| W2TB |
Rating:  |
2024-06-23 | |
| The best I have ever owned. So good. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Well I have owned most of the modern great radios, but not all. I have had:
Elecraft K4D
K3
IC7610
IC7600
IC7700
TS990
TS890
FTDX5000
And now the UNDISPUTED champ, the IC-7851. This radio excels in every department, especially beauty. I don't need to rehash all the qualities others have mentioned, except I need to say the ability of this radio to provide excellent selectivity in the presence of very strong adjacent signals is incredible.
I'm a CW op for most of the time and this radio is a dream come true. Filtering, ergonomics, ease of operation, and the NB and NR are terrific. I cannot say that for the Kenwoods, (which has terrible noise reduction) but the Yaesu NB/NR was very good.
I purchased this radio second hand at a considerable discount which made it easy on me, so if you find one discounted, BUY IT. You won't be sorry.
Once you own one, DO NOT sell like I did. I sold my first one and I was dying a slow death until I found another. It's the greatest, especially if you like CW. What a radio!
And this review from another user named "Mike" (callsign unknown):
Glad I got the ICOM IC-7851 and dumped my Lipstick on a Pig Kenwood?TS-990S !
Sold My Kenwood TS-990S after 2 years waiting for firmware fix’s?Lousy Noise Blanker’s for NB1 and NB2 for Fast Impulse Noise?Firmware 1.1 upgrade was a joke for the Noise Blanker !
TS-990S Reasons to get rid of it for New IC-7851 below:?1). NB1 is not fixable on TS-990S?2.) NB2 V1.1 upgrade gave Width & Depth Adjusts but NO Theshold Adjustment?NR1(Water Bubble Sound & NR2(useless)
3.) Phase limited LO and poorer signal blocking on TS-990S
Replace theTS-990S with an Icom IC-7851, works great, Noise Blanker & Noise Reduction are great, takes out Fast Impulse Noise so much better than Kenwood?TS-990S.
No looking back at the TS-990S, Kenwood is non responsive to fixing issues !
Kenwood TS-990S was a Glorified CB radio with Knobs and Buttons, all?Color Eye Candy and poor Flagship performance and Low on the Sherwood Ratings for Receiver performance( even if they put in TS-590S Rx in Main & Sub receivers for a?new TS-990SG radio ! )
The IC-7851 is a Radio with True DX Flagship Status worth the money !
Good bye TS-990S forever !
Even a TS-990SG upgraded with both TS-590SG receiver’s for Main and Sub-Receiviers will not bring me back to Kenwood.
Even the rumor of a CW decoder in the possible upcoming TS-990SG will not bring me back to their so called Flagship Kenwood series TS-990S*?” Kenwood TS-990S –> TS-990SG ”
I just installed the latest firmware V1.1 into my IC-7851
Ergonomics on the IC-7851 is light years ahead of the Kenwood TS-990S?The tracking VFO feature works great, can now use the IC-7851 in Diversity?Reception.
Glad I got the ICOM IC-7851 and dumped my Lipstick on a Pig Kenwood?TS-990S !
What has been a big improvement is the 1.2KHz filter and also the Noise Blanker in the IC-7851 over the Kenwood TS-990S in addition to be Non Water Bubbly super quiet Nose Reduction that the IC-7851 has !
The APF function on CW is better than was on my TS-990S and my current Elecraft full loaded K3S
After waiting nearly 2 years since owning the TS-990S, Kenwood came out with a firmware fix that put both Width and Depth Adjustments to their Noise Blanker DSP NB2 similar to ICOM implementation. All their firmware fixes for the TS-990S failed miserably in the presence of Fast Impulse Noise from Brush Motors, Power Lines. Seemed that if the received Signal Input exceeded the Noise Level the Noise Blanker stopped working, allowing the noise to come back in with the signal ” with Distortion ” Kenwood Failed –>No Threshold Adjustment for Noise Blanker on TS-990S ” that was dumb !
Also, the TS-990S scope, had no way to adjust Horizontal sweep time, so Fast Impulse Noise washed out both the Spectrum Scope and Waterfall.
What is remarkable is that signals on the IC-7851 just in the Noise < S Zero are visible on Spectrum BandScope and Waterfall where as on the TS-990S they had to be above the Noise Floor greatly, S4 or higher !
On the IC-7851, by having the ability to slow the Horizontal Sweep down, the Fast Impulse Noise does not wash out the Spectrum Waterfall like it does on the TS-990S
When I get an AC Power Line 10 over S9 noise, I can easily use the IC-7851 Noise Blanker to get the Noise down to S1 or S2 an when strong signal comes in they do not distort the received signal.
Believe the IC-7851?s new Super Low LO Phase Noise improvements on the IC-7851 has really helped the receiver in terms of less folded in noise into the receiver passband, I can hear stations on 6 meters on long haul hops that I never had on my TS-990S
Really appreciate the design improvements on the IC-7851 over the TS-990S
Thanks ICOM for a world class radio, the IC-7851 !
Icom IC-7851 is Number one for RMDR and will be Number 1 rated on Sherwood Receiver Rating List !
Love the fact can watch two different bands at same time with the Spectrum Scope, on on 20meters while the other on 6 meters !
To me, the Kenwood TS-990S was a like a Glorified Citizen Band “CB” Radio with Eye Candy with poor performance !
73 Mike
I agree with his assessment!
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| RA4RT |
Rating: |
2024-02-17 | |
| Best |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
A wonderful receiver! Great IMD -45 transmitter with my GU78B amplifier!
I would dream of the additional features that are present in the TS 990. Then it would be a dream transceiver!
With the HEIL PR40 microphone, the signal does not leave anyone indifferent. Everyone thinks that SDR works with sound processing. |
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| G2YT |
Rating: |
2023-05-19 | |
| Best HF transceiver I have ever used |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Serial number 05001023 (so probably number 23 of what appears to be about 400 made in total... a rare radio). I have used the IC7851 for more than six years. Before that I owned the IC7800 for even longer. The radio has rightfully been given excellent reviews. From a performance and ergonomic perspective there is not much to fault about it. The IC7850 and 51 are probably the last of the 'flagship' radios to be based on superheterodyne technology, and that in itself makes it a 'landmark' radio in my book.
As I assume that many readers of these reviews will be owners of the IC-7850 and 7851 radios they might like their attention drawn to an informal database which has been created by Peter Munn ZL2LD. His database makes interesting reading and seems to indicate that these radios are probably quite a bit less common than many might think. It also seems likely that although there were supposed to be 150 of the 'Icom 50th anniversary edition IC7850 made, it seems probable that far fewer than this number were actually supplied. Please visit; https://harvest.com/icom for further information.
Maybe its best feature is the superb receiver. Super quiet, sensitive, and selective. Astonishing dynamic range in the real world. Moreover, apart from a mental aberration when I added a Kenwood TS990S to the shack (which I really disliked by comparison) it has been my ‘go to’ radio for ‘almost’ all duties. As explained below, in my case the IC-7851 is useless for remote operation. I also own a Flex 6400M, which I really like for remote operating, but in my opinion, although recent (early 2023) firmware updates have significantly improved RX performance it is not as good RX as the masterpiece IC7851 for weak signal receive performance.
The Icom controls are laid out in a superbly logical and ergonomic manner. Everything feels it is where it needs to be and works as you would expect it to.
My only serious annoyance about the IC7851 is that although it is possible to remote operate the radio, it demands the application of a Windoze PC (or running Windoze on a Mac which I would never contemplate!). This particular reviewer has a severe allergy to using PC's. If Icom would like to get a ‘Great’ instead of a ‘Good’ review from me, they need to realise that not all amateur operators use PC’s. Many of us use Mac exclusively! Wake up Icom!
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| WB4YAL |
Rating: |
2022-02-11 | |
| The Greatest Rig In My Shack! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I bought the IC 7851 after selling my IC 7700. I was always blown away witht eh quality of build and the great receiver in the '7700. But even better is the IC 7851! I love looking at this rig as much as I enjoy listening to it.
I have other great rigs in the shack but this is my "go to" rig for operating pleasure.
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| AE5GG |
Rating: |
2022-01-26 | |
| Exceptional! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
** January 2022 update: I have owned this radio since 2016 and I still think it is by far the best thing out there for the money. Thank you Icom for your excellent design! **
The Icom 7851 is the most technologically advanced and yet **easy to use ** rig that I have ever seen or operated.
Check out these "not so obvious" but extremely well thought out design features...
1) The main and sub tuning knobs on the IC-7851 are slightly UNDER 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the desk surface. By contrast the bottom of the main tuning knob on my Yaesu FT1000D's is 2" off the desk. Now, think of the angle of your wrist when you're tuning for long periods of time...(Still want the higher knobs, no problem, they include easy to snap on adjustable feet for the radio that can raise it if you'd prefer a higher angle!)
2) All of the most frequently used menu items and adjustments are in the lower portion of the radio, again, easy to change from just off the desk level. The lesser changed items, such as the mic gain, RF Power, Key Speed etc. are at the top of the radio.
3) The display screen is large enough to read and if you can't well, you can connect an external monitor and get it to just about whatever size you want.
BEST of all, it's the only radio I've seen yet that has a screen saver!! You can easily adjust the screen saver to go to sleep (turn off), or twist the display around (like floating) etc. I actually sent in a request to Yaesu for my FT-991 and FTM-400XD (before I purchased the 7851) asking for this very feature as I often monitor for long periods of time and don't wish to burn in the screen!
4) This radio can be remotely controlled using optional software on a laptop from anywhere in the world! No more "Gee I miss operating my radio while on a business trip/vacation!" (The automatic internal tuner adjusts based on the freq you select). Too bad you can't connect your rotor to this program...now that would be awesome (being able to operate while changing the direction of your antenna OR just pointing the antenna into the wind remotely if you see a big storm blowing in!) Knowing Icom it will be in this radio next!
5) If you hold down the meter key on the upper portion of the software defined buttons, it will put the S meter, Power Out, ALC, Comp, SWR, and lp meters at the lower part of your screen. It will also show you the operating temp and voltage. For once you don't have to keep flipping a dial or pushing buttons to see various key operating meters!! Brilliant!
6) There are plenty of reviews below that describe the listening experience - let me just quickly add that I wholeheartedly agree that it's a dream to listen to and, just like the brochure says, if you have someone on an adjacent frequency bothering you, you can literally tune them out while still hearing your key contact!
I can go on and on but all I can say is that I wrestled with whether or not I wanted to spend this kind of money on a rig - well, I bit the bullet and went for it after seeing it in person at our local Hamfest in Dallas. It may be a Texas sized price, but it is MORE than a Texas sized rig all packaged neatly into a great looking, sounding and operating rig!
I say - go for it! You truly won't regret it!! |
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| AB1GS |
Rating: |
2020-09-13 | |
| Great Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have been a long time Icom fan. I started with the 706 MKIIG, then traded up to the 746 Pro; the 756 Pro 1,2,and 3; the 7600; and finally, as I began easing into retirement, I splurged and bought the 7851.
It has performed flawlessly for me over the last few years. The receiver is both sensitive and selective, and I get consistently good audio reports. I am a DXer, and using this radio in conjunction with good antennas has yielded amazing results.
I also have an Icom R-9500 receiver, and I will say that I think the 9500 is a tad more sensitive than the 7851, so I am thinking about pairing the two this winter.
When it come to the 7851, all I can say is -- if you can afford it, buy it. |
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| VK4SX |
Rating: |
2020-06-18 | |
| Excellent, Not much more to be said, |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Ok well when a Transceiver HAS no RX embellishments activated, eg; NR, NB, DIGI-SELECT, ETC ETC
with RX set to 2.4khz & 3khz roofing, definitely says something for quality components and construction quality,
BLUE LED to say it is ON, RED LED when I TX, Blue LED to show SD card, and MAIN white LED to show MAIN VFO,
no matter what the band, 40m thru 10mtr, the RX is most Excellent, far out strips any other Super Het, with Elecraft K3 (S) very close,
easy to use, the 1.2Khz Roofing filter is REALLY REALLY SOMETHING ELSE,
if you have never had the pleasure, try and do so,
Yaesu want + $1000.00 AUD XTRA to install a 1 .2khz filter ??.
7851/50, truly once in a lifetime experience, IN THE RIGHT HANDS,
like many radios etc, RTFM 5 Times,
Dennis vk4sx |
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| AA6VB |
Rating: |
2020-02-09 | |
| Just Fabulous |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
After owning this radio and using it extensively for nearly three years I thought it was time to write a review.
I had this rig next to my Kenwood 990S which I had previously compared side by side to the K3 and Icom 7800. Each rig has its strong points. The 990 was the clear winner between it and the 7800 so I sold the 7800 (kept the K3 because it is easily portable).
Now that I have compared the 7851 to the 990, it's clear the 7851 is even better. It excels in the ergonomics department, not that the ergonomics of the 990 were bad. The scope is a step way ahead of the 990 and has excellent definition and ability to see signals that do not register on the S meter.
I have two stations very close by (1/2 mile) who run legal limit and the blocking dynamic range of the rig handles them with ease, and better than the 990.
There is no question that the 7851 is the best performing, highest build quality radio I have ever used, and I have had almost all of the high end rigs in the last 30 years.
Despite the cost, I am very happy to own the 7851 and just love the high quality build and incredible performance of the rig.
Bob/AA6VB |
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| AD4C2024 |
Rating: |
2019-10-25 | |
| A Super radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Not many hams can afford a purchase of this very expensive radio but If you can go for it, you won't be disapointed.
I had the honor and pleasure to own one for a whole year and to be honest is the best radio I have used in 30 years as a ham, I have owned high performance radios in the past as the TenTec Orion II, the IC-7700, the K3, and none of them had the quality of this 7851.
I don't care what Sherwood table says and the position this radio take below many others in the list, all I can say is that its a very quite receiver, very sensitive, never had to use the preamps even en 10M.
The selectivity is awsome, with the use of the new 1.2 Khz roofing filter I could be very close to a strong station and not bothered by its splatters, in fact it has better selectivity than the two SDR radios Icom made, the 7300 and the 7610.
In TX yu will have as any other newer radios from Icom, the standar mic EQ with bass and treble settings using the menu and with the SM-30 base mic I got a beautiful balanced TX audio from 70 to 2900 Hz.
The only thing I wonder from this great radio is why Icom don't include in the sell a mic as in all the others, after you pay that much they should at least give you the Icom hand mic.
Without a doubt its been called the "Flag radio" from Icom, its a masterpiece of electronic engineering.
Having a good radiating system, all you need is 200W and a builtin power supply so thhat make it the best base station at home. |
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| G4YBP |
Rating: |
2019-03-18 | |
| What a Radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Just got this radio after reading the reviews on here and some other forums. I have been a Yaesu man for years so I was worried that I might not get on with it. Yes its takes some getting used to and after a few days on rx I am getting there, if you have owned Icom before you would go have no problems as I said I am getting there. The waterfall don't do it for me so I have the filter settings at the bottom of the screen all the time and I think that is very good better than my FT5000.
The rx is soooo good on this radio probley the best I have ever had. I paid £10,000 brand new and think its worth ever penny. Has anyone got any YouTube clips show the best way to use the IF shifts please. |
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