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Reviews For: ICOM IC-7410

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

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Review Summary For : ICOM IC-7410
Reviews: 107MSRP: 1,999.00
Description:
Icom's newest mid price range HF/6 meter all mode base radio.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/hf/7410/default.aspx
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
251074.9
KE5FDO Rating: 2011-07-08
Very nice radio, missing a few simple things. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My first radio was an FT-817, then an Icom-7000 so I am coming from a place of never owning a proper desktop radio before so out of the box of course I was impressed with this radios ease of use and control layout. Menus are typical Icom so I had no need of the manual for the most part.

As I started using it I noticed a few things that I would have expected for this price. Maybe it's Icom not wanting to muddy the waters from one model to another, I don't know but these seem like things that would be easily included.

There is no audio memory. On my 7000 I could record a few CQ calls or other often used voice loops for transmission playback. Seems such a small thing, but missing on the 7410.

There is no direct indication of output power. At least on the 7000 I had some idea as to the percentage of power I was setting. With the 7410 I have to either guess or look to the rig software (MacLogger DX in my case) to see what my power setting is. Another seemingly simple thing that I miss having.

Same with keyer speed. There is a small knob on the radio to control the keyer speed but no indication. Am I sending 12WPM or 15? I have to basically guess. An experienced CW user would probably not think anything of this, but it annoyed me.

No VHF? My tiny 7000 can do that, seems like no reason to leave it out of the 7410 except for marketing purposes. Sorry Icom, I'm not going to pay thousands more for a 9100 just to have VHF.

On the plus side, this radio is very solidly built. I have had the radio on for days now and the cabinet does not feel warm at all to the touch, the heatsink appears to be working very well. I have had several chances to use my PACTOR modem with this radio to send a few emails and even then it stays cool. Some have complained of fan noise but I have not even heard the fan come on. If it did, it made no noise.

Some have mentioned the side handle and rubber feet as being nice for traveling and I have to chuckle. This thing is so heavy I cannot imagine taking it anywhere with me.

It came from Universal Radio packed very well. Icom had it in 2 boxes then Universal added a third with packing foam so no damage at all to the Icom boxes.

The internal speaker is great compared to my previous radios and I have not used an external speaker or headset yet, though I probably will eventually. The full range response is nice, lots of bass available. Compared to the little mobile IC-7000 it's a very nice change in audio quality.

The internal tuner is able to deal with my collection of antennas easily. From an end fed diple wire to various configurations of the Buddipole, the tuner has had no problem at all. It's very fast and quiet.

The built in USB soundcard/serial port works great as well, with some minor issues during setup. Icom sets their built in soundcard levels VERY high. Under Windows 7 I had to take the incoming level down to 3 out of 100 to keep from overdriving my DM780 software. Serial port works fine with HRD for rig control with a few adjustments.

I am a Mac user mainly and there is a USB driver for the serial port, though it doesn't come from Icom. I installed this on my iMac and I am able to control the rig through MacLoggerDX just fine. The USB soundcard works with my OSX software somewhat, but unlike Windows 7 I do not have the ability with OSX to lower the incoming signal so my software is being overdriven. I believe this can be fixed with some modifications to the CODEC running under OSX and I'm looking into that now but be aware that using this radio with an Apple is not plug and play. That's OK since it wasn't promised, but ICOM should really have a setting to control the outbound USB modulation as they do to control the inbound.

Overall I am very happy with the radio, I give it a 4 for lacking what seem to be to be a few simple features and for not including any VHF. It's silly to have to jump all the way to the high priced Icom 9100 just to have a radio with both HF and VHF.

Given the current market there really isn't a radio I would have purchased instead. I did not purchase the optional filters for this radio but I will probably get the 3k for SSB work soon.
N3US Rating: 2011-06-24
Great Rig Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been a ham since 1963 so I have used many HF rigs. I purchased the IC-7410 for a back-up, more casual operating rig to my IC-7600. The Receiver/DSP is awesome, very close to that of the 7600. The display is simple and the user interface is very intuitive. I do not find the fan noise objectionable. The rig is well built. I suspect upon adding the 3 KHZ roofing filter, I will find the RX performance equal to that of the IC-7600. I have been partial to Icom rigs for the past 10 years.
WB4OQX Rating: 2011-06-14
Nice Upgrade to the 746 and 746Pro Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
A nice radio, if you can live without a real time bandscope like I can. I love the receiver, and have the optional 3KHz roofing filter installed. Really works well in pulling out the weak signals. Seems to work well on transmit also as I get many complements on the audio quality. It does have an occasional power spike on initial key up though, like many of the other Icom radios. I consider it a good radio for the money.
K4QE Rating: 2011-05-15
An Excellent Mid-Level Rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received my IC-7410 on March 23, 2011. It came double-boxed by ICOM.

The rig's build quality is excellent. It is heavier than one would expect (given its size) due to the large internal heatsink. It is still light and small enough for easy transportation. It has a carry handle on one side and feet on the other. The internal speaker is large enough that you won't miss your external speaker too much when traveling.

I bought this radio as a backup to my IC-7800, so that is my standard of comparison. They are used side-by-side every day. I also equipped it with the optional 3 and 6 kHz roofing filters.

The audio on both transmit and receive is right up there with the 7800. In fact, I'd give the edge to the 7410. I attribute this to the faster DSP processor used in the 7410. Transmit audio testing was done with fellow hams who know my "in person" voice. You will need to adjust the bass and treble settings for your own voice and ear. They are defaulted to 50% which is almost always never adequate.

The noise blanker and all the DSP functions (noise reduction, auto-notch, PBT, and filtering) are just as good as the 7800, if not better. Again, the faster processor makes the difference.

I have used the 7410 in a few contests (including CQWW WPX SSB) and found it to be quite capable. There was no discernable difference to what I was able to hear with the 7800 in A/B comparisons. The radio was cold the whole time despite lots of SSB transmitting at full power. I have not tested it with continuous duty modes like RTTY, but I think it is safe to say that this radio will run quite cool.

The 7410's display is bright and clear. By default, the CFL backlighting is set to 50% intensity. It is more than enough. Any more is too bright.

The radio doesn't have any delay associated with startup/shutdown like there is with the 7800/7700/7600/756Pro series. It doesn't have user-upgradeable firmware, so the CPU doesn't have to "boot up" each time the radio is turned on or "shut down" when the radio is turned off.

The radio has the standard ICOM CI-V interface via the "Remote" jack, but it also has a USB port (type B connector). This USB port supports both CI-V interfacing and USB audio interfacing with your computer simultaneosly. The radio appears like a COM device and a USB audio device to your computer. This makes it VERY convenient for digital modes because it eliminates most of the cabling that would be required by a radio without this feature. If you wish, you can use the Remote jack for your CI-V interfacing and use the USB jack only as an audio interface (this is important for people who have a PW-1 linear amplifier).

I am spoiled by the dual receive capability of the 7800, so working split is a bit more of a chore with the 7410. The 7410 does not have any type of dualwatch capability, but then neither does any other radio in the 7410's price class. It does have the "XFC" button allowing momentary listening on your transmit frequency.

Speaking of price class, the 7410 is at the high end of that class, but I think it is worth the added cost. The radio's feature set and basic performance is right up there with the ICOM 7600. It would certainly make an excellent radio for someone who doesn't desire or can't afford a radio with a second receiver and/or a bandscope. For those who may be wondering, there is no provision for getting a signal out of the IF to feed an external panadapter. It does have a rudimentary band scope with an adjustable width. The bandscope is not continuously running. It requires you to push a button to do a sweep, and the radio is silenced during this very brief period.

The radio does not have a separate receive antenna port for Beverages and the like. It does have two antenna ports switchable by a front panel button. The choice is remembered per band.

The radio is equipped with triple band stacking registers and a transmit audio monitor.

There is a RTTY decoder built in. You need a PC or TNC(TU) to transmit RTTY. There is no provision for decoding PSK31 without a computer.

Those who are thinking of upgrading their 746 series radio to the 7410 need to keep in mind that the 7410 does NOT have 2 meters. This may be a deal-breaker for some.

The 7410 is a worthwhile addition to my shack. The honeymoon is over and I'm still in love. I highly recommend it for those seeking high end basic radio performance in a mid-level price class.
K4JDF Rating: 2011-05-01
Great Rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've been using the 7410 for about 3 weeks now. It's a great rig to operate, all the controls are nicely laid out. The receive audio is very good. I get very good reports on mt transmit audio. The audio is so good, they say it sounds like I'm next to them talking. I'm using the Heil icm microphone straight into the rig.

Coming from the 7200, the 7410 is very easy to navigate around. Most of the everyday adjustments are on the front panel. The majority of the menu items are set and forget.

The 7410 is a much larger rig than my 7200. The main benefit, for me, is the display is very easy to read. As I get older I appreciate the larger display!

Very happy with this purchase and it's a keeper!
AA6CC Rating: 2011-04-03
A WINNER Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased from HRO Portland with the two optional roofing filters (3 and 6 kHz). Installation of the filters easy, plug into keyed respective sockets. Wow, great build quality inside the radio. I was impressed. I also have a IC-7700 and a K3 to compare with. Listening to weak DX on 20 and 40 CW yesterday could tell no difference between the 7410, the 7700, and the K3. Not a contest day but did not hear any AGC pumping or desense from strong adjacent signals. Receiver is quiet and a pleasure to listen to. Does not "grate" on you like some DSP radios. Received SSB nice and clean. New DSP system in the 7410 works very nice. Really have no negative issues so far. I am really impressed with the radio and suprised at the quality and performance for the price...and I have had a lot of radios over the years. Display is large and crisp, easy to read at an angle, controls smooth and precise, well laid out, important controls not hidden in menus, just a quality product. It is a keeper!
N6KZB Rating: 2011-03-24
So far, working well. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
While I just bought this radio, I have been operating a lot these past two days. Having owned the IC-7600 and IC-7200, this radio fits perfect in the middle. Very tight front end, good features, solid construction, and easy to operate.

I will admit to being biased towards Icom, but I also won't make false claims. This is a good middle price range HF/6 meter radio. I found the internal sound card interface and USB rig control to operate just like the 7200 and 7600, perfect.

You do need to download the drivers, free, from Icom and load prior to plugging in the USB cable to the radio.

Other than that extra effort, I am pleased to be an owner of this well built product from ICOM.

Two extra roofing filters are the only internal options to buy. Right now the stock 15Khz is enough for me. I also use an SM-20 mic, only because I do not like the looks of Icom's latest desk mic.

I am using an random wire 33 foot long coupled with the Icom AH-4 at home. But I did take the radio to the local club and operate it on the TH6-DX at 80 foot. 100 watts gave good contacts and good audio reports.

One final comment, it is a heavier radio than I thought, this is due to its full solid heat sink construction. In my opinion, it feels like a real radio is inside. It is worth the effort to explore the Icom site and see the radios specs for yourself.