Topics
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so ive had this radio for maybe three weeks now and figured id share some impressions since i spent like two months reading every thread i could find before buying it. came from an old FT-450D which served me well but the waterfall on that thing is basically useless compared to what icom did with the 7300. first thing i noticed is the touchscreen is actually responsive, like i was expecting it to be laggy or whatever but its genuinely snappy. the real time spectrum scope is just... i dont know, its addictive. i find myself watching it more than actually operating sometimes which is probably a problem. audio out of the box sounded a little harsh to me on SSB receive, spent…
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Setting up a proper RF ground system for my HF station and getting conflicting advice. Some sources say use flat copper strap or braid for lowest RF impedance, others say 14AWG wire is perfectly adequate for equipment bonding to the ground bus. My setup: IC-7610, AL-80B amp, Astron supply, all connected to 1/2" copper pipe ground bus with #6 AWG run back to outside ground rod. Currently using 14AWG for individual equipment connections but wondering if I should upgrade to copper braid. Also seeing newer info suggesting common-mode chokes are more important than trying to provide low-impedance RF grounds inside the shack. What's the current thinking on this?
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Setting up a new shack and getting conflicting advice on grounding strategy. I understand there are two major aspects - electrical safety grounding and RF grounding for RFI suppression. Some guys swear by connecting all equipment chassis to a copper buss bar with short copper braid, then one heavy conductor to an 8-foot rod outside. Others say this creates ground loops and just use the safety ground from AC mains. Currently experiencing: Slight hum on 40m, computer speakers buzz when transmitting on 80m, occasional mic bite on the old D-104. Running 100W to a dipole about 75 feet from the shack. I've heard flat strap or copper braid has much lower impedance at RF frequenc…
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I've been considering upgrading to an IC-7300 for my base station, but I keep reading about the overshoot issue when paired with amplifiers. The only problem with the 7300 is the overshoot issue, and unless you're using it with an amp, it really doesn't matter. Since I plan to add an Acom 1000 in the future, I'm wondering if any of you have practical experience with this combination. Has anyone found effective workarounds? I've seen mention of sequencers and modified keying circuits, but would appreciate hearing from operators who've actually dealt with this in their shacks.
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so ive been running an old FT-450D for about four years now and it's been fine but i kept reading about the 7300 and finally just ordered one last month. been using it for maybe three weeks and wanted to write up some thoughts while theyre still fresh because i wish someone had told me some of this stuff before i bought it. first off the waterfall is genuinely as useful as everyone says. i know that sounds obvious but i kept thinking it was kind of a gimmick thing and it really isnt. actually caught a JA station on 17m that i wouldve completely scrolled past on the 450D just because i happened to see the trace pop up on the display. that was a nice surprise. what i didnt …
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Just received my IC-7760 and planning the optimal installation using the separate control head and RF deck design. Looking to place the RF deck in my basement near the feed-through panel to minimize coax runs, but the control head will be in my 2nd floor shack. The IC-7760 features a "Shack Style" transceiver with separate base and dual display panel connected via a standard LAN cable. Has anyone run Cat6 cable that distance (~60 feet) with the IC-7760? Concerned about latency or signal integrity issues between the control head and RF deck over that run length.
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so ive been running an old FT-450D for about 4 years now and its been fine, no complaints really but the waterfall on it is pretty garbage compared to what i keep seeing people post from their 7300s. been lurking on this for a while and i think im ready to upgrade but now that im actually about to buy one im starting to wonder if i should just stretch a little more and go for the 7610 instead. the price jump is significant though, like almost double depending on where you look. my shack isnt anything fancy, just a random wire out the back window into a 9:1 unun, running mostly 40 and 20 meters, occasional 17m when the band cooperates. i dont do contesting or anything seri…
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so ive had my TS-590SG for going on 7 years now and its been rock solid, no complaints really. but i keep seeing people rave about the IC-7300 and more recently the IC-7610 and part of me just wants something with a waterfall display built in because im running an SDRplay as a panadapter right now and the whole setup is kind of a mess of cables on the desk. my main thing is HF, mostly 40 and 20m, some 15m when the band cooperates. i do a little contest work but nothing serious, maybe a handful of weekends a year. the 590 honestly outperforms what i need it to do but i keep thinking about how clean a single box solution would be. the 7300 seems like the obvious budget pick…
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so ive been running an IC-7300 for about three years now and honestly its been a great radio, no real complaints. but ive had this nagging feeling lately that im leaving performance on the table especially when the bands get crowded during contests or even just a busy saturday afternoon on 40m. a buddy of mine picked up a 7610 last fall and wont stop going on about the dual watch and the improved dynamic range. i did some reading on the receiver specs and yeah the 7610 numbers look better on paper but i honestly cant tell if that translates to anything meaningful in a typical suburban shack with a modest antenna setup. my antennas are nothing special — a trapped vertical …
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so ive had the 7300 for about three weeks now, coming from an old FT-450D that i ran for like six years. figured id share some thoughts since i spent way too much time reading threads like this before buying. the waterfall display is honestly the thing that changes how you operate more than anything else. i know everyone says that but i didnt really believe it until i started actually using it. you just see propagation differently. spotted a nice opening on 17m yesterday that i probably would have completely missed just spinning the dial on the 450. audio on receive is noticeably better to my ears, though im running it through some old Heil headphones so take that for wha…
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so ive had my IC-7300 for about four years now and honestly it's been a great radio, no real complaints, but i keep looking at the IC-7610 and the Kenwood TS-890S and wondering if the jump is actually worth it. my shack is pretty basic, just the 7300, an LDG auto tuner, and a dipole up about 35 feet. i mostly do SSB on 40 and 20, some 17m when the band cooperates, and maybe 10-15 hours a week operating time. the thing is i dont really do contesting, maybe i'll jump in a state qso party once or twice a year but nothing serious. a buddy of mine keeps telling me the 7610 is a massive step up especially for weak signal work and the dual watch is really useful once you get use…
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Just upgraded to General and planning my first HF base station. Looking at the ICOM IC-7300 for about $1,000 with 100 watts HF output or the Yaesu FT-991A which does 100 watts on HF and 50 watts on 2M/70cm. The IC-7300 seems popular but it's ONLY an HF radio. Should I go for multi-band capability or stick with HF-only? Also wondering about power requirements - do I need 240V service for 100W rigs or will 120V work?
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so ive had the 7300 for about three weeks now and figured id post something since i spent forever reading threads like this before buying. coming from an old TS-480SAT which i actually really liked but the panadapter situation was driving me crazy, always felt like i was flying blind on 40m during contests. anyway the waterfall on the 7300 is just... yeah its as good as everyone says. took me a day or two to get the reference level and range set where i wanted it but once you dial that in its really intuitive. SSB audio out of the box is decent, not amazing, i spent some time in the menu tweaking the TX profile and got it sounding a lot better. the built in ATU is pretty …
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I'm ready to take the plunge into HF after getting my General license last month. Local elmers keep recommending either the Icom IC-7300 or the Yaesu FT-991A. The IC-7300 seems to be constantly recommended as an "entry level" transceiver in the $1,100 range that competes with $2,500 radios. However, the Yaesu FT-991A does 100 watts on HF and 50 watts on 2 Meters and 70 Centimeters, which could be a great option to build a shack around. The internal tuners in Icom radios will usually only match an SWR mismatch of 3:1, which has me a bit concerned about antenna limitations. What would you experienced operators recommend for someone just starting on HF?
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so ive had the 7300 for about three weeks now coming from an old Kenwood TS-440S that i ran for like 15 years so take my impressions with that grain of salt i guess. first thing that hit me was just how different the whole SDR-based receiver feels, like i could actually see signals on the waterfall before i even heard them and that took some getting used to honestly. the 440 i just kind of tuned by ear and muscle memory so this is a different workflow. the built in ATU handles my off-center fed dipole pretty well though it struggles a bit at the edges of 40m when conditions are weird, not sure if thats the antenna or the tuner or just propagation being propagation. audio …
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New General class ham setting up my first HF station in a spare bedroom. New ham here. Trying to get my HF station set up and have a grounding question. I have tried to research things as much as I can but am stuck on the shack/RF grounding. My coax comes in through the wall about 50 feet from where my equipment sits. I understand I need both safety grounding and RF grounding but I'm confused about implementation. Do I need a separate ground rod outside the shack, or can I run heavy copper wire back to my antenna entrance point? All station equipment needs to be RF grounded to an external ground rod, bonded to each other, and bonded to the house ground. Without good RF gr…
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so ive been running an IC-7300 for about three years now and honestly its been a great radio, no real complaints. but ive been eyeing the 7610 for a while and trying to figure out if theres enough of a real-world difference to justify spending another thousand-something dollars on it. like on paper the dual watch and the two independent receivers sounds really useful but im not sure how often id actually use that in practice from a home station doing mostly general HF work, some contesting here and there, maybe a bit of digi modes. the 7300 spectrum scope is already really good in my opinion, i was skeptical of it before i got the radio but now i use it constantly. is the…
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so ive had my TS-590SG for about 4 years now and honestly it's been a great radio, no complaints really. but i keep looking at the IC-7300 and wondering if i should just make the switch. i know the 7300 has that real-time spectrum scope which the 590 doesnt and the SDR-based front end is supposed to be really clean. but then again i already know every menu on the 590 and the filters are excellent, and i dont really contest so i dont need the absolute best roofing filters or anything like that. my shack is pretty basic — 590 into a LDG tuner into a fan dipole for 40/20/15, nothing fancy. mostly do casual ragchews on 40m evenings and some 20m DX when i get the time. so im w…
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so ive been running an old TS-590SG for about four years and honestly never had a real reason to upgrade but my buddy kept going on about the 7300 and i finally caved and picked one up used off qrz classifieds last month. figured id share some thoughts since i spent way too long reading forum threads before i bought it and most of them were either fanboy stuff or from like 2017. first thing that genuinely surprised me was how good the waterfall is in practice. i knew it had one obviously but actually using it on 40m at night when its busy, being able to just see where the pileups are and where the clear spots are... its a different way of operating and i dont think i full…
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Just upgraded to General and looking to build my first HF base station. Budget is around $1500 for the transceiver. I'm seeing lots of recommendations for the IC-7300, but also considering the FT-991A for the all-band capability. Will mainly be doing SSB phone and some digital modes - no contesting or DXpedition work planned. How important is built-in antenna tuner vs external?Worth paying extra for VHF/UHF in the same rig? Thanks for the guidance!
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So ive had my IC-7300 for about three years now and honestly its been a great radio, no real complaints, but i keep finding myself looking at the 7610 and trying to justify it. The dual watch thing is the main thing pulling me honestly, i do a lot of SO2R-adjacent stuff where im hunting DX on one band while running a pileup on another and right now im doing that with the 7300 and an old FT-857 which works but the 857 is just... not great on HF anymore, something weird going on with the front end i think. Anyway the question is basically — if youre already happy with the 7300 does moving to the 7610 feel like a real upgrade or does it just feel like spending $1500 more for…
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been running a ts520 for like 15 years and finally ready to upgrade to something with digital modes built in. narrowed it down to these two but cant decide. the icom seems more popular but the yaesu has more bands built in which might be nice down the road anyone made this jump from tube era stuff? wondering if the learning curve is gonna be brutal or if its pretty straightforward once you get past all the menu diving
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Setting up my HF base station and debating antenna tuner options. Most modern rigs like the new transceivers come with built-in antenna tuners, but I keep reading about external tuners being better. You'll want an antenna tuning unit ($100+) to work multiple bands. Auto-ATUs save hassle but usually cost more than manual ones. Is there a real performance difference, or is it just convenience? Planning to use a multiband end-fed antenna covering 8 bands from 10m to 80m.
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so ive been running an old FT-450D for about 4 years now and its served me well but im starting to feel like i want something with a proper panadapter and better filtering. been eyeballing the IC-7300 for a while but my buddy keeps telling me to look at the 991A since it covers VHF/UHF too and i only have the one antenna feedline run through the wall right now. the thing is i dont really do much VHF from the shack, i mostly just grab the HT for that. so the multiband thing on the 991A doesnt excite me as much as it probably should. the 7300 spectrum scope just looks so much more usable from everything ive seen. but its like $200 more depending where you look and thats rea…
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so ive been running a KX3 for about 4 years now mostly doing portable ops and the occasional shack session with it on a little desk stand. loved it honestly but i kept feeling like i was leaving stuff on the table especially on 40m when the band gets crowded and everyone is running 100w and im sitting there at 10w trying to dig out of the noise. anyway picked up a used IC-7300 off a guy from the local club, he'd barely put 50 hours on it, came with the original box and everything. got it home, hooked it up to my OCF dipole which has been sitting on the shelf since i built it last winter and hadnt really had a proper radio to drive it, and just... wow. the waterfall alone …