Icom IC-7610
$$$$$
| Frequency | TX 1.8-54 MHz (160-6 m ham bands), RX 0.030-60.000 MHz (general coverage) |
| TX power | 1 / 100 W (1-100 W on SSB/CW/FM/RTTY/PSK; 1-25 W AM. 13.8 V DC, ~23 A on transmit (RX ~3.0 A standby).) |
| Modes | USB, LSB, CW, AM, FM, RTTY, PSK31, PSK63 |
| Weight | 8.5 kg (18.7 lb) |
| Connector | SO-239 x2 (ANT1/ANT2) |
| Year | 2017 |
| antenna | ANT1 + ANT2: SO-239 (female), 50 ohm (switched; hybrid splitter for diversity/dual-watch) |
| rx ant | RX-IN + RX-OUT: two BNC (female) - receive-path loop for an external BPF/preamp, switchable to Main or Sub |
| transverter | X-VERTER: BNC (female), 50 ohm |
| ref in | REF IN: BNC (female), external 10 MHz reference |
| usb rear | two USB Type-B: USB2 = CI-V (CAT) + USB audio codec; USB3 (3.0) = I/Q baseband output |
| usb front | two USB Type-A: keyboard / mouse / flash drive / RC-28 encoder |
| lan | RJ-45 Ethernet - built-in RS-BA1 remote server (no PC needed at the radio) |
| ext display | DVI-D (external monitor; 800x480 or 800x600) |
| acc | ACC1 8-pin DIN + ACC2 7-pin DIN (SEND, ALC, MOD, AF/IF, band voltage, TRV, 13.8 V/8 V) |
| remote | REMOTE: 3.5 mm mono (CI-V) |
| meter | METER: 3.5 mm mono (S-meter / SQL out) |
| send | RCA phono (TX control for an external amplifier) |
| alc | RCA phono (ALC in from an external amplifier) |
| mic | 8-pin round (front panel), 600 ohm (HM-219 supplied) |
| phones | 1/4 in (6.35 mm) stereo (front; binaural Main/Sub) |
| key | 1/4 in (6.35 mm) stereo (paddle/keyer) |
| ext speaker | SP MAIN + SP SUB: two 3.5 mm |
| sd | full-size SD card slot (recording, screen capture, firmware) - NOT microSD |
| dc in | 13.8 V DC +/-15% (supplied cable), 23 A |
| ground | rear binding post |
| power req | 13.8 V DC +/-15%, ~23 A on transmit at 100 W (RX ~3.0 A standby) |
Two fully independent direct-sampling receivers, each with its own DIGI-SEL preselector, filter bank, and A/D converter, so both spectrum scopes and waterfalls run at once on different bands - in stereo. Its 110 dB rated RMDR (113 dB as measured by ARRL's lab) puts the receiver near flagship territory. Digital up-conversion gives a clean transmit signal, later firmware adds digital pre-distortion with the matching amplifier, and the connection set - two antennas, a receive loop, transverter and reference inputs, USB audio, I/Q, and networked remote - covers a serious station. The 7-inch touchscreen also drives an external monitor over DVI-D.
It is a premium-priced radio. HF and 6 meters only, with no VHF/UHF. The sub receiver is receive-only: this is SO2V, not true SO2R, so you still transmit on one band at a time. It is more capability - and cost - than an operator who does not need dual receivers will use.
A dual-receiver SDR transceiver with two genuinely independent direct-sampling receivers and a measured 113 dB reciprocal-mixing dynamic range. For contesting, DXing, and split operation, the two receivers, the high dynamic range, and the full I/O set stand out in its price class - and it borrows real capability, like the DVI-D monitor output, from radios that cost far more. For single-receiver HF work, the IC-7300 covers most of the ground for a third of the price.
The IC-7610 is built around a number most radios at its price cannot claim: two. It carries two complete, independent direct-sampling receivers, each with its own 16-bit analog-to-digital converter, its own DIGI-SEL tracking preselector, and its own filter bank, both feeding a shared FPGA. That means you can watch and listen to two frequencies - or two whole bands - at once, in stereo, one in each ear. There is still a single transmitter, so it is an SO2V radio (two receivers, one VFO to talk on) rather than a true two-transmitter SO2R station, a distinction that matters to contesters.
The receiver is the headline. Icom rates its reciprocal-mixing dynamic range at 110 dB, and when ARRL's lab put a unit on the bench it measured 113 dB at a 2 kHz spacing - genuinely close to radios costing two and three times as much, like Icom's own IC-7851. Two spectrum scopes and waterfalls run side by side on the 7-inch touchscreen, and a DVI-D jack on the back will throw the whole display onto an external monitor, a feature normally reserved for flagships.
It transmits 100 watts on 160 through 6 meters using digital up-conversion for a clean signal, and on later firmware it adds digital pre-distortion that pairs with Icom's companion kilowatt amplifier to tighten linearity further. Connectivity is generous: two SO-239 antenna jacks, a pair of BNC receive in/out jacks for slipping a filter or preamp into the receive path, a transverter port, a 10 MHz reference input, a built-in antenna tuner, USB for audio and CI-V plus a separate I/Q output, and an Ethernet port with a built-in remote-control server so the radio runs over the network with no PC at the radio end.
It is HF and 6 meters only, with no VHF or UHF, and it is a serious purchase aimed at contesters, DXers, and anyone who works split. Where the IC-7300 brought direct sampling to the mass market with one receiver, the IC-7610 doubles it and adds the connections a competitive station needs - much as rivals like the Yaesu FTDX101D chase the same operators. Icom continues to ship it, now in a production revision designated -32, with firmware still being updated.