IC-7000 - Remote/Mic

I tested the microphone as a remote/keyboard today. It contains most of the functions one needs, including frequency input, mode change, filter change, up and down tuning and memory functions. The keypad has a rubberised feel and need a distinct pressure to make contact. It should work fine as a remote keypad but the spiral cord is rather thick (as is usual with this kind of equipment) and as long as the transmitter is not disabled I'm a bit worried about accidentally pushing the PTT switch. I have the RF power set to 0% and the mic gain to 0% but still 2 watts will escape the IC-7000 during transmit and that will not do a lot of good to the antenna and distributing equipment connected to it. On the other hand, tx is only possible on the ham bands, so why worry... Also, keying a new frequency is somewhat awkward. First, press a button named "F-inp/Ent" (probably short for "Frequency Input/Enter"), then the frequency including trailing zeros (100's and 10's Hz), then press "F-inp/Ent" again. So, keying 1470 requires 8 key presses.

Another possibility is John Hansen's Millenium QSY'er. I bought a kit for the IC-703, and although it is larger in footprint than the IC-7000 mic/remote, and has fewer functions, it works very well as a frequency input device. Keying 1470 is as simple as "1-4-7-0-*" where "*" is the Enter key. The buttons respond very quickly. It connects to the CI-V Remote Control Jack with a thin audio-type plain cord. The Millenium QSY'er is designed for HAM use and so defaults to a pre-determined mode designated for the frequency range you tune in to. AM mode on broadcast bands, USB on higher HAM bands etc. However, Mr. Hansen disabled this function for the keypad I ordered. My keypad does not change mode when I change frequency.

The jury is still out on whether to keep the mic/remote as the default keypad for the IC-7000 or to buy another Millenium QSY'er.