IC-7300 - Icom IC-7300 SDR HF 6m Transceiver

Well if Icom does DDC/DUC architecture correctly in the IC-7300, it should outperform the Icom IC7800. Since Icom wont  humiliate the performance of the IC7850  with  a cheap

SDR radio we can expect mediocre performance from the IC7300. It will largely be a crippled SDR radio with token performance features like better than average phase noise and  just barely acceptable performance. Why I can safely say this is because all of Icoms current radio models are so lacking in performance and is  down on most of the receiver and  transmitter performance charts that its almost a joke. Will the IC-7300 be designed to outperform the IC-7700 or IC7600 and have better features and performance than the IC7850? I think not.


The IC7300 is just a model for Icom taking the first step  towards changing its radio platform in the future to a  all DDC/DUC architecture. I think it migh be better to wait for the IC7700 version of the IC-7300 which will be due out shortly after the 7300. Within a year the IC7850 will be discontinued and its replacement will be  all DDC/DUC version of the IC7850. Thats the grand strategy for Icom. The IC-7300 will just be a market test to see if amateurs widely accept the SDR platform from them and challenge the  independent non Japanese SDR makers like Anan, Flex, and the Zeus ZS1 that blows most of their products out of the water.


What we wont get in the IC-7300 is  ultimate performance like SDR radios like the Flex6300,6700 Anan and Zeus SDR radios. All these radios will offer the benefits of the full performance benefits that SDR technology offers which would include a clean transmitter, pre-distortion, calibrated waterfall and S-meter. The Icom 7300 will  just be a odd collection of old technology worn out Ideas  from Icoms legacy radio analog platform that will have several failings.Included in these design faults them will be a Uncalibrated S-meter, filthy transmitter IMD, poor transmitter spurious products suppression, ALC overshoot and ALC used as a compressor. Its only positive virtue will be that its new and maybe cheap. Think of it as Softrock on steroids, and thats its target market to capture those who want  a SDR platform but want it cheap.


Why I am not so confident  in Icoms abilities is that you only have to look at the IC7850. The most expensive ham transceiver on the planet. According to the latest Radcom review. It has impressive receiver performance and ergonomics but everything else is about average to poor. The Icom recorded transmitter 3rd order IMD figure of -30Db  PEP. Which is shockingly poor for such an expensive 15000 dollar radio. Its S-meter  while linear in tracking is nowhere near the 6 Db per S Unit and fully
calibrated. It reads 3bd per S-unit! Why  could they not have calibrated the S-meter and delivered a radio  with better transmitter IMD performance when it costs 15000 dollars? Its bordering on pathetic.  Now with this dismal IC-7850 performance can we expect the Little IC7300  to outperform the IC7850 in all areas like most of the other SDR radios brands outperform it? The answer would be an honest never, impossible  or not likely.


If Icom wanted to demonstrate its abilities  and SDR commitments, the IC-7300 should outperform a SDR radios like the ZEUS ZS1 which has exception receiver and transmitter performance for a bargain basement  price. The ZS1 has excellent receiver and transmitter performance with all the benefits of the SDR platform like a calibrated S-meter and waterfall besides other things like pre-distortion. Granted that the ZS1 has no knobs, its performance is better across the board in performance than the Icom IC7850 and almost 1/10 the price! If the company that produces the Zeus ZS1 produces a radio with knobs it  will kill everything that comes out of Japan for a bargain basement price. Icom is good at charging extreme prices and delivering crap performance. The company that produces the ZS1 will shortly release a 400 watt version of the ZS1 with a clean transmitter and high performance receiver that would  could be matched by the IC7300.


Now Icom could make the IC7300 a killer radio  by 1 offering all the advances in the SDR platform. Unrivaled  receiver inband IMD distortion, exceptional transmitter performance, exception receiver performance, calibrated waterfall, calibrated S-meter and true narrow resolution spectrum analyzer like performance with at least 100db of onscreen Dynamic range. Will they deliver these basic features that every  high performance  current model SDR model offers? The Answer is again a big NO.


If you  are a Icom brand worshiping junky and like drinking Icoms Koolaid it will be the best thing since slice bread with no real or better performance than most of the transceivers coming from a Japan. I dont have much faith in Icoms ability to be a technology leader in the ham radio market. So far all it produces are  mediocre performing products with massive prices and no real serious technical advances that you could called leading edge. The ICOM 7850 has proven my lack of faith in Icom and suspect that the IC-7300 will be another failed mediocre product that other SDR products will outperform.  Expecting killer products from Icom is a nice dream that will never happen, they followers not leaders.


I have read the brochure and there is not much  in the features list that makes me excited, its a mediocre product.

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