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| Reviews Summary for ICOM IC-7000 |
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Reviews: 203
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Average rating: 4.5/5
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MSRP: $TBA
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Description: HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Transceiver.
2 × DSP
Digital voice recorder (DVR)
Improved AGC loop performance
2 × MNF (Manual Notch Filter)
2-mode band scope
2.5-inch color TFT display with TV screen receive capability
Remote control Microphone
Digital IF filters
Available mid 2006
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More info: http://www.icomamerica.com/products/amateur/7000/
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You can
write your own review of the ICOM IC-7000.
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W1JUS
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 4, 2008 12:25
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FANTASTIC MOBIL BASE
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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W3BC has it 100% right!! What can I say -- the 7k is so much better than the 706MKIIG (which I used fer 3 years) that it's hard to believe that someone cannot
read the instructions and block diagram and not see the difference!!
I also had the mic mod done by Bob Nagy. BIG DIFFERENCE (Go ahead ul like it)
P.S. The smartest move I ever made, was to DUMP ALL user groups !!!!! Way too many lids!!!!
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W3BC
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 25, 2008 12:58
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SOLID Performance, NOT bells & whistles!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Almost a year ago, I traded my IC-706 MkII with all the options (CW & SSB narrow filters, voice synth, audio DSP) for the IC-7000. Not once have I wanted to go back!
First of all, the receiver is very good. When people say it isn't, it is most likely because they are not using it right. The IC-7000 is a MOBILE rig, and the preamp is necessary ONLY with small, mobile antennas. If you hook the IC-7000 (or the IC-706... or ANY mobile rig) to a BIG ANTENNA = TURN THE PREAMP OFF!
The best part of the 7000 is the IF-DSP. It goes far beyond "bells and whistles" -- The IF DSP is, in fact, a real SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO. You adjust the controls to program the DSP to do what you want.
You can store three different versions of each of your preferences for instant access. For example, I set up three different SSB filter settings, wide open 3.6 kHz for ragchews, and 2.4 and 1.8 kHz settings to bust QRM from the 10 kilowatt lid calling CQ 2 or 3 kHz away. And the filters actually work as advertised. The S-Meter drops way down, and the 2 kHz lid all but vanishes!
I set up three more CW filters, and 3 more AM filters for SWLing. The last 3 are powerful enough to dig out nice, clear audio from the weak stations while eliminating heterodynes and splatter from the strong stations 5 kHz away.
Speaking of splatter -- if you believe that you are hearing fuzzy, buzzy "splatter" from nearby stations, TURN OFF THE NOISE BLANKER. Or, you can adjust the Noise Blanker to a lower sensitivity, and a narrower width!
I always get a chuckle from the other hams I hear complaining about carriers from "tuner-uppers". I smile as I smugly press the Automatic Notch Filter button (which I've remapped to the F-2 button on the mic!) and the tuner-upper simply vanishes. Instantly! Even the S-Meter drops!! And the ANF will follow three independent carriers, even if they drift or otherwise change frequency!!! WOW!!!!
I have used this rig extensively for VHF/UHF contesting as a Rover. I couldn't recommend a better rig for those purposes. 100 watts on six, 50 on 2 and 35 watts on 432 is a respectable amount of RF output. I won the CQ VHF Pennsylvania Rover category last July, and took two counties in the PA QSO Party by a wide margin, all with the IC-7000.
I used the IC-7000 during the CW November Sweepstakes, but kept my trusty IC-765 "contest rig" warmed up and ready to go, just in case the people who hate the 7000 (and Icom in general) were right about it not being any good in contest conditions. Turns out THE ICOM HATERS WERE WRONG AGAIN!
After a few hours with a 120 Q/hour rate, I turned the unused 765 off and settled in with the 7000. For contesting, the built-in memory keyer with the auto-incrementing contest-exchange memory was bulletproof. Using the manual notch filters set up on either side of the CW passband, I was able to pull out the weak ones just a couple hundred Hertz away from the Big Guns.
One of the best features for contesting, DXing and weak signal work is the built in full-time (sort of) bandscope. By now you know the story... it, too, is fully adjustable, and you can tailor it to suit your preferences and the task at hand.
With just Workman and Pro AM "Hamsticks" on an Altima, I've managed to work 63 DXCC countries from the mobile on mostly 20 and 75 phone. Best DX was South Africa on 75 meters this past January.
The Icom IC-7000 is a good tri-band FM rig too. With 500 memories, you can store all your favorite 6, 2 and 440 repeaters with the correct CTCSS or DTCS encoding for each. Weird splits (like 1.625 MHz) and channel spacings are no problem, either. It also makes a great police scanner, especially with its really hot front end, and tone/digital/voice squelch!
One important feature that is missing is a built-in HF antenna tuner. It is missing, because there is no room for one! I suggest you buy and use one with this radio for all HF and 6-meter work. It allows the radio to develop full power (with a poor antenna, much of that power will only keep your coax warm, HI HI), AND acts a selective bandpass filter to keep out-of-band QRM from overloading the very sensitive RF front end.
The bottom line is that the Icom IC-7000 is a VERY CAPABLE mobile rig, which can be used for fixed-station use as well. It has a well thought out selection of Big Rig performance and features, and is superior in many ways to legendary radios of the past. (Anybody want to buy an IC-765?)
IN CONCLUSION:
The IC-7000 is far more than an IC-706 with "bells and whistles". Inside the box, it is a whole different animal. The IF DSP is a REAL TOOL that REALLY WORKS. It is not a bunch of fancy graphics with no functionality to back them up -- IT'S THE REAL DEAL!
All this is packed into a tiny package, with a removable head unit, to allow flexible mobile mounting. And the color display is absolutely stunning! This is an attractive, convenient radio you will be proud to own, and not only does it look good -- it plays good, too. REAL good!
Add me to the growing list of those hams who say, "If I could only own one radio, the Icom IC-7000 would be the one!"
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PE2MC
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Rating: 1/5
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Jun 24, 2008 16:13
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IC7K Nice color screen but still a 706MKII
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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here my review about the tranciever
The spurs you get out of the net are really terrible.
The intermodulation from big signals next to ya he can't handle.
Just been testing this on a contest station. The rigs we used with both with Stub filters for each band.
The IC7K was going crazy. All the relay's where clicking and the signals where 9++++ on all bands.
Replaced the7K for my MP and all was fine again.. So i'm my opinion It's a nice looking rig from the outside but worse on the inside.
A holliday station of in the mobile but for use a home never again.
I still see the IC7K like the upgrade from the 706 line.. never been improved only from the outside.
Still stick with my Yaesu line
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AE5FP
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Rating: 2/5
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Jun 17, 2008 15:34
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Receiver Sucks
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Just back in the game after 20 years away from Ham Radio. Seems like 20 years ago it was wall to wall signals on any active band. I've get nothing but what sounds like QRM or possibly signals that are so filtered there is no intelligent signal left. No CW either. Occasionally I can tune some unidentified station. Anybody have any ideas? I'm traveling aboard a boat near Panama / Colombia, so returning the unit for Check out is near impossible. Appreciate any help. ae5fp@yahoo.com
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K3AQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 15, 2008 10:02
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A Modern Marvel of Electronics
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have had the Icom 7000 now for a month. I have nothing but good things to say about it. The reciever is very easy to listen to for hours on end. I operate the 7000 from home, and it has replaced my pro3 and kenwood ts930s as the main rig of choice. Don't get me wrong, I plan to keep the pro3 and kenwood ts930. It is just that the 7000 is such a joy to use that I cannot justify not using it. I operate mostly ssb and cw. The cw operation of this rig doesn't get mentioned much. I have to say it is excellent and very much equal to the Pro3 in it's quality and smoothness. The dsp filtering is perfectly adequate to handle even the most severe levels of crowded band conditions. I am so impressed with the overall quality of this rig that I am thinking of purchasing a second one. Also the display is very sharp and easy to read. It is technically superior to any of the other portable rigs being marketed today. I did not have any issues with low power output on ssb. My radio puts out 100w as advertised on hf and 6 meters. Lots of people have had issues with the hand mic. I have not. The reports I get are nothing but "great audio. You sound very natural." Maybe it has alot to do with the frequency range of the operators voice with this particular mic. Anyway, don't let a poorly designed stock mic keep you from buying this rig. We are hams. Modify the mic or experiment with other mics. Once you become familiar with the icom menu system, operating this rig is so comfortable and user friendly it puts the others to shame. With 5 memory banks of 100 memories each you have plenty of repeater storage space for 10,6,2 and 70cm. Programming them into the memory channels is very simple. I didn't even have to open the manual but for a few occasions. Of course I have had a pro3 now for a year and the operational parameters are similar. All of the menu selections are laid out in a way that makes sense and are interconnected in such a manner as to provide maximum operating efficiency.
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K6USN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 14, 2008 21:14
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A year later... still great!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is an update after a year + of use here at home and throughout the South Pacific. Still a 5.0 and a very reliable radio. I was so impresed I bought a second one for my son in law.
The first 7000 had a slight hum in the squelched audio on FM. I realized the warranty was about to expire so I sent it in, actually arriving at ICOM after the expiration date. To their good credit, they not only accepted it under warranty, but fixed the very minor hum problem and did all the current upgrades to my model at no cost.
The turn around time was exactly eight (8)days.
This is proactive customer service and the reason my station is all-Icom.
Well done!
Allen
K6USN / E51USN
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KF7NN
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Rating: 4/5
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May 22, 2008 05:08
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so far good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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i also had low audio output on ssb on my brand new rig but after turning on the compressor its up to 100 watts like it should be.
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NE4EB
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Rating: 5/5
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May 20, 2008 04:52
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Fantastic
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Excellent receiver and transmitter, and full rated output with the proper VOLTAGE and audio source.
I would buy another in a heartbeat.
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W4SEF
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Rating: 2/5
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May 19, 2008 23:43
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Low transmit output
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought one of the new 7000 from Gigaparts. Upon arrival and anxiously opening the box for an on the air check out. I had read all the reviews and yes, I knew about the "mic problem". First contact I made was with the transmitter producing only 30 watts out put. I began to check everything and no matter what I tried, about 30-40 watts all I could get on SSB. This is ridiclous, especially when it would dead key almost 115 watts out on a dummy load on FM. This 100 watt output was consistant on ALL bands which really impressed me. The reciever is phenomenal. A real joy to operate and listen to-however the transmit plain sucks as far as output goes. I have a real problem having to send off my mike on a brand new 1200 radio to get a "fix" when ICOM should already have fixed it. I seriously doubt that replacing a cartridge and changing a cap out is going to raise the ssb output very much. We tried several dif mics and no improvement at all. In looking at the service manual, it seems that the TX GAIN and ALC need to be adjusted for optimum wattage of 100 watts. I sent mine back and bought a new 706MKII and LOVE IT! In fact I may BUY ANOTHER ONE!
Great rig if you don't mind low transmit output.
Steve W4SEF
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