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| Reviews Summary for ICOM IC-7800 |
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Reviews: 90
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Average rating: 4.7/5
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MSRP: $10,000 US
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Description: The ICOM 7800 HF/6M was first introduced at the Dayton Hamvention 2003. ICOM believes it is the most advanced amateur radio ever developed. It utilizes four separate 32-bit floating point TI DSP chips, has a 7-inch wide TFT display, built in RTTY/PSK31 receive and transmit using a USB Keyboard interface, plus compact flash technology. The radio features an IP3 of +40dBm and 110db dynamic range. It features two identical, fully independent, receiver circuits. There is even a separate preamp and mixer for the 6 meter band. More information, brochures, U.S. dealers, and pricing should be available soon.
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More info: http://www.icom.co.jp/world/products/amateur/7800/index.htm
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write your own review of the ICOM IC-7800.
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K1NVY
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 30, 2009 12:47
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exceeds expectations
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am a 100% CW operator and all comments refer to CW.
I recently added the IC-7800 to my station which now numbers 17 rigs: (3) FT-1000, (4) TS-850S/DSP-100, (3) TS-940S, (2) IC-751, (2) FT-990 (1) FT-857 (1) IC-756 Pro-3.
As a CW op, there 's one criteria common to all radios and that is to separate signals and ideally copy noise free without QRM from nearby strong signals. All these rigs will accomplish that task, some better than others. One TS-850S/DSP-100 has been modified with the addition of the SGC ADSP-II low level audio DSP filter located after the CW mixer stage and followed by a homebrewed two stage (Q = 10) audio peaking filter at 700Hz. This combination performs this task better than any other radio including the IC-7800.
So with that, what is the advantage of a $10,000 radio? I find the operating features of the IC-7800 far exceed any other rig in my nearly 50 years on the mode. With the IC-7800, I can be operating one band while monitoring another band for DX spots. Setting the SUB receiver in DUALWATCH to say 17M while operating 20M, I can bring up the SUB display and see what activity is in on 17M. If I tune in a 17M station that I want to work, I press CHANGE and I'm now on 17M ready to transmit. I cannot do this with any other radio, I can come close with the FT-1000 but its sub receiver requires a separate antenna and of course it does not have a band scope.
The IC-7800 has more features for the way I operate than I ever expected. Is it worth $10K? For me, absolutely! Expensive, sure but hamming is worth it to me.
I have never enjoyed operating more than I am now with the IC-7800. At one time, I had five rigs on the op desk (Pro-3, two FT-1000's, TS-850/DSP-100, FT-1000MP MK-V now sold) and I would pick one to operate without any particular reason other than I enjoyed using different rigs. With the IC-7800, I now go directly to that rig and frankly, don't see my self using anything else.
By the way, I knew long ago that the IC-756 Pro-3's preamps, NR and filtering work equally well as the IC-7800. I sat at Icom's Bellevue, WA station almost three years before the IC-7700 was priced and available to the public. I did a side-by-side-by-side comparison of those radios and decided at that time that there would be a Pro-3 in my future. I added the Pro-3 in January 2009. Recently, I did the same comparisons with the IC-7800 and IC-7600 thinking that I would add the IC-7600 but left convinced there was a IC-7800 in my future rather than the IC-7600. The IC-7600 clearly has a brighter display and the audio peaking filter was a big advantage over the Pro-3 but I did not see the value of paying $4000 for a IC-7600 which only differed slightly from my Pro-3.
73's...Fred/K1NVY
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K5JZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 15, 2009 21:30
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One year old and still the BEST of the BEST!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Yaesu had some serious problems with their design and implementation with the 9000 series and their PEP program is all about addressing those shortcomings. The CPU could be timed with a calendar, not a stopwatch. Features not working or not working correctly, along with bugs and glitches are well documented.
The IC7800 had no such defects and their enhancement program was very reasonably priced, if you took advantage of it when it was first implemented. It is still reasonably priced considering costs these days.
Customer service is bringing to market a radio that meets or exceeds specs, not a rig that has to have massive internal transplants and a massive software rewrite to function as promised.
I absolutely respect and appreciate what Yaesu and everyone concerned have done to rectify this situation, but their program is far removed in purpose and intent from Icom's enhancement offerings.
I love my 7800 so much that I bought a 7600 as a backup and dedicated 6 meter rig… and its performance and features are so close to the 7800, that is downright scary… considering its price range... and the competition should very well be scared of this new offering… and with good reason.
73,
George K5JZ
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W8JN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 13, 2009 17:36
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5 however, unhappy
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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no one can question the quality of this rig. it is spectacular. yaesu came out with hardware enhancements for my 9000d. it was shipped back to the factory and updated at yaesus expense including shipping both ways. my 7800 needed the 3rd roofing filter upgrade and it just cost me $900 to have it upgraded. phenomenal rig, disappointing customer service
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VK2CZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 8, 2009 23:26
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Very nice - but..
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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From an RF perspective, this is clearly the best radio I've ever had, and makes the IC-756pro3 feel like a bicycle (an d I know it is far from that).
From an operators point of view, ie the business side, there are a couple of niggling features missing - which somehow I'd expected to be there ie:
1. An enhanced A=B button.. sure this does exactly what you'd expect, but like the IC-910H, I expected to see that I could make all the Receiver A attributes replicate into Receiver B.. (Only the frequency moves across at the moment).
2. Still on this A=B button, I also expected to see an option to make VFO B track VFO A... exactly like when two IC-756pro3's are strapped together (using serial data link) on two antennas - ie making the receiver space diversity friendly. [sold both pro's to finance the 7800, but lost some functionlity].
3. Am glad the rig can use up to 1Gb Compact Flash cards - but even these are now thin on the ground.
4. The voice squelch function is almost as good as the Codan voice mute function... and that is a real compliment !
5. OK - there are 2 off/on switches, one at the rear of the unit.. heart stopping surprise when I first tried to power it up and then had to RTFM.
6. I love leaving one receiver on a RTTY or PSK net frequency with data display, and the other receiver on SSB net frequencies.. it is like discovering that 3rd front sun-visor on an Audi.
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K6RIM
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 4, 2009 08:16
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Gold Standard
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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After a great experience with the Pro II, I purchased the 7800 when it first became available, and upgraded it to V. 2 about six months ago. So I've owned the 7800 for almost five years.
In every respect, the radio exudes quality. The receiver is quiet and awesome, and having a true second receiver makes it much easier to chase DX working split.
Icom ergonomics is truly superb. The 7800 is very intuitive to operate. No need for the manual after a day or two operating the radio.
Unless you are a serious DXer and/or contester, the pricey 7800 is probably overkill; but for my purposes, it's worth every penny.
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N1JMS
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 3, 2009 18:55
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Excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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When I got back into Ham Radio I wanted a top-end rig. I couldn't decide if I wanted an Icom IC-7800 or a Yaesu FT-9000 so I bought both and told the XYL that I would sell one. So far I can't seem to part with either unit. They both have features as well as a "feel" that I like. If I had to choose just one rig it would be the 7800, primarily because I feel the DSP functions better on the 7800, however, it is a VERY close call. Please don't tell the XYL, she thinks that I still trying to choose, besides, either rig retained more value than the stock market has in the past two years!
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DJ5PJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 11, 2009 09:24
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Outstandig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This Transceiver is my Stations - first.
I bought this 25kg Transceiver about 2 years ago.
> Flawless < ! I am very happy with it.
G e r n o t DJ 5 PJ
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N8RGQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 7, 2009 22:45
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Simply the "BEST"
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have ran mine for allmost 5 years and it is the best I have ever had on my bench . I have owend allot of rigs over the years ts-430 ts-440 ts-450 ts-940 ft-767 ft-767 ft-one ft-1000 IC-746PRO IC-756 IC-756PRO3 and many more and to put it simply it blows them all away on RX-performance ! The TX-performance is great , clean and crystal clear . If your looking for the "BEST" rig on the market and money is no object "THIS IS THE ONE TO BUY!"
73,
Terry
N8RGQ
PS-The AMP here is a PW-1 and it is a PERFECT match!
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KI0Z
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 4, 2008 00:48
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Art Collins would be Proud
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have waited to say anything until the honeymoon was over and reality set in. This is the performance I have always looked for but was disappointed in the past . you will read many glowing reports which I agree with. I have used this xcvr in many 160 contests ect and above,and was NOT disappointed!! WOW!! IS THIS REAL?? even the Digi-Sel is a help in the 150 hz cw. All I can say is Art Collins would be proud..........
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AA6VB
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 18, 2008 11:19
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The Very Best Rig I Ever Used
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is an updated review after about 12 months of use. During that time, the rig has worked flawlessly - not a single issue!
I marvel at the quality. The fit and finish is exceptional. The main tuning knob was shipped unattached avoid damage during shipment, and the knob itself was rock solid and well machined. Every aspect of the rig is first class.
No ringing whatsoever of the DSP filters, even at 100 HZ. Wonderful!
The IC-7800 has the best NB and NR in any rig I have ever used and that includes the FT9000, Orion II, FT2000 and FT1000D (in the case of the NB). That is saying something because those functions work fairly well on the Orion II. It's just that the Icom counterparts work significantly better. Boy, was I surprised. The NB makes a "substantial" dent in the interference created by our plasma TV (don't ever buy one if you want to use your radio at the same time as your XYL is watching TV).
The NR is also much better in the IC-7800 and does a very good job of reducing band noise, without affecting the signal (I am 99 percent cw, so all my comments relate to cw applications). It really quiets the band noise greatly improves the SN ratio.
The receiver is very quiet and sensitive. I don't have the "noisy receiver" issues that plagued me with the Orion II.
The rig holds up very well against very strong adjacent signals. I never noticed a difference between the Orion II and the IC-7800 in that regard. I can get within 500 HZ of an S9 plus 40 CW signal and not even know its there.
While it might seem a bit much to have a second receiver on par with the main, and that a lesser rx might be satisfactory for most split work, I was very pleased to be able to use the main rx to listen to the dx, and use the various interference features, like the NR and NB, and be able to do the same thing with the sub rx, since the NR and NB work equally well on both receivers. Very nice touch. The other rigs I have owned have much lesser second receiver performance compared to the main, and sometimes just awful. Not so with the 7800.
In addition to the sheer quality, one of the things that impresses me the most about this radio is that all the features work so well, including the NB and the NR. One thing that can be said about a lot of mid to high end rigs is that they have lots of features. In the 7800 they are all extremely well implemented. They work, and they work very well - just as you would expect.
Another very nice touch is that "each" mode has three separate AGC settings, rather than three total, regardless of mode. Plus, there is a control which lets you adjust the AGC decay rate from the front panel, regardless of the setting you have selected (fast, mid, slow).
The menu system is extremely easy to use and has a lot of nice features. For example, you can return any setting to its default value, by pressing a single button, without resetting all the values you changed.
On the negative side, there is a problem with RFI in the headphones, but there is a fix for this. The AGC seems to have some digital artifacts and overreacts to noise spikes on the low bands, but this seems to have been improved in Firmware V2.12. The APF feature works very well if you set it to "Soft".
After having run this rig through its paces for the last year, I continue to be extremely happy with my purchase.
I have never owned a Bentley, or a Rolls Royce, or anything remotely close, but this rig just has to be the ham radio counterpart. It is worth every penny.
This review can be summed up in one word - WOW!
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