Icom: Icom ic-7300

A couple of members recommended this in my other post.
As someone being new to amateur radio and looking for my first radio I wanted to know from owners here of the 7300 how they feel about it. Especially with it being a radio for a newby.

My goal is to buy one radio and not have to upgrade anytime soon because I didnt buy enough radio the first time.

I'm looking for a radio that will reach out a few hundred miles. I'm on the east coast and would like to reach out to the mid Atlantic states. Another member mentioned that a HF radio can reach out. The IC- 7300 fits this bill?

This radio is SSB, CW, RTTY, AM, FM

For those of you who own one what antenna do you use? This is a quality radio so I assume a quality antenna would compliment it.

And what accessories/upgrades would you recommend?

The IC-7300 can talk around the world or it can struggle to talk to the guy in the next county. It depends on many other factors as I explained in your other thread.

I have an IC-7300 and use it with a fan dipole for 80m, 40m, and 20m and vertical for 20m, 15m, and 10m. But, there are hundreds of different antenna designs, both store bought and home brewed, and hundreds of different ways to install them.

At a minimum, you will need a power supply capable of delivering a well-regulated 13.6 volts DC at 25 amps. Depending on what antenna you choose, you may need an external antenna tuner as the internal tuner in the IC-7300 is somewhat limited.

I would suggest taking a course and write the exam. A lot of your questions are answered in the course and depends on level of exam passed. As stated above there are a number of variables that will become clearer when taking the course. I don't have the 7300 but a lot of people who have it really like it. It does not cover the VHF or UHF bands. Look at eham.net as there are reviews there for the 7300. Although people say one can make contacts with a wet noodle, an antenna is extremely important. A horizontal yagi/beam antenna is most effective on HF, although there are a number of wire antennas that are effective for a number of hams as well. Another option is find hams in your local area, attend meetings and discuss with them what works best for them.

In order to fully utilize an IC-7300 and talk on all the bands it covers, you need to have your General ham license. If you write the exam for the first level (Technician) you'll be limited to only six meters and a small part of 10 meters. You'll need to pass your General test in order to talk on the lower frequencies.

Like robertmac suggests, you should take a course and write the exam(s) first. Most of what you learn in the course will answer your questions.

IC 7300

Our club purchased a 7300 for the middle school club we sponsor. I didn't have access to the manual at the time so I went to you tube. It might not make you an expert on the 7300, but the operation videos sure gave me an edge when showing the other hams little short cuts that I learned.

At last look, there were more than a hundred accessible videos listed on you tube about the IC 7300.

Not only the 7300, but lots other radios, too.

Good luck and happy hunting...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEtu9gTHrf8

I had my fill of high end HF radios and didn't need another but kept reading the unbelievable reports on the 7300 so I bought one on a whim. It delivers everything that is said about it and in my opinion its a $2,500 class radio that only costs $1,200. You can't go wrong buying one.

When I use it as a base radio its connected to a MyAntennas 80 through 10m offset center fed dipole or a NA4RR 20 through 6m Hex Beam. Lately my 7300 only gets used on camping trips as I got a new Icom 7610 that I didn't need but its real nice also. The 7610 is nowhere near the great price for performance ratio as the 7300 is.

Absolutely love my 7300. As stated above, you get a lot of radio for the money.

As for the antenna, it doesn't "compliment" the radio. There are numerous variables for an antenna. Living situation (apartments, condos and so on), space available, HOAs, power output and what bands you are interested in to name a few. Only you can decide what is best for your situation.

I have no regrets about the 7300. Excellent radio especially for the price. It's a pleasure to use. I almost got the Yaesu FT-DX3000. I am glad I went with the 7300. FYI - my other equipment is Yaesu FT-990, Yaesu FT-991, Icom IC-7100. If you aren't interested in SSB VHF or SSB UHF, go with the 7300 as your primary HF rig.

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