Since it was introduced in 2015, the Icom IC-7300 has been one of the most popular and most recommended radios for ham radio enthusiasts who want an HF + 6-meter radio that’s feature-rich but won’t cost an arm and a leg. Does it live up to that reputation? The answer is yes! Read on and find out more in this overview of the Icom IC-7300, and see why it’s so deservedly popular.
Good
- Excellent value – Pound-for-pound, the Icom IC-7300 is one of the best value radios on the market, and measures up favorably to competitors like the Yaesu FT-991A. It often goes on sale for several hundred dollars below MSRP, and Icom also sometimes offers mail-in rebates for this unit.
- Good Rx and Tx performance – Thanks to its 100w transmitter, the Icom IC-7300 has very good transmission performance, and features like RF direct sampling and 15 discrete band pass filters provide crisp and clear audio when receiving radio signals.
- Solid touchscreen with waterfall display – The 4.3 inch TFT touchscreen used in the Icom IC-7300 is bright, clear, and has a waterfall display for ease-of-use when tuning to your desired frequencies.
- Great tuner and 101 channel memory – The built-in automatic antenna tuner is snappy and responsive, and 99 memory channels plus 2 scan edge channels mean that you’ll have plenty of places to save your favorite contacts and frequencies.
- Easy to use – Despite being a feature-rich radio, the Icom IC-7300 is simple enough for newcomers to use right out of the box with just a little bit of basic setup. And once you’ve learned its functions and full capabilities, it’s easy to handle more advanced operations, too.
Bad
- Touchscreen can take some getting used to – The touchscreen buttons are somewhat small, which means that it can sometimes be hard to push the right button. Along with multiple nested menus, this means the touchscreen has a bit of a learning curve. Luckily, though, many of the unit’s functions can be controlled with its physical knobs and buttons.
- Loud fan – The fan doesn’t usually run loudly when receiving, but tends to kick on right away when transmitting. If your ham shack is a very quiet environment, this may be a bit annoying.
Bottom line
The Icom IC-7300 combines amazing audio transmission quality, top-tier reception, and a bundle of easy-to-use, yet hard-to-master features into a simple, compact, and – above all – affordable package. It’s not hard to see why it remains one of the top recommendations for a VF + 6-meter band radio, both for new and veteran hams alike.
Product Specs
| Frequency coverage RX TX | 0.030–74.800** 1.800–1.999, 3.500–3.999, 5.255–5.405*, 7.000–7.300, 10.100–10.150, 14.000–14.350, 18.068–18.168, 21.000–21.450, 24.890–24.990, 28.000–29.700, 50.000–54.000 |
| Mode | SSB, CW, RTTY, AM, FM |
| Number of channels | 101 (99 regular, 2 scan edges) |
| Antenna connector | SO-239 (50Ω) |
| Power supply requirement | 13.8V DC ±15% |
| Power Consumption | Tx: 21A (at 100W output power) Rx: 0.9A typical (Standby), 1.25A (Maximum audio) |
| Operating temperature range | –10˚C to +60˚C; 14˚F to 140˚F |
| Frequency stability | Less than ±0.5ppm (–10˚C to +60˚C; 14˚F to 140˚F) |
| Frequency resolution | 1Hz |
| Dimensions | 240×94×238mm; 9.45×3.7×9.37in (projections not included) |
| Weight (approximately) | 4.2kg; 9.26 lb |
| Output power (HF/50MHz) | SSB/CW/FM/RTTY: 2–100W, AM: 1–25W |
| Modulation system SSB AM FM | Digital P.S.N. modulation Digital Low power modulation Digital Reactance modulation |
| Spurious emission | Less than –50dB (HF bands), Less than –63dB (50MHz band) |
| Carrier suppression | More than 50dB |
| Unwanted sideband | More than 50dB |
| Microphone impedance | 600Ω |
| Receiver system | Direct Sampling |
| Intermediate frequency | 36kHz |
| Sensitivity* SSB/CW (at 10dB S/N) 0.5–1.8MHz 1.8–29.995MHz 28.0–29.7MHz 50MHz band AM (at 10dB S/N) 0.5–1.8MHz 1.8–29.995MHz 28.0–29.7MHz 50MHz band FM (at 12dB SINAD) 0.5–1.8MHz 1.8–29.995MHz 28.0–29.7MHz 50MHz band | – 0.16μV – 0.13μV 12.6μV 2.0μV – 1.0μV – – 0.5μV 0.25μV * HF: Preamp 1 ON, 50MHz: Preamp 2 ON |
| Squelch sensitivity* (Threshold) SSB: Less than 5.6μV, FM: | Less than 0.3μV * HF: Preamp 1 ON, 50MHz: Preamp 2 ON |
| Selectivity (sharp filter shape) SSB (BW: 2.4KHz) CW (BW: 500Hz) RTTY (BW: 500Hz) AM (BW: 6kHz) FM (BW: 15kHz) | More than 2.4kHz/–6dB Less than 3.4kHz/–40dB More than 500Hz/–6dB Less than 700Hz/–40dB More than 500Hz/–6dB Less than 800Hz/–40dB More than 6.0kHz/–6dB Less than 10kHz/–40dB More than 12.0kHz/–6dB Less than 22kHz/–40dB |
| Spurious and image rejection ratio | HF: More than 70dB 50MHz: More than 70dB (Except for ADC Aliasing) |
| Audio output power | More than 2.5W (at 10% distortion with an 8Ω load, 1kHz) |
| Frequency range | 1.9–50MHz bands |
| Matching impedance range | 16.7Ω–150Ω unbalanced (VSWR better than 1: 3) |
| Tuning accuracy | VSWR 1: 1.5 or less |
| Tuning time | 2–3 seconds (Maximum 15 seconds) |
Expert reviews
- Ham Radio DX called the Icom IC-7300 an “amazing radio” overall. He loved most of its features, including the waterfall display, programmable voice shortcuts, responsive touchscreen, intuitive user interface and menu system, and exceptional audio clarity. He had some more critical feedback about the antenna tuner and the difficulty of setting up remote operation with a PC, but still was a big fan of this transceiver from Icom.
- In a video review, Laboenligne.ca discussed the features of the Icom IC-7300. He liked the SDR technology used in the radio, the waterfall display, and 100 watts of transmission, saying that “for the price, there’s nothing this radio can’t do.” He called it a “good buy” for anyone who is looking to invest in an HF + 6-meter radio.
- In his long-term 1-year review of the Icom IC-7300, learnelectronics discussed his favorite features and overall impressions of the radio, including the “big, beautiful touchscreen display,” and spectrum scope, and called it a “great radio for the price.” He also liked the intuitive user interface and “fantastic noise reduction.” He also said that the built-in tuner works “very well,” despite running an external tuner with his personal radio.
User reviews
- On DXEngineering, users have given the Icom IC-7300 a rating of 4.9 stars out of 5, across 348 total reviews. Among other comments, reviewers said the radio “has an incredible display,” is an “excellent rig, excellent value,” and is “even better than its reputation. Standout features included the touchscreen display, compact design, and great performance of this rig. A few users noted some issues with the antenna tuner, but most reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
- eHam.net reviewers have rated this Icom transceiver at 4.7 stars out of 5, across a total of 386 reviews. Users called it an “all-time gem of a radio” and an “excellent rig at the right price.” One user said that “nothing else in the price range even comes close.” Specific praise was given to the overall quality of transmission and reception of the Icom IC-7300, as well as the intuitive touchscreen, waterfall display, and solid list of features. Some users noted high fan noise, as well as a bit of a learning curve when using the radio for the first time.
- GigaParts users have given the Icom IC-7300 a rating of 4.96 stars out of 5 across 27 total reviews, calling it a “great radio,” “everything and more for a startup radio.” Multiple reviewers mentioned the excellent sound quality, solid microphone, intuitive touchscreen, and amazing transmission range of this radio.