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IC-706MKIIG

Date: 2026-07-19

I'm starting to look like a fan of ICOM radios.

The IC-706 popped up locally, and I was captivated by its qualities. Though it was manufactured in 1999, this radio had never been powered up! It was just stored for all those years.

My primary attraction was CW capability in the VHF bands, since there are some folks in Utah promoting 2m CW. I'd like to participate. The rig is designed for mobile use with a detachable head. I will use it in the motorhome for portable ops. With the detachable head it will take up very little space on the dining table. Having VHF phone access to repeaters will be real plus. It's quite a nice little package!

Here's all the stats:

https://rigpix.com/icom/ic706mkiig.htm

I set it up in the shack last night and logged five contacts on 40 meters CW. Getting acquainted with it was straight-forward. Notably, it seems it has no internal antenna tuner. I have a MFJ-939i antenna tuner which should pair well with it. The equipment was manufactured in 1999, so it doesn't have a waterfall display, and setting up computer control will require some extra hardware. For POTA, I'm not concerned about that limitation.

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