| G3WRT |
Rating:     |
2021-02-13 | |
| Quasi professional RX |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Great wideband radio. It has been reliable and versatile. The wide range AFC I have found particularly useful and effective, the AGC is nice and linear if not quite log amp standard. I have used for signal strength beacon recording over months. Pity the LO are not (easily) lockable to a frequency standard and that they are not output. Altogether a quasi-professional performance receiver for attractive amateur prices. With just a little more versatility and attention to details this could be a laboratory standard RX. I assume its future relations/ replacements will prove equally good? |
|
| TURBO68 |
Rating:      |
2012-09-18 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought an Icom-R7100 when they first came sold it end regret it since got a used one last year in brand new condition
with original box,manual end other accessories main intrest is monitoring vhf airbands antenna Icom-AH7000 Discone performance is excellent definetly will not be selling this time.. |
|
| K6HOM |
Rating:      |
2010-09-02 | |
| Fun Radio, But Showing Its Age |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Nice radio. Mine has had a recent checkup and alignment by Icom.
Pros
RX capabilities are excellent, renders significantly more weak stations as readable than my other VHF/UHF radios. RXs nearly all modes. Programming is pretty easy, lots of memories too. A fraction of the cost of a R8500, pretty much the same level of performance for the same bands that both can tune. Very well built. Reliable, no capacitor issues after years of use. Love the small footprint. Excellent displays. Excellent audio quality. Easy to operate, no menus, a lot of fun to operate real controls!
Cons
While good for its day, the scan rate is slow by today's standards. A memory capacity of 1K is great, but hard to use effectively without alpha-tagging. Runs too hot w/110VAC, runs cool on 13.8 VDC, suggest always running on DC. Overloads a little too easily with a close-by source (e.g. transmission from a plane passing directly overhead @about 2-3K feet altitude) for a radio of this caliber, probably due to its excellent sensitivity. None of these cons are killers, though, this is one fine radio if you want to listen to UHF signals, especially weak ones.
Wish that my local community had not gone P-25 and trunked digital, but if you have interesting VHF/UHF conventional broadcasts in your neighborhood, the R7100 will treat you to them.
Recommended. Rates maybe a "4" overall when compared to today's SOTA UHF radios, but I'm giving it a "5" because it can be had for less than $600 and it's RX performance can compare to today's equivalent receivers that cost 3-4 times as much. |
|
| W2NVL |
Rating:      |
2009-07-11 | |
| A pleasure to use! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| After using and enjoying an R-7000 for many years I decided to try an R-7100 mostly based on the eHam reviews. I found one on eBay recently and got it for what I think was a great price. it is in beautiful condition and seems to perform flawlessly. The first thing I did was replace both backup batteries (the clock backup battery was shot). Then I sat down with the manual and learned the basics. I now use it every day instead of the 7000, mainly because it is much quieter in scan mode. Sensitivity seems to be about the same as the 7000. One thing bothered me about the 7100. It runs fairly hot. I wanted to try running it on 12v and suspected that it would run cooler but I did not get the DC power cable with the rig and they are unavailable from Icom so I made one up myself (thank God for my buddie's junk box). What a difference! The receiver runs at least 75-80 percent cooler. All in all, I think it's an excellent receiver and if you can get one for a good price, I would grab it. |
|
| IZ2EAS |
Rating:      |
2007-07-20 | |
| Still going strong |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I bought the Icom R7100 more than 6 months ago from a dealer at a local ham fest. It was in pretty good conditions, the only work I had to do on it was to replace the back-up and clock batteries, and the display lamps. Actually, only two of the lamps were gone bananas, but since I was there I replaced the four of them, to be on the safe side. The clock battery was completely flat, while the memory back-up battery had still some charge in it… after more than 10 years ! I replaced both to be safe.
One thousand memories are A LOT, especially if you cannot label them and you cannot program them via an external computer; or at least, I have not been able to locate a free piece of software that works !
As far as performance is concerned, I am very satisfied with this radio. Sensitive and very robust against intermodulation and, believe me, commercial FM stations in Milano are powerhouses! It is currently connected to a three-band mobile antenna (Maldol EX-510) located on the balcony of my flat downtown Milano (third floor)…. well, not really a dx antenna, but it works for me.
The different scanning modes can be combined in a very effective way; it takes several readings of the manual to familiarise with the different combinations, but after a while it becomes very “natural”. Scanning speed is slow if compared to modern scanners, but again this is a real receiver, and this is a drawback I can live with.
Sadly, also in this Country there is a trend towards digital modulation techniques; one day will come when I will not be able to receive anything interesting any longer with this radio… till that day, I will have fun !
73, Michele IZ2EAS
|
|
| WB9UAI |
Rating:      |
2007-07-06 | |
| It's an excellent receiver. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had the Icom R7100 for the past year, and it's my new love. It is excellent as a general purpose VHF 'scanner' for fire, police, weather, and TV audio, and performs well as a VHF DX receiver. When not listening to the local fire and police, I've heard broadcast station audio FM links at 26mhz, the usual 11 meter AM CB skip, lowband VHF FM services around the country, European video carriers at 46mhz on SSB, as well as domestic and foreign DX on 6 meters CW and SSB. Every morning I can hear the Russian global positioning satellites on 149mhz RTTY. I replaced the two stock 230khz 'wide FM' I.F. ceramic filters with those of 110khz, and it makes an excellent FM broadcast DXer. The sensitivity of TV audio channels is better than any TV out there allowing me to comfortably listen to TV audio on channels 2 and 3 that my TV can't even detect.
I had one problem with the radio (a bad IF crystal), but it was easily fixed by N1EQ, and now it's 100% again.
The other trunk-tracker scanners my scan the FM channels faster, but for a multi-mode, wideband, hear -everything- receiver, you'd be hard pressed to beat the Icom R7100.
John K9RZZ |
|
| WB9AVW |
Rating:      |
2005-01-22 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| Got this radio on a great deal thru Ebay. Has all the right things you need in such a broad band scanner/ receiver. Every local service is programmed in the radio with room to add many more. Very tight front end. Havining 10 meter coverage is great to keep an ear on FM repeater / dx opennings is a plus. |
|
| VK1JV |
Rating:      |
2004-09-14 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Having used various other "scanners" I thought the Icom IC-R7000 was the best VHF/UHF rig until I bought the IC-R7100. Fantastic sensitivity, Intelligent Scanning modes, 1000 memories, PLUS using the CI-V interface and software control makes finding, sorting and storing new frequencies a breeze. The rig does get warm but it performs beautifully nonetheless. If you want a good rig for hunting new frequencies, you could do a lot worse than a 7100 |
|
| W7VB |
Rating:      |
2004-02-19 | |
| awesome |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I was privileged to own one of these receivers for about a year-wish I still had one. Once I learned to operate it (the manuel is a necessity) it was amazing. With an optional high quality speaker the sound was outstanding. The noise blanker really worked and the sensitivity was great. The voice only option on the scan was great too. Although I never experienced any problems from it the internal power supply seemed to run a little hot so I used my external 13.8v station supply. I only sold it because I needed the money to buy my IC 746 transceiver, the best rig I know of for the money. |
|
| K2KOH |
Rating:      |
2003-05-16 | |
| Nice receiver |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I bought this 7100 used on ebay for around $500. I invested another $189 to have the radio worked on, and it was well worth it. This receiver is sensitive...and on a happy note, there are very few birdies in the UHF military band. Plenty of features to keep you busy...this is definitely one where you have to read the manual first. A versatile radio, and one I'm glad to have in my shack. Now if only it was APCO 25 digital capable.... |
|