[ICOM] IC-7100 User Review & Test Report now released

[Roger (K8RI)]

On 8/30/2013 7:15 PM, bonddaleena at aol.com wrote:


First, thank you for the in depth report.


These are my subjective, personal likes and dislikes.
I look at it bit differently. Of course it's likely at least some of 
that is due to age.  I've worked with computers since the late 60's when 
core memory looked like a bad backlash on a bait casting reel and have 
had a BS in CS since 1990 so I'm more than a little familiar with 
"modern" rigs.

My mode of operating is a bit of everything from 160 through 440.
VHF and up, not including six and usually runs as two stations. I want 
144 and 440 independent of the other bands as much for coordination as 
any other reason which means different rigs.

The small, all band, all mode rigs are fine as "go rigs" and mobile 
although I've used the 7000 and FT 897D mobile and to be polite, I'll 
just say I didn't like them even though I've owned a number of 7000s for 
portable and storm chasing.

So far I've found the front ends of those rigs lacking the ability to 
operate on HF with big antennas on bands full of big signals.  OTOH they 
worked quite well with the mobile setup.

"I do not like menus!" They are fine for the original set up, but just 
get in the way for band and mode changes.  I want those controls on the 
front panel, meaning I need almost as much real estate for VHF AND UHF, 
which means I need nearly as much real estate (panel space) on that rig 
as I do for HF + 6 and my HF rig will run dual receive.

So for normal station work including portable DX work requires full size 
rigs for me.

I'd like to try the 7100 compared to the 7000 in my own station.

However having flown high performance airplanes with touch screens IFR 
where the ride was, shall we say, not quite comfortable, I can 
unequivocally state that I do not like touch screens in an environment 
with motion.

Process control panels with touch screens are great and they do well 
with smart phones, but not on computers and I prefer not to use them on 
mobile rigs.

73,

Roger (K8RI)


> Adam, excellent work, as usual!
>
> Thank you so much!
>
> I was kind of surprised to see this new model, but knew Icom was working on something.
>
> Having been to Japan many times, I understand (kind of) the JA philosophy of small, multi-band radios. But, I can never figger out why they can't put all these frequencies in a larger format like the 7800, etc....
>
> Also, how long will it be before the 7100 PRO comes out? ha ha
>
> tnx agn
>
> ron
> N4UE
>
>