|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
|
You can
write your own review of the ICOM IC-735.
|
K4ROC
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jul 20, 2008 19:38
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
A perfect first (or second) rig!
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
|
I purchased this radio from a fellow ham several months ago (nearly perfect condition, door still attached). I didn't have time to get it on the air until about 3 weeks ago. It is my first HF rig, and I'm running it with a LDG Z-100 automatic antenna tuner, a Heil HM-iC Handi-mic, and a G5RV. I can't say enough good things about this radio. I don't have any experience with other HF radios, but this one seems to have a great receiver in it, and I have received great audio reports. The PBT and notch filter definitely do their job! I worked Crete the other night with it, and I cannot tell you how excited I was after that QSO! It's a great radio for someone who is new to HF like myself. 73's!
|
|
W8GP
|
Rating: 5/5
|
May 11, 2008 08:08
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
My standard of comparison
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
Most of the other reviews have said it all so I won't repeat all the virtues of this radio.I have owned this radio for almost 20 years and what I can say is that I will never sell this radio, and if it should fail(unlikely!),I will immediately look for another one.I recently acquired a Yaesu FT-950 and I still like the sound of the '735 better! I had to fiddle with the '950 for quite a while to get it to sound even close to the '735.( the '950 is a fine radio and loaded with nice features, but I'll save that for another review)I have been licensed for 38 years and have seen many rigs come and go and this is the only rig that I would truly miss.Under normal( non-contest) conditions, this rig hears as good as anything I've had.( Including the "legendary" Omni 6)Even during contest conditions on 160 meters it will hold its own, mainly due to having a jack for a receive antenna.Using beverages on the low bands helps to mask some of the problems associated with weak receiver dynamics.My only wish would be to have a switchable narrow SSB filter.Overall, this is a simple, do everything rig that is more than suitable for beginning or experienced operators alike.
|
|
AD5TD
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Apr 2, 2008 08:03
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Great little rig!
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
I also bought mine almost a year ago. It was "as new" (with the door). I was so pleased with the ease of use and quality of the receive. I have used it at home and in the field with outstanding results.
I also purchased the AT-150 tuner, this is a match made in heaven! You don't even need to look at it. It just works. Fully automatic and will tune most decent antennae very quickly. I also added the PS-55 Power Supply and, although a bit heavy, the whole set up fits in a nice case I fount with the antenna and ropes. It's a "grab and go" set up for the field.
I will never sell this rig.
|
|
VK2MAT
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Apr 2, 2008 03:16
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
VK2MAT
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
Bought my Icom 735 over 12 months ago. Absolute mint condition and yes it has the transparent dust door.
What a transciever!!!!!
The recieve audio is 6 out of 5.
So easy to use and i bought this radio after hearing and seeing how good it sounds, could not believe it.
Excellent audio reports and worked many o'seas stations on 20,15 and 10 metres using a dipole only 6 metres off the ground with 100 watts. The recieve audio WITHOUT the AGC on is unbelieveable. The other reports on this radio is testament to just how good it is.
Awesome PBT and notch filter.
Icom should re-introduce the radio as a mark II with all the bells and whistles, guaranteed to sell.
I will never regret selling this radio because it will never be for sale. 80 metres sounds great with very little noise.
Icom SM20 desk mic plugs straight in. I use Altec Lansing computer speakers with a built in subwoofer, never looked back. Use a speaker jack to get the audio in stereo.
Radio built like a tank and has the analogue metre built in, better than the LED signal strength metre. Built in power, alc and swr metre.
Screen illumination is green and looks great. Can adjust the brightness on the side and also bass and treble recieve adjustments via phillips head screwdriver underneath.
Radio runs cool.
I have never looked back.
Love it!!!!!
Cheers
VK2MAT (Sydney Australia)
|
|
AD5WO
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Mar 21, 2008 14:02
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Great Little Rig for PSK31
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I bought my IC-735 off e-bay in 2005, it had been used mobile and was banged up a bit, but it works great. I use it mostly on PSK31. The only problem I have had is the battery needs to be replaced so the memory doesn't function properly.
I am very pleased with the radio, I will never part with it. Since they can frequently be found for around $300, I am considering buying a spare.
|
|
WL7AWC
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Feb 20, 2008 20:31
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Solid Performer
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I bought mine secondhand in 1988 and still have it. It's a solid radio with enough features to perform most tasks. I operate CW and digital and it's stable enough for PSK31, but probably not some of the other PSK modes. I do my own maintenance and other than routine alignments and checks have only had to replace a single component; a diode in the AGC circuit. Power output maxes out at over 125 W on most bands and receiver sensitivity and dynamic range are very good. The radio is mostly heatsink, with a temp activated squirrel cage fan for good measure, so extended rtty chats aren't really much of a problem, even at full throttle. The only downside is a really nasty QSK relay (you won't try it more than once!) and the shaft encoder is no longer available.
All in all - a stoutly built radio that does everything except QSK well.
|
|
PA0MJM
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jan 14, 2008 02:09
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Good ROI
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
|
Bought my rig in april 2007 at eBay for $410. Actually it's a IC-731, the Japanese version. It had a mint condition and it turned out to be a good return of investment. It's used with a LDG200pro and a open dipole 2x9m. The rig is easy to operate, no menu's. I have it computer controlled with Winlog32. Excellent combination. The only disadvantage are those little sliders, but even that keeps me on a rating of a full 5. Lovely set and it's cheap. Get it when you see one, you won't regret it!
|
|
CX6AV
|
Rating: 2/5
|
Jan 10, 2008 16:48
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Mediocre
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
Equipo con recepción muy ancha si no se le compran filtros,Smeter de juguete, display que parece el de un autoradio de los baratos ,teclas muy frágiles inclusive la tapita de acrilico del frente conozco pocos que aún la posean como de fabrica,poco punch de salida de RF.
Quizás sea aconsejable como equipo para movil, pero como equipo base es pobre...no se compara con la construccion de sus antecesores el IC 751, IC 745,etc...Yo lo tuve desde que salió durante un año y lo vendí...
|
|
AI4WM
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Nov 4, 2007 19:15
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Good solid rig
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I've had my IC-735 for about a year. It gives great service and is super easy to use. The controls are very simple and intuitive to learn and use. Memory storage/recall is a breeze. TX and RX audio is crisp and clear with a nice tone control for RX audio. Mine has the HM-12 mic. which allows easy frequency change from the mic. although I prefer using the tuning knob. Band selection is easy and fast, but continuous tuning is designed into the rig. I get good audio and tone reports with this rig. The rig is used base, portable and mobile with various antenna matching units. The AT-150 makes portable and base operation a breeze and the AH-120 will match just about anything. Mobile I seldom change frequencies and change bands even less. The rig is switchable for 50 or 100 watts maximum RF ouput and can be operated as low as 10 watts out. It would be nice to get 5 watts as built, but I think a simple mod will enable qrp (next project). As built the rig has dual VFO, memory, notch filter, PBT, and RIT. It operates all modes, CW, USB, LSB, AM & FM. Mine has the optional 500Hz CW filter. This rig also came with an internal keyer as an option. Wish mine had it. I use a pico keyer. Overall for a starter rig, portable or even a main rig this is a good buy.
One final note; it'll protect itself from too high of a VSWR too. This is not a modern contester's rig, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to a new ham or someone looking for a nice HF rig.
|
|
GI0ZGB
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Sep 26, 2007 15:34
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Solid Build
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
Well I stumbled upon my 735 a few days ago, described as mint, I was not disappointed. As clean as a whistle, even the transparent dust cover was intact, this is usually the first front line casualty being of flimsy design. I bought the rig for PSK31/RTTY purposes having been told it had a 100% duty cycle, and when I was oblidged to remove the covers to change the baud rate from 1200 to 9600 I had to remove the substantial heatsink to access J22 - it was impressive.
This rig is built like a tank, and comparing it to the Kenwood TS-440S, I have to say the RX audio is much more pleasant to listen to even via the internal speaker. The S-meter has a lot in common with politicians, it doesn't tell the truth, exaggerating greatly. I found the controls easy to figure out without an intensive RTFM session, unlike many modern menu driven rigs. QSYing was both fast and easy, programming the memories was simplicity itself. Strangly this rig has no CPU reset, something of a closely guarded secret for whatever reason. The AF processor worked to some degree, but the Datong RF Processor delivered the goods big time, as did the W2IHY EQ, the HM-12 mic supplied with the rig was very good too giving sharp clear audio on all modes. I think the audio can be fed directly via pin eleven (check) on the ACC socket, bypassing the Mic Amp, and thus avoiding the distortion products generated therin, in theory giving very high quality TX audio, dare I say near HiFi quality for those who feel the need to sound as good as Bill. This little rig has been lovingly cared for by its previous owner and a number of mods have been installed, most importantly a simple little heatsink mod to the IC which is the source +V supply, and which shutdown when it became too hot, cycling off and on causing the frequency instability. The five plastic caps have also been replaced with ceramic types, and the SO-239 has been replaced with an N-type, bit of overkill there but some people swear by them! The green frequency readout I really like, easily visible in varying degrees of strong light, the notch filter worked superbly well, as did the PBT. I think Kenwood and Icom had a bit of a donnybrook over the early design, and Icom were forced to make design changes. To copy is the greatest form of flattery but Kenwood were clearly neither flattered or impressed. Anyway, it works very nicely as does the pre-amp, not over amplifying but boosting the sensitivity by about 8-9Db just lifting the wanted signal out of the noise. Well I've only had this rig a matter of hours and already I can see why so many Hams hold it in such high esteem. I am not an Icom fanatic by any means, more of a disenchanted ex Kenwood fanatic, but I have to say this little rig is extremely well designed and thought out with a quality of performance I would and did not expect from such a compact vintage rig. If you can find one like this, looking and performing like a new rig, I would have no hesitation recommending it to anyone. I award it an enthuastic 5/5.
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
