IC7300 vs FT991A on HF

[N9JIG]

I currently have an IC-7300 that works just fine but would like to get into 2M SSB as well as System Fusion. For that reason I am considering replacing the 7300 with an FT-991A.

Has anyone compared the HF performance between the two? Any reason I should keep the 7300 if I get a 991A?

 

[prcguy]

Check Rob Sherwoods receiver tests here: Receiver Test Data

There were two IC7300s tested with the best giving a wide spaced dynamic range of 97dB @20KHz and narrow spaced 106dB @2KHz and it’s the 23rd best receiver he has tested for these specs. Compare that to the 991 coming in at 72dB for 20KHz wide spaced and 95dB for 2KHz narrow spaced. The 991 came in at 90 on the list out of all the receivers tested.

 

[AB4BF]

I currently have an IC-7300 that works just fine but would like to get into 2M SSB as well as System Fusion. For that reason I am considering replacing the 7300 with an FT-991A.

Has anyone compared the HF performance between the two? Any reason I should keep the 7300 if I get a 991A?

No, Rich, don't do it. I had an FT-991A and I hated it. It talked fairly well and it was a shack in the box, too. It seemed to not do as well as the individual frequency specific radios I have. Also the 2m and 70cm frequencies are programmed into the memory and sometimes I forgot where they were in the memory even though I wrote them down. To me, it was a PITA. Also, after market mics had to be dynamic (more expensive).

I traded the FT-991A even for a newer IC-7300. I have no regrets after 6 months. I use a Heil boom with a Heil HM-IC mic and a Heil trigger switch with Heil cable. Talks even better than the Yaesu. On the 7300, I hardly need my antenna tuner for the well used frequencies AND I did interface the MFJ-993B Tuner with just a relatively inexpensive cable instead of some goofy looking interface box and cables the Yaesu needed. I'm going to have to replace my memory battery in the 7300, but looking at You-Tube videos about that, it looks easy. ETA: I forgot to mention that the 7300 has an SD card holder for cards up to 32GB!

I replaced the 2m and 70cm part with a separate radio. The AnyTone 578UVIII. I use it as my base radio and it sits right beside my 7300. It has no APRS or GPS, don't need it inside. I got it from R&L in Ohio for $299.00. It. Works. Great!

Please don't sell your 7300! If you do, I think you may regret it.

Re-reading your post about the SSB or even the AM for 2m and 70cm, My 991A sucked when trying to do that. Maybe it was me, but I think it was more the radio. The AnyTone 578 doesn't do SSB or AM, But, the 7300's sister radio, the 9700, does.

 

[tweiss3]

Icom alternatives to get 2m SSB are IC-9700 (I love mine) and IC-7100 (shack in a box). I went 9700 for the simplicity (705, 7300 & 9700 all have the exact same menu flow and sound card). Plus, the Heil headset is swapping the plug from 1 to the other.

I have never tried the 991(a), but I know a few that say they work well for a shack in the box, but everyone complains about the Yaesu menu structure.

 

[N9JIG]

As a tried and true Icom guy I might look into the 7100 instead. I might also set it up so I can bring it mobile on trips.

While D-Star is kind of a dead issue around here right now (the only repeater I know of in my area has no network connection now...) hopefully it will come back to life. I do have a 705 but that is more of a patio and field radio for me. I have some friends who use Fusion but I think I can program my hotspot to work them using my DMR portable.

I also have a 578 for 2m/440 work on FM and DMR and have considered a 9700. It would look great next to my 7300 but I can't justify the 2 kilobuck investment. I also like to use my stuff occasionally for monitoring out of band and the 9700 will not even listen outside the ham bands. (My 705 is great for tuning around with the spectrum scope!) Either the 991A or the 7100 would be slightly more than half the price with more capabilities.

One question on the 7100: As this is now a 12 year old design, any rumors about a replacement, perhaps with a color display?

 

[vagrant]

Why not purchase an amplifier for VHF and use the 705?

* If Icom releases an updated 7100 my 991A may no longer reside in the shack. I expect that will happen in a few years. Still, for an All-in-one, the 991A is not bad. I don’t use it for CW, but I do for PSK, FT8, etc. The watering holes are known, so the poor waterfall on the 991A is not critical. I do enjoy using it.

 

[AK9R]

A plus for the IC-7100 is that you can hide the RF deck in an out of the way location and put just the control head at your operating position. It does have an internal USB sound card so the things you've learned about sound card digital modes with your IC-7300 will apply to the 7100. And, that internal sound card works on 2m and 70cm.

As for the IC-7100's future, only Icom knows. At the recent Dayton Hamvention, Icom showed circuit boards for what they say will be a new radio. Many people online think it will be a new top-of-the-line HF radio in the IC-7800 class. But a new IC-7100 with color display an spectrum scope would be nice.

 

[devicelab]

As a tried and true Icom guy I might look into the 7100 instead. I might also set it up so I can bring it mobile on trips.

Honestly, I'd go with the ICOM 7000 over the 7100. Mine is nearly 16 years old and still works great. Probably the best multiband transceiver I've ever used.

 

[N9JIG]

Honestly, I'd go with the ICOM 7000 over the 7100. Mine is nearly 16 years old and still works great. Probably the best multiband transceiver I've ever used.

I have had a pair of 7000's in the past, they were great radios. I would get another but probably would take the 7100 since the head fits my needs and I would like to get into D-Star once the local system gets it's internet connection fixed. I also would want a new radio vs. a used one!

 

[prcguy]

Back when the IC-7000 came out a number of people I know traded in their 706MKIIGs and got them. After using the 7000 for awhile they wanted their old 706 back because it was a better performing radio. There were also a lot of reports of the 7000 being sensitive to voltage and not working if it dips a little low where other radios work fine under the same conditions.

Years ago I bought a IC-7100 only because it was recommended for use with the RemoteRig boxes and I was very surprised with the performance. It’s an older design, no color display but it works really well. I immediately bought two more and got them all on an Icom special at about $700 ea.

 

[alcahuete]

There were also a lot of reports of the 7000 being sensitive to voltage and not working if it dips a little low where other radios work fine under the same conditions.

The reports are true, along with the spotaneous PA melting down.

 

[N9JIG]

Well, the wife owed me a gift, she fell and broke her elbow in March and I have been pretty much by her side 24/7 for the last 3 months taking care of her; it looks like it will be a couple more months of that to come. She appreciated it so much that when we stopped by HRO today and I was looking at the 7100 she told me to get it and broke out the credit card for it.

I also bought the RT Systems software (have it for all my ham gear...) and programmed in a few dozen freqs and adjusted the HF band limits to the US General Class ones. Easy-Peasy!

I need to start playing around with D-Star one of these days as I have 2 transceivers that do it (7100 and 705) and a receiver that hears it (R8600).

The 7100 control head works great on my desktop so I suspect I will end up using it a lot!

 

[AK9R]

Good news!

If you haven't discovered them yet, there are "legs" on the bottom of the IC-7100 control head that slide out to the rear to provide more stability when the head is sitting on a desk.

P.S. I bet you can upgrade to Extra without much difficulty.

 

[N9JIG]

Good news!

If you haven't discovered them yet, there are "legs" on the bottom of the IC-7100 control head that slide out to the rear to provide more stability when the head is sitting on a desk.

P.S. I bet you can upgrade to Extra without much difficulty.

I hadn't gotten that far in the manual yet but that is cool, I just slide them out and it does help. When I first saw them I thought they were to cover mounting tabs or something for mobile use.

So far the only complaint is the lack of labeling on the antenna connectors. While identified as ANT1 and ANT2 one needs to consult the manual to find out which is for HF and which is for U/V.

Now to decide on how I want to reconfigure my desk, but that is a discussion for another forum and another day!

 

[prcguy]

I hadn't gotten that far in the manual yet but that is cool, I just slide them out and it does help. When I first saw them I thought they were to cover mounting tabs or something for mobile use.

So far the only complaint is the lack of labeling on the antenna connectors. While identified as ANT1 and ANT2 one needs to consult the manual to find out which is for HF and which is for U/V.

Now to decide on how I want to reconfigure my desk, but that is a discussion for another forum and another day!

If you get a second 7100 you can turn them into an any band to any band repeater. Take an RJ45 jumper, cut in half and wire radio A spkr audio to radio B mic in and A squelch detect to B PTT then plug the jumper into both control head mic jacks. When the volume control on radio A is around 30% it feeds a perfect level into the mic input of radio B and when squelch breaks on radio A it will key radio B.

You can cross band between VHF and UHF or to HF or HF to HF, any combination and it works great. I have two 7100s at remote locations using Remote Rig boxes with all the control heads at my home including a home 7100, so I can repeat the same band, same frequency between two locations if needed. I call it a worm hole repeater.

 

[AK9R]

Yeah, the antenna connector labeling could be more clear. Mine has a black on white Brother label so I don't confuse them.

Setting up two of them as a repeater sounds like a neat trick. I might have to experiment with that.

 

[AK9R]

Rich, if you haven't figured it out yet, there are two IC-7100 manuals available for download on the IcomAmerica website. The one labeled "Basic Manual" is the one that comes in the box. The one labeled "Full Manual" has everything, I believe, that's in the Basic Manual plus some additional information.

 

[N9JIG]

Yeah, the antenna connector labeling could be more clear. Mine has a black on white Brother label so I don't confuse them.

Setting up two of them as a repeater sounds like a neat trick. I might have to experiment with that.

I did the same but with gold on black. It matches the aesthetic and is the label cartridge that happened to be in the label maker.

 

[N9JIG]

Rich, if you haven't figured it out yet, there are two IC-7100 manuals available for download on the IcomAmerica website. The one labeled "Basic Manual" is the one that comes in the box. The one labeled "Full Manual" has everything, I believe, that's in the Basic Manual plus some additional information.

Yep, got them both. I always download all manuals for my radios and keep them available!