Cost is it worth it, well if you are on a fixed income I would say get the 7300, it does great job. I myself don't need a 2nd receiver and etc that the 7610 comes with some having more doesn't make it better, just more button and settings you have to worry about. My main concern is that ham gear is getting actually too expensive to buy new well at least for me (my opinion)
when I got back on the low bands in 2018 I bought a 7300........a giant upgrade from my old HQ-170 back in the day.........no kidding! I operated almost exclusively on the low end of 40 meters working SSB DX In 2023 I upgraded to the 7610 and glad I did. The Rx is much better when 40 gets crowded and you have very strong stations around the weak signal you are trying to work. I did some diversity Rx work last winter using various low noise Rx antennas it does help some of the time. I kept my 7300 and use it on 6 meters where I do weak signal work in the summer. The 7300 is a great radio and nothing to be ashamed of......... 73 Mike K1FNX ner Boston
Along with the repeater functionality / memory thing, I wish it would remember the power setting for each mode. For example if I want to run CW at 20% and ssb at 100% This is something I do regularly and feel like I will end up wearing out the rotary encoder. Yes I can control it via software and lan but it would be a nice to have in the radio (a bit like the ft891)
I had a 7300 and it was good, then I got a 7610….as you say the difference is night and day, coupled with the remote software and it is perfect. One thing I love is diversity tuning!
@@HamRadioDX diversity without a doubt! Hearing weaker signals was so much easier. Left ear was my Air Gap Titan DX and right ear Urban Beam. When you hear the vertical then swing the beam OMFG! It was brilliant. To the point that as much as I love my Flex 6400, I am seriously considering setting the 7610 for diversity again!
@@HamRadioDX Callum has his dual receive set up so that one is on a vertical (DX Commander, obviously!) and the other on a horizontal, one of several. He has tried it with one receiver in each ear, so you can hear as the polarisation changes. Can you do that with the 7610 receivers and headphones, feed one into each ear?
I don't own a '7610 but I do have a '7300 and can say it's a fine radio. For the majority of hams, it's probably all you need. No doubt the '7610 is a great radio, too.
I also went from the 7300 to the 7610. There is definitely a significant difference in the receiver and the processing of received signals. It’s kinda spoiled me with how much easier it is to listen to. Our club has a Kenwood 590SG and I can only handle a few minutes of SSB before I fatigued listening to it.
Dude, the 7300 vs 7610 receivers aren't as different as the ergonomics. I have both. Indeed, the convenience and ergonomics of the 7300 vs 7610 are like day and night, like heaven and earth. but the receivers are very similar. I would say they are the same +/- What you can give a fat plus 7610 for is only for APF in the telegraph, which is so lacking in 7300. but APF in Yaesu works better :) But you shouldn’t have said anything about the repeater. ICOM did not declare it. Did you read the instructions before purchasing the 7610?
As for someone who own both ( family of hams) and use both ( on different bands) we found both radio to be sounding the same ( to our ears), like many others we noted the excessive cost difference (for us) between the two models and we could not justify the high cost of the IC7610 ( yet my son got one), We don't get the fuzzy feeling when we connect a monitor to the IC7610 and by doing so " making the station look professional" , it is the antenna system is what make our stations special, the fact that we are heard makes allthe magic for us). In saying that, if the user happens to be vision impaired, than having a big monitor connected to the radio will add BIG value to owning the IC-7610 ( the TFT screen on the IV-7610 itself is more than twice the size of the IC-7300). If the user enjoy contesting than having two receivers in front of him visible on the one unit might be the reason for the added value ( yet might be cheaper to buy two IC7300)? The more expensive IC-7610 doesn't have the SWR sweep display function that the cheaper and basic IC-7300 has, ( we are not sure why that is so). The IC-7610 will take much more space on your desk when compered to the IC-7300 ( one needs to take this into consideration when face with limited space accommodating a station) The IC-7300 is small and light and could be easily carried away, set up as a mobile while the IC-7610 is way too big for those options, this might make the IC-7300 more flexible in its use. When it comes to basics the IC-7300 is king, not offering options that most will never use on a regular biases, this might be an advantage for those who seek simplicity. Like cars , manufacturers will try and create what they call a superior model, this is text book basic marketing ,any logical brand will attempt to attract the maximum share of the market, those include potential buyers who have free cash and want the fuzzy feeling of luxury item , and those buyers who look at basic and do not want to rob the bank so they can by into the brand, this marketing strategy is commonly used, ICOM is smart to go this way, providing the feel of luxury to those who have the extra cash while increasing its profit share, win win situation for all involved. BUT TO BE HONEST, both radio are great , Many recognize those radio on air as they have what is called the " ICOM SOUND". ICOM supports our hobby and we support them back , in reality whatever ends up in your station will be a great option, and if you have the extra money to splash on a IC-7619, GO FOR IT, enjoy life and the fruits of your labor, life is short, have fun DE vk4bye and VK4DJZ
The digital pre-distortion isn't there for you, it's for other users of the band. The calibration runs a system identification process, which then creates compensation for the non-linearities in your particular radio. The compensation would then be applied to the digital signal before it goes out of the TX DAC, and this would result in less splatter and lower bandwidth signal. Usually, this isn't much of an issue if you're running just the radio, but if you connect the radio to an external PA, then the input signal quality is important. The Icom's new PA also includes the probe for digital pre-distortion, so you could then calibrate the combination of the radio and the PA together. In this case, the DPD gets more relevant, because those weak extra products, which normally have very low power, also get amplified together with the wanted signal.
The signals are pretty easy to spot on the waterfall. You have some "all dials to the right" people that are wide as a barn door, and then you have the polar opposite - amplified DPD where it looks like someone took a set square to their signal :)
I love my 7300 and it fits my budget. While I'd LOVE a 7610, at three X the price it's not a feasible option in my life currently. Perhaps someday! Thank you for the great channel, Hayden!
The biggest difference for me, having owned a 7300 before I upgraded to the 7610, is the CW Audio peaking filter in the 7610. It makes working CW so much easier, especially during contests or pileups.
I really like this video, why? because I own an IC-7610 for two years now. I am still learning new things about it every time I sit and use it. I love the screen and all the functions available on it, however after so much time with this transceiver I only been scratching the surface, there still a lot for me to learn. Fantastic Radio and the perfect companion for my IC-9700. Please keep doing videos like this, videos that help all the new Amateur Radio Operators out there. Please can you do a video explaining the different terms use in this Hobby? Ej. what's really is ALC, Band Pass Filter or the terms use on POTA like RBN, GT etc. when a contact is made on FT-8. And how actually RTTY works, when and where to find the frequency for that mode. And if it possible explain how split mode work in a non-so technical way, just plain Inglish please. I'm sure there a lot like me out there, that need someone who can explain these things that most U-tubers because of their knowledge they talk like everybody out there is an EXTRA-CLASS and that is way far from the thru. They only do review and commercialize the products from the sponsor. And then wonder why they don't see new Ham Radio operators when they go to a Field Day or to do POTA ext., WE need more like you teaching good knowledge base on your own experience. Thank you very much and keep up the good work. 73 from KL5FX Alaska.
I would start with what level of tech you can handle. The 7610 can be a bit overwhelming especially in the menu side of things….there are a lot more choices. If you are fairly tech conversant, you won’t have too many issues. And get yourself an external monitor. I have a 32” attached to mine just to show off to visitors .
This is great advice here. I think as your first radio you should perhaps go for the IC-7300, but if you have money to spare and like all the bells and whistles - then the 7610
Here in Canada the IC-7610 is nearly $5000 CANADIAN at MSRP and on sale will go for $4500 to $4800. It's a really X-Y problem to discuss the 7300 and 7610. You can get a 7610 for less than a third of what the 7610 does. I personally can in no way justify spending $5000 on a radio, as a hobby. Other people may be different. I sure would love one. A real apples to apples comparison would be an IC-7610 with the equivalent $5000 unit from another premier brand.
Hayden, I saw a comment about Australian radios. Not familiar with any, sadly. Recently I learned about, Terlin Outbacker antennas, made on Oz. Meant to be quite good. Perhaps an activation with an HF MILTI-band Terlin could be in your future? Just an idea - it’s your channel. Best, KQ4IXD
I’ve had my 7300 now going on 7yrs and while I am blessed to have the 7610 as well I do keep both in my shack and use them both! I find the 7300 is great for listening to HF as it draws less power than the 7610 on RX and in my case is a little bit easier to turn on and use than my 7610 (7610 is kept covered and requires a few more steps to turn on and use than my 7300)! I really enjoy the 7610 of course the bigger screen is nice as well as being able to monitor two bands at the same time plus I really like the mute buttons for both VFO’s…… a second VFO knob for VFO B would have been nice though for the 7610 but the 7610 definitely has some advantages over the 7300 and is a joy to operate! Now can I say that the 7610 can pull out signals that my 7300 couldn’t….at this point I couldn’t say that confidently so I will have to do some tests on that between them to form a better opinion on that point! Thanks for the video 73
I've had an IC-7300 for about a year and... it's OK. I really don't like using a touchscreen for basic functions, I'm always worried I'm going to press slightly too hard and break it. I guess I'd run into that with the 7610 as well. I'm thinking about something like an FT-2000 which exposes all the controls.
Agree, my 7610 is amazing (though it needs repair, the SD reader quit working) and my 7300 is for backup and portable. There really is no comparison, though the 7300 is still a nice but basic radio.
My first HF rig was a 7300. I wound up selling it down the road when I got a 7610 which was then sold after I got a TS-890. I wound up with a 7300 again for a while after getting rid of the 890 and used it for POTA after moving up to a 101MP/7800/TS-990. But I've since sold all those and primarily use a Flex at home and one or two of several radios for POTA like an 891, KX2, TR-45L, or KH1. If it wasn't for putting an HF mobile rig back in my Jeep, I'd get rid of the 891 for a 7300 again.
Seems like when first released, you would see people buy the 7300, keep it for a short while, then sell it, sometimes cheaper than they paid, just to get rid of them ! And this kinda thing happened a lot with the 7300 ! I remember hearing that the front ends were kinda loose ? For example, people taking them to Field Day couldn't use them, because they were easily overloaded ?
As we all know the main "difficulty" on a radio is the receiver. So, I think that a reception comparisson between the two, using the same antenna, and searching for a weak weak signal would be very illuminating. 73 de SV1SLB
Wow, Hayden - it is good that you found a small “gripe” for the 7610. Again, the “VALUE” is personal (not the cost). It is also very good that you DO NOT have “buyer’s remorse”, the value to you is worth the cost. I like knobs and buttons vs screen menus, as well - and the price increases at ICOM, Yeasu, and Kenwood to get there. Keep up the great videos! KQ4IXD
Had a 7300 and found after a few months that it was harsh to listen to. The noise reduction wasn’t great. Living in an urban environment I also found it to be susceptible to local noise especially local solar panels. I ended up just using it for 6m and then when the battery for the clock packed in I decided to get rid before the dreaded lines on the screen would appear. Kenwood TS590SG now which I can listen to for hours and my ears aren’t bleeding. The FTDX 10 is a better choice than a 7300.
First, I own a 7300 because it's what I can afford and I really liike it. I think you have already done a head to head between the two radios in another video which I haven't watched yet, however I believe the 7610 is a better performer in every way and is definitely worth the price. If I had the money I would probably own a 7610, but I wouldn't sell the 7300 because that radio is actually fairly lightweight and is a great radio to do POTA. Since it has a built in soundcard, it is very easy to do FT8. Keep up the great work. N3EDO.
Should have gotten one of those Australian Radios. Then you could have been really impressed. Also, try a VK3AMP. Those are great as well. Your country makes some great Ham gear.
I dont think I could ever spend that sort of money on the 7610 so the 7300 or similar would have to be my daily driver. Im still not 100% sure on my first HF radio but other priorities come first for now still. :/
So someone else wrote in the comments that you can! I was just doing it wrong... If you select the analog meter and then the M.Scope button you get the waterfall (at the cost of the digital meters down the bottom)
Great video ! so far I have not used the 7610. I do have the 7300 and a old 735. I totally love my 7300 . I do portable like POTA . The only issue I ever had is the clock battery. and I never replaced it. I just do not use my radio for time. My laptop has GPS dongle and keeps ok time without GPS lock for a few days on FT8 . and I got a program from ICOM to set the radio clock from PC clock which is either locked with GPS or internet . I have a plug adapter with blocking cap for my Heil mic or XLR . has a RCA PTT which I use Heil foot switch. allowing my 2 hands to type and I can play radio at same time. I do not like VOX outside. and at home. My cat likes to talk ! and outside at a POTA park the birds can be loud . if I have to sneeze, I keep my foot up. Sometimes Parks do that to me. I do want the 9700 next. 73's
@@HamRadioDX doing SSB/AM/ digital modes VHF/UHF . LIKE FT8/JS8 call/ SSTV/WSPR ETC . may get IC 705 to start. I got amps VHF /UHF . doing portable . I have transverter for 1.25 meter 222MHz we have in US .
You with the 7610 vs the 7300 is like me with my 7300 vs my first rig, an FT-857d. I bought the 7300 and the 857d became a desk ornament. I love my 7300. I recently took out my 857 for a park activation and it still worked great, but the 7300 almost seems like cheating to me at this point and it's what Ive done the majority of my POTA work with. It's hard to use anything else. I have a ham friend who bought a 7610 fairly recently and he's had nothing but issues with it and it's been sent back to icom multiple times. Keep in mind, this man works in commercial radio for a living and works on high end radio systems for everything from LE to businesses. He also holds about every FCC license there is on top of being a pilot. So it is definitely not user error on his part. Just weird. But I'm sure that's not the majority. Good video! 73!
Having also been a 857 owner I understand, once you get a waterfall you never go back! Re: The issues with your friends 7610 - I guess that is the good thing with buying one new is having it under warranty to fix these things.
Nice Summary Hadden. I currently use a 705 and that is my go to for everything. but I am moving later this year and will be able to operate a home station. I was looking at the 7610 but I have fallen for Kenwood's range of radios. So torn between TS-590sg or go all in for TS-890s. Time will tell. 73 de G0LQP
@@paulsengupta971 I will check it out for sure. just not in position yet to buy as I am moving to Italy in September so there are other priorities first but thanks for the head up.
I loved the 7300 so much, I also bought the 7610 6yrs ago. I agree with everything you said. I especially love the diversity with multiple antennas and I mainly use my 160m horizontal loop to lower my noise, but with a second antenna with the dual relieve is just amazing on weaker signals.I gave up on the memory channels. The sherwood RX ratings puts it well ahead of the 7300. Def put the effort in re networking it and SDR software. Having this radio is also a game changer for remote operation (via twingate). Like you, 7300 is now my field radio too. So damn light!
I know the Yaesu’s like FT710 and FTDX10 are better on the Sherwood list - but I don’t like the menus too much. That’s the other good thing is consistency between radios in regards to menus with Icom
My big disappointment with the 7300 is no external monitor port. I’m 70 and while my eyes aren’t that bad it would be nice to be able to see a large image of the screen without having to use some external device and software package.
@@RoelandJansen By external device I was referring to and external device that you have to connect to the C-IV port that then has to connect to a computer and then to an external monitor to give you a made up data display of what’s actually on the screen or a software package like N1MM +logger. I want and exact duplication of the front panel display so mt older eyes can more easily read the info in the CW and RTTY sub displays.
Good video Hayden. Like you I like buttons and knobs on my radios. My radio club has an IC-7300 and it is a great radio but I have an IC-7700 on the bench at home and it is an awesome radio. Yes she is a bit old but she is a thing of splendour and beauty.
@@HamRadioDX The receiver in the 7700 is much better than the 7300 in my opinion. The screen on the 7700 is bigger than the 7300 and it also has the video out option.
I upgraded from the 7300 to the 7610 about a year ago. The 7300 was a fantastic rig and I was sorry to see it go ... but I couldn't really justify keeping it. I have an IC-705 for portable use so the 7300 would have mostly just sat on the shelf as a spare. You're correct! ... the 7610 is a significant step up. It's just a joy to use. I especially like the fact that the rig has an inbuilt server, making remote operation a breeze. I can control my IC-9700 and IC-7610 using my iPhone from anywhere in the world as long as I have Internet.
@@HamRadioDX I used to run a small, 50 Watt amplifier but ended up selling it as I rarely needed it. It was just more wires and more to carry. I have plenty of success making contacts with the 705 barefoot ... even on the internal battery and just 5 Watts. Last year when I was touring in Tasmania I made regular contacts to Europe on 20 Metres with just 5 Watts and a centre-loaded PAC-12 vertical antenna. I'm a huge fan of the portable "shack in a box" IC-705 and if I could only keep one radio, it would be the IC-705.
Man.. I'm still slumming it with the 7300. I keep trying to decide if I should get a proper VHF/UHF base station(9700) or a new HF rig and relegate the 7300 to POTA. I know the proper answer is to do both but the wallet can only handle so much!
I wouldn’t say it’s slumming it with the 7300 - it’s an awesome rig! I have the 9700 too and it opens up more opportunities (satellites, weak signal VHF/UHF, 23cm, EME plus more). What new HF rigs have you been looking at?
The 9700 is a lot of money but also ALOT of radio. It all you’re going to do is repeaters or simplex FM skip the 9700. If you want to do all the things with 2M/70cm/23cm then it’s great. I recently picked up a 9700 for satellite and 23cm and it has a steep learning curve.
@@HamRadioDX Right now I use a mobile rig, ftm-300, as my vhf/uhf shack radio. It works, of course but I find myself wanting to do more. As far as HF rigs, I have had my eye on the 7610, the Yaesu FTDX-101D and as a dream, the Kenwood ts-890S.
@@codyandargo906 Nice! Well good luck with whatever you decided to go for - just make sure it fits your requirements. You may be able to find someone else with those radios to try them out too before you buy
@@HamRadioDX Yep they saved peanuts castrating a radio with endless potential. Somehow they missed the point of what makes DX fun. I had a chance to field test dozens of receivers and the IC7610 is of course in a league of its new technology. Overall I found signals others would have missed but sometimes this technology introduces artefacts just because of the way it is implemented. A radio that will re write the books of reception engineering.