Is new ICOM 7300 a SDR?
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| Mar 6th 2016, 11:25 | |
hamwillytTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
I am a 62 y/o guy from Mass studying for my General Ticket and plan on purchasing a HF rig for DXing using SSB and CW (after I learn). I'm looking to invest in a "not too complicated" rig and have read that the new Icom 7300 uses SDR technology and signal processing. It also has TFT touch screen tha provides complete operational status including a stunning real-time spectrum display with waterfall plus a useful audio scope display. I assume some non SDR radios have the same. So my question is whether it's worth paying about 2X for this apparant "SDR Technology" in a rig without needing an external computer or invest in a non-SDR unit that costs less and may work just as well ? Thanks, Bill KC1EWJ |
| Mar 7th 2016, 13:51 | |
aa6eTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Bill - Virtually all full-feature radios use digital signal processing these days, and much of their performance comes from the software (firmware). So you can call them "SDR" if you want. The main feature of "SDR" from an operator's point of view is that you generally get a good spectrum display (panadaptor) of what's happening around your frequency (or maybe on the whole band). You get a good selection of filter bandwidths, modulation modes, noise reduction options, etc. And, being software, you can hope for future downloads to improve performance. For "serious" performance levels, SDR / DSP methods are cheaper and easier to build than traditional analog. That's why DSP has taken over. In the Icom world, even the modest IC-718 uses DSP. The new (to Icom) feature in the '7300 is direct sampling. (Ingesting the whole HF spectrum with a fast sampler.) All that being said, your most cost-effective choice for HF operation is surely a used older rig. I keep a Kenwood TS-520S around, just in case! It has almost no digital parts, so it's not too hard to maintain. 73 Martin AA6E |
| May 16th 2016, 01:47 | |
WB9YTGTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
I've had my IC-7300 several weeks and am throughly impressed. |
| Dec 3rd 2016, 00:43 | |
WA2AXZTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
I am looking for a new rig that can filter out the mountainous amount of noise I have here in Brooklyn. SDR may be the way to go though I haven't heard from anyone in a HIGH noise floor area commenting on how the 7300 does. IF anyone has had experience with this please e mail me 73's and Merry Christmas! Bob Loby-WA2AXZ wa2axz@arrl.net |
| Jun 19th 2020, 09:12 | |
K1MBOTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
I have a 7300 in a noisy location in Cranston, RI. The noise reduction function is capable of reducing the audio noise, probably by doing a small amount of averaging of the incoming IF signal. It does not, however, change the ratio of desired signal to total noise in the IF passband. If improved copy is what you need, any reasonable noise reduction function should help. If you need to pull a weak signal out of the noise, it would be less help. I sympathize about the urban noise level problem. |
| Jun 19th 2020, 13:29 | |
W1VTSuper Moderator Total Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
The large number and randomness of noise in an urban environment makes it very hard to filter out. It is much easier to deal with one loud noise source, particularly if it is narrow in the time domain. This is the principle behind noise blankers. The receiver is momentarily muted for short periods of time in sync with a large pulse noise source. Zak Lau W1VT ARRL Senior Lab Engineer |
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