Originally, I was going to purchase the Xiegu G90. But after watching your videos and others doing my due diligence, I narrowed it down to the 991a and the 7300. The president of my local Ham Club e-mailed back and said the Xiegu G90 was a bad move because it basically a QRP radio and said many or most of the club members had 7300s. But by the time I got his e-mail, I had already ordered the 991a. And I will tell you the “shack in a box” pretty much sealed the deal. Using your “buy once, cry once” philosophy, I wanted the most bang for my budget bucks. What I didn’t realize is how little I would use VHF/UHF (I’ve used it exactly twice) long enough to set up the 991a to “hit our repeaters” and make a few QSOs. I told my wife, the 991a is like your new I-Phone, way more settings than I’ll ever probably use but maybe eventually will . I’ve learned a lot about the 991a and I continue to learn each day. What I would suggest to new 991a owners, learn the basics to get up and running, check the manual and You Tube and get smarter. If as Hams we don’t take time to try to be masters of the equipment we now have, our shacks will start looking like thrift stores and we’ll most likely still not be satisfied. 73 Tom, KQ4DCT
Thank you for sharing that story! Sorry to hear that you missed out on the 7300. However, you "could" put it up for sale and buy a 7300 if you wish to pursue that route, but if you are happy with what you have then just go play radio and enjoy the hobby. Yes, gear is important, but having fun and enjoying your self I think is much more important and if that need is being met, you are winning. Thank you for watching and for the comment. 73!!
I was in that boat too when i got my license back abt 5 yrs ago, i didn't know where to start on buying a radio. After a long search i bought an Icom 718 on a recommendation from a fellow ham (I wanted a 7300 back then but they were WAY out of my budget) but i lived on the ground floor of an apartment with no way to put up an antenna, so i decided to do more research and found K8MRD on RUclips and he was running a Yaesu ft-891 and i fell in love with the portability. I decided i was going to be a portable operator only and the 718 was a cinderblock to carry around so i sold my 718 and bought an 891(wished i'd have kept the 718 now). 5 yrs later I now live in an HOA and run a rain gutter antenna with my trusty 891 at home and now i'm looking to buy a 7300 for (like you stated) the simplicity it brings to the shack, along with a MUCH simpler digital hook up than i run now and this way i can put the 891 back into portable use. I love my 891 but the menu is a royal pain to navigate even all these years later. Thanks for the video, i always enjoy your straight forward approach to the hobby. Hope to work you sometime, 73 de W8MJL & K8MKL
Hey Michael, I appreciate you sharing that story! I have both the 891 and the 7300, but they are brought out for various reasons when I want that specific radio. It would be great to get you in the log! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I had exactly the opposite experience with a 991a and 7300 with weak signals. A buddy that owned one for 2 years was running the 7300 and I was running my 991a which I had only owned for 3 months. I was able to tune in and filter out things he was not able to on the same exact antenna within seconds of each other using a few switches so we could compare results. A true head to head with two radios to see what we could get. The 991a was much faster to tune up, filter out and hear every weak signal we tried for. The complaints you have about the menu system is because you weren't using the radio to its potential. Changeable soft keys that are variable based on what you are doing and super fast dial to the setting by turning to an exact item and making the change is way faster and easier than pressing a bunch of buttons and going 3 levels deep to filter something out. All of the filter options are right together and much easier to access than the 7300. As you said the 991a is all ready to go for digital modes and again the filtering systems and soft keys change as you change anything you do. The 7300 takes time to reconfigure anything and everything you do as you make changes in operating modes. You are absolutely 100% spot on with the display on the 991a and the only thing I wish the 991a has that the 7300 has is AAC, SWR and power out on separate meters. On the 991a you have to push one button to scan through them. I only find this annoying when running FT8. Sound card, C4FM, 2m and 440 not only on FM but side band as well and the 991a is head and shoulders above the 7300. I tell my friends that hang their heads when they see what the 991a can do when out in the field compared to their 7300, to not worry about it. Comparing these two radios is apples to oranges. One would be mad at a single cab pickup truck for not comfortably hauling 7 of your drunk buddies on a road trip or at a minivan for not towing your huge boat very well. 2 totally different radios by design and especially when comparing filtering. With plenty of time running both the 991a is my go to radio more often than not. Awesome video as usual and I really appreciate all that you do for our awesome hobby. W2GPR
I get it. Like I said in the video this was based solely upon my experiences with the two radios. I have messed with customizing the buttons below on the screen of the 991 and it could simply be my inexperience with the unit. That is entirely possible. But I did and still find navigating through the menu system to be a bit of a bear on the 991, not saying it sucks, but it just takes more time and I guess in our world of instant gratification these days (lol) I get impatient and want things to respond quicker. With FT8 I love the functionality of the 991. Controlling everything seems to be very simple and I have made a ton of contacts. I have yet to try this on the 7300, however my son just got the cable to hook his 7300 to FT8, so I will most likely get an opportunity to play with his unit on FT8 and see what I think from there. Glad you liked the video and I appreciate the input on your experience with your 991!! Thanks for watching..73!!
The apples to oranges is a fair analogy. Also, soft key setup based upon personal operating preferences are a big deal with Yaesu radios with traditional menus. Fortunately, Yaesu puts the most commonly used items up front on buttons and knobs. Most compare the IC-7300 to the FTdx-10, which to a lesser degree is still an apples to oranges comparison. Both the FT-991a and FTdx-10 have piqued my interest. As a condo dweller in an RFI rich environment that puts a premium on portable operations and shack in the box radios I want to move into the 21st century. However, for the moment I am staying with my stable of 1ea IC-706MKiig, 1ea FT-897, and 2ea FT-857d. They are all great shack in the box portable radios. They only lack the more sophisticated SDR signal processing for combating QRM. However, the newer radio are more power hungry, which is a major consideration for portable operation. On a different note, for the first time in years I had clean bands at my portable operating at a local park that warranted turn off IPO and turning up RF gain instead of turning it down. 17m was 100% free of background noise and stations were coming well from Europe. I had perfect 59 copy on stations with an S0 on the meter. Usually I am fighting S3 to S9 noise depending upon the band and time of day.
The band filters in the 7300 are also present in the 991. These filters are used for preselection and transmit harmonic suppression and are present on both radios. The 991 also has a roofing and IF filter, and only has to digitize the signal of interest rather than the 7300 which wastes its ADC capability digitizing the entire band including parts you really don't care about such as broadcast stations. Theres no reason for the 991 to not be able to hear something the 7300 can unless yours is damaged somehow. You can try turning on the attenuater and if a station suddenly shows up it means there is overload damage. I'd also like to mention that the 991 has C4FM/Fusion capability, which is like getting a $500 radio thrown in as a bonus.
My first 991A took a dive about a month into owning it, so I sent it back for repair. They ended up replacing it with a new one which seems to work fine. I will try your suggestions, but after extensive research, others have stated what I said in the video where the 7300 heard stuff the 991 didn't. I will check into your suggestions and see if I can get better performance from the 991. Thank you for the tip! 73
Gotta tell you - your videos are the best sounding and best looking I have seen in a while. Oh and the topics are awesome too. LOL Thanks and keep up the great work that you do for the HAM community.
I really appreciate that. I worked hard to make sure that the production quality was top notch and the topics interesting and informative. Thanks for watching...73!
I found your channel just now by way of serendipity and I'm glad I did. I started out with the Xiegu G90 When I got back into HF and had a lot of fun with it and it's pretty cool how much you can do with only 20 watts and it's still hooked up in my shack, but it seemed that all anybody was talking about was how good the 7300 was so I started doing a bunch of research and watching some of the guys out here showing it off and I started learning about SDR radios and decided this was definitely something I wanted to try. Best thing I ever did. For my UHF/VHF/220 use I just grabbed a little VTech four band UV 25x4 rig on an Amazon lightning sale and put it on the desk next to it with a dedicated antenna system and I've got everything I need at this point. Now, all I need is to save up a few clams and get that Mercury III amplifier kit that I hear so many people saying saying is also really good.
Hey that sound like you have a good plan in place. Welcome to the channel BTW!!! I do try to bring good, solid information to everyone who watches and not waste your time with idle chit chat. I would like to get an amp someday, but at the moment, the gear i have seems to work fine and I am happy as a clam to be out in nature and making contacts all over the world. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Brilliant video,and much needed I think,I’ve a G90 operating through a mag loop as I live in flat and no antennas allowed.I love your “ get whet works for your situation “attitude - my set up isn’t brilliant but it’s all I can do for now and it works-and that’s what matters in the end-greetings from the UK -2E0HFO
Hey Simon! Welcome to the channel. I think it just makes sense to get on the air and enjoy the hobby with whatever is available to you. I would like a tower, however the powers that be forbid it, so I fully understand. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!!
The 991A is a good radio, I just think they should have simplified the menu system and made it easier to access from the front of the radio, not 154 sub menus. Thank you for the comment. 73!!
From comparing my 991 to several others of different models and manufacturers I find the 991 menu fairly simple and straight forward with easy understood options. My 2 cents from a small fortune and many years wasted on many radios. K0LC
I got my Technician about the start of July and general at the end of August, and I feel like we were in kind of a similar path. What I eventually worked out from talking to people is that the 991a is a traditional radio with a scope / waterfall bolted on and the 7300 is an SDR from front to back. The practical implication as I was told is that the discrimination and selectivity of the 7300 is worse when in something like a pileup versus the 991a. That's the most technical answer I've found searching around. If there's a technical analysis or review of the backend of these two radios somewhere that'd be neat to read. I only seem to find opinion pieces when I try and search the internet at large. - KI5QOC
Thank you for the comment. Congratulations on passing your Tech and now General!! They are similar radios, but also quite different, I agree. However when I see many videos of other youtubers out there recording a POTA session and getting a pile up, they seem to be able to handle it quite well. I think that just comes over time with plenty of practice and training your ear to hear specific stations calling you. I have yet to experience a pile up and I am sure when it happens part of me will freak out a bit. Thanks for watching and thank you for sharing this! 73!
If your RFI problems stop at night, check to see which neighbors have solar panels.. the inverters they use can be very noisy but can often be corrected with ferrites and other filters..
To be clear the signal does NOT go through 15 filters before it reaches your ears. There are 15 band pass filters and depending on what frequency you are on the signal will pass through one of them, not all 15. If your signal went through all 15 band pass filters you would never hear anything on any frequency because you would be filtering out the entire HF band.
@mikesradiorepair OBVIOUSLY, you did not wrote about 991a band pass filter. Im just clarifying from the video uploader when he said that Band Filters for 991a is lacking. You only wrote about the 15 band pass filters of the 7300 because the video uploader said that 7300 has 15 band pass filters and you corrected him. You are the one who did not read my question lol! Lmfao
I recently found your channel, and am really liking it. I'd like to offer another perspective. Originally, I *really* liked the idea of the 991a, and the "shack in a box" but after a LONG time of considering the best path for me, I decided I'd like to have the *exact same* VHF/UHF setup in the house and vehicle. This way, I can get intimately familiar with the radio operation, so that when I'm in the mobile, I'm not playing and hunting around for options, knobs, buttons.. etc. It's just intuitive because I use the same setup in the house. As such, I now no longer give so much attention to the "shack in a box" idea. The only place I think that makes sense now, is if you are limited on space or budget, for the most part.
Yeah I pretty much have to agree with you. I thought I wanted a shack in the box solution as a way to save money until I wanted to operate digital modes on HF AND be on VHF doing simplex operations...that messed everything up for me. I ended up selling the 991A recently and just staying with the 7300. In order to have my VHF, I purchased a Yaesu 2980 which is VHF only, BUT pushes 80 watts. I like your idea of having one model radio both in your house and in your vehicle and your reasoning is logical. As you said, space and budget might sway one to go for the shack in the box idea. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
This is by far the best video that I’ve seen comparing the two radios. Thanks for helping me make up my mind. Yaesu and Icom are two great companies. Currently I own a Yaesu FT5DR. I’m buying a ICOM 7300. 73’s! KY4NK
Glad it was helpful! It is my goal to bring the viewers the best info I can that is accurate and first hand of possible! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!!
Very informative. Especially for newbies that just got there GENERAL. I’m in the process of getting my General. I already invested in the yaesu 891. But one day I will need to invest in a base model. Your videos are informative and certainly cleared up some questions. Thanks again
Glad it was helpful! Good luck on ACING your General!!!!! I have an 891 and love it. But for home operations i like the waterfall displays and more up front features and functions of the 991 and 7300. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT as a side note. I also think if you want QRP you can also the power down on the 891. No knocks on the IC705. But I can the best of both worlds with a 891 for portable and a 7300 for a base station
I’ll add this and it may not apply to your RFI situation. I had a similar deal. Bad RFI durning the day, noise floor would drop a bit but noise was always there. I tracked the issue down to both electrical lines and the city water system of gathering numbers, as they use a wireless type connection. Check your water main area.
I was replacing my FT-857D, the 7300 doesn't do above HF and, as a result, doesn't even do D-star. I do not regret getting the 991-A with C4FM HF, 6M plus 2m, and 70cm. The receive is far better than my 857D, it seems to me. I keep looking at Icom, Kenwood, and others in a similar price range and keep landing on Yaesu.
If that is the case then that is the right radio for you. Choosing a radio is all perspective and needs. The Icom fit me better, but there is noting wrong if the Yaesu works better for you! That's fantastic. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Thanks for the video, I subed too! I'm on the fence here. I have a 7100, I like it but it's a little too much for a true portable radio. I picked up a FT891 for my POTA work and it really kills it! Love the 891. So I picked up a FTdx10 for the QTH it's working pretty awesome here but with noise levels and not the greatest antenna up it seems to suffer more but it does work and I love it. So here is my dilemma, I think I want to mount my 891 into my truck with a atas and get another radio for my POTA work. First thought was to get another 891 due to the success that I've already had. Then the 991a came to mind as its a bit more featured then the 891. But we I've watched a few videos on your very topic and it just seems that the 7300 would be a better fit. When talking to my contacts I'll bet that I'll get 7300 users 10:1 over the 991a. Yaesu has just started a 3yr warranty on their stuff so there's that. But, the 7300 is about $150 less then the 991a. Do you see the dilemma I'm in?? Lol!! Anyway thank you for the video and dumbing stuff down for us!! 73 KE0DSD
Thanks for the sub and welcome to the channel!!!! I truly appreciate it! If you are going to focus on HF and not worry about VHF/UHF, then hands down the 7300 would be my choice. It is user friendly, it has the power, etc. When I go do POTA that is what I take. I have my 705 as a backup or if I want o use lower power for some reason, but the 7300 performs beautifully in the field. The thing with the 991A is the all band all mode feature, but if you aren't in need of the VHF/UHF, then I wouldn't sweat it. If you mount your 891 in your vehicle, that can work just fine, but also think about this...if you install it in a way that you "could " remove it for portable ops and make it so that it isn't a massive pain to detach from your vehicle, that may be a way to have both without spending any more money. Just a thought. Either way I don't think you can really go wrong, just know that once you taste the wonderful world of a waterfall...it will spoil you...LOL Thanks for the comment and for watching. If you have any questions feel free to contact me anytime! 73!
Next is Equipment and my limitations. 2. I need two equipment - one at home and one in truck. I am mostly in remote forest roads where there is no cell service - how to communicate back home ? Please help !
Ok so to be fair. the 15 filters on the 7300 are bandpass filters. They are not kicked in all at once. The 7300 is a direct sampling radio and the 991A is a superhet. Bandpass filters are often needed to reduce the load on the a.d converter. The superset doesn't need that, because the IFs are the bandpass filters.
Can you tell me the widest receive bandwidth for AM is on the 991A. I had a chance to use a 7300 for a couple of months. I like listening to Hams on 75m AM as well as shortwave and the AM broadcast band. I was blown away with the quality of the AM. It sounded as good as my old Hammarlund SP210 receiver. The wide bandwidth the 7300 offered made it sound great on AM. SSB also sounded fantastic with the wider bandwidth
I would assume the receive bandwidth on the 991A would be identical to the 7300. I honestly have not looked into that and can't give you a solid answer at this time. The quality on both radios as far as sound is phenomenal. I know they sell external aftermarket speakers for these, but unless you have some specific reason for needing it, the onboard speaker is just fine. I have a lot of fun with both radios. I have just separated them out for specific tasks in my ham radio use. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT I don't believe they are. If you still own both, go to the IC-7300, tune to an AM station like shortwave then widen the I.F. bandwith and note the width in khz. Then do the same with the 991A. From memory I seem to remember the 991A I.F. bandwidth on AM was less. I have to go look up the specs on the 991A again.
Thanks, looking closely at these two for my first radio radio base. I am a new general. Use to run SSB 40 + years back and loved it so drawn to HF. I have a Yaesu VX-6R and lots of repeaters I can hit. One 2 meter 1/4 mile away. You’ve got me second guessing myself on the 991a. The 7300 seems like a real step on HF and the learning curb of the 991a on my old brain May push me over the edge 🤪. I’m thinking I’d spend lots of time on UHF/VHF and special dedicated evenings for skip hunting. Of course, I love the VX-6R and while limited on frequencies I could hook up an external. Anyway, I really enjoy your channel. I’m checking used market too.
If you think that you will spend a lot of time on VHF/UHF, you may want to consider the 991A because the 7300 doesn't do those bands being HF only. The price of the Icom 9700 is just too much unless you REALLY want to do some serious VHF/UHF. Weight your options and you will find the best radio for your needs. I ended up selling my 991A and replaced it with a VHF only Yaesu 2980. So I now run that and my 7300 and I'm pretty happy. Never really did much with UHF, so that wasn't an issue for me. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!
I have the ic7300 it is a very lively rig . It's achilles heel is rf gain is unsatisfactory in bringing out the weak sigs . I am keen top band user and come up against weak sigs a lot in the noise . All my other rigs , including ic781 , ic 746 , ic 7200 , ic 703 , ft897 , ft 817 , ts 480 hx, xiegu g90 . and my recent sold ft3000d and all outperform the ic7300 in noisy low band conditions where trying to listen to weak sigs . The icom ic 7300 is a very good all round rig , but the rf/sql is very poor . Tks for the video . Greetings from Scotland. mm0udi .
WOW! That is quite a collection of radios!!! Very impressive. Thank you for sharing. I have not run into the issue you mention in your comment as of yet, but thank you for mentioning it. Glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching! 73!!
Kind of...the Icom IC-7100 is a "shack-in-the-box" but does not have the colorful waterfall display like the 7300 and is the same price. www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-011766 I hope this helps. Thanks for the question and for watching. 73!
very good. I have a old Icom 735 and love that one. my back up. I up graded to 7300. FT8 on 7300 is great as well as outher digital modes. JS8 call SSTV PSK31 and bunch more. I like to keep my VHF UHF separate, that just me. I like the 9700 I want all mode AM/FM/SSB/CW/ digital on VHF and UHF and I want the 1.25 meter as well. hard find. 73's
Thanks for sharing. I too like keeping those separated and that's why i eventually sold the 991 and bought a 2980 for VHF only. Been happy every since. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I am looking around, but haven't spotted any as of yet unless they are not mounted on the roof and possibly mounted on a stand below the fence line. Thanks for the comment. 73!
Hello Scott, thanks for this video. Just a little comment for the IC-7300: the European version has a kind of VHF in it. You can work the 4m band (70 MHz). It was the reason I choose this radio a few years ago. 6m and 4m are my primairy bands during the summer. Do not try to mod the american version for 4m because there are some parts missing to make it work as intended!
12:04 it's probably because once you turn your house back on those "dirty devices" ALL share a common ground/neutral that's all tied together without a breaker in between... Ham Radio Crash Course did a solid video on RFI. Use a cheap shortwave radio (like $15 off Ama... can't post the full name...) to hunt down the culprits and get some circular ferrite cores that have a "43" material number in the description to loop the power cords through several turns.
I actually went through and did all that. the RFI is not in my house. After hunting it down it was determined that a neighbor has a noisy solar setup on his roof and tat is the source of 90% of my RFI. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73
@@HR4NT that makes sense too, solar panels are really just specialized UV spectrum LED's, and cheap LED's can be horribly noisy. If you apply power to a solar panel and look at it with a camera that doesn't have a UV filter on the sensor or lens you can actually see them light up!
I honestly do not know much about it Paul. I have seen a few videos on it and I find it interesting, but not my thing. Really enjoying that 7300. Thanks for watching as always. 73!
The 7300 does not have backlit knobs or buttons. That is a feature that I wish it did have for those wishing to operate in low light conditions. Thank for the comment and for watching. 73!!
Hey buddy. I’m grabbing the 991A in the next day or so. What HF antenna do you suggest for me to just get in the air and make some contacts on 6 and 10? I appreciate your advice. Thanks and have a good weekend!
Hey thanks for writing in! I think your best bet, if you are able, would be to build one. Whether it is a simple dipole or an End Fed Half Wave antenna, that may be the answer for now. I assume you will want to use the other bands down the road as well? If so, it may be a good idea to look into a multi-band antenna like the DX Commander which you can choose the combination of bands you want to be able to use. I assume that you are a Technician Class operator, but maybe going for General at some point? The 991 being an all band all mode radio is capable of a lot of stuff, so a good antenna would give you a much better experience. And with a multiband you could at least tune into the other bands and listen while you are waiting to get your General (I am assuming here, so please forgive me if you are already a General or Extra). The other reason I suggest buying something like the DX is that when I looked for 6M & 10M antennas...they cost about as much as the DX Commander if not more! That is a bit ridiculous to me. You "might" be able to find a premade End Fed Half Wave that does 10 and 6 as well. That would be a bit cheaper. If your budget won't handle the cost, then building an antenna will be your best bet for now. I hope I was able to help you out. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT thank you for your input!! Much appreciated. Yes I’m just a tech at the moment studying for general, I was also thinking about building one for sure just getting information on what other people have used or are using. I wanted the shack in the box to be able to build off over time. I’m not trying to rush it in anyway, I have the rest of my life haha. Definitely going to build something and also grab an end fed for sure. Thanks again and have a great day! I hope you’re recovering is going well! 73
@@Cbro-621 I think that you are on the right track. The best thing for you to do is take your time with this learn as much as you can and research every bit of equipment that you can possibly can think of. The only other thing that I can think of that I tell my viewers quite often is to buy one's cry once meaning don't just buy anything because you can afford it now save up and get the stuff you really want the quality stuff and you will be a lot happier down the road.
@@HR4NT Awesome! That’s my thought process on this. I have been researching for months now on what rig I wanted to get and antennas, I just want to take my time and not rush. It’s a hobby no need to plow through it! Thanks again for your input! Have a good day
Had both the 7300 and the 991A for about a year and a half. I actually thought the 991 has better DSP and I was able to hear better. However the 7300 just overall had a better interface and it became my main rig. Then I tried a FTDX10 and well I just sold the 7300 lol. I know not the same and kinda the next step up but any complaints I had about the 991A were addressed in the FTDX10. I kept the 991A because of the size makes it easy to go portable and the UHF/VHF. 7300 is a fine radio though if I didn't have the extra to spend I certainly would have been more than content with it.
I have heard a ton of praise for the FTDX10! Maybe down the road I will get a chance to play with one. Like I said in the video, I am not bashing the 991A, but for my needs and situation, the 7300 outperformed the 991A with what i was doing with it. Still a great radio though. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
The Icom is also already setup for FT8 unlike other radios. FT8 works great on the Icom. On my FT-991A and the FT-710 I was always dropping the connection and having to reset it. The Icom never had that problem. However, both of these are good radios. Just create your own list of what you are wanting in a radio and do the comparisons. Thanks for posting.
Tardy to the party here… this is a great video. I recently passed my general and plan to get a transceiver when I pass the Extra as a reward to myself. In the mean time I am doing the research struggle. I have not a clue as to what part of “hamming” will attract me the most, so the idea of the complete system that the 991 offers sounds like a good choice, but damn that ICom menu and screens seem so much more pleasing to use. Now there is the IC-705 but it only does 10 watts. Now I’m wondering if 10 watts is all I really need. The idea of low wattage and perfecting my antennas has an appeal itself. Thanks for your honest opinion! Keep up the good work!!!
If you are just starting out, I recommend a 100w rig. A lot less frustrating! Trust me. The 705 has its place, but you need to "want" to do QRP operating if you buy one. Do you have a heavy VHF/UHF presence where you live? If yes, then a shack in the box (991A) may make sense...if not, then the 7300 I think will be the best choice and give you year of enjoyment and use. It really depends on YOUR needs. I can give my opinion all day long, but it is still just an opinion. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT thanks for the input, it’s much appreciated. I has a short chat with my bro-in-law who is a long time ham too. I think I’m going for the 7300. I had a tech license way back in the 1990s but had long since expired. I have an old Radio Shack Htx-202 from those days that I think will scratch that 2 meter repeater itch well enough. I dug it out and it still works!! Keep up the channel, you have a great show. Cheers
I think the 991A is going to be my choice. I have a cabin up north and I like being able to travel with one radio. I do not like up to 2.2a for receive, but I don't see a lot of field use in my case where battery life is a issue. The 7300 is 1.3A and will double usable life.
Based upon your need for a radio you really cannot go wrong with either one. I prefer the 7300 because of the simplicity of use, but if you require 2M and 70CM, then the 991 is a clear choice. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I’m responding to you from my sons account. I’ve been doing this for a long time so I will make a couple of points you forgot to mention. In the case of the 991 the few things it can do that the 7300 is the vhf and uhf are not only fm bands there is sideband and am on those two band for contesting. Also the c4fm system fusion is also capable on the hf bands and not just vhf and uhf. So remember those considerations. I agree with you on the ease of menu on 7300 it is an awesome radio. I have a kenwood ts-2000 it to is a shack in the box but it does what the 991 does just minus the digital c4fm. But that radio can do something the 991 can’t it can crossband repeat not only on vhf and uhf but it will let you crossband to hf how cool is that. But as you say all depends on what you’re going to do with your shack for operating. Great video call sign KB1IWE Look me up.73’s stay safe.
Hey there KB1IWE!! Thank you for that info. I really appreciate that! When it comes to radios we all have to choose based upon what we want out of the radio. At first when I became a ham, I "thought" I wanted a shack in the box. Then, my tastes in radio changed and with that so did my choice of radios. I ended up selling my 991A and separated my VHF from my HF operations. Again thank you for the info! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I have owned both and keep the 7300, I do miss not having the vhf/uhf. one thing you forgot on your comparison is the FT991A has Three warranty and the 7300 has only one year warranty and that may be a deal breaker for someone
Yeah that was also a factor when I bought the Yaesu was the warranty coverage. I forgot to mention that in my presentation, but you are correct. That was a very attractive item when I was deciding between the two radios. Thanks for the reminder! 73!
Ideal solution is IC7300+IC9700. CW connection on these is not a big deal for home station. I use CW on 2M 432 and 1296 mostly during contests. 73 de KT1R Lou in WV
I originally purchased a Kenwood TS2000 when I was first licensed. Then got a FT857D for mobile I am considering purchasing either a 7300 or 991. I really like both radios. Now I’m thinking about getting into POTA/SOTA. I recently purchased a G90 but when I first powered it up. Obviously my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Now going to sell it ! 73 Steve AA4SH
I think, and this is my personal opinion, but I really like the 7300. Many of the folks I do POTA with ALL have 7300's or the new Yaesu FTDX10. I still have my preference to the 7300 even though it was released in 2015. The menu system on the Icom radios , to me is simpler to navigate and get what I need done a lot quicker then the Yaesu menu system. I like the larger screen on the 7300 due to my eyesight at 52 is not what it use to be...LOL Do your research and if you have a chance to play with both radios, I suggest doing so in order to make the best decision that is best for you. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Press the "F" key for quick access to filters, not the main menu key which is loaded with 100+ items you don't necessarily use on a daily basis. This really is a tale of two radios that are apples to oranges. I love the look of the 7300 especially the scope and seems like a fine HF rig but seriously handicapped against total package of what a 991A provides. On the 7300 there is no FM, no C4FM, no 2M/70cm SSB or AM etc. do to a huge deficit in bands and features. You state the F991A couldn't receive the same signals but there are a lot of variables trying to do that kind of comparison unless you have a service monitor or RF signal generator for a 1 to 1 comparison. That said parts of the comparison were helpful to know and appreciated.
Thanks for the video and the suggestion, I have my first radio that’s is a Yaesu FT-7250D dual bander and it’s a great budget radio, but I saw so many videos where the people says that de 991A doesn’t recibe like the 7300. I’m looking for the Ic-7300 or a Yaesu FTDX10 that is a little more expensive but great. Thanks 73 KP4CRJ
Glad you enjoyed the video! I don't think you can go wrong with the 7300 or the DX10. I have not had experience with the DX10 but those who have it seem to love it. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I have the ft 991 a as my first radio and just got my Tech license. I was disappointed to find the radio only has 50 watts max on 2 meter, why would that be? I can only reach repeaters about 12 miles out, I guess my antenna is not high enough? Thanks
First congratulations on passing your Technician!!!! That seems to be the standard unless you buy a dedicated VHF/UHF radio. The IC-9700 runs 100 watts, but is very expensive for what it is and the Yaesu 2980 (which I have) gives you 80 watts. You need a high gain antenna and have it up as high as you can get it if you are in an area where repeaters are far away. It will also depend on propagation conditions at the time. 50 watts on VHF is still pretty good, you just may need a better antenna higher off the ground. I hope this helped. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!!
I am not even licensed yet and these are the 2 radios I am considering. For my application the buddy stick pro Deluxe antenna will fit what I need for apartment living And setting up in my local areas. I should probably join a club and seek advice of the local folks. What's your advice on that? I appreciate your time and sharing with us. Thank you.
Hi Joseph! If you can find a good club and get to know the members I think it would be a good idea to get involved and make a few friends that you can ask questions about ham radio. If not, then you have a huge online ham community with RUclips and the various channels. We try to help each other as much as we can and with us there are no dumb questions. One good resource for the online is the after chat with Ham Radio Crash Course which is on Discord every Saturday Night after Josh's live stream. Many of us RUclipsrs and other hams are on that after chat for almost 4 hours each Saturday to answer any questions one may have about anything related to ham radio. I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck in passing your exams and getting the answers you need! Thanks for the questions and for watching. 73!
I have a Yaesu FT-991a and love it works well with my OCF dipole. The user interface is different from the IC-7300 but its a matter of preference. really any of the new base radios from Yaesu or Icom are not bad choices. Try them both if you have the ability before you buy. but either way you will get a good quality radio
I agree 100%. I wish i had the opportunity to try out every radio that I own before I bought it. Might have made a huge difference with my choices. Thanks for watching. 73!
I have to agree with you. I bought the IC-9700 and was delighted with it. I waited for the FT-DX10 and compared it with the IC-7300. Ease of use swayed me to the iCOM. The only thing I regret about the iCOM is the poor anti-aliasing filter, A compromise made to give it 4m coverage.
There is always going to be give and take with any radio purchase. That may be why we continue to buy a crap load of radios and have so many over the years...LOL No matter what radio you buy, if it works, allows you to make contacts and you have fun in the end, then I would say that is a win. We all want the perfect equipment, but sometimes i think we get caught up in that and forget to just go play radio and have fun with out hobby. Thank you for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT I only wish they: 1. Removed the pointless antenna tuner, the one that matches a 50Ω transmitter to a 50Ω feeder. Why do these radios have antenna timers? You place the tuner where the mismatch occurs, not at the end of the feeder! 2. Instead improve the filtering 3. Instead Include two antenna outlets, with a switch, one for 6/4 and one for HF. I think they would still be quids in removing the tuner and adding the above.
@@G8YTZ I thi k Icom has a suggestion section on their website where you can make suggestions as a user and maybe they will adopt some of your ideas. Probably need to Google it.
They are both HF radios, just one has the addition of VHF/UHF. I like the ease of use of the 7300 over the 991A. Thanks for watching and for the comment., 73!
Why do you think this the addition of VHF/UHF? Did you find the information that this is the addition somewhere on the box or in the manual? I think it is a complete solution that has no direct competition.
Ha Ha, I just received my FT991A yesterday and I still haven't opened the box and I myself was going back and forth between 991 or 7300?? I like them both. I have two ICOM HTs from twenty years ago and they still operate like brand new and that is why I like ICOM but decided to make the 991 my first official Yaesu radio. I might just do what you did and me a 7300 as well 😏. Good video!! Thank you for the review.
Oh I am not knocking the 991A, I love my 991A for what I use it for, but that larger waterfall screen and easier access to controls on the 7300 is what attracted me to it aside from picking up HF a little better. You will enjoy the 991A! Thanks for the comment. 73!
991 vs 7300 on hf isn’t a fair comparison. The 991 lacks on the recieve on hf but it has 2meter and 70cm. If you wanna compare hf to hf compare the 7300 to the ftdx10. The ftdx10 beats the 7300 all day. 991 is more of a do it all but isn’t quite as good as a hf only radio
I appreciate the insight, however I was comparing the two radios I actually owned at the time. My main complaint about the 991A or almost any Yaesu is that menu system...it drives me crazy. Prefer the Icom system much more. I will look into the FTDX10 down the road. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
A few reason, price being one of them. I was new to the hobby like really new. I hadn't heard anything about the DX-10 because of the looming shadow of the 991A at the time and I tend to let equipment that just comes out prove itself before I dump a bunch of cash into it. Thanks for the question..73!
I’m brand new. I bought an ft3dr last summer. Can’t hear anything on it. Kind of discouraging. I’m torn between just uhf 7300 UHF vhf hf in 991a or the ic9700 with some other stuff in it. I love icom functionality and it seems more intuitive in the menus. If I got the 7300 how long before I start looking for other bands and more contact possibilities. I’m mainly gonna train and use these things for hobby and emergency communications with a solar generator that has 2000 amp hours per charge. ????? Suggestions?
If you are going to be doing primarily HF, the 7300 hands down. It is easy to navigate and a reliable radio, period. If you want to use VHF/UHF AND HF, then you may want to consider the 991A...however if you have a FT3DR and haven't had much luck with it, maybe HF is the route to go. I have repeaters everywhere around me in the city I live in, and we have daily nets that gets everyone involved and chatting about various topics. If it weren't for that, I would probably be HF only unless I was doing simplex ops with people locally. You "can" add a larger antenna with a coax cable to your FT3DR, but then its not as portable. I did a video showing a homemade antenna from Walmart I built and I hooked that into my handheld and it worked fine. My best advice is get a good radio that has the features and bands you want to use. Once you have that, focus only on antennas. Antennas are the key to a good radio experience. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions and I will see what I can do to help! I appreciate the comment/question. Thanks for watching. Good luck! 73!!!
I can’t seem to find anyone around me interested in helping out a newbie get set up. Once I get that things will get easier. I’ll probably get the 7300 and hopefully it is a band that is used enough and can be relied on in an emergency to get information on.
There is a rather large ham radio family on RUclips and on various social media that are always going to be willing to help you out with anything you need I can point you in the direction of a couple other channels that would allow you to learn more stuff and get involved with our community in case you ever have any problems or issues I have any problems or issues. Just let me know.
The 7300 is a hf radio and the yaesu ft991 is a shack in a box. Its like testing a car v tractor. The icom 7100 is a shack in a box and similar to the 991.
A bit pedantic, I know, but... 10:21... just to clarify, it's not really a matter of "preferring" the 991A for UHF/VHF, it's the ONLY choice. I have both radios and as I'm sitting here being all pedantic on something you've said, looking over at the radios, I must admit that there's something you haven't mentioned that's quite glaring, to me anyway. The Yaesu is sexier. The illuminations above the VFO knob, the way the panel is designed with the buttons clustered around the VFO. Very visually appealing. That's all I have between the 2. The difference between really, really liking a radio and really, really really liking one.
You are correct! The 991 interface is MUCH sexier than the Icom. I will give the win to Yaesu for that!!! I still have my FT3DR and my FTM-400 and the screens on both are just beautiful! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT So, having spent my first weekend with the radio (FT-991A) there's a few things I don't like... Memories is a big one for me... first of all, my FT3DR (OUR FT3DR !) has 900 memories.... the FT-991A has 100... On my FT3DR, using the FREE software from Yaesu, I can create and name, up to 24 memory banks, with whatever frequencies I want to add, populating them. FT-911A - you can "group" memories in groups of 20. No naming, just a max of 5 groups of 20 channels. Really ? So, my list of 70cm repeaters that I can hit, is more then 1 memory "group" can hold. There goes my dream of having a Wires-X, Fusion, 70cm, 2m and Scanning memories programmed and called what they are. On the subject of scanning, my FT3DR can hear from 500hz to 1GHz... the RX frequency range on the FT-991A is woeful by comparison. Love the radio for 70cm/2m (you're right, the radio is deaf to some weaker stations I can pick up on my 7300... sitting side-by-side, same antenna etc)... I just wish that Yaesu had given us more control and freedom and QUANTITY to use the memory features as we wish. One more thing. I appear to have the knack for crashing RT Systems software at an alarming rate...
To be honest, I am fed up with Yaesu since a long time already. The last model I owned was FT-2000D and bfore this model my last brandew Yaesu Radios were the FT-1000Mark V Field and FT-847. Before I bought me the 2nd IC-7300 I was eye balling with the FT-991A to buy it. I wasn't sure if I really need a 2m and 70cms Radio because my playground goes from 160-6m priority. So it was another IC-7300 in my shack onad no FT-991A which I am NOW glad to made the right Decission in this matter. Yaesu is banned from my shack for a long period in future. Thx for the Great Job you doing Scott. 73's & happy thursday de Your Friend Uncle Guenter
Sorry to hear you had so many issues with the Yaesu's. I think they are still good radios, but the Icoms just seem a bit better. The other reason I had originally purchased the Yaesu was that they had a better warranty than Icom, and still do. However the difficulty in navigating through the radio to use the features I think was not well thought out. I have not had the opportunity to play with any other models than the 991A and I have to wonder if other models are similar or if they made improvements to the menus and filters. Thansk for the comment as always Uncle! Have a great week! 73!!
@@HR4NT 151 menu steps no one really needs...I used to be a big Yaesu Fan in the 1980s til 2000. There's just so many things behind the Walls of Yaesu - Musen which are not thought out well enough...how I found out. Hopefully the japanese crystal meth laboratories produce better quality... 😂😂😂😂👍
The feature that most miss about these two is the user interface (the UI). Try this next time you see these two radios. On the screen touch the frequency and see what happens. That is all you need to know. Why? Just like you phone, when you touch something is reacts, there is an expectation.
I agree. Once you get used to how the 7300 works and then try to repeat that on the 991 and nothing happens, it's a bit of a letdown...LOL Thanks for watching. 73!
I totally agree with you when it comes to the 991a (you took the words right out of my mouth) I think on a H,F an old Realistic DX-302 could pick up more weak stations then the 991a - and that's why I got myself G90 it just wipes the floor with the 991a. from spending over £1200 11 months ago to a much better radio for £300. (I'll learn from my mistakes). Anyway cracking video and looking forward to your next one 73's.
Thank you for the comment. I would have never thought of pitting the 991 to a G90. Very interesting with the results you mentioned. I am not bashing the 991, however the 7300's functionality is just...better. Thanks for watching. 73!
Which has better noise reduction? Is it possible that your loosing weak station sensitivity on the FT991a by using inappropriate DNR settings? Thanks for the valuable comparison.
Before jumping on the expenditure of another radio I tried everything I could and I am still trying on occasion to see if I can get better performance out of the 991. The stations it DOES hear, come in loud and clear. My main complaint is hunting down the settings. Glad you enjoyed the video. 73!
If I sit on the fence for long enough... Icom will make a 7400 with vhf/uhf! Haha Thanks for your observations, I have heard similar comparisons elsewhere too. I have some HT's but really want to get HF as well as do alot with different digital modes aswell. 🍻🤠
Take your time and research the features that you want in a radio and THEN go get one. There is no race to get on HF...it will always be here. It is better to buy the best radio that suits YOUR needs above all. Thanks for watching and for the comment! 73!
For your RF noise problem, look for one of those inductive charging pads for phones. I have heard of them causing significant hash on the HF bands. Jim N4FAF
Than you for the tip. We actually did the breaker box check and turned everything off and one at a time flipped breakers top see if it made a difference. There was no notable RFI coming from within my home. The problem seems to be a neighbor with solar panels which has been addressed and currently being fixed. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Thank you very much! I really need to get back into my Morse code training again and become more proficient. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Thanks for the video! I own both the 991 (non-A) and the 7300 and share your opinion fully. FT8 is very easy to set up on the 7300 as well, even easier than the 991 (as I had to set up some filtering options to maximize) The 7300 also has a 'slow down' the VFO option which is the little slider under the VFO knob - it will do the same and make precision tuning as easy as the 991. Give it a try :) Also the noise-filtering of the 7300 I find easier on the ears than the 991, but that might be improved in the 991a. 73 the PC4AD
Hi Anton! I agree. They are both great radios, i just have them setup for different requirements based on my needs in radio. I did not know about that 7300 slide...I'll go check that out. Thanks for the tip! 73!
Yeah, i have the 991a and the 705z Same thing. The icom is much more sensitive. i actualky have to use a high pass filter to get rid of MW noise in my area to use my 705. 991a has no problem.
Thanks for the comment. They are both great radios, but you will find you have preferences for one over the other sometimes. I have both, and like both. Thanks for watching. 73!
I have heard a similar claim as well but cannot confirm that just yet. My 7300 really seems to be able to pull out frequencies pretty well. It may be the area I am in when operating one or the other or time of day, but my 7300 seems to perform rather well. Thanks for the comment and for watching. I will continue to do some testing and see what I can find. 73!
I talked to a guy in Bosnia on my 991a, very weak signal, so you might have a different issue going on as to why you can't get weaker signals to come in.
Since this video I found the reason is a guy a few houses down with solar panels emitting massive RFI into my radio. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
That is a good question. I have an FTM-400XDR in my truck, and it seems to work just fine. I have seen others use that as a base VHF/UHF radio and the price is right. The only other choices I could think of would be the ICOM 9700,l but now you are looking at $1500 for a VHF/UHF radio. I would probably just use the 400XDR as my primary VHF/UHF based on price point and it still pushes 50 watts. Thank you for the comment. Hope that helped a bit. 73!
@@HR4NT The problem with the Ftm400 is that it is NOT all mode. I want the ic7300 but I also want something that will do vhf all mode. Is there such a stand alone radio?
@@bigdinsa656 That's FT-991A. It even has backlit buttons that none of Icoms have... The only thing you might not like about it is that it is power-hungry.
Well...there kind of is a radio like that...its the IC-705. All mode all band...BUT it is only 5 watts or 10watts with an external battery. You can add an amp to it and make it 1200Watts, but then you are spending another $500-$700 on top of the $1300 for the 705. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I like the 7300 only for the bigger screen. I want the 991a because of the all mode. ICOM should have made the 7300 all mode too compete with the 991a. why they did not is beyond me. but ICOM always does this.
If you need an all mode all band radio then yes, the 991A is a great choice. I too am confused as to why Icom would not have made a similar radio because as it stands now you have to have a 7300 AND a 9700 to get the same thing in a 991. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Icom would rather you get their IC-9700 for all other modes and IC-705 for QRP... The FT-991A is the best bang for the buck right now and will be for a while.
Well being on the receive end of these radio's being down under I can tell who is using a 7300 with a lot of processing, it's not good and once they wind things back a bit they come clean. I use FT-9000D and FT-2000D and through both radios the same problem exists for the 7300. Don't over do you RX filtering! I have a friend that agrees it is a problem with his 7300.
And enormous number OF hams are going to want to use FT8 and four a lot of first timers will appreciated the 991 being fully ready for this mode. While we're evaluating radios let's teach hams the proper lingo of what is going on---- for example when you say one radio hears signals and the other does not, that is an evaluation of sensitivity. How sensitive is the radio?? I have found ICOM models comes in general are very sensitive. However as soon as you discover grEAT sensitivity you must evaluate selectivity. What I mean is and what I've seen also happening in ICOM radios, is that you hear several signals others do not, but you're ICOM hears a number of signals you wish you could. Separate them. That is called selectivity so ask ICOM IF IT cannot separate out a number of signals you wish. When evaluation comes. One must evaluate sensitivity and selectivity because one works with or against the other. Today most of the better ham radios for sale new are "state-of-the-art" meaning that's a sensitivity is at the highest science can provide ,so selectivity and noise handling becomes very important. Handling all kinds of noises with different circuits and knobs as a feature of the best radios we now can buy. Are ham radios are not state-of-the-art when it comes to handling noise because hams require the signals they listen to to be intelligible all the time. This is not necessarily important for commercial applications of radio. Evaluation of a ham rig must include noise handling of it. Here is a new concern. Today's receivers use front end circuitry which is wide open and can receive highly sensitive but also receive many signals on top of each other. SDR technology has given us the need to spend money for hire selectivity and Noise handling because the sensitivity is already there. The use of what could be considered old fashioned crystal filter circuit are very important when used with SDR technology in receivers. The crystal filters provide selectivity. A concern about the ICOM IC7300 is that strong nearby signals well run over the weaker signals that you want to hear, and this particular radio is a weakness. Use of an unmodified IC 7300 in a setting like field day or if you live with a strong RF source, a big signal, nearby, your little ICOM well only hear the big strong signal and not selectively reject that.
Greetings K4VUD! I agree with what you said here. There will always be give and take with any radio that you own. With technology progressing like it does, you will get better features and so on, but it may sacrifice something else in the radio as you explained. There are definitely factors in today's radio that must be considered when buying one, however, overall, I think there are some fantastic choices out there, but you must be well-versed in them before choosing one. Thanks for sharing, for the comment and for watching. 73!
Many experts claim a warning about the icon 7800 receiver front end is too wide open and will be swamped by nearby strong RF. Some of the best experts caution about that and say they had a good receiver made like the 7800 is great if there are crystal filter circuits following to control the wide open front end
I'm likely to buy either the 7300 or 705. If I buy the 7300 I'll have to buy a good VHF/UHF hand held like the ID-52A. In Australia we have 3 classes of licence and I'm the lowest which is Foundation which limits me to 10w effective radiated power. So I can run a 7300 just at about 11-13w depending on losses. With the VHF and UHF bands I have a repeater close enough I should be able to easily get into it with a vertical. and the repeater has dual tone programming so I can jump repeaters. Thanks. VK1NME
Hey Shane! Thanks for the comment. It sounds like you have some good ideas there. There is nothing wrong with the 705 but being only 10 watts max it may limit you and not allow you to grow. The 7300 however, would allow for growth as you climb the license levels there in Australia, but as you say, in order for you to do VHF/UHF, you would have to have a secondary radio. I am sure you will make a decision that best reflects your needs. I appreciate you reaching out to me and thank you so much for watching the video. See you on the air sometime!!! Stay safe! 73!!!
I just purchased a Yaesu 991a and tried out the System Fusion (Wires-X, C4FM) and believe me, it all sucks big time. You Yaesu guys said that System Fusion provides crystal clear audio, but that just isn't the case. Every time I go to C4FM the audio is muffled, muddled and other Ham's voices sound like computer generated voices. If I had purchased the Yaesu 991a for the digital mode, I would have immediately returned it. I was considering an ICOM 7300 but other Hams have told me that D-Star (Death Star) is even worse than System Fusion. You guys that designed the digital portion have a long way to go before I consider it a proper mode of communication. I purchased the Yaesu 991a because of it's all mode. We have a 2 meter SSB net here every Wed. night & 2 meter sideband radios are hard to find. W Rusty Lane K9POW in eastern Tennessee
Before I knew what was required for System Fusion, I bought the 991 with that in mind. No one in my area has a WiresX repeater setup, so that entire part of the radio feature was a bust for me. I ended up selling the 991 because I wanted to separate my VHF operations from my HF and FT8 operations. Ended up replacing it with the 7300 and couldn't be happier. I don't use DStar, but that menu system on the 7300 is a dream compared to the 991. Thanks for watching and for the comment., 73!
Thanks for the review. Frankly, I do not think this is an apples-to-apples comparison. Yaesu sells other radios that complete more directly with the IC-7300. Small potatoes department: You do not explain why we want/need to have more control over the waterfall display if it shows where the action is. Like I should care what color it is? I am more interested in making contacts, than marveling at a custom color scheme. Why does this matter to my buying decision? Serving Suggestion: Perhaps you could lower your mic gain, back away, and speak slightly off axis, and have cleaner video narration. I would mention this privately if RUclips gave us a way to do that. MJ
I was comparing these two because they are what I had at the time and they were in the same price range. Although I do like my customization, you are correct the color doesn't mean much beyond that. Thanks for watching and for the comment! 73!!
ICOM IC-7300 no brainer, had one and best rig on the market for under 1000 dollars. I upgraded to the IC-7610. Had a ft991 sold it and glad I did, too many silly menus and poxy screen.
Thank you for the comment! I have considered selling my 991A, however for what IU specifically use it for, I like it. Now that my HF needs are fully covered by the 7300, the 991 serves as a backup and to use on our simplex network in case of emergencies. Thank you again! 73!
I thought the same thing until I wanted to operate on VHF and do FT8 on HF at the same time. That posed a problem for me, so I had to separate my VHF/UHF from my HF. If that is not an issue for you, then you will probably be happy with that radio. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I stopped this at 4:20 as I see already the 7300 is the preferred radio by this guy. Just admit you are clearly biased because you already own it. Having said that I looked at the 7300 for some time before I decided to get the 991A. I have had 2 warranty repairs already but would never sell it. I love the radio, not so great display and all. Its a real workhorse and I didn't get the radio for a display but rather for the features and the operation. This 991A checks off ALL the boxes for me. Not to mention the great receive and I have the FT-DX10 and I use the 991A much, much more than the DX10 and we all know the DX10 puts the 7300 away. Yaesu has some issues but all in all the 991A is a much better radio in my opinion and if they could retrofit a better display or sell a tap kit to extend the display to your PC, etc I believe it would gain much more praise. Just my few pennies...
Hi Kenneth! I actually own both. The 991 was my first radio when I got into the hobby. After a few frustrations with it I decided to go ahead and buy a 7300 to see if there was a difference. Both radios have their pro's and con's. Just in my personal experience the 7300 was easier to use and navigate and I have really enjoyed it. My 991A is primarily for local repeater stuff, FT8 and occasional late night CW as it is my base station radio at the moment. I did have to send the 991 back for repairs about a month into owning it, however they fixed it quickly and all is fine now with no further issues. Everyone will have their preferences and that is fine! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT I hope you didn't get the wrong intention from me, As a fellow Ham I understand each purchase of new equipment is a holy type experience for each person that is in the hobby/service and as with anyone the menu's will be easier or harder for some that are just wired that way. I have watched a number fo videos were the Rcv was hammered on the 991A or the NB compared to the 7300 and I see they never adjusted the NB or ANL in the menu to compare it correctly. There is also the human ear which is different from person to person so sometimes these comparison videos are really just the operators personal experience with their radio. anyway, Lets just enjoy the hobby/service....
I do not have any experience with using an amp with my radios, so I will taker your word for it. There are plenty of radios out there to choose from and I am sure you will find one that suits your needs. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I got my Technician license back in May, and acquired my General license this past September. Like you I have multiple Repeaters near by so VHF/UHF is easy to use and get out there, plus I have a DMR hotspot that works great. There are features on both radios that I like but the menu function of the IC7300 is far superior and more user friendly.
Hey Mike, thank you for watching and for the comment. Having repeaters nearby is an awesome thing to have access to. I really like the functions and features of the 7300 over the 991. Thanks again! 73!
@@HR4NT just about every Ham i know has a 7300...great rig....but I'm trying to aquire a 991a while they are still discounted...yet supply is tight at all ham radio stores.
LOL. I am on him about it. I think he is catching on that you don't blow that kind of money and NOTY use your product! Thanks for the comment 45 Auto! 73
The receiver in the 991 is far superior. The issue is that at first glance it's not obvious how to bring out the best in it. Once you learn how to properly use filtering, contour, and attenuation, it is a dream.
I continue to play with my 991A. Unfortunately now due to the neighbor with solar panels a few houses down, my radio operation at the QTH is very limited. I will have to bring it out to a park and try it out there. Don't get me wrong, it is a fantastic radio and I love it, but I find the 7300 a bit easier to navigate. I appreciate the advice. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I liked my 991-A, but I agree with the comment about the menus. I always felt like I was lost when using menus. It was kind of weird. I did love the waterfall display though. I loved it. But I am more of a VHF UHF guy. Not really into the HF yet.
There are pro's and con's to any radio. Just have to find and use what best fits your needs and wants. When you do get into HF, you will be instantly addicted...LOL Just sayin' Thanks for watching. 73!
I had some problems with my Yaesu 991A when I first bought them....bought several. But, Yaesu hung in there with me, honored their warranty and things finally got worked out. I still don't know what was going on with the rigs but Yaesu fixed it and I've been a happy 991A operator for some time now.
Yaesu is very good at honoring their warranties of their customers. Sorry you had so many issues, but glad it was resolved quickly and in a timely manner! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT Yes they are and while at time we had a contentious relationship at the end of the day I'd like to think it just took a little heat in order to produce light.......they might not see it that way but I do. KUDO's to Tim and Juan.
Originally, I was going to purchase the Xiegu G90. But after watching your videos and others doing my due diligence, I narrowed it down to the 991a and the 7300. The president of my local Ham Club e-mailed back and said the Xiegu G90 was a bad move because it basically a QRP radio and said many or most of the club members had 7300s. But by the time I got his e-mail, I had already ordered the 991a. And I will tell you the “shack in a box” pretty much sealed the deal. Using your “buy once, cry once” philosophy, I wanted the most bang for my budget bucks. What I didn’t realize is how little I would use VHF/UHF (I’ve used it exactly twice) long enough to set up the 991a to “hit our repeaters” and make a few QSOs. I told my wife, the 991a is like your new I-Phone, way more settings than I’ll ever probably use but maybe eventually will . I’ve learned a lot about the 991a and I continue to learn each day. What I would suggest to new 991a owners, learn the basics to get up and running, check the manual and You Tube and get smarter. If as Hams we don’t take time to try to be masters of the equipment we now have, our shacks will start looking like thrift stores and we’ll most likely still not be satisfied. 73 Tom, KQ4DCT
Thank you for sharing that story! Sorry to hear that you missed out on the 7300. However, you "could" put it up for sale and buy a 7300 if you wish to pursue that route, but if you are happy with what you have then just go play radio and enjoy the hobby. Yes, gear is important, but having fun and enjoying your self I think is much more important and if that need is being met, you are winning. Thank you for watching and for the comment. 73!!
I was in that boat too when i got my license back abt 5 yrs ago, i didn't know where to start on buying a radio. After a long search i bought an Icom 718 on a recommendation from a fellow ham (I wanted a 7300 back then but they were WAY out of my budget) but i lived on the ground floor of an apartment with no way to put up an antenna, so i decided to do more research and found K8MRD on RUclips and he was running a Yaesu ft-891 and i fell in love with the portability. I decided i was going to be a portable operator only and the 718 was a cinderblock to carry around so i sold my 718 and bought an 891(wished i'd have kept the 718 now). 5 yrs later I now live in an HOA and run a rain gutter antenna with my trusty 891 at home and now i'm looking to buy a 7300 for (like you stated) the simplicity it brings to the shack, along with a MUCH simpler digital hook up than i run now and this way i can put the 891 back into portable use. I love my 891 but the menu is a royal pain to navigate even all these years later. Thanks for the video, i always enjoy your straight forward approach to the hobby. Hope to work you sometime, 73 de W8MJL & K8MKL
Hey Michael, I appreciate you sharing that story! I have both the 891 and the 7300, but they are brought out for various reasons when I want that specific radio. It would be great to get you in the log! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I had exactly the opposite experience with a 991a and 7300 with weak signals. A buddy that owned one for 2 years was running the 7300 and I was running my 991a which I had only owned for 3 months. I was able to tune in and filter out things he was not able to on the same exact antenna within seconds of each other using a few switches so we could compare results. A true head to head with two radios to see what we could get. The 991a was much faster to tune up, filter out and hear every weak signal we tried for. The complaints you have about the menu system is because you weren't using the radio to its potential. Changeable soft keys that are variable based on what you are doing and super fast dial to the setting by turning to an exact item and making the change is way faster and easier than pressing a bunch of buttons and going 3 levels deep to filter something out. All of the filter options are right together and much easier to access than the 7300. As you said the 991a is all ready to go for digital modes and again the filtering systems and soft keys change as you change anything you do. The 7300 takes time to reconfigure anything and everything you do as you make changes in operating modes. You are absolutely 100% spot on with the display on the 991a and the only thing I wish the 991a has that the 7300 has is AAC, SWR and power out on separate meters. On the 991a you have to push one button to scan through them. I only find this annoying when running FT8. Sound card, C4FM, 2m and 440 not only on FM but side band as well and the 991a is head and shoulders above the 7300. I tell my friends that hang their heads when they see what the 991a can do when out in the field compared to their 7300, to not worry about it. Comparing these two radios is apples to oranges. One would be mad at a single cab pickup truck for not comfortably hauling 7 of your drunk buddies on a road trip or at a minivan for not towing your huge boat very well. 2 totally different radios by design and especially when comparing filtering. With plenty of time running both the 991a is my go to radio more often than not. Awesome video as usual and I really appreciate all that you do for our awesome hobby.
W2GPR
I get it. Like I said in the video this was based solely upon my experiences with the two radios. I have messed with customizing the buttons below on the screen of the 991 and it could simply be my inexperience with the unit. That is entirely possible. But I did and still find navigating through the menu system to be a bit of a bear on the 991, not saying it sucks, but it just takes more time and I guess in our world of instant gratification these days (lol) I get impatient and want things to respond quicker. With FT8 I love the functionality of the 991. Controlling everything seems to be very simple and I have made a ton of contacts. I have yet to try this on the 7300, however my son just got the cable to hook his 7300 to FT8, so I will most likely get an opportunity to play with his unit on FT8 and see what I think from there. Glad you liked the video and I appreciate the input on your experience with your 991!! Thanks for watching..73!!
The apples to oranges is a fair analogy.
Also, soft key setup based upon personal operating preferences are a big deal with Yaesu radios with traditional menus.
Fortunately, Yaesu puts the most commonly used items up front on buttons and knobs.
Most compare the IC-7300 to the FTdx-10, which to a lesser degree is still an apples to oranges comparison.
Both the FT-991a and FTdx-10 have piqued my interest. As a condo dweller in an RFI rich environment that puts a premium on portable operations and shack in the box radios I want to move into the 21st century.
However, for the moment I am staying with my stable of 1ea IC-706MKiig, 1ea FT-897, and 2ea FT-857d. They are all great shack in the box portable radios. They only lack the more sophisticated SDR signal processing for combating QRM.
However, the newer radio are more power hungry, which is a major consideration for portable operation.
On a different note, for the first time in years I had clean bands at my portable operating at a local park that warranted turn off IPO and turning up RF gain instead of turning it down. 17m was 100% free of background noise and stations were coming well from Europe. I had perfect 59 copy on stations with an S0 on the meter.
Usually I am fighting S3 to S9 noise depending upon the band and time of day.
@@HR4NT TV in my feed
The band filters in the 7300 are also present in the 991. These filters are used for preselection and transmit harmonic suppression and are present on both radios. The 991 also has a roofing and IF filter, and only has to digitize the signal of interest rather than the 7300 which wastes its ADC capability digitizing the entire band including parts you really don't care about such as broadcast stations. Theres no reason for the 991 to not be able to hear something the 7300 can unless yours is damaged somehow. You can try turning on the attenuater and if a station suddenly shows up it means there is overload damage.
I'd also like to mention that the 991 has C4FM/Fusion capability, which is like getting a $500 radio thrown in as a bonus.
My first 991A took a dive about a month into owning it, so I sent it back for repair. They ended up replacing it with a new one which seems to work fine. I will try your suggestions, but after extensive research, others have stated what I said in the video where the 7300 heard stuff the 991 didn't. I will check into your suggestions and see if I can get better performance from the 991. Thank you for the tip! 73
Gotta tell you - your videos are the best sounding and best looking I have seen in a while. Oh and the topics are awesome too. LOL Thanks and keep up the great work that you do for the HAM community.
I really appreciate that. I worked hard to make sure that the production quality was top notch and the topics interesting and informative. Thanks for watching...73!
I found your channel just now by way of serendipity and I'm glad I did. I started out with the Xiegu G90 When I got back into HF and had a lot of fun with it and it's pretty cool how much you can do with only 20 watts and it's still hooked up in my shack, but it seemed that all anybody was talking about was how good the 7300 was so I started doing a bunch of research and watching some of the guys out here showing it off and I started learning about SDR radios and decided this was definitely something I wanted to try. Best thing I ever did. For my
UHF/VHF/220 use I just grabbed a little VTech four band UV 25x4 rig on an Amazon lightning sale and put it on the desk next to it with a dedicated antenna system and I've got everything I need at this point. Now, all I need is to save up a few clams and get that Mercury III amplifier kit that I hear so many people saying saying is also really good.
Hey that sound like you have a good plan in place. Welcome to the channel BTW!!! I do try to bring good, solid information to everyone who watches and not waste your time with idle chit chat. I would like to get an amp someday, but at the moment, the gear i have seems to work fine and I am happy as a clam to be out in nature and making contacts all over the world. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Brilliant video,and much needed I think,I’ve a G90 operating through a mag loop as I live in flat and no antennas allowed.I love your “ get whet works for your situation “attitude - my set up isn’t brilliant but it’s all I can do for now and it works-and that’s what matters in the end-greetings from the UK -2E0HFO
Hey Simon! Welcome to the channel. I think it just makes sense to get on the air and enjoy the hobby with whatever is available to you. I would like a tower, however the powers that be forbid it, so I fully understand. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!!
I have owned both as well. I currently only have the 7300. I wouldn't hesitate for a second if I saw a good deal on another 991A!
The 991A is a good radio, I just think they should have simplified the menu system and made it easier to access from the front of the radio, not 154 sub menus. Thank you for the comment. 73!!
From comparing my 991 to several others of different models and manufacturers I find the 991 menu fairly simple and straight forward with easy understood options. My 2 cents from a small fortune and many years wasted on many radios. K0LC
I got my Technician about the start of July and general at the end of August, and I feel like we were in kind of a similar path. What I eventually worked out from talking to people is that the 991a is a traditional radio with a scope / waterfall bolted on and the 7300 is an SDR from front to back. The practical implication as I was told is that the discrimination and selectivity of the 7300 is worse when in something like a pileup versus the 991a. That's the most technical answer I've found searching around. If there's a technical analysis or review of the backend of these two radios somewhere that'd be neat to read. I only seem to find opinion pieces when I try and search the internet at large. - KI5QOC
Thank you for the comment. Congratulations on passing your Tech and now General!! They are similar radios, but also quite different, I agree. However when I see many videos of other youtubers out there recording a POTA session and getting a pile up, they seem to be able to handle it quite well. I think that just comes over time with plenty of practice and training your ear to hear specific stations calling you. I have yet to experience a pile up and I am sure when it happens part of me will freak out a bit. Thanks for watching and thank you for sharing this! 73!
If your RFI problems stop at night, check to see which neighbors have solar panels.. the inverters they use can be very noisy but can often be corrected with ferrites and other filters..
That is a good recommendation., thank you! I will look into it. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
To be clear the signal does NOT go through 15 filters before it reaches your ears. There are 15 band pass filters and depending on what frequency you are on the signal will pass through one of them, not all 15. If your signal went through all 15 band pass filters you would never hear anything on any frequency because you would be filtering out the entire HF band.
Thank you for the clarification and correction. 73!
991a has no band pass filters?
@@s8ultra732 Did you read what I wrote? I don't think I could have been more clear.
@mikesradiorepair OBVIOUSLY, you did not wrote about 991a band pass filter. Im just clarifying from the video uploader when he said that Band Filters for 991a is lacking. You only wrote about the 15 band pass filters of the 7300 because the video uploader said that 7300 has 15 band pass filters and you corrected him. You are the one who did not read my question lol! Lmfao
Excellent presentation! Thank you!
You're very welcome! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!
I recently found your channel, and am really liking it. I'd like to offer another perspective. Originally, I *really* liked the idea of the 991a, and the "shack in a box" but after a LONG time of considering the best path for me, I decided I'd like to have the *exact same* VHF/UHF setup in the house and vehicle. This way, I can get intimately familiar with the radio operation, so that when I'm in the mobile, I'm not playing and hunting around for options, knobs, buttons.. etc. It's just intuitive because I use the same setup in the house. As such, I now no longer give so much attention to the "shack in a box" idea. The only place I think that makes sense now, is if you are limited on space or budget, for the most part.
Yeah I pretty much have to agree with you. I thought I wanted a shack in the box solution as a way to save money until I wanted to operate digital modes on HF AND be on VHF doing simplex operations...that messed everything up for me. I ended up selling the 991A recently and just staying with the 7300. In order to have my VHF, I purchased a Yaesu 2980 which is VHF only, BUT pushes 80 watts.
I like your idea of having one model radio both in your house and in your vehicle and your reasoning is logical. As you said, space and budget might sway one to go for the shack in the box idea. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
This is by far the best video that I’ve seen comparing the two radios. Thanks for helping me make up my mind. Yaesu and Icom are two great companies. Currently I own a Yaesu FT5DR. I’m buying a ICOM 7300. 73’s! KY4NK
Glad it was helpful! It is my goal to bring the viewers the best info I can that is accurate and first hand of possible! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!!
Cool. Honest answers to some important questions.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the comment and for watching. 73!
Very informative. Especially for newbies that just got there GENERAL. I’m in the process of getting my General. I already invested in the yaesu 891. But one day I will need to invest in a base model. Your videos are informative and certainly cleared up some questions. Thanks again
Glad it was helpful! Good luck on ACING your General!!!!! I have an 891 and love it. But for home operations i like the waterfall displays and more up front features and functions of the 991 and 7300. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT as a side note. I also think if you want QRP you can also the power down on the 891. No knocks on the IC705. But I can the best of both worlds with a 891 for portable and a 7300 for a base station
Find a good deal on an FTDX 3000 and set it up with a panadapter and cat control via a dongle. Investigate. Could likely do same with 991. It's cool.
I’ll add this and it may not apply to your RFI situation. I had a similar deal. Bad RFI durning the day, noise floor would drop a bit but noise was always there. I tracked the issue down to both electrical lines and the city water system of gathering numbers, as they use a wireless type connection. Check your water main area.
I have not tried that before! I'll keep that in mind! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
The UK version of 7300 does HF 1.8 - -30 And VHF 6m and 4m ()70mhz)
I did not know that! Thank you for sharing! 73!
I was replacing my FT-857D, the 7300 doesn't do above HF and, as a result, doesn't even do D-star. I do not regret getting the 991-A with C4FM HF, 6M plus 2m, and 70cm. The receive is far better than my 857D, it seems to me. I keep looking at Icom, Kenwood, and others in a similar price range and keep landing on Yaesu.
If that is the case then that is the right radio for you. Choosing a radio is all perspective and needs. The Icom fit me better, but there is noting wrong if the Yaesu works better for you! That's fantastic. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Thanks for the video, I subed too! I'm on the fence here. I have a 7100, I like it but it's a little too much for a true portable radio. I picked up a FT891 for my POTA work and it really kills it! Love the 891. So I picked up a FTdx10 for the QTH it's working pretty awesome here but with noise levels and not the greatest antenna up it seems to suffer more but it does work and I love it. So here is my dilemma, I think I want to mount my 891 into my truck with a atas and get another radio for my POTA work. First thought was to get another 891 due to the success that I've already had. Then the 991a came to mind as its a bit more featured then the 891. But we I've watched a few videos on your very topic and it just seems that the 7300 would be a better fit. When talking to my contacts I'll bet that I'll get 7300 users 10:1 over the 991a. Yaesu has just started a 3yr warranty on their stuff so there's that. But, the 7300 is about $150 less then the 991a. Do you see the dilemma I'm in?? Lol!! Anyway thank you for the video and dumbing stuff down for us!!
73
KE0DSD
Thanks for the sub and welcome to the channel!!!! I truly appreciate it! If you are going to focus on HF and not worry about VHF/UHF, then hands down the 7300 would be my choice. It is user friendly, it has the power, etc. When I go do POTA that is what I take. I have my 705 as a backup or if I want o use lower power for some reason, but the 7300 performs beautifully in the field. The thing with the 991A is the all band all mode feature, but if you aren't in need of the VHF/UHF, then I wouldn't sweat it. If you mount your 891 in your vehicle, that can work just fine, but also think about this...if you install it in a way that you "could " remove it for portable ops and make it so that it isn't a massive pain to detach from your vehicle, that may be a way to have both without spending any more money. Just a thought. Either way I don't think you can really go wrong, just know that once you taste the wonderful world of a waterfall...it will spoil you...LOL Thanks for the comment and for watching. If you have any questions feel free to contact me anytime! 73!
Next is Equipment and my limitations.
2.
I need two equipment - one at home and one in truck. I am mostly in
remote forest roads where there is no cell service - how to communicate
back home ?
Please help !
Ok so to be fair. the 15 filters on the 7300 are bandpass filters. They are not kicked in all at once. The 7300 is a direct sampling radio and the 991A is a superhet. Bandpass filters are often needed to reduce the load on the a.d converter. The superset doesn't need that, because the IFs are the bandpass filters.
Very good to know. Thank you for sharing that! 73!
Can you tell me the widest receive bandwidth for AM is on the 991A. I had a chance to use a 7300 for a couple of months. I like listening to Hams on 75m AM as well as shortwave and the AM broadcast band. I was blown away with the quality of the AM. It sounded as good as my old Hammarlund SP210 receiver. The wide bandwidth the 7300 offered made it sound great on AM. SSB also sounded fantastic with the wider bandwidth
I would assume the receive bandwidth on the 991A would be identical to the 7300. I honestly have not looked into that and can't give you a solid answer at this time. The quality on both radios as far as sound is phenomenal. I know they sell external aftermarket speakers for these, but unless you have some specific reason for needing it, the onboard speaker is just fine. I have a lot of fun with both radios. I have just separated them out for specific tasks in my ham radio use. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT I don't believe they are. If you still own both, go to the IC-7300, tune to an AM station like shortwave then widen the I.F. bandwith and note the width in khz. Then do the same with the 991A. From memory I seem to remember the 991A I.F. bandwidth on AM was less. I have to go look up the specs on the 991A again.
Thanks, looking closely at these two for my first radio radio base. I am a new general. Use to run SSB 40 + years back and loved it so drawn to HF. I have a Yaesu VX-6R and lots of repeaters I can hit. One 2 meter 1/4 mile away. You’ve got me second guessing myself on the 991a. The 7300 seems like a real step on HF and the learning curb of the 991a on my old brain May push me over the edge 🤪. I’m thinking I’d spend lots of time on UHF/VHF and special dedicated evenings for skip hunting. Of course, I love the VX-6R and while limited on frequencies I could hook up an external. Anyway, I really enjoy your channel. I’m checking used market too.
If you think that you will spend a lot of time on VHF/UHF, you may want to consider the 991A because the 7300 doesn't do those bands being HF only. The price of the Icom 9700 is just too much unless you REALLY want to do some serious VHF/UHF. Weight your options and you will find the best radio for your needs. I ended up selling my 991A and replaced it with a VHF only Yaesu 2980. So I now run that and my 7300 and I'm pretty happy. Never really did much with UHF, so that wasn't an issue for me. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!
Great video man. I appreciate you.
Thank you very much for watching and commenting! I am glad you enjoyed the video! 73!
The side by side information shown was very helpful. A very good comparison video. 👏👏👏👍👍
Glad you liked it. I tried to be thorough. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I have the ic7300 it is a very lively rig . It's achilles heel is rf gain is unsatisfactory in bringing out the weak sigs .
I am keen top band user and come up against weak sigs a lot in the noise . All my other rigs , including ic781 , ic 746 , ic 7200 , ic 703 , ft897 , ft 817 , ts 480 hx, xiegu g90 . and my recent sold ft3000d and all outperform the ic7300 in noisy low band conditions where trying to listen to weak sigs .
The icom ic 7300 is a very good all round rig , but the rf/sql is very poor . Tks for the video . Greetings from Scotland. mm0udi .
WOW! That is quite a collection of radios!!! Very impressive. Thank you for sharing. I have not run into the issue you mention in your comment as of yet, but thank you for mentioning it. Glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching! 73!!
Is there an ICOM radio similar to the 7300 that has uhf/vhf?
Kind of...the Icom IC-7100 is a "shack-in-the-box" but does not have the colorful waterfall display like the 7300 and is the same price. www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-011766 I hope this helps. Thanks for the question and for watching. 73!
very good. I have a old Icom 735 and love that one. my back up. I up graded to 7300. FT8 on 7300 is great as well as outher digital modes. JS8 call SSTV PSK31 and bunch more. I like to keep my VHF UHF separate, that just me. I like the 9700 I want all mode AM/FM/SSB/CW/ digital on VHF and UHF and I want the 1.25 meter as well. hard find. 73's
Thanks for sharing. I too like keeping those separated and that's why i eventually sold the 991 and bought a 2980 for VHF only. Been happy every since. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Does any neighbor have solar panels? The micro inverters could be the source of RFI during the day.
I am looking around, but haven't spotted any as of yet unless they are not mounted on the roof and possibly mounted on a stand below the fence line. Thanks for the comment. 73!
Thanks for the video!
You're welcome! 73!
Hello Scott, thanks for this video. Just a little comment for the IC-7300: the European version has a kind of VHF in it. You can work the 4m band (70 MHz). It was the reason I choose this radio a few years ago. 6m and 4m are my primairy bands during the summer. Do not try to mod the american version for 4m because there are some parts missing to make it work as intended!
I did not know that! Very interesting! I appreciate you sharing that! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!!
12:04 it's probably because once you turn your house back on those "dirty devices" ALL share a common ground/neutral that's all tied together without a breaker in between... Ham Radio Crash Course did a solid video on RFI. Use a cheap shortwave radio (like $15 off Ama... can't post the full name...) to hunt down the culprits and get some circular ferrite cores that have a "43" material number in the description to loop the power cords through several turns.
I actually went through and did all that. the RFI is not in my house. After hunting it down it was determined that a neighbor has a noisy solar setup on his roof and tat is the source of 90% of my RFI. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73
@@HR4NT ugh... Get a taser and whip one of these up to toss on their roof! 😁 (JK!)😅ruclips.net/video/gAV8_D71M0o/видео.html
@@HR4NT that makes sense too, solar panels are really just specialized UV spectrum LED's, and cheap LED's can be horribly noisy. If you apply power to a solar panel and look at it with a camera that doesn't have a UV filter on the sensor or lens you can actually see them light up!
Iam fan of Yaesu but what about that FTDX-10 🤔
I honestly do not know much about it Paul. I have seen a few videos on it and I find it interesting, but not my thing. Really enjoying that 7300. Thanks for watching as always. 73!
Does the 7300 have backlit buttons and knobs?
The 7300 does not have backlit knobs or buttons. That is a feature that I wish it did have for those wishing to operate in low light conditions. Thank for the comment and for watching. 73!!
@@HR4NTthanks Scott! Things like that for a low lit shack, or screen brightness and glare when operating outside would seem important nowadays.
Hey buddy. I’m grabbing the 991A in the next day or so. What HF antenna do you suggest for me to just get in the air and make some contacts on 6 and 10? I appreciate your advice. Thanks and have a good weekend!
Hey thanks for writing in! I think your best bet, if you are able, would be to build one. Whether it is a simple dipole or an End Fed Half Wave antenna, that may be the answer for now. I assume you will want to use the other bands down the road as well? If so, it may be a good idea to look into a multi-band antenna like the DX Commander which you can choose the combination of bands you want to be able to use. I assume that you are a Technician Class operator, but maybe going for General at some point? The 991 being an all band all mode radio is capable of a lot of stuff, so a good antenna would give you a much better experience. And with a multiband you could at least tune into the other bands and listen while you are waiting to get your General (I am assuming here, so please forgive me if you are already a General or Extra). The other reason I suggest buying something like the DX is that when I looked for 6M & 10M antennas...they cost about as much as the DX Commander if not more! That is a bit ridiculous to me. You "might" be able to find a premade End Fed Half Wave that does 10 and 6 as well. That would be a bit cheaper. If your budget won't handle the cost, then building an antenna will be your best bet for now. I hope I was able to help you out. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT thank you for your input!! Much appreciated. Yes I’m just a tech at the moment studying for general, I was also thinking about building one for sure just getting information on what other people have used or are using. I wanted the shack in the box to be able to build off over time. I’m not trying to rush it in anyway, I have the rest of my life haha. Definitely going to build something and also grab an end fed for sure. Thanks again and have a great day! I hope you’re recovering is going well! 73
@@Cbro-621 I think that you are on the right track. The best thing for you to do is take your time with this learn as much as you can and research every bit of equipment that you can possibly can think of. The only other thing that I can think of that I tell my viewers quite often is to buy one's cry once meaning don't just buy anything because you can afford it now save up and get the stuff you really want the quality stuff and you will be a lot happier down the road.
@@HR4NT Awesome! That’s my thought process on this. I have been researching for months now on what rig I wanted to get and antennas, I just want to take my time and not rush. It’s a hobby no need to plow through it! Thanks again for your input! Have a good day
Had both the 7300 and the 991A for about a year and a half. I actually thought the 991 has better DSP and I was able to hear better. However the 7300 just overall had a better interface and it became my main rig. Then I tried a FTDX10 and well I just sold the 7300 lol. I know not the same and kinda the next step up but any complaints I had about the 991A were addressed in the FTDX10. I kept the 991A because of the size makes it easy to go portable and the UHF/VHF. 7300 is a fine radio though if I didn't have the extra to spend I certainly would have been more than content with it.
I have heard a ton of praise for the FTDX10! Maybe down the road I will get a chance to play with one. Like I said in the video, I am not bashing the 991A, but for my needs and situation, the 7300 outperformed the 991A with what i was doing with it. Still a great radio though. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
The Icom is also already setup for FT8 unlike other radios. FT8 works great on the Icom. On my FT-991A and the FT-710 I was always dropping the connection and having to reset it. The Icom never had that problem. However, both of these are good radios. Just create your own list of what you are wanting in a radio and do the comparisons. Thanks for posting.
I agree. Each person will have different needs and therefore a personal; choice in radios. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Tardy to the party here… this is a great video. I recently passed my general and plan to get a transceiver when I pass the Extra as a reward to myself. In the mean time I am doing the research struggle. I have not a clue as to what part of “hamming” will attract me the most, so the idea of the complete system that the 991 offers sounds like a good choice, but damn that ICom menu and screens seem so much more pleasing to use. Now there is the IC-705 but it only does 10 watts. Now I’m wondering if 10 watts is all I really need. The idea of low wattage and perfecting my antennas has an appeal itself. Thanks for your honest opinion! Keep up the good work!!!
If you are just starting out, I recommend a 100w rig. A lot less frustrating! Trust me. The 705 has its place, but you need to "want" to do QRP operating if you buy one. Do you have a heavy VHF/UHF presence where you live? If yes, then a shack in the box (991A) may make sense...if not, then the 7300 I think will be the best choice and give you year of enjoyment and use. It really depends on YOUR needs. I can give my opinion all day long, but it is still just an opinion. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT thanks for the input, it’s much appreciated. I has a short chat with my bro-in-law who is a long time ham too. I think I’m going for the 7300. I had a tech license way back in the 1990s but had long since expired. I have an old Radio Shack Htx-202 from those days that I think will scratch that 2 meter repeater itch well enough. I dug it out and it still works!! Keep up the channel, you have a great show. Cheers
I think the 991A is going to be my choice. I have a cabin up north and I like being able to travel with one radio. I do not like up to 2.2a for receive, but I don't see a lot of field use in my case where battery life is a issue. The 7300 is 1.3A and will double usable life.
Based upon your need for a radio you really cannot go wrong with either one. I prefer the 7300 because of the simplicity of use, but if you require 2M and 70CM, then the 991 is a clear choice. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I’m responding to you from my sons account. I’ve been doing this for a long time so I will make a couple of points you forgot to mention. In the case of the 991 the few things it can do that the 7300 is the vhf and uhf are not only fm bands there is sideband and am on those two band for contesting. Also the c4fm system fusion is also capable on the hf bands and not just vhf and uhf. So remember those considerations. I agree with you on the ease of menu on 7300 it is an awesome radio. I have a kenwood ts-2000 it to is a shack in the box but it does what the 991 does just minus the digital c4fm. But that radio can do something the 991 can’t it can crossband repeat not only on vhf and uhf but it will let you crossband to hf how cool is that. But as you say all depends on what you’re going to do with your shack for operating. Great video call sign KB1IWE Look me up.73’s stay safe.
Hey there KB1IWE!! Thank you for that info. I really appreciate that! When it comes to radios we all have to choose based upon what we want out of the radio. At first when I became a ham, I "thought" I wanted a shack in the box. Then, my tastes in radio changed and with that so did my choice of radios. I ended up selling my 991A and separated my VHF from my HF operations. Again thank you for the info! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I have owned both and keep the 7300, I do miss not having the vhf/uhf. one thing you forgot on your comparison is the FT991A has Three warranty and the 7300 has only one year warranty and that may be a deal breaker for someone
Yeah that was also a factor when I bought the Yaesu was the warranty coverage. I forgot to mention that in my presentation, but you are correct. That was a very attractive item when I was deciding between the two radios. Thanks for the reminder! 73!
@@HR4NT I will also add that Yaesu has awesome Tech support, I have never used Icom.
Ideal solution is IC7300+IC9700. CW connection on these is not a big deal for home station. I use CW on 2M 432 and 1296 mostly during contests. 73 de KT1R Lou in WV
That sounds like a great setup. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I originally purchased a Kenwood TS2000 when I was first licensed. Then got a FT857D for mobile I am considering purchasing either a 7300 or 991. I really like both radios. Now I’m thinking about getting into POTA/SOTA. I recently purchased a G90 but when I first powered it up. Obviously my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Now going to sell it !
73 Steve AA4SH
I think, and this is my personal opinion, but I really like the 7300. Many of the folks I do POTA with ALL have 7300's or the new Yaesu FTDX10. I still have my preference to the 7300 even though it was released in 2015. The menu system on the Icom radios , to me is simpler to navigate and get what I need done a lot quicker then the Yaesu menu system. I like the larger screen on the 7300 due to my eyesight at 52 is not what it use to be...LOL Do your research and if you have a chance to play with both radios, I suggest doing so in order to make the best decision that is best for you. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Press the "F" key for quick access to filters, not the main menu key which is loaded with 100+ items you don't necessarily use on a daily basis. This really is a tale of two radios that are apples to oranges. I love the look of the 7300 especially the scope and seems like a fine HF rig but seriously handicapped against total package of what a 991A provides. On the 7300 there is no FM, no C4FM, no 2M/70cm SSB or AM etc. do to a huge deficit in bands and features. You state the F991A couldn't receive the same signals but there are a lot of variables trying to do that kind of comparison unless you have a service monitor or RF signal generator for a 1 to 1 comparison. That said parts of the comparison were helpful to know and appreciated.
I am glad that you enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing that information. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Thanks for the video and the suggestion, I have my first radio that’s is a Yaesu FT-7250D dual bander and it’s a great budget radio, but I saw so many videos where the people says that de 991A doesn’t recibe like the 7300. I’m looking for the Ic-7300 or a Yaesu FTDX10 that is a little more expensive but great. Thanks 73 KP4CRJ
Glad you enjoyed the video! I don't think you can go wrong with the 7300 or the DX10. I have not had experience with the DX10 but those who have it seem to love it. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I have the ft 991 a as my first radio and just got my Tech license. I was disappointed to find the radio only has 50 watts max on 2 meter, why would that be? I can only reach repeaters about 12 miles out, I guess my antenna is not high enough? Thanks
First congratulations on passing your Technician!!!! That seems to be the standard unless you buy a dedicated VHF/UHF radio. The IC-9700 runs 100 watts, but is very expensive for what it is and the Yaesu 2980 (which I have) gives you 80 watts. You need a high gain antenna and have it up as high as you can get it if you are in an area where repeaters are far away. It will also depend on propagation conditions at the time. 50 watts on VHF is still pretty good, you just may need a better antenna higher off the ground. I hope this helped. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!!
@@HR4NT Thank you for your always helpful information!
I am not even licensed yet and these are the 2 radios I am considering. For my application the buddy stick pro Deluxe antenna will fit what I need for apartment living And setting up in my local areas. I should probably join a club and seek advice of the local folks. What's your advice on that? I appreciate your time and sharing with us. Thank you.
Hi Joseph! If you can find a good club and get to know the members I think it would be a good idea to get involved and make a few friends that you can ask questions about ham radio. If not, then you have a huge online ham community with RUclips and the various channels. We try to help each other as much as we can and with us there are no dumb questions. One good resource for the online is the after chat with Ham Radio Crash Course which is on Discord every Saturday Night after Josh's live stream. Many of us RUclipsrs and other hams are on that after chat for almost 4 hours each Saturday to answer any questions one may have about anything related to ham radio. I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck in passing your exams and getting the answers you need! Thanks for the questions and for watching. 73!
I have a Yaesu FT-991a and love it works well with my OCF dipole. The user interface is different from the IC-7300 but its a matter of preference. really any of the new base radios from Yaesu or Icom are not bad choices. Try them both if you have the ability before you buy. but either way you will get a good quality radio
I agree 100%. I wish i had the opportunity to try out every radio that I own before I bought it. Might have made a huge difference with my choices. Thanks for watching. 73!
I have to agree with you. I bought the IC-9700 and was delighted with it. I waited for the FT-DX10 and compared it with the IC-7300. Ease of use swayed me to the iCOM. The only thing I regret about the iCOM is the poor anti-aliasing filter, A compromise made to give it 4m coverage.
There is always going to be give and take with any radio purchase. That may be why we continue to buy a crap load of radios and have so many over the years...LOL No matter what radio you buy, if it works, allows you to make contacts and you have fun in the end, then I would say that is a win. We all want the perfect equipment, but sometimes i think we get caught up in that and forget to just go play radio and have fun with out hobby. Thank you for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT I only wish they:
1. Removed the pointless antenna tuner, the one that matches a 50Ω transmitter to a 50Ω feeder. Why do these radios have antenna timers? You place the tuner where the mismatch occurs, not at the end of the feeder!
2. Instead improve the filtering
3. Instead Include two antenna outlets, with a switch, one for 6/4 and one for HF.
I think they would still be quids in removing the tuner and adding the above.
@@G8YTZ I thi k Icom has a suggestion section on their website where you can make suggestions as a user and maybe they will adopt some of your ideas. Probably need to Google it.
@@HR4NT I might be meeting them next month….
I wonder how to compare HF/VHF/UHF radio with HF radio. It is like comparing a car with a lorry.
They are both HF radios, just one has the addition of VHF/UHF. I like the ease of use of the 7300 over the 991A. Thanks for watching and for the comment., 73!
Why do you think this the addition of VHF/UHF? Did you find the information that this is the addition somewhere on the box or in the manual? I think it is a complete solution that has no direct competition.
Hahah have 7300 and 991a 705 and 7100. Just sold my FTM 400 and sold my 857D. Just started your video and interested to hear your experiences
I love my FTM400. In my truck I wouldn't want anything else. I also have a 891 for my POTA stuff. Also a great radio! Thanks for watching. 73!!
What antenna are you using?
I have the DX Commander Classic running my radio in the shack. Thanks for the question and for watching. 73!
Ha Ha, I just received my FT991A yesterday and I still haven't opened the box and I myself was going back and forth between 991 or 7300?? I like them both. I have two ICOM HTs from twenty years ago and they still operate like brand new and that is why I like ICOM but decided to make the 991 my first official Yaesu radio. I might just do what you did and me a 7300 as well 😏. Good video!!
Thank you for the review.
Oh I am not knocking the 991A, I love my 991A for what I use it for, but that larger waterfall screen and easier access to controls on the 7300 is what attracted me to it aside from picking up HF a little better. You will enjoy the 991A! Thanks for the comment. 73!
991 vs 7300 on hf isn’t a fair comparison. The 991 lacks on the recieve on hf but it has 2meter and 70cm. If you wanna compare hf to hf compare the 7300 to the ftdx10. The ftdx10 beats the 7300 all day. 991 is more of a do it all but isn’t quite as good as a hf only radio
I appreciate the insight, however I was comparing the two radios I actually owned at the time. My main complaint about the 991A or almost any Yaesu is that menu system...it drives me crazy. Prefer the Icom system much more. I will look into the FTDX10 down the road. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Other then the price why didn’t you get the ftdx10. Just wondering if you looked at it at all
A few reason, price being one of them. I was new to the hobby like really new. I hadn't heard anything about the DX-10 because of the looming shadow of the 991A at the time and I tend to let equipment that just comes out prove itself before I dump a bunch of cash into it. Thanks for the question..73!
@@HR4NT I’m torn between the 7300 and spending the extra for the ftdx10. Thanks for the response. Keep up the videos
I’m brand new. I bought an ft3dr last summer. Can’t hear anything on it. Kind of discouraging. I’m torn between just uhf 7300
UHF vhf hf in 991a or the ic9700 with some other stuff in it. I love icom functionality and it seems more intuitive in the menus. If I got the 7300 how long before I start looking for other bands and more contact possibilities. I’m mainly gonna train and use these things for hobby and emergency communications with a solar generator that has 2000 amp hours per charge. ????? Suggestions?
If you are going to be doing primarily HF, the 7300 hands down. It is easy to navigate and a reliable radio, period. If you want to use VHF/UHF AND HF, then you may want to consider the 991A...however if you have a FT3DR and haven't had much luck with it, maybe HF is the route to go. I have repeaters everywhere around me in the city I live in, and we have daily nets that gets everyone involved and chatting about various topics. If it weren't for that, I would probably be HF only unless I was doing simplex ops with people locally. You "can" add a larger antenna with a coax cable to your FT3DR, but then its not as portable. I did a video showing a homemade antenna from Walmart I built and I hooked that into my handheld and it worked fine. My best advice is get a good radio that has the features and bands you want to use. Once you have that, focus only on antennas. Antennas are the key to a good radio experience. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions and I will see what I can do to help! I appreciate the comment/question. Thanks for watching. Good luck! 73!!!
I can’t seem to find anyone around me interested in helping out a newbie get set up. Once I get that things will get easier. I’ll probably get the 7300 and hopefully it is a band that is used enough and can be relied on in an emergency to get information on.
There is a rather large ham radio family on RUclips and on various social media that are always going to be willing to help you out with anything you need I can point you in the direction of a couple other channels that would allow you to learn more stuff and get involved with our community in case you ever have any problems or issues I have any problems or issues. Just let me know.
The 7300 is a hf radio and the yaesu ft991 is a shack in a box. Its like testing a car v tractor. The icom 7100 is a shack in a box and similar to the 991.
thanks, saved me the same comment...
I thought the 7300 was not a shack in the box as it has no vhf or uhf...
@@mattblack133 learn to read
@danielpark2991 ohhhh sorry... it was late and didn't have my glasses on. No need to be a little twit tho.
@@mattblack133 never mind mate we all have blonde moments lol
A bit pedantic, I know, but... 10:21... just to clarify, it's not really a matter of "preferring" the 991A for UHF/VHF, it's the ONLY choice. I have both radios and as I'm sitting here being all pedantic on something you've said, looking over at the radios, I must admit that there's something you haven't mentioned that's quite glaring, to me anyway. The Yaesu is sexier. The illuminations above the VFO knob, the way the panel is designed with the buttons clustered around the VFO. Very visually appealing. That's all I have between the 2. The difference between really, really liking a radio and really, really really liking one.
You are correct! The 991 interface is MUCH sexier than the Icom. I will give the win to Yaesu for that!!! I still have my FT3DR and my FTM-400 and the screens on both are just beautiful! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT So, having spent my first weekend with the radio (FT-991A) there's a few things I don't like... Memories is a big one for me... first of all, my FT3DR (OUR FT3DR !) has 900 memories.... the FT-991A has 100... On my FT3DR, using the FREE software from Yaesu, I can create and name, up to 24 memory banks, with whatever frequencies I want to add, populating them. FT-911A - you can "group" memories in groups of 20. No naming, just a max of 5 groups of 20 channels. Really ? So, my list of 70cm repeaters that I can hit, is more then 1 memory "group" can hold. There goes my dream of having a Wires-X, Fusion, 70cm, 2m and Scanning memories programmed and called what they are. On the subject of scanning, my FT3DR can hear from 500hz to 1GHz... the RX frequency range on the FT-991A is woeful by comparison. Love the radio for 70cm/2m (you're right, the radio is deaf to some weaker stations I can pick up on my 7300... sitting side-by-side, same antenna etc)... I just wish that Yaesu had given us more control and freedom and QUANTITY to use the memory features as we wish. One more thing. I appear to have the knack for crashing RT Systems software at an alarming rate...
To be honest, I am fed up with Yaesu since a long time already. The last model I owned was FT-2000D and bfore this model my last brandew Yaesu Radios were the FT-1000Mark V Field and FT-847. Before I bought me the 2nd IC-7300 I was eye balling with the FT-991A to buy it. I wasn't sure if I really need a 2m and 70cms Radio because my playground goes from 160-6m priority. So it was another IC-7300 in my shack onad no FT-991A which I am NOW glad to made the right Decission in this matter. Yaesu is banned from my shack for a long period in future. Thx for the Great Job you doing Scott. 73's & happy thursday de Your Friend Uncle Guenter
Sorry to hear you had so many issues with the Yaesu's. I think they are still good radios, but the Icoms just seem a bit better. The other reason I had originally purchased the Yaesu was that they had a better warranty than Icom, and still do. However the difficulty in navigating through the radio to use the features I think was not well thought out. I have not had the opportunity to play with any other models than the 991A and I have to wonder if other models are similar or if they made improvements to the menus and filters. Thansk for the comment as always Uncle! Have a great week! 73!!
@@HR4NT 151 menu steps no one really needs...I used to be a big Yaesu Fan in the 1980s til 2000. There's just so many things behind the Walls of Yaesu - Musen which are not thought out well enough...how I found out. Hopefully the japanese crystal meth laboratories produce better quality... 😂😂😂😂👍
Will we ever get the 7300 with all band capability? 7300A perhaps? 😅
It's a nice dream, but I seriously doubt it. I think they prefer to keep HF, HA and VHF/UHF separated. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
The feature that most miss about these two is the user interface (the UI). Try this next time you see these two radios. On the screen touch the frequency and see what happens. That is all you need to know. Why? Just like you phone, when you touch something is reacts, there is an expectation.
I agree. Once you get used to how the 7300 works and then try to repeat that on the 991 and nothing happens, it's a bit of a letdown...LOL Thanks for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT Yup. Have a great day HRFNT.
I totally agree with you when it comes to the 991a (you took the words right out of my mouth) I think on a H,F an old Realistic DX-302 could pick up more weak stations then the 991a - and that's why I got myself G90 it just wipes the floor with the 991a. from spending over £1200 11 months ago to a much better radio for £300. (I'll learn from my mistakes). Anyway cracking video and looking forward to your next one 73's.
Thank you for the comment. I would have never thought of pitting the 991 to a G90. Very interesting with the results you mentioned. I am not bashing the 991, however the 7300's functionality is just...better. Thanks for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT if you can get your hands on one, then try it - you won't be disappointed.
Which has better noise reduction? Is it possible that your loosing weak station sensitivity on the FT991a by using inappropriate DNR settings? Thanks for the valuable comparison.
Before jumping on the expenditure of another radio I tried everything I could and I am still trying on occasion to see if I can get better performance out of the 991. The stations it DOES hear, come in loud and clear. My main complaint is hunting down the settings. Glad you enjoyed the video. 73!
If I sit on the fence for long enough... Icom will make a 7400 with vhf/uhf! Haha
Thanks for your observations, I have heard similar comparisons elsewhere too. I have some HT's but really want to get HF as well as do alot with different digital modes aswell. 🍻🤠
Take your time and research the features that you want in a radio and THEN go get one. There is no race to get on HF...it will always be here. It is better to buy the best radio that suits YOUR needs above all. Thanks for watching and for the comment! 73!
For your RF noise problem, look for one of those inductive charging pads for phones. I have heard of them causing significant hash on the HF bands.
Jim N4FAF
Than you for the tip. We actually did the breaker box check and turned everything off and one at a time flipped breakers top see if it made a difference. There was no notable RFI coming from within my home. The problem seems to be a neighbor with solar panels which has been addressed and currently being fixed. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
Your comments regarding Morse Code…. a lot of us are interested in code, so your analysis from the perspective of using a paddle, are in fact welcome.
Thank you very much! I really need to get back into my Morse code training again and become more proficient. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Great vid
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it! 73!!!
Thanks for the video! I own both the 991 (non-A) and the 7300 and share your opinion fully. FT8 is very easy to set up on the 7300 as well, even easier than the 991 (as I had to set up some filtering options to maximize)
The 7300 also has a 'slow down' the VFO option which is the little slider under the VFO knob - it will do the same and make precision tuning as easy as the 991. Give it a try :)
Also the noise-filtering of the 7300 I find easier on the ears than the 991, but that might be improved in the 991a.
73 the PC4AD
Hi Anton! I agree. They are both great radios, i just have them setup for different requirements based on my needs in radio. I did not know about that 7300 slide...I'll go check that out. Thanks for the tip! 73!
0:42 I was thinking "Well I'd HOPE you didn't 'STEAL' them!?" then 2:08 happened! 🤣
My son's radio is literally in the next room and in the interest of research, I acquired it. LOL Thanks for watching 73!
Yeah, i have the 991a and the 705z Same thing. The icom is much more sensitive. i actualky have to use a high pass filter to get rid of MW noise in my area to use my 705. 991a has no problem.
Thanks for the comment. They are both great radios, but you will find you have preferences for one over the other sometimes. I have both, and like both. Thanks for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT Yep. Right tool for the right job. I would buy both again in a heart beat for my personal needs. Its a good time to be alive in HAM radio.
Great video de W2CSI
Glad you enjoyed it! 73!
The FT-991A does “NOT” cross band repeat.
Thanks for the tip! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I have been hearing the receiver is better in the 991A. IC-7300 has a better scope but can't keep up with the receive.
I have heard a similar claim as well but cannot confirm that just yet. My 7300 really seems to be able to pull out frequencies pretty well. It may be the area I am in when operating one or the other or time of day, but my 7300 seems to perform rather well. Thanks for the comment and for watching. I will continue to do some testing and see what I can find. 73!
I talked to a guy in Bosnia on my 991a, very weak signal, so you might have a different issue going on as to why you can't get weaker signals to come in.
Since this video I found the reason is a guy a few houses down with solar panels emitting massive RFI into my radio. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
If you only had the 7300 (for HF), what would you get to cover VHF/UHF bands?
That is a good question. I have an FTM-400XDR in my truck, and it seems to work just fine. I have seen others use that as a base VHF/UHF radio and the price is right. The only other choices I could think of would be the ICOM 9700,l but now you are looking at $1500 for a VHF/UHF radio. I would probably just use the 400XDR as my primary VHF/UHF based on price point and it still pushes 50 watts. Thank you for the comment. Hope that helped a bit. 73!
@@HR4NT The problem with the Ftm400 is that it is NOT all mode. I want the ic7300 but I also want something that will do vhf all mode. Is there such a stand alone radio?
9700
@@bigdinsa656 That's FT-991A. It even has backlit buttons that none of Icoms have... The only thing you might not like about it is that it is power-hungry.
Good salesman.
I’ll wait for a all mode 7300
Well...there kind of is a radio like that...its the IC-705. All mode all band...BUT it is only 5 watts or 10watts with an external battery. You can add an amp to it and make it 1200Watts, but then you are spending another $500-$700 on top of the $1300 for the 705. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I like the 7300 only for the bigger screen. I want the 991a because of the all mode. ICOM should have made the 7300 all mode too compete with the 991a. why they did not is beyond me. but ICOM always does this.
If you need an all mode all band radio then yes, the 991A is a great choice. I too am confused as to why Icom would not have made a similar radio because as it stands now you have to have a 7300 AND a 9700 to get the same thing in a 991. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Icom would rather you get their IC-9700 for all other modes and IC-705 for QRP... The FT-991A is the best bang for the buck right now and will be for a while.
Well being on the receive end of these radio's being down under I can tell who is using a 7300 with a lot of processing, it's not good and once they wind things back a bit they come clean. I use FT-9000D and FT-2000D and through both radios the same problem exists for the 7300. Don't over do you RX filtering! I have a friend that agrees it is a problem with his 7300.
Thank you Rex for sharing that! I appreciate it. 73
And enormous number OF hams are going to want to use FT8 and four a lot of first timers will appreciated the 991 being fully ready for this mode.
While we're evaluating radios let's teach hams the proper lingo of what is going on---- for example when you say one radio hears signals and the other does not, that is an evaluation of sensitivity. How sensitive is the radio?? I have found ICOM models comes in general are very sensitive. However as soon as you discover grEAT sensitivity you must evaluate selectivity. What I mean is and what I've seen also happening in ICOM radios, is that you hear several signals others do not, but you're ICOM hears a number of signals you wish you could. Separate them. That is called selectivity so ask ICOM IF IT cannot separate out a number of signals you wish.
When evaluation comes. One must evaluate sensitivity and selectivity because one works with or against the other. Today most of the better ham radios for sale new are "state-of-the-art" meaning that's a sensitivity is at the highest science can provide ,so selectivity and noise handling becomes very important. Handling all kinds of noises with different circuits and knobs as a feature of the best radios we now can buy. Are ham radios are not state-of-the-art when it comes to handling noise because hams require the signals they listen to to be intelligible all the time. This is not necessarily important for commercial applications of radio. Evaluation of a ham rig must include noise handling of it.
Here is a new concern. Today's receivers use front end circuitry which is wide open and can receive highly sensitive but also receive many signals on top of each other. SDR technology has given us the need to spend money for hire selectivity and Noise handling because the sensitivity is already there. The use of what could be considered old fashioned crystal filter circuit are very important when used with SDR technology in receivers. The crystal filters provide selectivity.
A concern about the ICOM IC7300 is that strong nearby signals well run over the weaker signals that you want to hear, and this particular radio is a weakness. Use of an unmodified IC 7300 in a setting like field day or if you live with a strong RF source, a big signal, nearby, your little ICOM well only hear the big strong signal and not selectively reject that.
Greetings K4VUD! I agree with what you said here. There will always be give and take with any radio that you own. With technology progressing like it does, you will get better features and so on, but it may sacrifice something else in the radio as you explained. There are definitely factors in today's radio that must be considered when buying one, however, overall, I think there are some fantastic choices out there, but you must be well-versed in them before choosing one. Thanks for sharing, for the comment and for watching. 73!
Many experts claim a warning about the icon 7800 receiver front end is too wide open and will be swamped by nearby strong RF. Some of the best experts caution about that and say they had a good receiver made like the 7800 is great if there are crystal filter circuits following to control the wide open front end
I'm likely to buy either the 7300 or 705. If I buy the 7300 I'll have to buy a good VHF/UHF hand held like the ID-52A. In Australia we have 3 classes of licence and I'm the lowest which is Foundation which limits me to 10w effective radiated power. So I can run a 7300 just at about 11-13w depending on losses. With the VHF and UHF bands I have a repeater close enough I should be able to easily get into it with a vertical. and the repeater has dual tone programming so I can jump repeaters. Thanks. VK1NME
Hey Shane! Thanks for the comment. It sounds like you have some good ideas there. There is nothing wrong with the 705 but being only 10 watts max it may limit you and not allow you to grow. The 7300 however, would allow for growth as you climb the license levels there in Australia, but as you say, in order for you to do VHF/UHF, you would have to have a secondary radio. I am sure you will make a decision that best reflects your needs. I appreciate you reaching out to me and thank you so much for watching the video. See you on the air sometime!!! Stay safe! 73!!!
I just purchased a Yaesu 991a and tried out the System Fusion (Wires-X, C4FM) and believe me, it all sucks big time. You Yaesu guys said that System Fusion provides crystal clear audio, but that just isn't the case. Every time I go to C4FM the audio is muffled, muddled and other Ham's voices sound like computer generated voices. If I had purchased the Yaesu 991a for the digital mode, I would have immediately returned it. I was considering an ICOM 7300 but other Hams have told me that D-Star (Death Star) is even worse than System Fusion. You guys that designed the digital portion have a long way to go before I consider it a proper mode of communication. I purchased the Yaesu 991a because of it's all mode. We have a 2 meter SSB net here every Wed. night & 2 meter sideband radios are hard to find. W Rusty Lane K9POW in eastern Tennessee
Before I knew what was required for System Fusion, I bought the 991 with that in mind. No one in my area has a WiresX repeater setup, so that entire part of the radio feature was a bust for me. I ended up selling the 991 because I wanted to separate my VHF operations from my HF and FT8 operations. Ended up replacing it with the 7300 and couldn't be happier. I don't use DStar, but that menu system on the 7300 is a dream compared to the 991. Thanks for watching and for the comment., 73!
991a is an older design. If you do not want VHF all mode the 7300 of the new Yaesu DX 710 are the front runners
I ended up selling my 991 in favor of a 7300. Love it! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
Thanks for the review. Frankly, I do not think this is an apples-to-apples comparison. Yaesu sells other radios that complete more directly with the IC-7300. Small potatoes department: You do not explain why we want/need to have more control over the waterfall display if it shows where the action is. Like I should care what color it is? I am more interested in making contacts, than marveling at a custom color scheme. Why does this matter to my buying decision?
Serving Suggestion: Perhaps you could lower your mic gain, back away, and speak slightly off axis, and have cleaner video narration. I would mention this privately if RUclips gave us a way to do that. MJ
I was comparing these two because they are what I had at the time and they were in the same price range. Although I do like my customization, you are correct the color doesn't mean much beyond that. Thanks for watching and for the comment! 73!!
I find the 7300 is very ez to use on FT8. Of course YMMV
It is extremely easy to use on FT8. Love it! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
ICOM IC-7300 no brainer, had one and best rig on the market for under 1000 dollars. I upgraded to the IC-7610.
Had a ft991 sold it and glad I did, too many silly menus and poxy screen.
Thank you for the comment! I have considered selling my 991A, however for what IU specifically use it for, I like it. Now that my HF needs are fully covered by the 7300, the 991 serves as a backup and to use on our simplex network in case of emergencies. Thank you again! 73!
I'd rather buy me the Yaesu 991A because You get more for the Price!
I thought the same thing until I wanted to operate on VHF and do FT8 on HF at the same time. That posed a problem for me, so I had to separate my VHF/UHF from my HF. If that is not an issue for you, then you will probably be happy with that radio. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I stopped this at 4:20 as I see already the 7300 is the preferred radio by this guy. Just admit you are clearly biased because you already own it. Having said that I looked at the 7300 for some time before I decided to get the 991A. I have had 2 warranty repairs already but would never sell it. I love the radio, not so great display and all. Its a real workhorse and I didn't get the radio for a display but rather for the features and the operation. This 991A checks off ALL the boxes for me. Not to mention the great receive and I have the FT-DX10 and I use the 991A much, much more than the DX10 and we all know the DX10 puts the 7300 away. Yaesu has some issues but all in all the 991A is a much better radio in my opinion and if they could retrofit a better display or sell a tap kit to extend the display to your PC, etc I believe it would gain much more praise. Just my few pennies...
Hi Kenneth! I actually own both. The 991 was my first radio when I got into the hobby. After a few frustrations with it I decided to go ahead and buy a 7300 to see if there was a difference. Both radios have their pro's and con's. Just in my personal experience the 7300 was easier to use and navigate and I have really enjoyed it. My 991A is primarily for local repeater stuff, FT8 and occasional late night CW as it is my base station radio at the moment. I did have to send the 991 back for repairs about a month into owning it, however they fixed it quickly and all is fine now with no further issues. Everyone will have their preferences and that is fine! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT I hope you didn't get the wrong intention from me, As a fellow Ham I understand each purchase of new equipment is a holy type experience for each person that is in the hobby/service and as with anyone the menu's will be easier or harder for some that are just wired that way. I have watched a number fo videos were the Rcv was hammered on the 991A or the NB compared to the 7300 and I see they never adjusted the NB or ANL in the menu to compare it correctly. There is also the human ear which is different from person to person so sometimes these comparison videos are really just the operators personal experience with their radio. anyway, Lets just enjoy the hobby/service....
'2 warranty repairs already' - yup, good old Yaesu.
991a у меня с 2018 года. Трансивер на 3 из 5 . Я люблю ICOM 756 PRO!!!
Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!!
The 7300s ALC overshoot is the deal killer for me. I don't want to damage my amp so I will likely never own the 7300.
I do not have any experience with using an amp with my radios, so I will taker your word for it. There are plenty of radios out there to choose from and I am sure you will find one that suits your needs. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
If Peter Griffin had a ham licence
Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
IC7300 has six meters that is VHF.
Thank you for that info!!! I appreciate it! 73.
Ham radio BY non-techies by the sound of it.
As long as the video helps others, that's what matters. Right? Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!
I got my Technician license back in May, and acquired my General license this past September. Like you I have multiple Repeaters near by so VHF/UHF is easy to use and get out there, plus I have a DMR hotspot that works great. There are features on both radios that I like but the menu function of the IC7300 is far superior and more user friendly.
Hey Mike, thank you for watching and for the comment. Having repeaters nearby is an awesome thing to have access to. I really like the functions and features of the 7300 over the 991. Thanks again! 73!
I would rather have the 7300. I think icom makes good radios. Not to down any of the others brands. Great clip.
The Icom's are popular among the populace for a reason, but you are correct, each radio ha its place. Thanks for watching! 73!!
Apples and oranges
Yep...pretty much. Thanks for watching. 73!
@@HR4NT just about every Ham i know has a 7300...great rig....but I'm trying to aquire a 991a while they are still discounted...yet supply is tight at all ham radio stores.
I would get one while they are on sale. HRO has them in stock.
If your son never uses his 7300 perhaps he'd like to sell it. I am willing to pay pennies on the dollar 😀
LOL. I am on him about it. I think he is catching on that you don't blow that kind of money and NOTY use your product! Thanks for the comment 45 Auto! 73
The receiver in the 991 is far superior. The issue is that at first glance it's not obvious how to bring out the best in it. Once you learn how to properly use filtering, contour, and attenuation, it is a dream.
I continue to play with my 991A. Unfortunately now due to the neighbor with solar panels a few houses down, my radio operation at the QTH is very limited. I will have to bring it out to a park and try it out there. Don't get me wrong, it is a fantastic radio and I love it, but I find the 7300 a bit easier to navigate. I appreciate the advice. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
I liked my 991-A, but I agree with the comment about the menus. I always felt like I was lost when using menus. It was kind of weird. I did love the waterfall display though. I loved it. But I am more of a VHF UHF guy. Not really into the HF yet.
There are pro's and con's to any radio. Just have to find and use what best fits your needs and wants. When you do get into HF, you will be instantly addicted...LOL Just sayin' Thanks for watching. 73!
I had some problems with my Yaesu 991A when I first bought them....bought several. But, Yaesu hung in there with me, honored their warranty and things finally got worked out. I still don't know what was going on with the rigs but Yaesu fixed it and I've been a happy 991A operator for some time now.
Yaesu is very good at honoring their warranties of their customers. Sorry you had so many issues, but glad it was resolved quickly and in a timely manner! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!
@@HR4NT Yes they are and while at time we had a contentious relationship at the end of the day I'd like to think it just took a little heat in order to produce light.......they might not see it that way but I do. KUDO's to Tim and Juan.