Ham Nation Reviews the Icom 7300

Duane N9DG

What I find interesting about the models that support a spectrum display on the RS-BA1 software, is that they each have this notice in their brochures and/or users manuals:
 
"This product includes “zlib” and “libpng” open source software, and is licensed according to the open source software license."

I'm trying to figure out what role "libpng" plays in the screen presentation on the computer screen of RS-BA1 SW. I can't get my head fully wrapped around what exactly libpng actually does just by looking the libpng.org website. My guess is that it simply is the mechanism used to essentially stream a copy of the "video" from the radio's display.

K6OZY

Given how bad the frame rate is of the RS-BA1 spectrum, i'm not convinced they aren't sending PNG screenshot snaps of the spectrum over the USB for display.  I guarantee that isn't VITA49!  

Bob - W7KWS -

According to Adam Farson's extensive testing and review ( http://www.ab4oj.com/icom/ic7300/7300notes.pdf ), the 7300 overloads at -10 dBm.  Not impossible from 1000 miles but pretty hard.

W9OY

Bob

I'm basing my comment on the youtube review where a guy hooked his 7300 up to his beam turned on the preamp and his receiver crapped.  I then saw a bunch of rationalization in the comments about how it was the operator's fault not the radio's fault.  A beam gives you a few dB gain at best compared to a dipole.  I do not find this reassuring, so I'll be interested to see the result.

Walt - KZ1F

-10dbm, that's what, S9+65?

Varistor

For those of you who genuinely want to understand the overload "issue" of the 7300 and how it compares to other SDRs, I'd highly recommend joining the Yahoo group and reading Rob Sherwood's analysis and discussions with VA7OJ.

Otherwise, here's the bottom line, as summarized by Rob Sherwood:

The Flex 6700 overloads around +11 dBm with the preamp OFF.  -9 dB with preamp ON. The overload is soft, and I have never seen an overload indicator in the Flex software.  I don’t think there is one. The ANAN-200D overloads about -10 dBm.  There are minor variations by band due to the insertion loss of the front-end bandpass filters.

Bob - W7KWS -

Lee,

Was the overload in the video due to the on-frequency signal from 1000 miles away or could it have been from something closer like a neighbor ham putting in an S9+80 signal down the band 100KHz. I don't know any receiver that could take that well.

I've had hams next door to me at my last two QTHs & W1YY is three lots away from my current location. Flex 6300 does best but even it suffers occasionally. I sold my K3 because of this.

At one location KC7CDC & I pointed our two element quads at each other & he put a 1500 Watt CW signal on 14MHz. It induced 3-Watts into my 50-Ohm dummy load. Antenna seperation was 150 Feet. It's a tough environment out there & sometimes a simple video doesn't tell much of the story.

Dirty transmitters with lots of phase noise now cause me more trouble than Rx overload does. W1YY traded in his FT1000 for an FTDX5000 & this has helped a lot.

W9OY

Bob

I spent a year trying to find a station that would crunch my 6300.  Never found one even on the 630M band despite 50KW 10 miles away and 10KW 2 miles away.  I recently ran 2 DX peditions simultaneously using the 6500 first FT4JA and VK0EK on 160, then FT4JA on 160 and VK0EK on 40M using full duplex.  My antennas were my broad band loop for receive and a set of individually tuned resonant verticals which auto switch as I change bands.  I use a common radial field for the verticals 160, 80, 40, 30, 20 over about 4000ft of wire.

Running 1100W when I was transmitting on one band, say 40M my transmitted signal was invisible to my full duplex receiver on 160M.  I was able to copy FT4JA who was 2-4 dB out of the noise, while calling VK0EK on 40M.  Frankly I was amazed I could pull this off.  On a split like this the 6500 bypasses the band pass filters so the signal is strait into the ADC.  The transmit and receive antennas are about 150ft apart, and some of the 160M radials in the radial field of the verticals extends to within 30ft of the RX antenna.   Pretty strong!  

73  W9OY

Ken - NM9P

Thas it a truly impressive front end. I don't know of many other rigs that can do full duplex crossband. I have even been able to to full duplex up a ways on the same band with 100 Watts with separate antennas spaced about 95 ft. Just for testing. And I could even listen to my own signal with a couple of Watts without overload. Pretty tough stuff there.

EA4GLI

My neighbor on CW on 18 Mhz less than 850 yards from my antennas. He is using a Tokyo Hy Power and blasting CW at +500 watts.

No saturation on the front end of the radio. The second panadapter is listening to 17m on phone.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrXjmoXJcA0

Burt Fisher

Also look at the comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kobPg3GKA0I

Steve W6SDM

Ford versus Chevy.  If I had only $1,500 to spend, I would buy an IC 7300 and feel good about it.  If I had the extra money, I would buy a 6300 and feel good about that too.

One radio is pretty much self contained while the other requires a computer and software.  The latter offers a lot more flexibility in terms of operating environment, upgrades, etc.

I don't really see these two products as competitive because they offer a great product to different markets with some degree of crossover.  I have had Flex radios since the 3000 but am considering the 7300 for a go box/Field Day radio solely because of it's portability.

DH2ID

I wanted to do just that, get a 7300 for fieldday/EMCOMM use. I got a good look at this TRX
and decided to keep my Flex3k, which does all digital modes including PACTOR and
is much easier to carry - because it is so flat, that I can put my Toughbook on top...

Bob - W7KWS -

It will be interesting to see what people are saying about the 7300 after Field Day. I picked one up just for fun and fun it is. It gives me a nice portable transceiver with a whole-band spectrum & waterfall display in a compact, easy to transport package. It should be nice this summer in the RV. BUT, A FLEX IT IS NOT. While listening with the 7300 to 20-meters I can put out one Watt on 17-meters using a second antenna and light up the 7300's overload light. Five Watts renders the 7300 deaf to anything else on 20 or on 17. This is presumably more than -10 dBm, the overload limit for the 7300 but Field Day will become a real test. Break out those bandpass filters Ladies & Gentlemen

km9r.mike

lol

Philip KA4KOE

My wife K4SMN once had Bill Gates personally install software on her PC after overhearing her say "Windows S**" in a swanky restaurant before we crossed paths. Lots of stories like this out there....