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ft 991a vs ic 7300

jesse everett

Member
Mar 1, 2019
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looking for opinions on weak siginal reception on the ft 991a and the ic 7300 .which radio will get the really weak dx siginal .with the same antenna.?
 

I picked the FT991a, for the reasson both receivers are much the same in sensitivety, just that the 7300 will get blasted in a high signal situation and the D/A converter will overflow and you have to reduce sensitivety to overcome that.
The FT 991 has also better tools to fight qrm/qrn, so when you want to dig out a small signal from the noise the 991A will be better, yes i worked with both of them.
Yes, the display on the 7300 is nicer, but i did not buy tthe 991 A for the display but for having the edge on reciever and noise fighting tools.
Running digital modes all day now, doesn't give a peep about running 50 watts for 9 hours long.

Further the 7300 has an overshoot, meaning when you go from transmit to recieve the 7300 will produce rf to the amplifier if you use one that already has dropped back to recieve through the ptt line.
You can get large rf sparks on the relay in the amp, burning it out, or damage the amp its self.

The 991 A does not have that problem, my Heathkit SB-1000 is perfectly happy with it.

In the end it is best ( like i did) to work with both recievers the 991 A just sounded better, had a better SSB modulation and the receiver worked better.
In owning the FT 991A i already worked around the world on all continents is both phone and digital.
And i don't have a gigantic antenna farm, just living on the edge of a small city.

Your money, your choice to make..
Both have their merits, the 7300 is cheaper, lacks 2 and 70 all mode as well.
It's display is a small bit larger, 3/4 of an inch.
But then i buy transceivers for how they work, not for the nice display.
 
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I picked the FT991a, for the reasson both receivers are much the same in sensitivety, just that the 7300 will get blasted in a high signal situation and the D/A converter will overflow and you have to reduce sensitivety to overcome that.
The FT 991 has also better tools to fight qrm/qrn, so when you want to dig out a small signal from the noise the 991A will be better, yes i worked with both of them.
Yes, the display on the 7300 is nicer, but i did not buy tthe 991 A for the display but for having the edge on reciever and noise fighting tools.
Running digital modes all day now, doesn't give a peep about running 50 watts for 9 hours long.

Further the 7300 has an overshoot, meaning when you go from transmit to recieve the 7300 will produce rf to the amplifier if you use one that already has dropped back to recieve through the ptt line.
You can get large rf sparks on the relay in the amp, burning it out, or damage the amp its self.

The 991 A does not have that problem, my Heathkit SB-1000 is perfectly happy with it.

In the end it is best ( like i did) to work with both recievers the 991 A just sounded better, had a better SSB modulation and the receiver worked better.
In owning the FT 991A i already worked around the world on all continents is both phone and digital.
And i don't have a gigantic antenna farm, just living on the edge of a small city.

Your money, your choice to make..
Both have their merits, the 7300 is cheaper, lacks 2 and 70 all mode as well.
It's display is a small bit larger, 3/4 of an inch.
But then i buy transceivers for how they work, not for the nice display.

Couldn’t agree more.
The 7300 might be the best thing since sliced bread, but the 991A is sliced bread!
And the 3000D? It’s sliced bread with butter on it! :D
 
Pssssst,........ Don't tell all them 7300 lovers, but , the receiver on the 7300 just ain't that good.

All most of them just want to talk about is the display screen.
Heck, after all , it IS a (cheap) entry level radio (thats not a "slam" on the radio, but it does speak a lot about most of the owners).
 
For most people the receiver is good enough. I agree that the 7300 is a cheap entry level rig but a fine one at that. A good bang for the buck bit it ain't a Flex or Anan.

If you want to have the best receiver I would take a look at Sherwood Engineering and see how they stack up. Both rigs are on the list.

http://www.sherweng.com/table.html
 
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Second sample for the 7300, Yaesu the old 2015 model, the non A model.
There is more as the Sherwood figures, like the overshoot, the AD connverter, not standing up to strong signals see above.
Nor do they take in account the DSP and other noise fighting tools.
I work with a radio in real time on my antenna's not on a test bench, in Europe where the bands and signals are busy and strong signals are the norm, not the exception.
There the 7300 fell through the cracks.
The 991A still needs to be tested.
 
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That's something i have to try with this sdr play my buddy left for me to have a listen on(y),
 
I know perfectly wel, how to use the attenuator and rf gain control, no need for with the FT991 with our strong signals, definately a need for the 7300 with the strong signals and overflow of the A/d converter.

As said had both here and know how to handle radio's even SDR ones.
If someone wants the 7300 fine, his choice, here it fell through the cracks in our strong signal area.
Digging an weak signal out of the crap is what the FT991A did, the 7300 failed and needed the rf gain set back effectively drowning out the weak signal as well.

The 7300 has it's shortcommings no need to stick roses on a pig, it is for the money a very good entry radio.
If you know the shortcomings and refrain from adding an amplifier you can have lots of fun with it.
My 991A just adds 2/70 all mode and works better in the big signal busy EU world.
Living in the boondocks far from large signals you would not notice the problem with the 7300.
Still don't add an amp to it.
Maybe they will update the software to overcome that problem.
As stated before, i test in the real world in my shack with real antennas on it, not measuring equipment and judging ALL functions the transceiver has in real world.
 
I didn't know about the ptt timing issue. That's easy enough to overcome with a sequencer or a 2 stage ptt switch.

CBers have been "upgrading" ham amps for years with rf keying circuits. Add a ssb delay and you get a guaranteed hot switch. It's not a good thing.

Is that really an issue with the 7300 on ssb unless you're a vox user? As long as you stop talking before releasing the ptt button it shouldn't be.
 
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Should not have been in the software in the first place.
Bit like buying a car and having to provide the tires and rims yourself.
Working around a design flaw isn't the option, it can be done but it should not have been designed that way.
Some hams found out about it the hard way.
 
I agree 100%. They should have got it right. However, the more time you spend refining the product the more money you have tied up in R&D. You have to make a choice. Either buy the cheap rig and deal with it's shortcomings or spend the money on a top of the line unit.
 
Further the 7300 has an overshoot, meaning when you go from transmit to recieve the 7300 will produce rf to the amplifier if you use one that already has dropped back to recieve through the ptt line.
You can get large rf sparks on the relay in the amp, burning it out, or damage the amp its self.

What you are describing is not “overshoot.” Overshoot occurs upon keying up and there is a momentary spike in the power level from the transceiver. Some amplifiers can’t handle that millisecond spike. This especially occurs when using reduced power levels. Often if using ALC the circuit doesn’t respond quick enough.

I’ve used the IC-7300 on Alpha 91b, 76pa, Ameritron AL-1500, AL-82 and Acom 2000p. This has never been an issue. I never use ALC

You would need a scope to detect overshoot the only two watt meters I have ever used that could detect overshoot are my Alpha 4510a and Telepost LP-700.

Timing issues are another subject most of which can be addressed in modern transceivers through TX Delay settings. Most of those issues if not all of them occur using CW, Ritty or data transmissions

Unfortunately too often internet gossip is posted on these forums as gospel and by people who have never owned the equipment they are projecting expertise about whether Amateur Radio gear or CB equipment.

Brad
KE0XS
 

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