Ham gear: FT-857D vs. IC-7000 for mobile use

[J West]

I realize that there aren't a lot of hams on here, but since this is the kind of radio I'd think some of you have in chase vehicles I thought I'd ask around here.

I'm looking at getting either the Yaesu FT-857D or Icom IC-7000 HF+ radio for installation in my sedan. The antenna would be a 96" whip on a ball mount (rear fender) thru a tuner. I really like the Yaesu line of equipment, but the Icom has it's own merits.

If anyone has experience with either radio, please post your feedback.

 

[John Erwin]

It's going to be hard to find some objective opinions on the IC-7000 since it's just out, so there may be some other factors to consider:

Price: What do you want to spend? The IC-7000 is selling for roughly $1499 right now, the 857D for $699.00 . Your decision may simply come down to how much you can afford.. and what other goodies the retailer may throw in with the deal.

Features: The IC-7000 has bucketloads of new-generation features... but will you use them? One of the nicest aspect is that you don't need to buy any optional filters with this unit.

Track Record: The 857D has been out for a while now, most of the bugs are likely worked out and you can actually read up on user experiences on the rig. The IC7000 on the other hand is brand spanking new: nobody knows what issues exist yet.

I'm biased towards Yaesu products myself and have a very favorable opinion on the 857D (having tried it), however I don't doubt that the IC7000 is going to make some serious waves in the industry, and inherit the huge heritage that the IC706MkII created.

 

[C Brian Batey]

Originally posted by J West
I'm looking at getting either the Yaesu FT-857D or Icom IC-7000 HF+ radio for installation in my sedan.If anyone has experience with either radio, please post your feedback.

Personally, unless I was going to spend MASSIVE amounts of time on HF, chasing DX, I'd go with the 857D.

I've been running one of these in my truck (with the FC-40 tuner and 102" whip) for several months now. It's a great rig. I get great signal reports from all over the US and into Canada, South and Central America, and Cuba. I haven't been able to bust the pileups into Japan yet, but I'm still chasing that one.

The radio is REALLY easy to use. Most features are 'set and forget'. The tuner works really well down to 20M, but is marginal on 40. It's VERY impressive on 10 - 20. The only feature that it lacks for me is the ability to monitor two frequencies at once. Maybe it can and I haven't figured it out yet?!?!

For my usage level, I couldn't justify the extra $$ for ICOM's new baby. Particularly when I get the kind of signal reports from retired, 'big station' hams that I've been getting.

Hope this helps.