so ive been running an old FT-450D for about four years and honestly it served me well but i kept reading about the 7300 and watching videos and eventually just bought one last month. figured id share some thoughts since there's always people asking about this radio.

first thing i noticed was the waterfall. i mean obviously thats what everyone talks about but seeing it in person is different. i was on 40m last night and could actually watch a pileup forming in real time, spotted a station calling CQ before i even heard him come up on the audio. that alone kind of changed how i operate.

the receiver is noticeably better than the 450D on crowded bands, i was skeptical about how much difference id actually hear but on a busy contest weekend its pretty obvious. roofing filter situation is different from older radios and took me a bit to wrap my head around the DSP controls.

one gripe and its minor — the menu system takes some getting used to. not bad just different. spent probably an hour digging through settings the first night. also the mic that ships with it is fine but im already eyeing something better.

anyway if anyones on the fence about this radio and has a mid-range rig already it probably is worth the jump. at least thats my take after a few weeks. ask me something if you want i dont mind.

yeah the waterfall is kind of addicting honestly, i remember when i first got mine i just sat there watching it for like 20 minutes without even making a contact. felt a little silly but whatever it works.

one thing i'd suggest messing with is the NR and notch settings, took me a while to find a combo that i liked for SSB but once i got it dialed in the audio got a lot cleaner. also if you havent already check out the RS-BA1 software for remote operation, not everyones cup of tea but its nice to have the option.

what antenna are you running it into? makes a big difference obviously but curious what your setup looks like.

i went from a ts-590sg to the 7300 and honestly still not sure i made the right call, the kenwood receiver is really really good and i miss some of the ergonomics. the icom touchscreen is great but sometimes you just want a physical knob for something and you end up poking around menus. different philosophy i guess. both solid radios though just depends what matters to you.