Icom: IC9700 pre-purchase questions

[weccwwe]

Hey all,

I sold my IC746 a couple of weeks ago, was using the sale as a down payment towards a new IC9700, Was focusing on the 100watt 2M, just like the IC746, but happy to have uhf added.

I started doing some research on the IC9700, noticed that there is a very concerning drift problem out of the box. ICOM has tried to fix it by a software update, but from the reviews, looks like it doesn't help. Seems that the only way to fix this correctly is to spend another $200 for aftermarket parts from UK.

Also, there doesn't seem to be a mod to open up the TX completely. Was definitely looking for this as well.

The thing is: These reviews and websites seem to be approx 3-4 years or older.

Has ICOM fixed the drifting issue permanently, and can the TX be opened up completely as of today with the new off the shelf IC9700s?

Is there any other choices for base 100watt 2Meter transceivers that can be opened up TX completely?

My fault for not doing this research prior to selling my IC746, was excited for the upgrade, Never bought a brand new base station, this was going to be the first.

Regards

 

[jwt873]

The drift issue really only applies to long transmission time digital modes where staying within a few Hz is important.. (Q65 at > 15 seconds). For digital modes, the drift is most noticeable on the 23 cm band. For FM, AM, SSB, CW and D-Star you won't be aware of it.

I do a lot of long duration digital communications all the way up to 23 cm, so I went with the Leo Bodnar solution out of England. (Can't comment on other methods). The mod is easy to do. No cutting or soldering. You can remove it and nobody could ever tell that it was there.

The radio won't RX or TX outside the Amateur bands. This is actually a good thing. It allows for tighter filtering to avoid problems that might be caused by strong adjacent out of band signals.

I have high gain horizontal Yagi antennas for 2m 70cm and 23cm. They're connected all the time.

For general coverage receiving and FM communications, I just use a handheld connected to a dual band vertical. If you want FRS/GMRS/MURS, then a dedicated radio would probably be the best solution.

 

[K4EET]

Hi @weccwwe,

FWIW, I was looking at the ICOM IC-9700 as well and saw the drift issue. Unfortunately, I don’t know if that was ever fixed in hardware or not on more recent production units since the software route was unsuccessful.

For both you and @jwt873, I do have a concern that you all might be able to elaborate on. While I am not sure what year the 9700 went into production nor do I know if ICOM has redesigned any circuitry to account for parts obsolescence, my question is this. What does the service life and sustainability of support for future repairs going forward look like?

As you know, the Kenwood TH-D74A, a handheld transceiver, went out of production due to parts availability as I understand it. Could the 9700 follow the same route anytime soon?

Then there is the newer ICOM IC-905 transceiver. While it is only 10 watts or 1/2 watt depending on the band, “The radio was announced by ICOM on 22 August 2022 at the Tokyo Ham Radio Fair in Japan.” (Wikipedia) Could this transceiver’s design eventually yield a replacement for the 9700?

In a way, I wish that Kenwood and Yaesu would announce a competitive transceiver to the 9700 at HAM Radio Friedrichshafen | June 28-30, 2024 which occurs on 28-30 June 2024 or at the https://www.jarl.org/English/4_Library/A-4-6_ham-fair/Ham Fair 2024, Tokyo.html on 24-25 August 2024. Time will tell…

Finally, I almost bought the 9700 during the Dayton/Xenia Hamfest period when GigaParts was offering a 10 year warranty. While parts obsolescence is not controllable, if that were to happen before 2034, GigaParts may have trouble honoring that warranty.

So those are my thoughts and are the reasons that I am still sitting on the fence…

73, Dave K4EET

 

[prcguy]

Icom addressed the drift problem by syncing it to the external 10MHz ref input every several seconds. Ever since they did this drift has never been a problem for me on SSB. You would need to get a good 10MHz source and GPS steered oscillators (GPSDO) can be had on eBay starting about $100. I have one like this that cost about $80 several years ago and a nicer one with a display that shows time and accuracy.

10MHz Sinwave PLL-GPSDO GPS DISCIPLINED OSCILLATOR | eBay

Front panel:10MHz:10M sine wave output.

www.ebay.com

 

[AK9R]

So those are my thoughts and are the reasons that I am still sitting on the fence…

Back in the 1980s, I worked with a guy who really wanted to by an IBM PC clone for home use. He read all the magazines, studied the specs, asked "experts" in the department. He agonized at great length over the decision of "do I buy now and possibly buy something that will become obsolete" vs. "do I wait for the next great advancement in home computing to hit the market".

He completely missed the fact that if he didn't buy now, he would be denying himself the use and enjoyment of the computer.

If you want it now and if the current product will fill your needs and if you can afford the current product, buy it. Stop agonizing over things that might happen in the future that are guaranteed to be out of your control.

 

[jwt873]

Thanks prcguy. I forgot about the provisions for a 10 MHz external source. (It's been several years since I bought the radio and researched the drift issue). There is an SMA connector on the rear panel to allow the connection of an external 10 MHz signal.

But as mentioned, the system only refers to it every few seconds and not continuously (like the IC-7610). There still is some drift. It can be seen as a slight zig-zag on the WSJT-X waterfall during long transmissions. The Bodnar solution also uses a GPSDO and keeps the master oscillator locked on frequency continuously with an accuracy of 1 Hz.

I bought the 9700 mostly for digital work, so the frequency stability was important to me.

As far as parts... I guess any radio over time can wind up with parts that go out of production. The problem with the TH-D74 was due to a major fire at a chip manufacturing plant. This also affected other industries.. Autos etc.. I also have a Kenwood TS-2000 which is 24 years old. The finals are no longer available.

 

[kg4ehv]

I got my 9700 last year. I use it for 2M/432 SSB work. I've not noticed any of the drift reviews talk about. I'm very pleased with the radio.

 

[PreferredCustomer]

Thanks prcguy. I forgot about the provisions for a 10 MHz external source. (It's been several years since I bought the radio and researched the drift issue). There is an SMA connector on the rear panel to allow the connection of an external 10 MHz signal.

But as mentioned, the system only refers to it every few seconds and not continuously (like the IC-7610). There still is some drift. It can be seen as a slight zig-zag on the WSJT-X waterfall during long transmissions. The Bodnar solution also uses a GPSDO and keeps the master oscillator locked on frequency continuously with an accuracy of 1 Hz.

I bought the 9700 mostly for digital work, so the frequency stability was important to me.

As far as parts... I guess any radio over time can wind up with parts that go out of production. The problem with the TH-D74 was due to a major fire at a chip manufacturing plant. This also affected other industries.. Autos etc.. I also have a Kenwood TS-2000 which is 24 years old. The finals are no longer available.

I have an Icom IC-751A from the late 80's (over 30 years old) that is still going strong. I had to replace an electrolytic capacitor that went bad, about 5 years ago, but other than that, it has been problem free.

 

[N4DJC]

It’s a nice transceiver, well suited for satellites or VHF UHF weak signal. As info, the 905 is not full duplex so as far as satellites it’s a no go. Why they left it out is beyond me.

I wouldn’t be too concerned with longevity, the 9700 will be around for a while.

 

[weccwwe]

Thank you guys for your input, much appreciated.

I will be doing voice on 2M 75% of the time, and the rest is 70cm Voice.

I think that I will purchase it.

Thanks again Guys.

 

[MTS2000des]

You will love this radio. It is quality top shelf Icom that will last for decades. Performance on FM and DV is bar none superb. The QSO recording feature is a plus. I leave my 9700 on 24/7 (the display backlight will time out based upon your preference) and it logs all traffic on our repeaters for "quality and training purposes". Had mine since summer of 2020 and been going strong since.