The Icom IC-7610 is one of the best HF/50mhz transceivers out there, and it compares favorably to other high-end radios like the Yaesu FTDX 101D. While it’s on the expensive side, it’s packed with all the features you could want for contesting and making long-range QSOs. If you’re an experienced ham looking for a “best-of-the-best” upgrade, it’s a fantastic choice. Let’s get into the details.
Good
- Top-of-the-line digital signal processing (DSP) – The DSP on this radio is incredible, and it really cuts through the noise to help you find quiet signals. Along with the waterfall display, this makes this radio great for contesting.
- Beautiful touchscreen display – The 7-inch color display includes a real-time spectrum scope display, and is touchscreen-enabled. It’s responsive, high-res, and makes it easier to use the Icom IC-7610s plentiful featureset.
- Supports external display and inputs – You can use the DVI-D connector to attach an external display, and the unit also supports USB peripherals like mice. This makes it ideal for larger home ham shacks.
- Excellent TX, RX quality – The IC-7610 excels in both transmitting and receiving. Paired with the right antenna setup, you’ll be making contacts worldwide. Audio is clear, crisp, and nearly noise-free thanks to Icom’s DSP technology.
- True dual-band monitoring – Essentially, the Icom IC-7610 is two completely separate radios in one box, with shared controls. This means it supports true dual-band functionality. You can monitor, receive, and transmit on two different bands at once.
- Simple setup with amazing feature depth – This radio is easy to learn, but difficult to master. You can get up and running in just a few minutes if you have ham radio experience, but its depth of features means you can keep exploring and learning more about the radio for years to come.
Bad
- Some units have display issues – Some Icom IC-7610 radios get screen burn-in and ghosting, which can affect display quality. However, this is fully covered by their warranty for new units.
- Buttons are not illuminated – This is a minor issue, but for such an expensive radio, backlit buttons would be a welcome feature. This may make the unit harder to use in a dim environment, or for mobile use.
Bottom line
Icom has done it again with the Icom IC-7610. With incredible DSP noise reduction, amazing receive performance, and a surprisingly small and ergonomic form factor, this base transceiver is sure to please even the most experienced ham radio enthusiasts. And with rock-solid build quality and a truly stunning complement of features, this little radio is sure to stand the test of time.
Product Specs
| Frequency coverage Rx Tx | 0.030– 60.000 MHz*1 1.800–1.999, 3.500–3.999, 5.255–5.405*2 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 MHz *1 Guaranteed range: 0.500–29.999, 50.000–54.000 MHz. *2 Some frequency bands are not guaranteed |
| Mode | USB, LSB, CW, RTTY, PSK31/63, AM, FM |
| Number of channels | 101 (99 regular, 2 scan edges) |
| Antenna connectors | SO-239 × 2 (50 Ω unbalanced (Tuner off)) BNC × 1 (RX antenna In/Out) |
| Power supply requirement | 13.8 V DC ±15% |
| Operating temperature range | 0°C to +50°C; +32°F to +122°F |
| Frequency stability | Less than ±0.5ppm (0°C to +50°C, after warm up) |
| Frequency resolution | 1 Hz (minimum) |
| Power consumption TX RX | 23 A (at 100 W output power) 3.0 A (Standby), 3.5 A (Maximum audio) |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) (projections not included) | 340 × 118 × 277 mm; 13.4 × 4.6 × 10.9 in |
| Weight (approx.) | 8.5 kg; 18.7 lb |
| Output power (HF/50 MHz) | SSB/CW/FM/RTTY/PSK: 1–100 W AM: 1–25 W Digital P.S.N. |
| Modulation system SSB AM FM | Digital P.S.N. modulation Digital low power modulation Digital Reactance modulation |
| Spurious emission HF Bands 50 MHz band | Less than –50 dB Less than –63 dB |
| Carrier suppression | More than 50 dB |
| Unwanted sideband | More than 50 dB |
| Microphone impedance | 600Ω (8-pin connector) |
| Receiver system | Direct Sampling Superheterodyne |
| Intermediate frequencies | 12 kHz |
| Sensitivity*3 SSB/CW (at 10 dB S/N) AM (at 10 dB S/N) FM (at 12 dB SINAD) | 0.5– 1.799 MHz – 6.3 μV typ. – 1.8– 29.999 MHz 0.16 μV typ. 2.0 μV typ. – 28.0– 29.7 MHz – – 0.5 μV typ. 50–54 MHz 0.13 μV typ. 1.0 μV typ. 0.32 μV typ. *3 HF: Preamp 1 ON, 50 MHz: Preamp 2 ON, BW: SSB/CW=2.4 kHz, AM=6 kHz, FM=15 kHz |
| Squelch sensitivity (Threshold) | SSB: Less than 3.2 μV (Preamp ON) FM: Less than 0.32 μV (Preamp ON |
| Selectivity (Filter shape: Sharp) SSB (BW: 2.4 kHz) CW (BW: 500 Hz) RTTY (BW: 500 Hz) AM (BW: 6 kHz) FM (BW: 15 kHz) | More than 2.4 kHz/–6 dB 500 Hz/–6 dB 500 Hz/–6 dB 6.0 kHz/–6 dB 12.0 kHz/–6 dB Less than 3.6 kHz/–60 dB 700 Hz/–60 dB 700 Hz/–60 dB 15 kHz/–60 dB 20 kHz/–60 dB |
| Spurious and image rejection ratio HF bands 50 MHz band | More than 70dB More than 70 dB (Except for ADC Aliasing) |
| Audio output power | More than 2.6W at 10% distortion with an 8Ω load |
| Frequency range | 1.9–50 MHz bands |
| Matching impedance range | 16.7 Ω–150 Ω unbalanced (VSWR better than 3: 1) |
| Tuning accuracy | VSWR 1.5: 1 or less |
| Tuning time | 2–3 seconds (average) (Maximum 15 seconds) |
Expert reviews
- HamRadioConcepts reviewed this radio, and called it “my new favorite HF radio” and “more advanced than I can comprehend.” He liked the ability to connect the unit to an external display, the dual independent receivers, and the support for USB. He also praised the power of the receivers and the DSP. Overall, he said that he was “in love with this radio” and that it was one of the best dual-receiver radios on the market.
- Laboenligne.ca also reviewed the IC-7610. He loved the two-receiver design, and said it has “very, very good performance.” He called it a good overall option for anyone who is heavily into HF radio, but wants a radio that operates more like a standard radio than a computer. He said that it’s “simple and traditional,” and is “easy to operate” even without a manual, especially for those who have used previous Icom radios.
- In his review of the IC-7610, Robert Nagy noted that this radio has caused more buzz than he’s heard about “in decades.” He mentioned that it has great transmit and receive quality, and great overall audio reports, calling it “fabulous” and “clean and natural-sounding.” He also liked the ability to connect an external monitor, and praised the “great” noise reduction functions, and the “excellent hand mic” included with the IC-7610.
User Reviews
- On DXEngineering, users rated the IC-7610 at 4.9 stars out of 5, across a total of 86 reviews. Overall, reviewers were very positive about this radio. They said the “performance [was] amazing,” that the radio had “impeccable fit and finish,” and that the menus are “very fast and easy” to use. They also praised the quality of the display, the good overall transmit and receive performance, and the wide range of features on the radio. On the more negative side, a few users noted issues with screen ghosting, and several cheap-feeling buttons on the unit.
- On Gigaparts, customers have given the IC-7610 a rating of 5 out of 5 stars across 3 reviews. Users noted that the microphone “sounds great” on the unit, that it is “easy to move between bands,” and that the IC-7610 has even better receive capabilities than the IC-7300 – which is definitely saying something! They also praised the large number of channel memories, the overall audio quality, and the ability to monitor two bands at once. Overall, they said it was a “no brainer” for anyone looking for a high-end all mode transceiver.
- eHam.net reviewers have given this Icom radio a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, across a total of 112 reviews. Among other compliments, they said that this unit has “great noise reduction,” “clean and bright” transmission quality, and that it’s “easy to use, and it works well overall.” Other reviewers enjoyed the bright touchscreen, and that the unit is small and light enough for mobile use. On the more negative side, one reviewer mentioned RF bleed through the speaker, and several had difficulties with the overall ergonomics of the unit.