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Reviews For: ICOM IC-7600

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

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Review Summary For : ICOM IC-7600
Reviews: 157MSRP: 3,950
Description:
The ICOM IC-7600 has been unveiled at the Tokyo hamfair August 2008. DSP based HF/50 MHz 100W transceiver keeps the best of IC-756PROIII with the look and convenience of IC-7XXX seiries rigs.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
151574.7
AG7K Rating: 2010-04-26
UPDATED REVIEW Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have had the IC-7600 for almost year now and I am still very happy with it. I had a few minor problems with this unit but Icom repaired the problems under warranty and paid the freight both ways! Everything I said in my original post is copied to the last of this review. The receiver is outstanding and ease of operation is very good. I get very good audio reports with a PR-781 mic with the limited built in EQ. I operate almost exclusively SSB rag chew so I am not as demanding as some but find I have to switch from my K-2 to the 7600 when the going gets tough on receive. I would have a K-3 but the lack of a band scope and the familiar feel of the 7600 won out. For me it has been a good investment as I use it everyday and it meets my needs Someday I will get a K-3 in the shack to compare. The following is my original review :
I have been using the 7600 for 3 months. I set it up initially on an a/b switch with the Pro 3. RX is better when digging the weak ones out of the noise. The DSP and NB are much better than the Pro 3, and the Pro 3 wasn't bad. The transmit is more robust than the Pro 3, that was a surprise. Overall I am very happy with it with one exception. The memory up/down switches are so close to the vfo knob as to make them useless. On the Pro3 they were up at the right corner of the keypad. A rotary mem switch like the 746 Pro and a lot of the Kenwood's have would have been much better. I guess the advantage of using the handmic is the mem switches eh? Oh well, it gives me an excuse to make an out board memory changer as I use it a lot. Addendum:(Oh, by the way, I did build a simple outboard rotary encoder for the memory channel that is hooked through the mic plug. I used an inexpensive encoder from a newer model CB radio (gasp) and mounted it in a plastic box that sits to the right of the 7600 in the rack.) Works for me! Overall I am very happy with the radio. The receiver does not wear you out listening to it and overall performance is several degrees better than the Pro 3. I sold my Pro 3 a month after buying the 7600, The Pro 3 was good, the 7600 is better!
M0AFJ Rating: 2010-03-20
Fine Rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Traded up from a FT2000D which was unreliable, wished I'd bought the 7600 first, a real revelation, much better receiver, no sign of intermod unlike the FT2000 which could not handle strong in band signals, have had excellent audio reports using the Proset HC5-IC, the display is greatly improved from the old PRO series and the inbuilt RTTY and PSK decoders very useful.
The only thing is it would be good to have a proper 2nd Rx but the Dual watch is OK when you get used to it.
PA0FVH Rating: 2010-03-13
Excellent radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been running the IC- 7600 over three months now and this is an excellent transceiver. The receiver is very quiet and it pulls signals out of the noise easily. The intuative use, the bright display, the control of filters and the CAT / audio interface via USB makes it a joy to operate this rig. I can't say more than what's been stated previously in the reviews.

73 de Fred
ZS00011 Rating: 2010-01-18
Outstanding MW DXer Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have owned my 7600 for several months now and have thoroughly shaken it down. My main purpose in purchasing it was for AM BCB MW band DXing (listener only) at which it is superb.
I downgraded from a IC-7700 to get my 7600 and find the many features on the 7600 as good as the 7700 and performance is not far behind.

I also had a IC-756PROIII which stood side by side with the 7600 for two weeks. On CW I think they were both equal, that is excellent. On SSB speech on the ham bands the two radio's were very much the same, with a slight preference for the 756pro3 - both are excellent for pulling in those very weak stations. However the 7600 has many features that set it way above the 756pro3 and make the 7600 a damn fine radio. The screen and screen brightness are excellent, much better than the old 756pro3, but not in the same class as the mighty 7700.

I have two problems with the 7600 - it came with the screen saver non functional. This was fixed under guarantee and the dealer paid shipping both ways, so the fix cost me nothing. My other gripe is that the 7600 is overpriced at $4000, I think fair value for it would be $3000.

Since buying the 7600 I have acquired a Perseus SDR and this radio is so amazingly good that I find I use my 7600 less and less. I think if I bought the Perseus first, then I would have been very satisfied and I would not have bought a 7600.

John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
Icom IC-7600, Perseus SDR
ERGO software
Drake SW8. Sangean 803A, Redsun RP2100
Sony 7600D, GE SRIII, Grundig G8, Eton E100
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro Mk II, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop.
http://www.dxing.info/about/dxers/plimmer.dx
KA3BWP Rating: 2009-12-26
Not too Bad, new user of 7600 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is my first review of this 7600, more will
follow. I purchased on Black Friday 2009 from HRO,Woodbridge. Camden Helped me, very good salesman. All the folks at Woodbridge are great Joe, Steve. Finally hooked it up last night, bought power supply with the $200 HRO gift certificate from Purchase.

I like the auto PSK/RTTY with scope. Tried to tune the antenna in attic, no joy. Will hook to my inverted Vee and try to have QSO.
ALSO finishing basement (where shack is) so not much QSO time, and snow outside. Trying to mtrick my 11y/o son into helping with antenna this weekend. Wish me luck.
K3ICH Rating: 2009-12-13
Only it's big brother ('7700) is better Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I agree. It is also ridiculous to downgrade a radio because of dealer problems or worse, because they didn't like the color etc.

This makes the rating system meaningless unless those bogus reviews are purged. Unfortuneatly, this would put a huge burden on the site managers.

I have had the IC-7600 and the IC-7700 running side by side for a while and honestly cannot hear the difference using an antenna splitter and identical speakers.

Curiously, when both radios are connected to my PW-1 amp, tuning one radio causes the other to track perfectly, which makes it extremely convenient when comparing reception. This may be a problem with my amp but it very was handy for these tests.

I'm sure under the worst of conditions, the big radio would do better, but I can't hear it for my operating.

Another curious difference that was unexpectred is that due to the 2X resolution of the '7700's spectrum display, very weak signals tend to get lost easier in the '7600's fatter "grass". The tuning marker (fixed mode) as well as the S-meter have obviously fewer steps on the little radio. In other words there's more "dead-band" between movement of the indicators. The screen resolution of the IC-7700 display is roughly twice that of the IC-7600. Not at all a big deal for me but the lower resoultion may explain why Icom chose not to provide an external VGA drive output.

The LED backlite display of the '7600 is noticeably brighter even after playing with the brightness and contrast controls on both radios. However, it appears sharper even though it has half the resolution. The viewing angle seems much greater with the IC-7600 too.

The IC-7700 is the finest radio I've ever owned (in 50 years of hamming) but the IC-7600 is a very close second.
KD7RDZI2 Rating: 2009-12-06
too many nuisances Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Overall it is just a good radio as many others but I don't really see how much it is worth to spend money in a radio that has a spectrum display that in my view adds just confusion.
KC4CP Rating: 2009-11-28
NOW I Give It A 5 !!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
(Follow Up Review)

After having a TX problem with my original 7600 ... new & right out of the box (intermittent "rushing wind noise" on transmit), my replacement 7600 is flawless! I have to give credit to R&L ELECTRONICS and ICOM for doing the right thing and swapping out my rig for a NIB replacement.

I won't revisit all that has already been said, but I will add some SSB audio notes.

FIRST, on RX, open up the BW to 3.0 and WOW ... sweet, sweet RX audio! I use an SP-20 speaker in line with a Sounds Sweet speaker ... it is a winning combination. Tremendously rich, warm, and full audio ... unbeatable!

SECOND, this is the first rig ever from which I have received outstanding unsolicited TX audio comments while using the stock hand mic! From day one station after station wanted to know what mic & EQ I was using. (Set the SSB TX audio for a +1 BASS & +1 TREBLE and TBW to 3.0). When I added the W2IHY EQ PLUS and a HEIL 781 mic ... the compliments really started to roll in!

I love listening to smooth sounding, rich and full RX audio ... the 7600 delivers! And I take pride in having smooth, well rounded, full TX audio ... I am told the 7600 delivers!

Final note: While this rig is capable of near ESSB TX & RX audio ... it is also superb when chasing DX. The receiver hears everything, including the "weak" stations. And you can quickly switch to that piercing DX sounding TX audio (if you choose to do do).

Great rig ... absolutely love it!

73,
David WR4N (ex KC4CP, AC4CP)
G7CNF Rating: 2009-11-24
Expensive but worth it Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
OK. I can understand the frustration reported by some other OM's - they've had a bad experience. For my part, I've had quite an array of rigs from FT-2000, Pro, 1,2,3, TS-2000 and many besides. This radio blows them all away.

This is not a 'honeymoon' review, I've had it over 6 months.

I was pleasantly surprised by the LCD signal meter which was one of my greatest fears prior to buying. The DSP is sharp, little ringing on narrow CW, scope is acceptable - better than any predecessors. The NB is superb - the best I have experienced of any radio including SDR - it even kills the HomePlug QRM, dead. Twin PBT and manual notch in the AGC chain kills large adjacent signals very nicely without pumping.

My biggest gripe is that there is no PTT via USB - no big deal, there are other ways but with audio and CAT over USB, PTT (not CAT PTT) would have been nice.

Audio over USB removes the need for a soundcard interface - nice touch.

All in all, a sound purchase, solid rig and everything works as per spec.
W4VR Rating: 2009-11-23
Beats a PROIII hand over fist Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had the 7600 for about a week and I am very impressed with it's performance. I've had a PROIII for several years and the 7600 is so much better. To say the least, it does a lot more than the PROIII, and I find the receiver to be much more quiet than the III. I was trying to QSO last night during the Sweepstakes contest when someone moved in within 2 kHz with a very strong signal...I was able to tune him out! I'm so pleased I think I'll buy another one for my vacation home.