[GCARC] IC-7100

Wed May 27 07:33:37 EDT 2020

Charlie KC2STO, since you asked: 

I have owned an IC-7100 for a few years (I also have an IC-7300).  The IC-7100 is a pretty good, basic, do-everything radio that covers 160 - 6 Meters plus 2 Meters and 440 MHz.  It is the radio that I used most often for the Sunday ARES/RACES Training Net.  This is because the control head is remote-able, so I can operate from upstairs by using  a shielded, Category 6 RJ45 cable to connect the control head to the body of the radio that sits in the basement with the rest of my radio equipment.  (Also, I can use RemoteRig hardware to control the radio over the Internet when I travel and this is the main reason that I purchased the IC-7100).   If you have not owned a radio with IF DSP before, you will like the flexibility of how the filters work and not having to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase CW and SSB filters.  If you could own only one radio and wanted to cover as many bands as possible without spending $1000, the IC-7100 is a good choice.   I had considered the Yaesu FT-991A but the ICOM costs less and the control head is easier to set up for remote control of the radio.

Now here are the Cons:

1)  Programming:  As with most current radios, programming repeaters, offsets, PL tones etc., is awkward so you should order the RT Systems Programming software if you are going to use FM and/or DSTAR repeaters.  There is not much DSTAR around anymore . . . I have just K3PDR in the Philadelphia area programmed.  To me, the radio would be closer to perfect if it supported Yaesu C4FM System Fusion instead of DSTAR.   But, once programmed, you can store the settings on a SD Memory card.  That way, if you later screw up the programming, you can just reload everything from the memory card.  Don't ask me how I know 😊.

2)  Receiver Performance:  For a basic radio, the receiver is pretty good on HF/SSB/CW.  But with VHF/repeaters, I find that he receiver is more susceptible to interference/overloading than a typical dual band mobile rig from Kenwood/Icom/Yaesu.  Perhaps this is a compromise that comes from an entry-level radio that covers 160 - 6 meters plus 2 meters and 440 MHz.  If you live in a noisy RF environment and want to do VHF contests, this radio might not cut it.

3)  The User Interface:  The detached, sloping control head takes some getting used to and is the strangest feature of the radio.  It is optimized for mobile use/remote head use but may be less than ideal for fixed station operation.  I would prefer an IC-7000, but they have not been made for some time.  The IC-7100  uses a touch screen, which replaces some of the buttons that you would find in older radios and the screen is a bit small.  I like the touch screen interface and it seems to be the way that newer radios are going . . . if you like using a Smart Phone, you will like this interface.  Note that, because of the small control head, the speaker and jacks for microphone and headphone are on the rear of the display, which is not very convenient.

4)  Lack of internal Antenna Tuner:  My 130 foot EFHW antenna is resonant on multiple bands but I ended up spending another $140 for the LDG autotuner that is designed to interface with ICOM radios  . . .  this is particularly necessary if you want to operate both 80 meter CW and 75 meter phone from a single antenna;

5)   In brief, I like the radio and would purchase one again if it were destroyed by lightning because it meets my needs for a compact radio than can be controlled by remote.  However, if you are big on HF CW and VHF contesting and could spend more money,  I would consider two separate rigs (e.g. a Kenwood TS-590 for great HF performance and a good, seperate VHF/UHF rig).

6)  One more thing:  If you purchase the radio, plug in a key or paddles, and try to operate CW, you may think the radio is defective because it will not transmit CW until you first dive into the menus and turn on BREAK IN.  For some reason, this is not a default out of the box and I bet it generates a lot of calls to ICOM and HRO.

               Karl W2KBF

-----Original Message-----
From: gcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net <gcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of charles wahl sr
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2020 4:01 AM
To: gcarc at mailman.qth <gcarc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [GCARC] need help

Hello All,

I was wondering if anyone has an icom ic-7100 ?

I want to get one from HRO. Need help setting up station ,not sure about some of the menu opitions…...

thank you,

73

Charlie Wahl

kc2sto

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