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| Reviews Summary for ICOM IC-7700 |
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Reviews: 83
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Average rating: 4.7/5
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MSRP: $6999.95
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Description: Description: The ICOM 7700 200W HF/6M has been introduced at the 2007 Dayton Hamvention. ICOM has followed all the success of the beautiful IC-7800 with the smaller, single receiver IC-7700. It utilizes two 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, external video connection, high res spectrum scope, plus high voltage MOSFET 200 Watt PA.
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W1SWR
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 2, 2010 04:20
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IC-7700 & Static Elect
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Found a flaw in this world class radio.
Wile sitting in the shack playing computer and
tuning around the bans. I happen to touch the
VFO knob, Snap, one elect shock. Took out the
VFO encoder. A friend sent me this article from NOKGM on
having the same problem twice, After the second
event, he requested ICOM to add some grounding
to the encoder mechanism that should prevent
future static damage. He says so far he has had
no problems.
I have had this great radio for almost 2 years with
No problems till now. Has been a very cold and dry
winter. Lots if static elect around the house.
Just a little heads up.
It can get expensive shipping this radio depending
on where you live. Up to $200 each way for a 80lb
box via FedEx.
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KG4SMP
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Rating: 2/5
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Jan 30, 2010 08:44
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Needs updates to fix problems
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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The IC-7700 could be one of the best rigs on the market if Icom would only listen to its customers and do the updates to fix some of the problems with this rig. The IC-7700 has a wonderful spectrum scope, second to none. The receiver, if fixed could be up there with the best of them. Problem areas are.
1. The AGC with the Impulse spikes that get past the agc make it a pain to use. Elecraft had this same problem with impulse spikes and fixed it before they went into production of the K3. The least little impulse spike, turning on a light switch, static crash, etc. make a loud poping noise in the speaker. There is no excuse for this when elecraft found a way to fix this problem.
2. Icom must have only wanted you to run their linear amplifiers because you cannot run a non QSK amp without hot switching. There is no TX delay setting in the IC-7700. Even the Kenwood TS-2000 has a TX delay setting in its menu. The IC-7700 switches so fast that trying to use a common amplifier like an Ameritron makes for bad hot switching.
3. On CW, especially in a contest, the IC-7700 falls apart. The MCF roofing filters cannot handle the strong signals in the receive.
4. There seems to be a problem with the PA failing. The finals are very good but there is something going on to cause so many final failures.
5. The VFO encoder is not grounded and walking across a rug and touching the VFO can result in complete failure. Just a simple ground wire to chasis would have fixed this problem. Eng. slip up here.
With the size and weight of the IC-7700 it makes for very unhappy customers when problems come up and you have to ship this very big and heavy rig back to the factory.
ICOM please listen to your customers and you could have a classic top of the line rig with the IC-7700. As is the rig is not worth the money, too many problems.
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KC1MR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 18, 2010 18:21
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The best there is PERIOD !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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When I saw a "2" fer a review of this fine radio
because it "hot switched" linears ,I just had to see if the FTdx - 9000 did the same thing ? Oh my
gosh it did ,it did !!! What to do, what to do ?
Either not to worry , or if it keeps one up at nite spend $ 60.00 fer a HEIL foot switch . I have one and use it only as a ptt fer the IC-7700.
I haven't had any problems in 32 years (guess I'm
just lucky).
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W1SWR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 6, 2010 17:43
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Freq's
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Just add the freq to your memory and then it works
5.3305
5.3465
5.3665
5.3715
5.4035
Put them in memory and you on 60 meters
Steve
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AB4VV
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Rating: 2/5
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Jan 4, 2010 10:50
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1/2 of a Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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As I stated in my prior review the receiver is good but to explain why I said 1/2 of a radio here is the answer.
There is no menu adjustment for TX Delay for a non QSK amp. What this means is that you cannot run your Ameritron or any non QSK amp without hot switching.
AB4VV
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KB5PQL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 3, 2010 22:17
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A clearer look through my "specs" :)
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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There have been a lot negative reports on this radio for reasons I don't get. I understand that some people have had technical issues but that's true with anything electronic or mechanical. The thing to understand is that not all radios fit everyone's operating style and budget. That's why there are many models and brands available to best suit an operator. Think mini vans and sports cars! Ford and BMW! I chose the Icom 7700 because I liked the features and size! The buttons and knobs feel solid to me. Yes, it is a lot of money for a rig but that's no reason to dislike it. I have owned a lot of HF rigs and the audio on this Icom sounds better than my old TS-850S and that's saying a lot!
The best I can describe the receiver would be to someone wearing glasses. Without glasses you still see but it's a little "muddy" not very clear and you may get a headache. :) The 7700 hears the small stuff very well. I can hear the weak signals very clearly. That's something I was never able to do with any of my transceivers. If there is a signal you will hear it. However, QSB is still a factor with high dollar radios too! So, don't expect that to change. :) Furthermore, These radios represent the cutting edge in technology. Any HF radio will do most of what the 7700 is able to do and do it much cheaper. Here is where people might argue however, because I feel the differences in "high end" radios and "cheaper" ones are in the components used. They find the best component available at the time and push "specs" to the limit. Of course, engineers are human too and there might be oversights or comonents might fail or turn out to be defective - once again, that's true with anything electronic.
I have always liked Icom and really enjoy my 7700. If you are reading this it's probably because you are looking at possibly purchasing a 7700. Do your homework. The Yaesu FT-9000 Contest represents a "bang" for the money for these high dollar radios. I chose the icom because it had features the Yaesu didn't have and I want to spend my money only once.
good luck with your search and email me if you have question.
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KU5Q
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 2, 2010 22:02
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No perfect radio.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The 7700 1st IF has 3khz, 6khz, and 15khz MCRF. The second stage IF does a fair job removing spurious trash. If you spend most of your time operating in extreme, crowded CW bands and want something with razor sharp selectivity, then get the Elecraft K3 and install 200hz, 250, 400hz 5-8 pole roofing filters to suit your needs, and quit complaining. Otherwise, the 7700's front end design is a suitable compromise for SSB, CW, and other modes. Life's a compromise, get over it! QRM that is at a frequency within the passband of any roofing filter is QRM that makes it through! This is not rocket science. If a person doesn't know enough of the basics about how a HF XCVR works, and ends up buying something that doesn't meet their expectations because it doesn't do what they wanted, then it's the fault of their ignorance. *IF* folks would spend more time learning the rudiments of how all this gear works, and experiment with a friends station, and/or all the other intelligent research they can do their own, they would find a much more pleasant consumer experience, would more likely be happier with their purchases, and maybe spend less time in the reviews section running down a specific piece of gear because they didn't know how to use it/understood how it worked to begin with.
I'm still waiting to smoke a set of MRF150's in either one of my 7700's. Hasn't happened yet. Wonder why? Could it be because I closely monitor my terminated load, make absolutely sure my SWR stays 1.5/1 or less between the load and the 7700 P.A., *AND* be very careful operating full duty modes (usually with less power) barefoot? Nah...must be dumb luck.
There is no perfect "ham" HF XCVR. The 7700 is not perfect.
But....we're talking "ham" gear. Not commercial gear. If you want absolutely, electronically bludgeon/bullet-proof HF XCVR, go buy a R&S XK2100, and tell us how much that cost you.
Is the 7700 worth ICOM MSRP? Only the buyer can answer that question, but hopefully after they've done the necessary research, and hopefully done that research with some basic knowledge and experience in the operation and maintenance of "ham" HF XCVR's.
I'm not faithful to any brand of commercial or "ham" gear. Besides the 7700's, 7000's, a 7800, a PROIII, I also have the TT Orion II 566AT, and Elecraft K3/100. Each one is individually unique in it's strong and weak points. What one lacks in one area, it makes up for in another. Each unit is as unique as the person/people who designed it, as should be, as they reflected the designers mindset, and the technology available at the time of design.
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WB0MCO
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 23, 2009 13:37
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Just Ok
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had mine for two years now without any problems,
but after reading some of the reviews about pulling
signals out of the noise I was wondering by what
magical knob some of the IC7700's have that mine doesn't have. Sure it's a very quite receiver but
my old IC765 with In-rad filters hears just as good.
The DSP is like most rigs, adds distortion and does
nothing to enhance the readability of weak SSB signals. Nice band scope,wish I could find a add on
for the IC765.
73, Dave
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M0MGF
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 23, 2009 12:50
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Awesome
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Well it has been sat here for about 15months now, and still pulling out those weak signals.
I have compared other radios to it, like the IC775DSP and FT2000 (PEP), and they just do not compare.
The Pro3 is sat next to my IC7700 and it is very rare that it is switched on; so good is the IC7700.
I suppose that I am been biased, but I would definately buy another if I needed to replace it.
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PY1BR
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 17, 2009 21:28
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A very nice choice
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Well, after 5 months using the 7700 with my “real” antennas I can say: It’s very fine radio. Since then I was using a 40m dipole instead of my 2 elements Yagi. Like a friend used to say, now it’s like cinema! It’s a joy to make DX with the 7700. We have plenty of local rag chewing guys close to DX spots and with this rig I can bypass them by using the Digi-Sel (preselector), filters etc. I ran the IC-775DSP for almost 10 years and now I am even more satisfied. The 7700 not only provides better “interference weapons” but also has a quieter receiving due to modern components. Also, what I am so pond of Icom’s rigs is their 100% duty cycle, their wide scope menus, very user friendly, and overall good quality material. Finally, I think the effort from Icom to provide better radios is significantly important to our hobby. Even Yaesu and Ten-Tec are getting better also. Let’s hope they will keep on getting better, because the RF noise is growing anywhere, and we will need even better “interference weapons”.
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