Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: ICOM IC-7610

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : ICOM IC-7610
Reviews: 125MSRP: 3250. USD
Description:
ICOM HF Radio IC-7610
Product is in production
More Info: https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-7610/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
54.81254.6
K4VW Rating: 2018-04-27
6 Meter Receive Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The reception on my 7610, on the 6 meter band, is slightly better than my 7300. Not sure what is going on with the user of the last post. Great Radio!
KB1NXE Rating: 2018-04-27
Amazing - The SDR you want Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I got one of these from the initial batch. Went through the firmware updates and the nail biting that ensued. But since 1.06, this thing is rock solid and performs like a dream come true.

Intuitive and easy to navigate menu items, well laid out controls and mindlessly simple computer control interfacing makes this rig as close to perfect as I can afford.

Now, I see someone experienced a deaf 6M band. Rob Sherwood of Sherwood Engineering measures 20M at 140dBm and 6M at 139dBm. Something else was wrong, because it's just not the case.

This rig does require you to spend some time reading both manuals. That's becasue it does so much. And to get the full benefits, learning it's operation is a must.

The use of the two receivers which can be on different bands is awesome while hunting DX. Each with separate filtering and antennas if you choose. Or use a third antenna (RX Only) and go hog wild.

Transmitter controls, especially audio, while won't please a die hard sound control op, will handle most microphones and situations. Using it with my PW-1 makes it like a 1kW rig. Doesn't get better.

If you are looking for your next rig for DX, and haven't won the lottery lately, herre ya go.
KC7UI Rating: 2018-04-26
Hardware Defect on 6M can’t be corrected with software Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
At first I was excited and used 7610 for about 25 hours on the lower bands and it worked as noted by the prior 40+ reviews. Then I attempted a six meter contact in FM mode with another out of town radio operator and discovered the 7610 was dead on six meters. I returned the 7610 to a nationally recognized retailer who refunded my money. They also took another new 7610 out of the box, version 1.06 software, and encountered the same problem as with version 1.04. I was sorry I sold my 7600 after 9 years use, as it, along with a Kenwood TS-2000X, Yaesu FT817-ND, and FT-857D, all could hear a strong Six meter contact in Pre-Amp modes with signals 60db over S9 (pinning the S meter) whereas the Icom 7610 with Pre-Amp 1 was approximately S7 and dropped to S6 in Pre-Amp 2. Since the six meter noise floor was S7, communications on six meters was not possible.

Both the national dealer and I worked in unison with Icom engineering department to see if the 7610’s lack of sensitivty above 24 MHz in preamp modes (either 1 or 2) could be remedied. I spoke with an Icom representative on 4/09/2018 regarding the 7610 issues on six meters and lack of sensitivity when engaging the preamps. He informed me that Icom would be issuing an errata sheet as the preamp specifications as noted on page 31 in the manual (Section 4-1) were incorrect and that these specifications were erroneously copied from the 7600 manual. He state that after conferring with Icom engineers, they are unable to “resolve my problem” and correct the upper band sensitivity issues with software.

Further, I conferred with a preeminent nationally recognized amatuer radio operator (with an engineering background) who previously posted a You Tube video on the 7610. He admitted he did not test the 7610 on six meters when he posted his video, but the morning I contacted him he had coincidently discovered earlier while attempting to engage in a six meter net that he thought his six meter Yagi was 180 degrees out! While on the phone with him he tested the 7610 for 40 minutes using his Kenwood TS-990 and a signal generator on various frequencies at and above 24 Mhz. In A-B comparison tests he confirmed that while the 7610 spectral scope depicts signal increases in Pre-amp 1 and slightly higher in pre-amp 2, the signal does not reach the audio stage. In reality there is an estimated minus (-) 2 db decrease with pre-amp 2 engaged! Now I am back in the market for an SDR radio. I might add the 7600 was phenomenal on my favorite band, 40 meters. The hand mike was superb, the SSB and CW signals seemed to pop out with less background noise, much better than with my 7600. But frankly I refuse to own a radio that does not work well above 24 Mhz. Don’t take my word for it, but those operators who read this posting, try six meters yourself in A-B test mode.

By the way, all readers need to know there is a 1/32” to 1/16” wobble on both AF/RF dual knobs before those knobs engage because each is three-way and disengages that band when depressed. This is irritating but I was willing to live with this fact until I discovered the upper band lack of sensitivity issue.

As soon as Icom comes out with a 7612, or whatever, I will buy one as I love Icom equipment. Meanwhiile I am exploring Flex.
VE2WQ Rating: 2018-04-20
Great Transceiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After owning a lots of radio (TS-590SG FTDX-1200 FTDX-3000 FT-2000D IC-7300) etc etc ...
This is the first radio that really impresses me.
Super good reception Very good audio transmission
First Qso on 20M with John ON4UN and very good audio report with the supplied microphone
I like the size of the screen and the output DVI-D for external screen.
The menu is very simple and easy to configure
On the other hand the configuration of the radio for mode FT-8 or others was a little more complicated hi !!!
In the end I am very happy with my IC-7610 and I think I will keep that one.
PA3HGT Rating: 2018-04-18
Great transceiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
A local hamshop (Hamshop,the Netherlands) gave me the transceiver for more then a week to test if i like it.
First thing i like is the big sharp responsive screen.
Receiver is great,on 40 and 80 with contest in the evening,the receiver performs very good.
TX audio , just out of the box is really good.Some folks asked me what kind of mike i used.
I tested if there are no spikes because for the amplifier (Acom 2000a) and i measured no spikes (LP100 meter).
No alc problems so the SSB power average is very good.

Cons are: Notch and VFO/MEM is not on the front because they're primary functions.
The Icom IC-7610 has a few "double" knobs and the inner knob is feeling a bit cheep but comes with the price i think.

To view the scope easier :default scope is on VBW-wide and made it VBW-narrow.

For the rest .. we could make a long story but this transceiver is really great.

Cheers for now !

Hans,PA3HGT
www.pa3hgt.nl for a lot of photo's of the IC-7851/7800,Acom 1000/2000a/Kenwoog TS950/990,Optibeam etc.Dutch written but google translate is available.
N4DCD Rating: 2018-04-15
Update to prior review Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Well, I dove into another 7610 with the 1.06 firmware update and I must say it made a BIG improvement with the IMD issues. It could still use some tweaking the interface to allow more muse control when on the big screen but overall, very nice radio. I don't think anyone would not like this rig, I'll keep it around sitting right next to my Anan 7000DLE.
AA9NN Rating: 2018-04-04
1.06 !! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
having waited a bit but did have an early radio. 1.06 was the update that helped this rig. made it more stable, fixed some receiver issues.

Lowering the price certainly helped as well!!

73!
Jim AA9NN
W8NWN Rating: 2018-04-03
Front Feet Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Front feet only raise the radio 1 3/4 inches off the table...........Needs to be raised a couble of inches more.

The radio itself is fine.
AB0O Rating: 2018-03-31
Worth the money Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I won't repeat all the detailed quantitative tech reports from the other reviewers, but I will say something about my qualitative impressions of the rig that might put it in a simpler perspective. (I owned a 756ProII for 14 yrs previously.)
1) I don't care what anyone says, the receiver is outstanding, really outstanding. I almost always back down on the RF Gain to at least 10 o'clock. Remarkable that doing that doesn't really affect the audio signal very much at all, except get rid of excess noise. The DSP has little effect on audio quality, but really cuts adjacent noise/signals.
2) The transmitter is equally as outstanding. I used a third party full audio processing setup with my ProII, but it was not necessary with the 7610, and the audio sounded better. The compression function makes it possible for DX to hear you well versus just barely. The hand mic sounds better than all mics I tried except my trusty Heil GoldLine GM-4.
3) The stock speaker is so good, I haven't yet found an external speaker that sounds better to my ear.
4) Whatever you need to do to be a cutting edge contest station...it can do easily. Whatever nit-picks you think you might have wanted and it doesn't do...well you can shop elsewhere but you may have to give up on the elegant ICOM stuff in order to acquire any fringe features as compared to the 7610...and it may cost you more.
5) ICOM's customer support is excellent.
6) The rig quickly becomes comfortable...within minutes. The split between the Basic Manual and the Advanced Manual was very logical. Most experienced casual users won't need the Advanced Manual. Download it for free, you'll say ah-ha...I get it.
7) Some of my personal pet peeves or head-scratchers? The external monitor feature is cool, but good luck finding a monitor that doesn't generate RF noise. The best monitor I found still added two S-units of noise on 80 meters. Not an ICOM thing.

I think ICOM made a very full-featured rig with 98% of what even the most critical users would want, in a package that is easy to operate.
I shopped deeply before selecting the 7610 and it did not disappoint me.

John
N7LRA Rating: 2018-03-29
Very Satisfied Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I replaced my 756PROIII with a new IC-7610 and couldn't be happier. I loaded the latest firmware as soon as I took the 7610 out of the box and haven't experienced any problems. Great radio!