Time to buy a new ham radio transceiver. As my first option, I will explore ICOM 7300.

I selected two transceivers as possible replacements for my dead 756 Pro II. These were the ICOM 7300 and Yaesu FTdx3000. They sell at US $1300 and $1600 respectively, and provide all of the basic features I want. I spent some time at my local Radioworld store playing with each.

The 7300 is ICOM’s first completely software defined radio. That means there are no analog components in the radio, other than front end filtering and amplifiers. Everything else is done in software after initial analog to digital conversion. Up until now, SDR were black boxes that relied on a PC for control and display. This radio is a game changer. And, at a very attractive price. Take a look for yourself.

Since everything is done in firmware, the radio can be updated and, to some degree, upgraded with a software download. How often ICOM will do this, and at what price, remains to be seen. This kind of SDR is new territory.

Explore ICOM 7300 – Checking My Criteria

As described previously, my criteria for selecting a new rig are receiver performance, signal display and control/interconnection.

Receiver Performance is great. ICOM 7300 ranks high on the Sherwood Engineering Receiver Performance tests and other reviews. Among its strengths are outstanding sensitivity, strong filters, a wide range of bandwidths and excellent audio. Even the tiny built-in speaker is first rate. This radio compares well to rigs costing three times as much.

Signal display is very good and real time. Spectrum, waterfall and audio graphics are included. Of all the major vendors, ICOM has really figured out how to do these displays right. Unfortunately, the screen size is quite small, and there is no way to hook up an external monitor unless you buy some additional software.

When you explore ICOM 7300 control and interconnection, though, you will find a mixed bag. On the interconnection side, you can control the radio through a USB port, as well as the traditional CI-V interface. In addition, the USB connection can send and receive audio to and from your computer. This is great for connecting the radio to a logging program and software for digital modes. No more relying on the sound card. On the other hand, the USB pipe does not provide I/Q signal data from the receiver, just audio.

The main tuning knob is great, but the 7300 relies on “tapping and touching” for almost all most of its controls. Using this radio is more like using an iPad or tablet, than a “real radio”. And, for many of the functions, you have to touch and tap your way through nested menus. Don’t get me wrong. It works well. I just don’t know if this style of control is right for me.

In summary: receiver performance is great, signal display is very good (except for small size), interfacing is good. Just not sure that I want a radio that plays like a tablet, so I have to rate the control aspect as uncertain.