| ZL1LK |
Rating:  |
2013-06-15 | |
| THE BEST!!! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I bought this Icom IC-7410 new about three months ago and got all the roofing filters installed. Well what can I say!!! I also owned a FT2000 and a IC756pro2. After just a couple of weeks I sold the FT2000 and the IC756pro2 with no regrets...
The 7410 can pull in extremely week SSB signals through noise and cleans up the signal with it's amazing DSP filtering. CW signal sound great with it's variable IF band width and the 3kHz roofing filter.
It is a real joy operating this radio although it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the 2000 and the pro2. The LCD display is great on the eye's to look at with a large frequency readout.
The menu is very simple and once it's setup, I found there was no need to go back in to the menu.
The audio through it's own built-in speaker is excellent.
I can NOT fault this radio and for those looking for a new radio, you will NOT be disappointed with the Icom IC-7410 but get the 3kHz and the 6kHz roofing filters install first.
73 de ZL1LK Roy
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| KF5HVW |
Rating: |
2013-06-08 | |
| Good radio except for the receiver. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| Overall I like the radio, but the receiver is no comparison to the one in my Elecraft K3. |
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| TF3JB |
Rating: |
2013-06-03 | |
| Icom IC-7400; excellent first impressions. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
My new Icom IC-7410 HF/50 MHz transceiver was delivered the other day and I thought I might give first impressions. The new radio is destined for my summer house, since I already own an IC-7600. I must say that I still find it exciting to open a box with a new transceiver, although this reviewer has been licensed for 40 years and has opened a number of such packages in his time. For us, who live in remote parts of the world (in my case Iceland), there is the worry that delicate electronic equipment will not arrive in one piece. In this case I am pleased to report that the radio arrived in perfect condition and works 100% thanks to Icom’s protective packaging.
Once connected, the first thing I noticed was that the 7410 turns on immediately whereas my 7600 takes a “long” second. Nice. Then, of course, the large LCD display. I instantly took a liking to the frequency readout and its size, i.e. the font used and its color, which is in comfortable dark violet color on a very light grey/greenish monochrome background. This combination is pleasing to the eyes. I had previously read on the Internet that the LED display was supposed to be black and white; not true. Still, this may be something that the manufacturer has changed since the first production of the 7410; the serial number of my radio is 2001841. On the other hand, display information that is not “fixed” on the screen (e.g. SCAN, MEM, SWR, etc.) appears in black color.
I find tuning the 7410 similar to tuning my 7600; velvet smooth and precise action that has a quality feeling to it. And I particularly like the size of the VHF knob. To me this is important, since at times I tend to listen more than I operate (which means much turning of the VFO). But I have yet to control my transceivers from a computer (although I anticipate doing so when becoming QRV on RTTY). I also want to mention that I like the movement of the S-meter which is a bar type meter; in this case I find using the meter peak hold function essential.
On CW, I reprogrammed the CW filters to my liking, at 900 Hz, 700 Hz and 500 Hz. For SSB, at 2.1 kHz, 2.4 kHz and 3.6 kHz bandwidths. I pleased to report that there is no degrading or ringing effect to the received signal; even at the narrowest bandwidth on CW (I also tested the 250 Hz bandwidth). The receiver has a noticeable quiet noise floor which means that weak signals are easily copied. The receiver is also exceptionally pleasant on the ears when listening on the bands for extended time and on par with my 7600 (or even better). I like the noise reduction feature (NR) and the passband tuning controls as well as the notch function. I could not be without these aids now that I am used to them. These features are in function and quality-wise on the same level as in my 7600.
I have to say that I am most pleased that Icom included the triple band stacking feature in this transceiver since I use it a lot. Although mostly a CW man, I also listen to SSB signals up the bands. I must also mention the manual spectrum scope, which is a nice feature. To activate it, you push F1 briefly and in a split second there appears a snapshot of band activity. And if F1 is held down for 1 second, band activity can be seen longer. The drawback is that when the band scope is activated, audio is muted. Nevertheless, a nice feature to have.
Concerning this transceiver, there is not much to dislike. And what I do not like or miss, is not essential for operating purposes. Nevertheless, I must mention the internal speaker which is not to my liking (in fact, most internal speakers in HF transceivers are not). Consequently, when not using my headphones, I use the Sounds Sweet Communications Speaker (which I find superior to others I have owned/tested). Secondly, I miss not having a clock in the display. Lastly, I miss the automatic tuning switch and audio peak filter (APF) for CW that are standard features on the 7600. Then again, it may not be fair to compare these features between models, since the 7600 costs almost $2000 more than the 7410.
I need to mention that I have still to buy the 3 kHz and 6 kHz roofing filters. Those are about $100 a piece. During the time I have had the 7410 there were no major international contests on the bands. Consequently, I did not miss not having the optional roofing filters installed. I read complaints about the fan. In my case it has only come on after approx. 3 hours in receive mode and then barely noticeable. Perhaps Icom has remedied this [earlier] problem? I still need to test the transceiver on transmit, so in the near future I will give an account of that experience.
This concludes my first impressions of the new IC-7410 transceiver.
73 de Jónas, TF3JB.
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| N0IU |
Rating: |
2013-03-29 | |
| Very happy! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I had a 1st generation 756Pro when it was in production (2002). In many ways, this radio outshines the early 756Pro even though it is technically an upgraded 746Pro. Not only is it 10 years newer, it is 10 years better! Many of the specs are in line with the IC-7600 and even the IC-7800.
If you just gotta have things like a color display, dual watch capability, built-in roofing filters (2 of which are optional on the 7410), real time spectrum scope, digital voice memory and more, then get the IC-7600 for about $2000 more than the average street price of an IC-7410. Is it $2000 better? IMHO it costs more because of the added features, not the better specs. If you have the scratch for a 7600, go for it! But if your money tree is running a little bare, then the 7410 is a great choice! I seriously doubt that anyone on the receiving end will even know the difference.
A huge plus for me is the USB connection to the computer. NO MORE SOUNDCARD INTERFACE! Hook up to HRD is literally plug & play. The only slightly negative aspect of the USB connection is that you can not do CW or FSK RTTY via USB so you will need separate serial (or USB-to-serial) connections.
Bottom line - great value for the money! |
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| KK4NQL |
Rating: |
2013-03-10 | |
| outstanding radio! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I cannot say any more than what has been said... For me, it was $$$ well spent! |
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| M0FCG |
Rating: |
2013-02-25 | |
| Best Icom I have owned |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Hi all
I can honestly say that the Icom 7410 is the best radio I have bought so far
and I have had all sorts of radios on my bench over the years to compare it
with - Icom Pro3, Kenwood TS480hx, TS2000e and x model, Yeasu FT950 right up
to the FT2000 . I’ve had one radio on my bench that I regret selling and
that was the Elecraft K3, but I do admit I love my Icom 7410.
One of the reasons I love the radio so much is that I had suffered with plt
noise and with the next door neighbour’s BT Vision and plt adaptors. Having
bought my 7410 2nd hand with the roofing filters in it I can tune the radio
to get rid of most of the noise. The looks of the radio are also in its
favour - it’s well built and it has a real presence on the bench; the
receiver is very good and the big frequency counter with the blue screen is
also softer on the eyes (the Icom Pro3 was also good in this area but I can
live without having the coloured screen). I know the new price in the UK is
£1600 pounds so it’s not a lot to pay for a hf/50mhz radio; I would love
the Icom 7600 but haven’t got that sort of money to throw around on a radio
like that so drooling over it in the RadCom will have to suffice for now!
At the end of the day I’m very happy with how the Icom 7410 sits on my
bench; it’s a superb piece of engineering. Icom make radios with lots of
style and have really thought about how an operator needs to use the radio
making it really efficient and ergonomically sound and at the price of this
radio the Icom 7410 is really affordable. My Icom 7410 sits next to my Icom
275h and I’m proud of my radio set up now.
The Icom 7410 forum is a great way to learn about the radio - keep up the
good work and thank you very much, it’s very much appreciated.
Mike M0FCG M1KEY
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| W7ZZZ |
Rating: |
2013-02-08 | |
| Worth every cent plus, plus! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I did an enormous amount of research on rigs under 3.5K. IMHO the IC-7410 was the best of the lot, so I bought one. It did not disappoint! This is a truly awesome radio for the money and cheap when the high level of performance you get costs so comparatively little. I bought and installed both roofing filters (easy to do) which really perform as advertised, too. As QST said, "This is not the best radio you can buy, but it is VERY close." For $1749? Less than $2 grand with 6 and 3khz roofing filters for $3500 performance is a steal...The MOSFETS PA is identical to the 7600...It's reciever actually surpasses the 7600 in a couple of areas. If you want a rugged, great DSP reciever and transmitter, and you don't need band scope waterfalls and diving boards, buy this radio. It truly is the real deal and one hell of a bargain. |
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| VE3YUI |
Rating: |
2012-12-13 | |
| Best ever |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Ive owned all the Kenwoods ...None of em can even cut this radio at all.The recieve is out of this world The fan is very quiet audio is awesome ...No probs whats so ever out of the box...I installed the FL 430 6khz SSB filter was with ease....Wow will never be a need to get a new radio years to come.... |
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| KD8OTT |
Rating: |
2012-10-22 | |
| Great radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Have had zero problems that were mentioned below. In CW mode zero problems also !! Go into pile ups bare foot with 50 to 100 watts and break through no problem always good audio reports. Like the quite fan !!! Run alot of digital modes and run it through heavy duty cycle on all band and it runs like a champ. Like the ease of use, also added all filter that are very affective in blocking out interference. In my book its a 5 plus, havent tried the FTDX3000 yet but this radio is awesome. |
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| F6IRT |
Rating: |
2012-10-07 | |
| Not the best for just fine |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Never had those bad issues mentioned by some hams. Neither power amplifier nor cw QSK so no trouble. Well built with solid feeling. large on the desk but not too much. Superb audio in rx and strong and clear signal in tx with the SM50 (I like +++). Of course some add-ons (audio peak filter and visual tuning in cw and a better IMD) should have to be included in this black box but the 50Hz (in cw) passing band makes the job easily like for the split operation. Have had many trx's and this one is perfect compromise for the price. |
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