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Reviews For: Icom IC-9700

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

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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
AH6LE Rating: 2019-06-16
No serious complaints Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My main use for the 9700 is for 2 meter JT65 EME work and it works great with no concerns for stability. My initial transmission creates a 20 Hz drift MAXIMUM but after that, it settles down nicely. This isn't a problem at all

When the 10 mHz reference issue is fully addressed, I'll use my GPSDO but until then, the radio is entirely fine for my use as is (sequencing and separate RX ant input is another issue)
K9MHZ Rating: 2019-06-15
This is a terrific radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I could not be happier with this radio that I purchased at the Dayton Hamvention 2019. The current pricing is the same as that charged by the vendors at Dayton, and has nothing to do with the frequency drift complaints. Firmware Version 1.10 was is not supposed to correct the issue by itself, and no claim was ever made that it would. Version 1.10, while synchronizing to REF IN, automatically adjusts the internal reference frequency to match the external 10 MHz reference frequency. Many weak signal, EME, and satellite operators use a GPS reference as a boilerplate matter anyway. As for the radio itself, it's a quantum leap in ease of use as well as the many advantages of a direct sampling receiver architecture. Icom made a wonderful product with the IC-9700.
W2PP Rating: 2019-06-14
Misleading Firmware update Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The new Firmware update does not by itself fix the serious drift issues. You must now also go out and buy a 10 MHz reference and if it’s GPS based hope you get a signal lock inside your shack.

ICOM did not fix the radios inability to transmit or receive 9600 baud thus satellite digital stuff is off the table.

AGC issue not addressed

If you want to do weak signal work keep this all in mind. For SSB CW FM your fine but their are far less expensive solutions

Remember this radio was, is specifically marketed to weak signal guys like me not rag chewing

Obviously the market has figured this radio out as the price is down $400 in a hurry
N0FG Rating: 2019-06-11
Great radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have owned every satelliete rig ever produced and this far surpasses all of them at a far better price
G4IJE Rating: 2019-06-10
Excellent! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this transceiver to work SSB, CW and FT8 on 2 metres, which all perform superbly. Although I have no plans to use the higher bands at the moment, it is reassuring to know that the latest firmware allows locking to an external 10MHz frequency standard. Receiver audio quality is superb - so much nicer than the FT-991A which I used before. As I own an IC-7300 I have found the IC-9700 very familiar, but in any case the controls are quite intuitive. The fan comes on after a short time when transmitting at full power but is very quiet. This is the most I have ever spent on a radio, and I am not disappointed.
G7EMK Rating: 2019-06-03
Great Tranceiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had this transceiver since its release , and this was one of the very first in the UK. The receive and the scope are fantastic. Menu is a breeze. The only issue I found was that there were pages missing in the manual and I had to inform iCOM UK. There are reports that this radio drifts and I also though this at first, but it is due to the fact that the AFC (Auto Frequancy Calibration) is on ( default )and it moves to the frequancy of the received signal. I now have this swithched off. Also you need to review the advanced manual on the iCOM site for firmware updates which I would of thought the process would have been in the main manual. This to one site. It is a great all rounder for UHF and VHF.
WA7FWF Rating: 2019-05-31
regret Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After 20 something years of 9600 packet support Icom dropped it on the 9700, my 820, 821,910 and 9100 all had it, don't know if this was an oversight on Icom's part or a hardware limitation on the SDR 9700, had they mentioned dropping support anywhere I would have passed on the radio. The 10mhz reference in is nothing more than a calibrate tool which is a shame as the radio could sure use a lock on 23cm ssb, Receiving the fan is off so the radio heats up and when you start talking the fan kicks on and pulls cool air right across the master oscillator so the other station better have their hand on the RIT knob on their radio because your 9700 will be drifting. All of this is really a shame because the radio does shine in other areas and has lots of nice features.
N9SSU Rating: 2019-05-31
ICOM dropped the ball on this one Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Lets keep in mind, this has a price tag of 2100 but not surprised to be seeing it on sale for 1699 these days.

The bad upfront. It has only 80 watts output on 2m. 65 on 440. That is a bird meter. I thought my bird had croaked! So I hooked up a cheap Chinese meter, guess what? SAME output. I contacted the manager where I bought it. (Not relevant for this rating). Their display unit did the *exact* same wattage, both bands. Seriously? Really ICOM? 20% & 14% less than the rated wattage from a high end radio? I understand quirks and blips from first gen radios. But this is a major issue and total BS. I expect this from cheap Chinese radios where there is no expectation of QC and where you do not lay out a mint for the unit. I will contact ICOM but they have no rep in my area. So off to corporate I go.

The fan grinds and is loud. Runs often.

1.2Ghz has been hashed out well by others.

Can't listen to the same band in VFO A & B? I knew this going in, but adding on the other shortcomings, the radio devalues even more.

Personal dislike. I do not like the controls, not intuitive, like how to change bands. Reading the manual does solve this issue and I did just that.

The good? Great receive. Great selectivity. SNR is awesome. Great touchscreen. Full of settings to make the most discriminating user happy. Solid case. OK size for such a radio.

This is the only regret radio I have *ever* had in my life. It is totally opposite in quality for dollars spent, compared to my 7610 which is the best radio I have *ever* had. I will not sell it, because I will lose my shirt. The thought of playing the "warranty" game by sending a larger more expensive radio in the mail is a scary thought.

I recommend you get it, hook it up to a BIRD meter ASAP. One that you know is calibrated and works. When you get low wattage output, then connect it to another meter/dummy load and verify. Hope you do it sooner than I did, before my return period ran out.

73
DF1AS Rating: 2019-05-21
Overpriced Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This rig hasn't met a lot of expectations.
The 10-MHz reference input isn't a reference input at all. Drift is immense. Other than common the receiver generates more heat inside due to no convection. When sending all is cooling down first time. After 2 min. tx'ing I'm off ~340 Hz on 23 cm. I didn't had that so massive with the 910 or the 9100.
Ok - the fan mod is a phantastic way to decrease the drift. However, I don't want to mod a new rig. Hope that fan can be controlled by S/W and Icom puts in a menue option to define RX fan speed.
Bands are strictly limited to the Ham bands. No way to largely extent like 910 or 9100. The band scope is too small also - just 1 MHz. The R8600 can do 5 MHz. I'm working DVB-T on 70 cm with 1 or 2 MHz bandwidth, this is impossible to monitor with the 9700.
And yes, the old problem of controlling linears independantly from each other. Where's the band select output?
Last but not least: signal dynamics. A courageous approach, but direct sampling up to 450 MHz hasn't bit depths, oversampling, dithering as short-wave RX can do. Hope this will be improved, but that takes another few years. For now, 74 dB is the actual end of the flagpole. Old gears are better by 10 or 20 dB.
I don't undestand 5/5 votings for stuff that isn't and cannot be perfect. Even if in several aspects this thing is worse than old stuff. I give it a 3/5. For a lower price I would rate it 4/5.
M0KZX Rating: 2019-05-13
Good from afar but far from good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received my 9700 in the first batch that arrived into the UK.
I had high expectations for this radio some which were delivered, but many were not.
I returned my radio to the dealer for a full refund after 3 weeks.

The great stuff:-
- Both transmit and receive audio are very good
- The way this radio handles repeaters is stunning. It's extremely easy to import every 2m, 70cm & 23cm in the country in to the radio. Accessing them is equally simple.
- The bandscope is responsive
- Great snr
- Runs cool (910 owners will know what I'm talking about).

The not so great stuff:-
- The AGC on 70cm is so sharp it can't handle all of the crud and splatter on 70cm. The result is that the AGC keeps on cutting in whilst you are trying to have a QSO, and then takes a second or two to recover . . . the result being you keep missing bits of what the other station is saying. Hopeless when working satellites. I repeated this issue when I returned the radio to the dealer.
- Drift on 23cm (I won't elaborate as this is a well known problem).
- Like the 910H despite having 2 VFO's you still can't have the two VFO's on the same band. Come on ICOM, this isn't rocket science other manufacturers manage it!
- Although the SNR is very good, the sensitivity of the radio is no better than anything else out there.

I spoke to ICOM UK about the problem on 70cm's and their response was along the lines of "what do you expect for a cheap SDR, it has all the same problems as the 7300". You have to respect their honesty.