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Reviews For: ICOM IC-Q7A

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Hand-held

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Review Summary For : ICOM IC-Q7A
Reviews: 36MSRP: 229
Description:
Ultra compact 2 meter/440 MHz dual band handheld with full feature scanner.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/dualhand/index.html#q7a
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00364.6
LNXAUTHOR Rating: 2020-09-17
Rediscovered 20 years later! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
had one of these little buggers nearly 20 years ago after getting licensed; it was an impulse buy and was fun for a while but then i wanted an HT with more power out - i was also disappointed with the wideband receive, which did not include AM BCB... i sold it at a hamfest for a slight loss

fast forward 20 years later: i recently purchased a new-in-the-box old-stock unit from a fellow on the evil Internet auction site; the Q7A was in its plastic, and came with antenna, clip, lanyard, charger and two corroded and unusable rechargeable batteries

i had forgotten how small, yet easy to use and program the Q7A is... and lo and behold, i also discovered that with a single mouse click, the HT could possibly be widebanded to receive BCB AM - if i had known this 20 years ago i would not have sold my original unit

so i dug out an old Asus Eeepc w/Windoze 7 Starter out of the closet, and plugged in an FTDI 4-pole cable (also used with Chirp for the VX5 and VX3, and also Q7A); after waiting 10 minutes for the cable and its drivers to install, i clicked on Goran Vlaski's 1999-vintage IC-Q7 Programming Utility... it ran - but horror of horrors, only offered COM1 thru COM4 ports, while the FTDI serial adapter came up as COM6... initially dismayed, i then edited the driver using Properties->Port Settings->Advanced->COM Port Number to an available port in range - voila!

plugged in the Q7A, ran the programming utility, downloaded the HT's memory, and then with one mouse click on the 'SuperRX now' button the utility re-uploaded the memory and enabled reception down to 0MHz!

so now my Q7A receives not only AM BCB, but also all SW bands (WWV, etc.); the change is retained between power on/off, and AM stations can be saved and retained in memory (i did those manually)

according to Vlaski, the IC-Q7A uses the same hardware and firmware as the ICOM R2 but was 'hobbled' by ICOM for some reason (as to not cannibalize R2 sales?)

the software apparently toggles an enabling bit or masks the transceiver's identity; and Vlaski's utility also provides an adjustment mode for the HT, used in conjunction with the Q7A's service manual (not for the faint of heart and unnecessary to me)

i'm very happy that i have rediscovered my nice little pocket transceiver that now receives BCB AM, SW, airband, NOAA WX, VHF marine, BCB WFM, with transmit on 2M and 70M!
F4FAP Rating: 2010-12-18
Good and small Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Lack of a very low power for use on very local - 50 mW would be fine.
PTT a bit hard to maintain pushed in - not soft enough.

Menu is quiet easy to use, even with no user manual.
Range is very confortable with 2 cells - it goes for days.
High sensibility, better than many sophisticated hand rigs.
Diamond 36 cm antenna is perfect to enhance it's capabilities.
LA8DOA Rating: 2010-07-21
Small & Fun Gagdet Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have IC-Q7E as long as I remember!

2AA cells keep`s it going for days superb on holidays etc!!!
Menu is simply to use, good reception!
Orginal antenna works more or less as a dummy load, so chage it!!!

It`s not an advanced rig, but it works on lokal repeter`s with confidence!

VY 73
WV4R Rating: 2008-08-08
A REAL wide-band POCKET radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Icom IC-Q7A

A REAL wide-band POCKET radio

When I first opened the first box of the Pair of Icom IC-Q7A handi-talkie radios, I was skeptical of the manufacturer claims.

I first put in a couple of regular AA’s while I began charging the 2-nicads in their supplied charger.

Putting on the supplied belt clip & wrist strap was a snap if you will pardon the pun.

Then I turned it ON while using the supplied ‘quickie cheat sheet’ in pocket format. Of course the supplied full owner manual is there for those into reading all about it.

The LCD display has good resolution/size for my ole eyes… yes it has “Beeps” too.

Did I say the design/weight make it a REAL POCKET radio?

Good sensitivity with the supplied shortie style rubber duckie antenna. I then tuned into FAA Approach Control and marveled at the good quality AM from the commercial aircraft coming out of the tiny speaker.

Did I say the SCANNER works great?

Once you are into the ICOM programming mentality it is like falling off a log to setup the way you want it for 2m, 440mhz, and wideband too. Get gud audio reports on the XMIT side as well.

Did I say it looks/feels great too?

It is what it is… a small, versatile POCKET radio with many features of the larger, bulkier models. It lasts Long Time on batteries too.

Cosmetics, features, sensitivity, clarity, memories, ease of use all truly earn the ICOM IC-Q7A the WV4R “5-star” rating.

73 es God bless… wv4r/murf.
G8KHS Rating: 2006-11-23
Small & useful Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Had this for about a year and use it to keep in contact with my friends at hamfests or rallys as we call them in the uk.
I also use it for comms when working up towers and short range simplex use.

Other than the above uses, I keep it in the shack store section with the drycells removed.

The things I like about it;
Small size
Sufficient level of audio rx & tx
Uses AA drycells
Soft case available
Menu ok
Call channels
UHF performance good.

The only thing I don't like is the adapter you have to use with external mics/headsets/earphones, not clever Icom, bulky and expensive, I dock you 1 point for that.

Bottom line, a good functional inexpensive tool that does the job I require.

73, John G8KHS







CRAIGRADIO Rating: 2006-10-12
James Bond look out Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I lucked into an ic-q7a for $60.00 on ebay, this had the Mars/cap and was a real beauty. Since I am still not licensed (i know I am a slacker) and would not use this to transmit I sold it and bought a second one with all the accessories. I have only ever used it for RX, and it is a very capable scanner. With a new antenna, the opc-782 earphone attachment, you will be in your element, if you are a rf tracker like me.
Great to listen to the radio, great to keep for emergencies ( i keep mine in my attache at all times, just in case) just 2 AA batteries will keep you set for weeks.
It is a marvel of manufaturing, and reliability. Big sound, little body, and great charisma
K5TUE Rating: 2006-08-16
one more nit-pick Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I wont repeat everything already said about this little radio, but I want to add that if you leave the radio un-used for a time, say a few weeks, and then expect those batteries to be charged, forget it. This radio draws a small amount of power even when turned OFF. That means that you have to take the batteries out when stored for more than a few days, and thats a bit of a hassle. Otherwise, for daily use, its a great little radio.

FORMER_W5TD_JOHN Rating: 2006-06-15
A nice surprise! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked up one of these HTs in a trade recently, and was pleasantly surprised by it. The audio sounds really good on it, and it is plenty loud for the size of the speaker. I wasn't expecting that. Also, I was able to get on the local repeater and make some QSOs at the 300mw power level. It is also nice that it runs off of 2 AA batteries, which you can find anywhere. It also is pretty easy to program. It is large by today's mini HT standards, but still pretty light. Just wish it did a little more power for its size.
VO1MDS Rating: 2005-04-18
ICOM IC-Q7A Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great little rig, had mine for about 2 weeks now, ni-cads batteries well work for up to 12 hours chating and listening, if they are fully charged.
the transciever is a great radio, good rig for going on a rf-sniff. take your favorite frequecncy counter along and your q7a, perfect for this!!.
the 350mw is just fine around my location. i have chatted into a local repeater located over 6 km away, i even made contact to a repeater that was over 35km away useing a 7 element cubical quad.
the sma connector is a little hard to get use too, if your useing bnc and pl-259 connectors all along. the sma is a lot smaller,and as such requires a special adater.
over all, i love my icom ic-q7a, nice qrp rig for local ragchews, or expermental purposes. great in all repects.
KK9H Rating: 2005-01-25
Perfect hamfest rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When these were being sold off as a discontinued item, I bought one because I liked the size and weight of it. I attached a camera lanyard to the back and I ended up with the ideal hamfest radio. The lanyard always keeps it in easy reach and also protects it from ever being dropped to the ground. In addition to being a neat little ham HT, it also doubles nicely as an airband and public service scanner. I always take it with me when I travel too. I have been very pleased with my IC-Q7A.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KK9H on 2002-09-29

Some time ago I saw the little IC-Q7A and was intrigued by it, but did not buy one. Then I noticed that one of my friends started wearing his HT dangling from a lanyard at hamfests. I thought that was a great idea. His HT was always within easy reach, it couldn't be dropped and when he used it the antenna was high and in the clear rather then down on his belt. Then I remembered the Q7A. It is perfect for putting on a lanyard because it was not only small, but light weight too. The fact that it was just under 1/2 watt output was no problem for hamfests and the receiver on it is excellent as a small scanner too. I really like this little rig and it is fun to play with. Its small size makes it great for travelling. I would recommend owning an HT with more power for general purpose use, but for just taking along a little rig that doubles nicely as a ham HT and scanner, the Q7A is just great.