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Reviews For: Icom IC-T7A & T7H

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

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Review Summary For : Icom IC-T7A & T7H
Reviews: 107MSRP: 200
Description:
Transmit 144 - 148 MHz and 440-450 MHz
5 watts out of the box with standard battery pack, 6 watts @ 13.5 V DC
Dimensions: 2.3 (W), 4.8 (H), 1.1 (D) inches, 14.3 oz
One-touch band switching - CTCSS tone encode/decode
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001074.5
KD5LSX Rating: 2000-10-28
A great first radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The ICOM IC-T7H is my first radio. After using it, I can't see myself buying another handheld or even a radio from another manufacturer! I will admit it does have a couple of shortcomings; but the advantages greatly overshadow them. It is quite heavy with the supplied BP-173 battery pack, but this radio is built like a tank. The antenna may not work well in some situations (does any rubber duck really work that great?); but a simple mag mount antenna will fix that problem; anyways, the supplied antenna works just fine outside. I find that, when running high power (5 watts), the radio tends to get rather hot after a 20 minute QSO. However, I can hit repeaters from 10+ miles away with the rubber duck while running low power (500 miliwatts), thus reducing the heat. So far, I have had little or no problems with intermod. Some people complain about the small screen size, but the backlit LCD displays all the essential information (frequency, duplex setting, tone encoder/tone squelch/pocket beep, memory channel, relative signal strength, power setting). The unit has excellent audio quality. It has a scan function that will cover 118-174Mhz [including aircraft, ham, business band, MURS, NOAA weather radio, some wireless microphones], and 400-470 [including ham, business band, and FRS]. The scanner comes pre-progammed for all the VHF and UHF frequencies it can cover plus it has four scan memories. Unfortunately, you can only transmit on 430-450Mhz on UHF. A welcome feature is the CTCSS scanner, which can be used to open up a repeater. When using the power saver in "auto" mode and running low power, the battery lasts for two or three days! The manual is short and almost unneccesary -- the radio sets up in just minutes. All in all, I would reccomend the ICOM IC-T7H to anybody, especially a newbie, or as a first radio. That, and you can't hardly find a sturdy dual-band handheld radio with these features for $200-250. Nice job ICOM!

73 de Joshua, KD5LSX
EX_AF1P Rating: 2000-10-26
Quality Problems Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The high band transmitter was bad 'out of the box' with only about 100mw output. The unit is in the mail back to the dealer for replacement after one day of use. This unit is quite heavy compared to other HTs being sold, though that is due to the large NiCd battery. Be prepared to spend several hours reading the instructions for programing the setup. Reasonable price ($199) for a dual band, 6W HT. The metal belt clip seems durable, but the supplied dual band antenna pokes into my armpit when clipped onto my belt. If the replacement unit doesn't perform a lot better, I'll sell this unit and get a single band Yaesu. A very disappointing HT so far.
AD6JN Rating: 2000-09-20
Great Radio for the Price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The radio is very easy to program and has great features. It is small and thin and will fit in a front pants pocket with the antenna removed. I use it mobile and portable. The BNC antenna connector is great for mobile where easy removal is necessary. It works great in the Los Angeles area on low power as most repeaters here are on mountain tops. The battery pack is easily removed and the keypad has nicely raised and spaced keys. I now take it with me most places.
WA1PIX Rating: 2000-06-23
Small Package HT with full 800 MHz. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
You want to know the real skinny on the ICOM-T7 handie-talkie? With a simple keypad mod (just pressing certain keys on the kepad-- no cutting or soldering) it gets full 800 MHz coverage. The one that I had also gave very long receive time using the factory battery pack. It's small size made it a triple threat. I was very happy with the T7 because of these three points. As with any HT, don't expect to put a mobile antenna on it and expect decent intermod performance. Speaking of the antenna, it's a BNC connector-- another saving grace for a portable. The T7 has been around for a few years and is, I think, just now going to start to lose its competitive edge to the latest HTs. This forces me to give it a 4. The T7's big brother is the T32, which is substantially larger, offers true dual-band operation and 200 memories. The size issue was the most important point that made me go for the T7 over the T32. All tolled, it's a nice little package which I'll always regard as a classic and fun HT.
KC2FVR Rating: 2000-06-23
IC-7TH is a very good value for the money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The IC-T7H performs well as a dual function mobile / portable. I found that it was almost as easy to use with a quick mount in the car as it was as a straight hand held. The 6 watts high power setting combined with a 5/8 wave antenna make for excellent range in mobile operations. The case is very durable and the unit accepts the standard Radio Shack accessory speaker/microphone.
I'd like to see this unit upgraded with a much larger alphnumeric display of a type and size similar to the Alinco DJ190 monobander. If you are interested in this radio, be sure to ask if the newest production units can still be push button "enabled" for extended receive.
KD7HAR Rating: 2000-01-31
A great beginner radio Time Owned: unknown months.
The IC-T7H is a wonderfull radio for the beginner. The manuel is fairly easy to understand. It programs easily with a little work. The only complaint I have is that the supplied ni-cad runs out quickly under heavy use. I have not used the optional battery pack that uses 4 AA batteries, but have heard great things about it. This radio is definately a keeper. I highly recommand it.
KG4AUQ Rating: 2000-01-10
Fantastic dual bander...almost Time Owned: unknown months.
I love this little HT. It performs excellently on both V&UHF bands and I've received many positive comments on the audio quality. My only complaint is with battery life which could be better. I'd like nothing more than to see ICOM switch completely from ni/cads to ni/mh batteries. I purchased the optional AA battery holder and with 4 ni/mh AA cells, battery life jumps from 5 hours to 20 under heavy use.
It is very simple to program and operate, and the manual covers everything step by step.
All and all I HIGHLY recommend this HT to anyone looking for a new one.