| AK1CT |
Rating:  |
2021-03-21 | |
| It’s a keeper |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Great radio, I’ve had it for years in the mobile, I wouldn’t trade it.
Short comings that can easily be overcome with externals: speaker, GPS, Replace mic, use an HT or something to monitor a second freq. other than that, the 7100 radio works like a charm. I like the slant remote head, I like the B&W touch screen. It’s a perfect size. HF & VHF, DStar... full power, I’m keeping it. |
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| VK3TEX |
Rating: |
2020-12-30 | |
| Great radio but poor stock mic. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I now have two of these 7100 radios one in the mobile
Which works very well and the separate head is perfect
For my mobile install.
Replaced the stock CRAP MIC with a brand new Heil ICM hand
Mic and it is a 100 percent improvement to the stock mic
Which went straight in the trash.
With new mic and slight amount of compression get full output and good ALC action for excellent audio.
Even better sounding is the one I have in the shack
Hooked up to some W2IHY Audio gear and a Heil PR 40
Mic and it sounds and works like any top line radio with
Fabulous transmit audio.
I get 100 watts out with both my setups no problems.
What I don't understand is how some Hams give up on this radio without even CHANGING THE MIC OVER FOR
A BETTER ONE AND ADD A SMALL AMOUNT OF AUDIO
GAIN IN THE CHAIN AND ALL IS GOOD. SIMPLE!!
Anyway, the only bad thing ICOM did with this radio is
Supply a rubbish stock hand mic. Once that is sorted, all
Is good!!
It is such a great little rig I bought two of them.
The one in the shack is used mainly on VHF/UHF but
Performs very well on all bands. Has an excellent RX.
LES, VK3TEX. |
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| K4SRF |
Rating: |
2020-12-29 | |
| One Nice Radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I purchased my ICOM IC-7100 in April of 2020. As others have said, the manual needs some navigational steps, but that being said, this is the only fault I can find.
I am running a simple multi-band dipole in an inverted "V" at about 40 feet with RG-213 as my feedline. I also use a MFJ-939I for my tuner. So far, I have made contacts as far as 2,850 miles away on 40 meters and being told my signal is 58, so I can't complain.
Others speak of the low power output on SSB, but keep in mind the meter is reading a peek average, so your Wattage meter may not be indicating what is actually being transmitted.
Getting back on topic, I have found this radio durable, reliable and well worth, plus more for its cost. |
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| VE7REN |
Rating: |
2020-12-27 | |
| intuitive solid performer-a must have |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
dec 27/2020 uodate.
i now have 3 of these radios. replaced my ts480 series radios i have had. the 7100 is remarkable in design and ergonomics. at first ,NO i did not like the face,but it has become very functional. all buttons seem to be in the right place. the power issue can be addressed by GETTING RID OF THE STOCK MIC and replacing it with the dtmf or hm219 mic. this DOES solve the issue of low drive power. the original mic is a poor mic. overall...im very happy with the radios reciever and i get fantastic results with the transmit audio.i also own a ic-7300 ,and find both recievers very equal.. i highly recomend.
dec 12/2018
ive had this radio for a short time. I own a 7410 ,so this is not to hard to figure out. learning curve is very light. the audio sounds supurb. I overall find the receive selectivity on par with my 7410 and 7300. it performs better in receive than my 480hx kenwood,which I really enjoy. thewhat I thought "odd" face panel takes some getting used to,but after 2 days,it fell right into place,and made operating feel easy. I was hesitant at first,but it is pleasing. the cables to the faceplate are better in quality than kenwood and yaesu. better dimension,and nice metal fitting for the faceplate cable.i have no complaints. the touch screen is flawless,and the "whole package" was done well by icom. would I buy another...…… quite possibly. |
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| KC4ZVA |
Rating: |
2020-12-26 | |
| Low power SSB |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just purchased a new IC-7100. I set it up beside my IC-7000 to do a comparison test. The first thing was to check power out due to all the previous complaints.
Settings on both radios were: 20 meters, Mic and Pwr gain at 100%. 50 ohm dummy load and external watt meter set to PEP. Compression off. On USB using my normal loud talking voice I only got about 15 to 20W. I then performed the same test on my IC-7000. I got about 75W while using my normal loud talking voice. I then connected my IC-7000 to my Ameritron 811H amplifier. With my normal loud talking voice I regularly hit about 700W. I then connected the IC-7100. Same voice loudness and only averaged around 250W on the external amp.
Dec 2020 update:
I’m amazed at the fake reviews saying this radio has been fixed, or people don’t know how to test for PEP. ICom as of 2020 has done nothing to fix or allow this radio to output full specified power on HF.
Note- I am a 30 year broadcast engineer and know the difference between average and peak power so don’t let the unknowing try and tell you this radio puts out 100W. I was using a professional Bird watt meter with the proper slugs during all testing. The words of a retired ICom engineer is that ICom is well aware of this radios shortcomings and has no plans on putting any time in rectifying the low power output.
low output on sideband was a deal breaker. Thank goodness my local ham store took it back in full.
There is a modification that you can find on the web that opens the ALC to allow full power but the previous mentioned icom engineer said it would cause other RF and audio issues. It also would cause peak spikes that could damage external amplifiers.
I am a huge fan of Icom and am disappointed in Icom for not fixing this issue as I think the radio could be a winner. It's sad. |
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| K4DDT |
Rating: |
2020-11-30 | |
| Big performance in a small size |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
update 11/30/2020
Such a nice rig and pricing may be a 'mistake' as someone confusingly posted, it's not a mistake to own one.
You get a sensitive receiver that works well with plenty of 'features' that IMO can't be matched with any new 'shack in a box' at this price point. After adding an IF buffer, the rig plays nicely with inexpensive RTL SDR's to display a beautiful spectrum and C-IV functions as it should to give a clickable frequency on the external PC monitor.
Rig SSB output is as advertised - IF you measure PEP and not average power - which causes some continue to inaccurately report as an issue.
Having just the head unit on the desk and stowing away the main unit clears up desk space for efficiency.
Recommended !
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Really can't add to what others have said.
At today's ( 2020 ) price, this is a good deal.
My ONLY complaint is that the size of the volume knob is rather small. However, I plan on adding remote software to control the rig, which removes that issue.
Some here seem to be regurgitating old 'issues' that now have been corrected.
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|
| M0JEO |
Rating: |
2020-10-23 | |
| Great all in one |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Great shack in the box, does most things most would want. The remote head makes it a breeze to install in a car, the user interface is very easy and it has a few nice quality of life features including a voice caller.
No idea why people are having issues with low power. My unit was bought brand new and has put out what it is supposed to on every band, without fail. Perhaps some people cant adjust to using it...
Oh and digital voice is legal on HF, enjoy. |
|
| KE7MU |
Rating: |
2020-09-07 | |
| Not all that great |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| There are allot of 5 star reviews, and most never deal with the faulty ALC design that restricts the output power to less than 50 watts on HF. Not to mention the radio will turn itself off if the audio is set too high. They advertise the rig with a multifunction mic, that is an extra $100 or more, and don't leave it in a hot vehicle as the the scene will fail. The receiver is good, but with low rf output it not all that good for HF. By the way using it in digital mode, DV, on HF is illegal. I have been warned by many not to use a solid state amp as the unit produces RF spikes on key up, that's why the ALC circuit holds the output so low. Yes you can modify the ALC but ICOM should have fixed it in the last 7 years, by the way people have commented on the ic7300 have similar ALC issues. I have the FT DX3000 and it has a much better receiver and DSP than the 7100. Is it a mistake that a $1600 radio can be purchased for $755 with a MIR! |
|
| KW4Z |
Rating: |
2020-09-07 | |
| Great Radio for mobile or any use even Primary Radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had and love the IC-7000 but I believe that ICOM has done one better with the IC-7100 and while I'd love to have that beautiful Color display that the IC7000 has in the IC-7100 the grayscale touch screen works great and does all I need.
As for receive quality, I have a Yaesu FTdx3000 and ICOM IC-7300 that I can switch in and out and the reception on the IC-7100 is ever bit as good as both the Yaesu and ICOM radios. Transmit quality can be improved by changing from the included hand mike to either the HM-151 or SM-20 desk mike or other desk mike but overall the quality of the radio is great.
I still have yet to use DStar and utilize all the bells and whistles that the radio has but its operation is solid enough to be a primary radio if one desires to use it
that way and the table presence is great in that you can position the radio out of the way and only the control head need be placed on your table so cosmetically it works great on a busy work desk or a dedicated Radio desk.
If I could suggest any improvements to the radio it would be to allow the RF/Squelch adjustment to go with the frequency band rather than carry across all bands as maybe you adjust it for best reception on 80 meters but then switch over to a local 440 repeater only to have open squelch. The speaker could also stand to be a bit stronger but so far I haven't had that much difficulty understanding what is coming from it. Last, as others will attest, it would be great if the touchscreen was color but then for the price point what you get is well worth it. Lastly, I would love to see some change in the case of the radio in that the Antenna jacks were labeled HF/6 & VHF/UHF, or something like that, rather than Antenna 1 & Antenna 2 but again that's a small issue that really isn't much to complain about.
Overall this is a solid performer and great radio. Sherwood hasn't decided to test the receiver but again when I compare it to my FTdx3000 and IC-7300 it's very very close and just as good and a pleasure to operate. Most people aren't going to be able to distinguish the difference that Sherwood receiver ratings provide, not with the normal human ear, so it comes down to what you hear from your own hearing. |
|
| KQ4KK |
Rating: |
2020-03-16 | |
| Best bang for the buck |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Absolutely a great all mode transceiver at a great price, still. Use it on all the satellites as the uplink, use a cheap SDR receiver as the downlink. DSTAR on VHF, UHF, AND HF is a plus. The LDG 100 tuner for the 7100 is good to 125 watts SSB and CW, BUT only 30 watts digital and DSTAR on HF, be careful.
This is a great package for under $800. VHF,UHF, HF and all mode DSTAR voice on all bands. No filters to buy, no cards, modules to add. Ok, if you want GPS you have to plug in a $35 3rd party GPS. and you need a MicroSD card to keep track of everything.
This is almost a 6 year old design. Before waterfalls, color screens, touch screens, and SDR became popular in main line Ham product companies.
I would like a replacement for the 7100 that does all the current one does, but adds the SDR, color, and waterfall from the 7300/7610. And I was told are you ready, again for a $1600 7100. I said yes.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KQ4KK on 2013-07-23
The IC 31 and 51 broke new ground with a built-in SD card slot, a GPS, and linkage to the GPS and nearest DSTAR repeater database by pushing a couple of buttons. Made programming DSTAR a lot easier.
We have been waiting for ICOM to come out with a full power mobile with the same linage.
It's here! They even improved on it, by adding a touch screen. All you need to do is have the GPS find the nearest DSTAR repeater and TOUCH the screen on the repeater you want to link to, then touch the screen on if you want it to be local or go thru a gateway, then if you want touch the screen to load it into a memory.
Wish the 31 and 51 had a touch screen.... maybe they will, next time around.
You do have to add a $35-70 third party serial GPS. The one you have on your 880 will work fine. Wired and setup just the same.
AND you also get full DSTAR DV HF on all HF bands included! ICOM also has a $14.95 sale on the programming software. You don't need a special programming cable because the radio comes with a USB cable for programming and ALL operations, including HRD, PSK-31, etc thru the USB cable, just like the IC-9100.
The IC-7100 ALL MODE, VHF/UHF/HF ALL BAND touch screen mobile.
And the control head has the same screw mount as a camera so you can use a camera mount or a RAM mount with a camera 1/4 screw.
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