Icom 7000

[KB3LAZ]

I have had my Icom 7000 for a little over two years now and have no regrets.
It a amazing little gem that has a lot of dazzle in it.
I have to admit that the glimmering screen was the first thing that caught my attention.
The adjustable filters are amazing as is the DSP.
The receiver is quite amazing to say the least and puts my 746 to shame.
It seems to have a much lower noise floor than many other rigs I own or have owned.
Price to performance ratio is right on the money.
I have mine matched up with an LDG AT-7000 and its the perfect combo.
Never have I received a bad audio report.

My few gripes are that it gets a little warm and that the SWR meter does not function on 2m/70cm.
Neither of these minuscule problems are enough for me to stray away from buying another one to put in the mobile.

In comparison to my ProIII the 7000 defiantly holds its own, an will never leave my desk.

[KB3LAZ]

The more and more I play with my 7000 and the pro 3 the less that I can compare them as they are not the same beast. It would seem that as I progress in this hobby/service the more I realize that I was essentially clueless before. I guess that just means I'm learning and my opinions are not based off of a few days of playing with a rig but actually getting to know the features and the shortcomings of the equipment.

Not that I am saying that I feel my 7000 is an inferior machine but I realize its limitations and that it holds its own for what it is and what it was meant for. And in no way do I regret buying it, in fact I still love it and may even buy a second one (one for at home and one for mobile).

Lets say that there are certain inconveniences with the 7000 as a primary base setup. Though in many ways they are petty. For instance, interfacing it with an amp while not hard is less than ideal. The size is a curse and a blessing depending on how you look at it.

It has a main purpose on my desk now. I use it strictly for 2m ssb and am, and 70 cm ssb. Though there are better choices for 2m ssb they will not also do AM which is not a common use for a 2m rig but I like it so again that is a feature that stands out to me. OFC the TS-2000, 706, and 857 all do this as well...but personally I don't care for the over all performance of the TS-2000, the 857 sounds just dreadful on 2m/70cm ssb IMO, and I had a 706..personal taste I guess, what more can I say. (I left out the 817 due to its restrictions wattage wise though I have an interest in qrp it is not what I was comparing.)

So that is just a small update to my original review.