Radio with thousands of channels

I first noticed the RF-301 many years ago in QST ads:

Here is a picture from a 2019 Schulman auction of a pristine unit:

https://schulmanauction.hibid.com/lot/54115641/rf-communications-rf-301-transceiver/

These first synthesized rigs (like the PRC-74 and others) used a whole bunch of crystals, and several mixers to generate the frequencies required.  There were probably less drift problems than would be encountered with a VFO or PTO.    But the neat thing to me is that those 4 dials function not only as a means to set the frequency but also to display it.  Just think of all the mechanical hassles involved with a capacitor VFO or a inductor PTO, getting it to display and set the frequency linearly - it's a big expense to do it right.

How usable is this rig as a ham radio ?  I suppose it depends on the application, used for an AM rig for a few hours on a weekend it's undoubtedly perfect.  The frequency setting is rarely going to change that much.  I suspect that's how the government customers used these rigs, set and forget.

But for tuning around it must be a chore, the digital equivalent of having to crank a Collins PTO 200 kHz back to zero every time you have to cross a boundary like 7200 kHz.

Still the concept of a rotary switch set/display for each digit intrigues me, maybe not for a radio itself but possibly for other ham applications, we'll see.

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm