The IC7800, an operator’s view by Ian G3ROO

This is not the transceiver that the average amateur would buy himself…. With a price tag of £6,400 most amateurs would rather change their car, or buy his wife a super diamond ring!!  For the YL amateur…. I cannot imagine what she would buy her spouse!

The reason I bought one was because two very good friends  passed away and left me their radio rooms…. And there are only just so many radios’ you can use at one time!   My shack was full, and I mean FULL!

I decided to sell the lot and add some of my own money and get the 7800…. I had rejected the proposed Yaesu transceiver as it looked too confused, in fact I sincerely doubt that it will capture a serious market for this reason plus that they could not get the FT1000 key clicks right after so many models, so what was this going to be like! 

To be honest I do not regret it in the slightest.  In fact it had exceeded my greatest expectations.   I had expected to have just a very smooth, easy to use transceiver that I could enjoy…. In practice I found that I had a receiver that seemed to be able to receive weak signals in noise where another could not.   The proof of this is a little unfair but perfectly valid.  

I have run for a year prior to getting the 7800 an ft990 and an ft817 for QRP.   My method of operating was to search on the 990 and then net on with the 817 and take the QSO on that…. Well, I am a confirmed QRP merchant.  I had never had the situation occur when I could not hear the other station on the 817 which I had found on the 990.  Sometimes a bit of cross mod would be evident, but the IPO would cure that.

This changed with the 7800 as I was playing with QRO.  I was using the 7800 all the time.  One morning at sunrise I was having a CW chat with a PY on 40…. Good readable signals supporting 30wpm…. about 559.   When we had finished he was called by a Frenchman and so I decided to tune him in on the 817, perhaps even try him on that.   Did the usual ‘net’ with no aerial on the 817 and then switched aerials.   Nothing heard, just noise…. Switch back and fully readable…. Back on the 817 and IPO on and then could just copy him, but nothing like on the 7800!!   That never happened with the 990.   As I say, a bit unfair but the 990 is no sloth of a receiver.

Learning to use the functions of the 7800 does take time…. I’m now into the seventh week of owning it and still learning.  My method of learning it to read the handbook if all else fails.  I tend to play and enjoy the equipment and, when thinking I have mastered a function, then to read the handbook to see if I have missed something.  I have not mastered memories and scanning yet, but these are functions that are of very little interest to me.

My main mode of operation is CW, but the SSB functions have rendered the greatest surprised.  The auto notch filter is something to be heard to be believed.  Receiving SSB and there’s a het…. Push the button… the set thinks for half a second and then the het goes.   For the first few times I had to turn off the auto notch to see if had really killed the het…. And it had!  It is a difficult thing to demonstrate, but to do so I find a BC station and on SSB tune the carrier to a 1KHz het.  Turn on the auto notch and the het goes!

On SSB the ability to fully adjust the filters and have it graphically on screen makes it far easier than having two concentric knobs.  On CW the ability to set the filters to your particular liking and to set for sharp or soft filtering is a delight.   On soft wide filtering tuning the CW end of the bands sound just like tuning with my old Eddystone 888A!   Much easier on the ears. 

Unsolicited reports of great SSB audio is commonplace until you have the meter switched to ‘COMP’ and then try to talk it up thinking it is on ‘PO’!!

There is a feature that has really caused some laughs with the locals on 2m….. we often pack-hunt on 160 and I’m putting out a CQ and talking on 2m at the same time!! The digital recorder and the ability to play it back transforms the boredom of calling CQ.  The only disappointment is that there does not seem to be a ‘repeat’ facility as in the CW memories.

The matching range of the built in ASMU is a bit limited, but an internal ASMU is of very little use anyway if there is a long coax feeder and mine is off for most of the time.  I only use ASMUs’ if I cannot get a near 50 ohm when designing the aerial system, or if the VSWR goes a little high and the output starts to be clamped.

The built in electronic keyer is a dream…. My superkeyer has been taken off the bench and now on the top shelf.  There are 4 built in memories which are easily programmed by the tuning knob, but when a USB keyboard is used, programming can be done from that.   I tried a PS2 keyboard with a converter, and that would not work…. I had been warned it would not, but worth trying anyway.

Another thing that is worth a mention is the band scope.   At first I thought this would be a bit of a waste of time.  In fact it is far more useful that you would imagine.   I first realised this on the first night of operation on SSB on 40.  To call CQ you can SEE quiet holes in the band saving a lot of time!   Also it is possible to see instantly if there is any activity on the band or if it is dead.

Finally the bandscope enables you to use the transceiver as if it has an analogue scale and not digital alone.  I now tend to use this scale instead of the digital as it gives me a special awareness that is not present with digital display.

Power output is a full 200W and I have sold my linear and I was not using it and it was taking up valuable room on the desk.  The extra 3dB was not worth the effort for the average amateur.

Ian G3ROO