| AB4BJ |
Rating:      |
2010-11-08 | |
| Great Rig! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I am the new owner of a used, but like-new IC-7600. I have used many HF rigs in the past, most recently the IC-7000 (mobile), the Yaesu FT-2000 and the Flex-3000. I no longer own the FT-2000 or the IC-7000, but continue to use the Flex-3000 side by side with the IC-7600. I love the Flex and the SDR experience and will continue to love and use that radio.
Having said that, the IC-7600 is a joy to operate and is a "keeper". When I first got my Flex-3000 I was blown away by the receiver. I still am, but the IC-7600 seems to be equal when compared side by side with the Flex using the same antenna. While the Flex allows a bit more audio tailering, the 7600 has easy to use settings that have resulted in audio customization that has led to good audio reports with the PR-781 mic (I use the same mic on the Flex and the 7600).
The controls and menus on the 7600 are first rate and intuitive. I have referred to the manual on occasion, but have had no trouble quickly learning to navigate the controls and menus to make quick adjustments. The display on the 7600 is very nice, and offers a much better experience than the front panel on the FT-2000. While the scope is nice, I'm still spoiled by the "point and click" scope I have with my Flex and PowerSDR software. Still, the 7600 display is probably the best of any non-SDR radio in this price class.
Computer control works very well, especially with the USB capability of the 7600. I run the DXLab programs, and it was an easy setup to integrate the 7600, SteppIR controller and the software. Also nice is the DXLab feature that allows a secondary radio to be used, where I can link the tuning of the 7600 and the Flex, so that my SteppIR follows both radios at the same time.
The various filtering options on the 7600 work very well, and I have been very pleased with the results I have obtained. All of the filtering details are set out in other reviews and in the documentation that can be downloaded from Icom so I won't repeat them all here, but needless to say this radio is "rich" in this regard.
The PSK decode option is a plus; however, I find the display to be a bit small for this. I think any serious PSK operator would likey prefer a full-scale program like DM781, etc.
The USB keyboard/memory stick interface on the front panel is very nice. It's very easy to plug in the memory stick and back up your radio settings. Every modern HF rig should have this feature.
While the 7600 does not have a big footprint like its older siblings (7700 and 7800) or the FT-2000, it's a nice fit at the operating position and the front panel controls do not feel crowded in any way. It is certainly portable and would be perfect for Field Day operation.
There are a multitude of features on the 7600 that I have not commented on, and many I have yet to operate, but what I have discovered so far easily justifies the rating of "5" on this radio. |
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| AD9P |
Rating:      |
2010-09-18 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
This radio is the K3's equal when comparing receive capability.
Overall it is a much better radio.
I just never could warm up to the K3.
The audio both the transmitted, and receive is superior.
The display, USB , construction, etc. are just a few of the many features that set it apart from the K3.
Thanks
Al
AD9P
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| N6KZB |
Rating:      |
2010-09-03 | |
| 7600 works well! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I bought the 7600 recently. It's USB cable to computer is working well. The owners manual is lacking in the tutorial on the USB portion. I downloaded the drivers from the ICOM site. I now have the radio's rig control working with MixW, HRD, Winmor, Airmail, and Aclog. The internal sound card aspect is a fantastic feature. Got rid of the rigblaster and all it's cables. I get full audio and rig control with one USB cable. The sound settings took a little research and internet prowling, but we got it. Icom needs to really provide better instructions on this aspect. How does it play? Very nice. The roofing filters make a difference for me. I do a lot of soundcard data work, and once set up, this radio is a dream. I run Windows 7 (x64) and have no problems. It did take some tweaking to get the levels correct, found best to set radio levels at less than mid range, and then tweak from the compter side. I get good audio reports on SSB with a used SM-20 mic I had. I have left most settings at factory default. As a side note I bought the 7200 for field work, same USB set up. |
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| VK2YN |
Rating:     |
2010-08-31 | |
| Good so far...... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Nice radio, great feel. Replaced my IC7000 which i have been using on HF.
Seamless integration with HRD using the usb cable for sound rig control.
only reaasoon for a 4 rather than a 5, i like to use MMSSTV , however have not found any way possible to have the program put the rig into TX..Have tried all the basics with no avail...
All in all, a nice radio, with great filtering.
Derek VK2YN |
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| K0XX |
Rating:      |
2010-08-29 | |
| Excellent Radio |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Was concerned I may miss the Orion II and K3; not so. It is an excellent radio!
Please feel free to email me with any specific questions.
73 John W4II fraz1 at bellsouth.net |
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| KH6TA |
Rating:      |
2010-08-22 | |
| Simply put, I love It! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I had a TS2000, them went to the Icom 756Pro3. The Pro3 still has a special place in my heart, but making the decision to replace it with the 7600 has been great! The display is awesome, the dual DSP, MNF, superior PBT and 3 roofing filters make this radio a joy to listen to using the SP-23. It's an easy transition from the Pro3. |
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| N2KBE |
Rating:      |
2010-08-02 | |
| IC-7600 A Winner! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Replaced a ProIII with the IC-7600, and I'm very pleased with the purchase. The like the additional features that the ProIII didn't have:
USB Ports to connect to PC for Firmware Updates, PC Control of rig, and Audio flow (with replaces the need of using soundcard ports).
3 Scan rates for spectrum scope using dedicated DSP chip.
All FET PA
PSK Decoder built-In
Image-Rejection Mixer
3 Selectable Widths for Manual Notch
LED Backlit Display
3 Selectable Widths for APF (Audio Peak Filter)
Center and Fixed Spectrum Displays
And of course 3 Roofing Filters
I have owned a TS-940SAT, FT-1000MP Mark-V, IC-756ProIII, some Elecraft K2s, and 1 K3. This is the best so far! K3 wasn't user friendly, missing the Spectrum Scope! Yeah I know there is the P3 Apdater Out now, but it is limited in its use. The LCD screen on the IC-7600 displays all information for a particular mode. If your working FM, then one can easily select the Tone Frequency using keys beside the LCD Display. On the K3, hey what button do I need to push? I can't remember... too many updates also!
The rig works great with the digital mode programs, such as FLDigi. One USB-to-USB cable is all one needs for audio flow and control!
Is it true that ICOM is the only one which uses Image-Rejection Mixers?
ICOM has another Winner! |
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| N2WB |
Rating:      |
2010-07-22 | |
| Excellent radio - PLUS |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Icom loaned the TEAM five Icom IC-7600 rigs for the April 2010 DXpedition to Iraq (YI9PSE).
These rigs were subjected to extreme conditions including shock/vibration, extreme heat and many power drops while transmitting ETC....No problems at all. 7-8 days of 24/7....50401 Q's.
Icom can be very proud of this rig. The receiver is very quiet and the RADIO is just SUPER.
Well done Icom! Thank you Ray and Diane!
Sure hope to have the IC-7600 on my next Dxpedition!!!
DX RULES!!!
73 Bill N2WB
(WILD BILL) |
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| N6PSE |
Rating:      |
2010-07-18 | |
| Outstanding radio! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Icom loaned me five Icom IC-7600 rigs for the April 2010 DXpedition to Iraq (YI9PSE).
These rigs were subjected to extreme conditions including shock/vibration, extreme heat and many power drops while transmitting!
We were operating RTTY/SSB and CW at the same time, in close proximity to our other stations. While we did use contest filters, we found that these rigs were up to the challenge of operating in this environment. An outstanding rig in every regard.
Icom can be very proud of this rig. It is every bit as good and performs as well as the "big brother" IC-7800 in the shack at home.
Well done Icom!
Paul N6PSE |
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| KE0MF |
Rating:      |
2010-06-28 | |
| best Combo Of Features, Performance, Ergonomics and Price |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Well, I have had my IC-7600 for about 3 to 4 months now, and just got back from using it during our 4A FD effort this year. I previously had many other Icom rigs, as well as a Kenwood TS850S-AT and most recently my K2 and K3. In my opinion, this radio beats them all. I sold my IC-756Pro to buy the K3, and while it has been a great radio, I personally did not like either the ergonomics or the DSP implementation as much as my previous Icom. After quite a bit of soul searching I opted to buy the IC-7600. In retrospect I am very glad I did. The IC-7600 has a FANTASTIC display, and the same ergonomics I was used to from the IC-756Pro. The performance is better than the original Pro, and while not as good on paper as the K3 with some specs, the 7600 seemed to equal or outperform it in practice during this FD, when comparing it to using the K3 for FD last year. of course, it can be argued that once you get to the class of radio that the IC-7600/K3 are, it almost all becomes a matter of personal preference. And certainly the K3 is an absolutely wonderful radio. But for me, other than the lighter weight and lower current draw of the K3, I prefer the IC-7600 in every way. I particularly like the NR, filters, and NB implementations better, and the display speaks for itself (I ran at 25% brightness all contest and still had complete readability of the screen the whole time). The Elecraft P3 may level the playing field a little bit when it finally becomes available, but I still like having everything so tightly integrated in one box. I was consistently able to pick individual calls out of the mayhem, and with the roofing filters down at narrow, the received signal never muddied up no matter how many stations were on or near the frequency.
This is not a cheap radio, but if you are looking for this feature set and can afford it, it is worth it in my opinion. |
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