Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: Icom IC-9700

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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-9700
Reviews: 66MSRP: $2099
Description:
A new release of an old favorite (Icom IC-910H) VHF/UHF All Mode Base Station. Wow - Well worth the long wait!
Product is in production
More Info: http://icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/hf/9700/default.aspx
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25664.1
K8WQK Rating: 2021-08-25
Great Radio but remote control mode is very lacking Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The IC-9700 is a great operating radio with one giant exception: The remote control mode using the RS-BA software is a real disappointment. I purchased this radio primarily to operate remotely to take advantage of a hilltop location that is not my home. The RS-BA software was relatively easy to set up, and yes it works, basically. However, this radio will not scan in the remote mode. Does not exist. Really disappointed that a $1,500 Vhf base radio will not scan.
G8YTZ Rating: 2021-07-07
Perfect in every way Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this radio to replace my IC-910h that I had owned for just over 10 years. I could not be more delighted with it, the IC-9700 is just about faultless except for the frequency stability on 23cm and for up-converter work. It's not terrible and is certainly better than the IC-910h (even though I had the TCXO option fitted), but there is a very simple solution for this: Buy the Leo Bodnar GPS reference unit and add-on PC board. With this product the IC-9700 is GPS locked and gone is any drift.

I would like to say it is the best VHF/UHF/SHF radio on the market, but there again it is the ONLY one! Yaesu, you missed a trick here and iCOM have walked away with the market.

Potential improvements:

- More power, particularly on 70cm & 23cm
- An 'n' connector for VHF
- DMR/Fusion capability
- SD card accessible over the network to access audio files
AA2UK Rating: 2021-05-23
Just super! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my 9700 a few weeks after the initial release. In addition I sold an ICOM 7410 and replaced it with the ICOM IC7300, the 9700's sister rig. The 7300 is used exclusively on 6 meters and 28MHz as my 222 transverter IF. It's mainly used with digital modes but I also use it on USB, CW even some AM. Back to the IC9700 this replaced a circa 1994 Yaesu FT736R with 222 & 1296MHz modules. The 9700 Rx is superb in sensitivity and the ability to dig out the weak ones running CW, FT8, Q65 & MSK144. I also use the 9700 on 902 (144 IF) & 2304 (432 IF) with SG Labs transverters. I never liked the lack of individual amplifier keying lines till I found the DX Shop's amplifier PTT interface they really saved the day with this add on! I use a simple Trimble 10MHz GPS reference and the ICOM software updates to add stability to my 9700. It's not perfect but it allows me to make 1296 JT65C & FT8 Q's. I may eventually add the Leo Bodnar unit. It's nice having a modern rig for 2, 432, 1296 & 902 & 2304 w/the addition of modern transverters. I may eventually get a 2nd 9700 to use with my existing microwave transverters.
Bill AA2UK
I0SJX Rating: 2021-05-07
Not enough focus on receiver's performance Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I decided to buy this radio as I was curious to test its performance and intrigued by its small form factor yet nice power and three V-U bands.
I use it mostly for SSB and CW, tropo DX and contesting.
My station is located in a large urban area with 360 degs open horizon and I use high-gain beam antennas arrays.
At times, I go /P to peaks and places with no external PAs and LNAs.
Well, after using the 9700 for several months, and having compared it to my old 2m IC-275 I can say that all nice add-ons with modern digital features and controls don't really make it up for the lack of a decent receiver. The RF direct-sampling receiver has a limited dynamic range and it comes unusable in contests or any time my neighbouring DXers or contesters put out their muscles. The receiver goes banana no matter I switch the preamp off or turn on IMD, it simply is unable to handle real-life signal dynamics in 2m and 70cm. I will need to go back to my original plans and keep using the old IC-275 in 2m until I manage to complete transverters to add to my FTDX101D and enable a decent V-U operation. Then the 9700 will only be used when going /P. One more comment about the TX delay - which purely is a SW function that may easily be adjusted on the next FW update; I needed more than 30 milliseconds to make sure the external LNA is not going cooked when transmitting...no way, I asked European tech support and the answer was like reading once again the handbook and no flexibility at all.
All in all, it's sad to see that RX performance is no longer considered for the value it has in our community.
W0LD Rating: 2021-04-25
The IC-9700 Delivers! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First week with the IC-9700–a dream rig! The receiver hears signals I used to use an external preamp to hear. The touch screen is intuitive. The audio is excellent both receive and transmit. I am sure there will be little things that pop up but initially this radio is a winner. Of all the VHF rigs I have used, and I have used just about every one of them, this radio delivers.
N4NUI Rating: 2021-04-19
Nice Radio as replacement for IC-910H Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this to add a D-star base rig. I still have my original IC-910H with the 23cm module. It has nice UI features in line with the HF IC-7300 and my IC-7610. It works well with my sat track software. However, the old IC-910H appears to have a better receiver, even with the pre-amp on, and I was seeing some freq drift and that was still apparent on my spectrum analyzer even when I connected a GPSDO so the drift may be related to the circuit design or an unstable component. This presents a problem with JT65 EME. D-Star was easier to set up with my old IC-A91 than with this IC-9700. It is not a terribly expensive radio compared to the IC-7610 but I expected more from ICOM.
VK3ZAZ Rating: 2021-03-31
It drifts. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great radio for weak signal 2 and 70 cm.
Needs help on 23.
Contact somebody on 144 ssb.
dial up second radio on a 1296 beacon and start yacking on 2m ssb.
23 cm starts to waffle up and down on a gps locked beacon.
Never noticed before.
So you do need the gps do to lock it at 49 mhz, pay for its cost and freight.
If you dont forget about 432/23 wspr and maybe even ft8.
The ten meg osc only holds the freq it doesnt stop the drift.


M0CVX Rating: 2021-01-22
Good performance and easy to use. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Ok...it is a DDC SDR...so at VHF and up you are going to need the preamp on...you cannot compare it to old superhet rigs, so let's get over that straight away. Preamp On NF is about 3dB which is quite respectable...however, I usually keep the internal Preamp off and use a masthead LNA..I'm estimating a circa 1.5dB system NF on 2m. Excellent. And I use the RF gain control to optimise the receiver for differing noise conditions. When I don't need the masthead LNA I just use the internal preamp. I find this gives a superb degree of flexibility.

Yes, to get the very best frequency stability you'll need a GPSDO (I bought the LB injection board too), get over it...
The receiver sounds very clean and clear, and the Noise Blanking is excellent.
I use this near daily on 2m meteor scatter and weak signal tropo on 2m, 70cm and 23cm. It interfaces beautifully with programmes like MSHV, plays nicely with legal limit PAs, and powers and sequences masthead LNAs.
I've had high-end transverters plus HF rigs in the past (and IC-275H and 970 etc) but the whole package of the IC-9700 is just an easier, more enjoyable experience.

Is it perfect?...not quite. However as a multi mode VHF UHF rig I really don't think there is anything to beat it.
N4ZTA Rating: 2020-10-25
Great high end radio but not flawless Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought the 9700 as I was impressed with a friends 7300. Top notch state of art DSP IF and a really good UI experience.

The radio is great but not perfect. Operating it is a joy for me, and the display is very readable with plenty of features, bandscope, water fall, you name it, it does it. I get much use out of the QSO recorder leaving it running monitoring the two repeaters I care and feed- "for quality and training purposes" of course.

That being said, I've put some miles on it working SSB on 2 and 440. It DOES have a drift problem. It is not horrible but for a radio of this caliber I was kind of surprised, but most people wouldn't notice on FM/D-Star, which is does a respectable job of.

I do notice the RX sensitivity isn't as great as a lowly Yaesu FTM-7250DR I have thru an antenna switch on the same Diamond X-300 vertical. Maybe I am expecting too much for a $1500-1600 radio to be "flawless".

It's hard to find flaws with the radio aside from the drift (which averages around 7-20Hz up and down) issue. The audio quality is superb on both RX and TX on FM, SSB and D-Star. Want to setup the web server some day and try the app to run the rig on D-Star.
K6JEY Rating: 2020-09-20
Great Microwave IF Rig Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I used this as a 2M IF rig for the 10GHz and up contest. What a spactacular radio. I had a very weak signal on SSB I could just barely copy. I hit NR and it came up 59. Incredible. I used a sound reflector to direct the spaker sound right at me as well. I had to use a sun shade to keep the diplay fuilly readable. As an IF radio it beats everything I have used in the last 30 years.