career at HP, and quite
frankly
this is what we used to call "specsmanship". It's a sad commentary on any
company which starts playing these games, I guess in desperation. Kudos
to TenTec and Elecraft for not participating in this nonsense. End of rant...
73, Bill W4ZV
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