Building my first SO2R setup with two IC-7300s and running into serious interstation interference on adjacent bands. Currently testing with 40M on radio 1 and 20M on radio 2, but getting significant desense on the receiving radio when the other transmits. Phase noise from the exciter output seems to be the main culprit - similar to what others have reported with older rigs.

Looking at commercial band-pass filters vs. homebrew stubs for isolation. Band filters are clearly essential for SO2R operation, but budget is tight. Has anyone tried the Array Solutions Six-Pack for antenna switching combined with basic BPFs? Also considering separate receiving antennas to improve isolation.

Station is suburban with 40M dipole and tri-band beam at 50ft. Any recommendations for minimum viable filtering setup that won't break the bank?

The Array Solutions SixPak is ideal for SO2R as it prevents the same antenna from being connected to both radios simultaneously. I've been running one for three years with excellent results. For budget BPFs, start with homebrew stubs for your most-used band combinations - they're surprisingly effective and cost under $20 in parts per band.

Don't skip the filters! Never try SO2R without band filters or stubs - learned this the hard way when I nearly fried my IC-706's front end during CQWW. Even simple homebrew filters made a huge difference in my setup.

Consider reducing exciter output power to drive amplifiers - this greatly reduces phase noise and interference. I run my rigs at 20W output into external amps and the interference dropped dramatically. Much cheaper solution than buying commercial filters initially.