I still stand by my earlier assessment, based upon personal experience and accurate test data on the air and on the bench. ?Given previous claims that the 7K RX is weak on VHF/UHF, these weren't?casual tests and are repeatable over weeks of time.
The "local repeaters" are close to 100 miles away and the signals out of the coax are -120 to -123 dBm (0.22 - 0.15 uv), which is right at the specified 12 dB SINAD sensitivity of the 7K and TM- V71A. ?None of the radios are full quieting, but copyable. ?I could repeat the test using simplex, but not sure how a simplex signal at -123 dB differs from a repeater signal at -123 dB.
I work weak-signal SSB occasionally on 2M when the band is open. ?Signals that are below the noise floor of my analyzer (-132 dBm) are clear when band conditions are stable. ?For comparison, S1 is -105 dBm on 2M with the preamp ON. ?I live in a rural area and noise levels are low (if I power down a few things in the shop).
I suspect there is a reason that some ?(not sure how many?) claim the 7K is "deaf" on VHF/UHF. ?But it doesn't seem to be inherent in the design. ?One of my radios is circa 2006, the other 2010. ?Both have almost identical RX performance on all bands as delivered from the factory (except one is a little soft on 6M on the analyzer).
Without comparing a deaf radio to one that meets spec on an analyzer, I can't say much more. ?I spent about ten years of my career doing formal product evaluations of new computer system designs prior to release to manufacturing, so I try to be objective in my opinions and use accurate data whenever possible.
I still encourage you to have your radio tested on a calibrated analyzer. ?Usually one of the local repeater trustees or radio clubs can put you in touch with someone. ?Like I said in an earlier post, the only radios I've tested that didn't meet spec had obviously been damaged due to lightning, since there were multiple components that had to be replaced in the front end. ?They still received, but were down about 15-20+ dB on VHF & UHF. ?Many hams don't have surge suppressors and good grounding on their VHF/UHF base antennas and even fewer protect their mobile installations. ?A strike that is thousands of feet away can still generate enough EMF to weaken the FET's used in the front end. ?It punches through the gate dielectric enough to reduce the gain but not fry the part.
Steve, W3AHL
Steve W3AHL