Should I Go For ICOM IC-7300 HF Amateur Radio?
Should I Go For ICOM IC-7300 HF Amateur Radio?
I have been toying with the idea of going in for an HF Amateur Radio ever since I returned to Amateur Radio after a gap of nearly a decade. ICOM IC-7300 HF Amateur Radio is one which has been recommended to me by most of my Ham friends as an entry level radio. Some had recommended a previous version of IC 718 as a lower cost option. But many discouraged me saying that it does not have a waterfall display and you should not go for it in 2023! Others have suggested a combined HF/VHF/UHF radio from another manufacturer, but again it was not a new gen radio, a bit outdated. Even ICOM IC-7300 cannot be called as a new radio as it was launched in 2015. Still I find it as the most popular entry level HF radio with many in this region using it and I have seen several Twitter posts on ICOM IC-7300. Of course I have also seen Twitter posts on problems with it, but my friends tell me that being a very popular one, statistically, you are more likely to see reports of problems with that radio rather than any others, just because of the large number in use!
It is a software defined radio (SDR), in contrast with earlier ones which worked on the principle of superheterodyne receiver. It has an internal antenna tuner and an audio card which can be accessed through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. Presence of an audio cardio accessible by USB enables the use of popular digital mode FT8. Waterfall function and real-time spectrum scope allows us to detect even weak signals on the band. Sometimes a distant rare DX station may have only a weak signal and this function is useful for us to try and work that station. ICOM IC-7300 is an RF direct sampling radio in which radiofrequency signals are directly converted to digital data and processed. It has 15 bandpass filters whereby only the required signal is passed through and out of range signals are rejected. There is a 4.3 inch colour touch screen display with multiple functions.
ICOM IC-7300 is capable of 100 Watts power output on SSB/CW/FM/RTTY modes and 25 Watts on AM mode, though you will seldom use AM mode these days! It covers the entire HF amateur radio band and the 50 MHz or 6 m band at the lower end of the VHF spectrum. It needs an external 13.8 Volts DC power supply and the current consumption is mentioned as 21 A. Antenna socket is the standard SO 239 connector at the rear end of the radio. Overall it seems to be a good entry level radio and I have been yearning to buy one, but it is currently not available with the ICOM authorized dealers in this region! I am not confident of buying from overseas stores as I am not sure of how to go about with support in case it is needed after purchase.