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ICOM 7300 adj freq bleed (normal?)
- Thread starter TheBlaster
- Start date
I will make many contacts with the ICOM this is not in doubt. There are things I like about it. It does look great, feels well built, it is logical and quick to operate and that can be important at times. I get very good audio reports... and I have the ALC thing under control now. (one less issue to concern with)
I am going to work carefully with the filters to try to find a compromise sweet spot, between acceptable sound of wanted signals without too much harsh whistling) and worthwhile rejection of the adjacent unwanted signals.
I like my kit to perform.
And if I find I cannot get on with it in the longer term once I get some serious DX under the belt I will use a better performing radio which I will test before hand (and take my own large DIY / tailored external speaker with me)
I have station plans, onwards... upwards.
I am going to work carefully with the filters to try to find a compromise sweet spot, between acceptable sound of wanted signals without too much harsh whistling) and worthwhile rejection of the adjacent unwanted signals.
I like my kit to perform.
And if I find I cannot get on with it in the longer term once I get some serious DX under the belt I will use a better performing radio which I will test before hand (and take my own large DIY / tailored external speaker with me)
I have station plans, onwards... upwards.
When I have a problem on cb, I put my radio in O. F. F. Mode and go do something else that I should be working on.
At home that is fine. I work portable only... so that is not an option.I want the best performance available and I will get it ultimately.
I like to go into details, work through things and try and make a better
station, remove the weakest links and produce a better overall experience when I am on the radio. I won't be apologizing for it.
For a hobby I take it fairly seriously... it will help me get the best out of it.
If you have no interest, and that is not directed at anyone specific, there is no need to be here and read what I have to say.
I like to go into details, work through things and try and make a better
station, remove the weakest links and produce a better overall experience when I am on the radio. I won't be apologizing for it.
For a hobby I take it fairly seriously... it will help me get the best out of it.
If you have no interest, and that is not directed at anyone specific, there is no need to be here and read what I have to say.
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Also, sometimes taking a "chill pill" helps. Lol....lol...lol
Like grabbing a mug out of the freezer and visualizing the froth running down the side as you pour. Resulting in the veins on your bald head slowly contracting as your blood pressure drops to normal levels.
My commentary was given with justifiable, great frustration... I was not expecting huge bleed from ham bands where the "gentlemen'" of radio are supposed to reside.
The ICOM filters are not working very well either, they are barely worth adjusting from Soft Filter 1... that is a shame.
Superb sensitivity and very low self noise (as distinct to band noise) has to be paid for with low quality radio RX filtering. It is still a nice radio but not perfect.
I have a Yaesu as well now and I like what I hear when it comes to.. Notch, Contour, Width, IF Shift... instantly and obviously a superior filtering implementation.
The ICOM will do ok on a quiet band, made a nice 4,700 mile contact with a 1/2 wave on 20m in very weak conditions last week @ 100W (I have passed my top level UK licence now)
The ICOM filters are not working very well either, they are barely worth adjusting from Soft Filter 1... that is a shame.
Superb sensitivity and very low self noise (as distinct to band noise) has to be paid for with low quality radio RX filtering. It is still a nice radio but not perfect.
I have a Yaesu as well now and I like what I hear when it comes to.. Notch, Contour, Width, IF Shift... instantly and obviously a superior filtering implementation.
The ICOM will do ok on a quiet band, made a nice 4,700 mile contact with a 1/2 wave on 20m in very weak conditions last week @ 100W (I have passed my top level UK licence now)
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Yesterday late afternoon/evening I did some nice DX.. deep into the middle East and to the West the US Coast pan handle with a DX circular diameter of 8,000 miles from the QTH, the ICOM would have done the same I am sure as conditions (and heavy lifting antennas at the other ends) are the driving factor... but the Yaesu with its superior filters made life a lot easier.
It is chalk and cheese with the filters.. of greatest note.. the Yaesu's IF Width = smooth and effective without messing the wanted signal's speech up as fast... vs harsh whistling sounding and ineffective.
Not good enough on a radio that price.
10m of copper wire up a pole.... nothing fancy but well implemented.
The Yaesu has a slightly rougher slightly dirtier sound but I can hear through it fine, it is much more how I expect a radio to sound. I like both radios (but clearly not the ICOM's filters).. but it is hard to believe the price of the ICOM... they need to improve the filters on that radio, I am gobsmacked why no one has mentioned it before (it may come down to QTH / low noise floor, having massive signals from Russia/Europe frequently on a busy band and having a vertical omni antenna that I hear this so easily and I pick up everything indiscriminately where as beam user just spins)..
I won't update firmware unless they sort those RX filters out to work properly... I am doubtful it will happen and they probably cannot resolve that in DSP alone.
Everyone else gushes about how great the ICOM is so it needed at least 1 alternative view to balance the hundreds of "it is the best".
Do your research, I imagine things differ from radio to radio, for all I know I may not get on with the newer SDR based Yaesu's... I was not in a position to test anything and rushed in a bit so have only myself to blame.. you really have to try and test the radio before hand. At least I have learnt a lot through finding out myself... the expensive way.
It is chalk and cheese with the filters.. of greatest note.. the Yaesu's IF Width = smooth and effective without messing the wanted signal's speech up as fast... vs harsh whistling sounding and ineffective.
Not good enough on a radio that price.
10m of copper wire up a pole.... nothing fancy but well implemented.
The Yaesu has a slightly rougher slightly dirtier sound but I can hear through it fine, it is much more how I expect a radio to sound. I like both radios (but clearly not the ICOM's filters).. but it is hard to believe the price of the ICOM... they need to improve the filters on that radio, I am gobsmacked why no one has mentioned it before (it may come down to QTH / low noise floor, having massive signals from Russia/Europe frequently on a busy band and having a vertical omni antenna that I hear this so easily and I pick up everything indiscriminately where as beam user just spins)..
I won't update firmware unless they sort those RX filters out to work properly... I am doubtful it will happen and they probably cannot resolve that in DSP alone.
Everyone else gushes about how great the ICOM is so it needed at least 1 alternative view to balance the hundreds of "it is the best".
Do your research, I imagine things differ from radio to radio, for all I know I may not get on with the newer SDR based Yaesu's... I was not in a position to test anything and rushed in a bit so have only myself to blame.. you really have to try and test the radio before hand. At least I have learnt a lot through finding out myself... the expensive way.
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Just some reflection on ham radio experiences here.
The bleed is a nightmare on ham bands, it can almost kill your DX on some contacts. I was speaking to a station 6,000 miles away yesterday (100W my side, weak conditions) then an Italian rocks up 4kHz up giving me S7 bleed over my S3 DX station. Terrible and the worst experience I have had on ham bands so far... in this regards I maintain my position channelized CB is VASTLY superior for weak signal DX.
There are some truly ignorant people using ham radio that is for sure, how long does it take to find a freq that is really clear ? Too long for the ignorant is the answer. I worked the DX still as the audio on the DX station was so good it still cut through that garbage Italian QRM station... there is telling information there, turn your power down, turn your mic gain down, reduce your compression and you will be cleaner and sharper and much more intelligible and everyone around you will not have to suffer your QRM station. Watts don't mean d*ck... clean, undistorted, clear cut through audio is where it is at. That ragged distorted splattery mess that is your over driven audio is the enemy of your dx cut through and other ops.
I could still hear good quality audio of S3 through S7 of splatter ! That tells you all you need to know.
Whatever you are running (including mic gain and compression) and power above 100Watts - turn down your drive down by 1/3rd and be heard better.
So I have 2 radios 891 and 7300, they both sound different on the RX. The 891 has rougher RX audio the 7300 clearer in tone with the BIG caveat of using the wide open splatterfest that is FILT1 (SOFT). The 7300 has more mellow and round bass output. I like them both and they both work well. 7300 like listening through glass and the 891 like listening through sandpaper. However do bear in mind the large price difference.
The 891 suffers bleed just as the 7300 does however the tool to slice some of this away are a little better IMO. The filters on the 7300 are almost useless. The 891 despite being 1/2 the price has better filters IMO. I take my hat off to how sensitive and quiet the 7300 is though (RX noise floor).. on a quiet band the 7300 is great.. I can hear a fly fart on the other side of the planet (the downside is the ICOM hears bleed rather too well and also passes it through sharp and clear and obscures wanted signals). The 891 has a bit rougher noise to listen to but I can hear through it. I rarely use NR on either radio as I don't need to as my noise is below S0.
And these observations made through the same very good large external speaker.
I am starting to enjoy it because I am slowly beginning to somehow accept the always soon appearing bleed situation as being endemic on ham bands and do my best to evade it without my blood boiling.
The bleed is a nightmare on ham bands, it can almost kill your DX on some contacts. I was speaking to a station 6,000 miles away yesterday (100W my side, weak conditions) then an Italian rocks up 4kHz up giving me S7 bleed over my S3 DX station. Terrible and the worst experience I have had on ham bands so far... in this regards I maintain my position channelized CB is VASTLY superior for weak signal DX.
There are some truly ignorant people using ham radio that is for sure, how long does it take to find a freq that is really clear ? Too long for the ignorant is the answer. I worked the DX still as the audio on the DX station was so good it still cut through that garbage Italian QRM station... there is telling information there, turn your power down, turn your mic gain down, reduce your compression and you will be cleaner and sharper and much more intelligible and everyone around you will not have to suffer your QRM station. Watts don't mean d*ck... clean, undistorted, clear cut through audio is where it is at. That ragged distorted splattery mess that is your over driven audio is the enemy of your dx cut through and other ops.
I could still hear good quality audio of S3 through S7 of splatter ! That tells you all you need to know.
Whatever you are running (including mic gain and compression) and power above 100Watts - turn down your drive down by 1/3rd and be heard better.
So I have 2 radios 891 and 7300, they both sound different on the RX. The 891 has rougher RX audio the 7300 clearer in tone with the BIG caveat of using the wide open splatterfest that is FILT1 (SOFT). The 7300 has more mellow and round bass output. I like them both and they both work well. 7300 like listening through glass and the 891 like listening through sandpaper. However do bear in mind the large price difference.
The 891 suffers bleed just as the 7300 does however the tool to slice some of this away are a little better IMO. The filters on the 7300 are almost useless. The 891 despite being 1/2 the price has better filters IMO. I take my hat off to how sensitive and quiet the 7300 is though (RX noise floor).. on a quiet band the 7300 is great.. I can hear a fly fart on the other side of the planet (the downside is the ICOM hears bleed rather too well and also passes it through sharp and clear and obscures wanted signals). The 891 has a bit rougher noise to listen to but I can hear through it. I rarely use NR on either radio as I don't need to as my noise is below S0.
And these observations made through the same very good large external speaker.
I am starting to enjoy it because I am slowly beginning to somehow accept the always soon appearing bleed situation as being endemic on ham bands and do my best to evade it without my blood boiling.
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Seriously all you need is clear audio and the cleanest possible drive to any amp you are using.. a little compression is good... but as can be heard on the ham bands every day too much compression makes it very difficult to understand speech well as the compression cuts the words up in an irregular manner making even constant S9 SSB signals difficult to understand.
Those signals that are pinned to any given S meter level.. they tend to be the worst...human speech is not pinned into your ear at constant level is it ?
Your ear needs most of that natural dynamic of speech to retrieve the syllables, our ears and brain will retrieve clear speech.. even from underneath a garbled mess of QRM.
Those signals that are pinned to any given S meter level.. they tend to be the worst...human speech is not pinned into your ear at constant level is it ?
Your ear needs most of that natural dynamic of speech to retrieve the syllables, our ears and brain will retrieve clear speech.. even from underneath a garbled mess of QRM.
In most of the cases compression is not a source of splattering, excessive grid current is. Many people tune their tube amps wrong.
Seriously, I don't bother bleedover from nearby stations. I work DX and move on.
Mike
Seriously, I don't bother bleedover from nearby stations. I work DX and move on.
Mike