Yaesu FT 991A vs Icom IC 7300 - Which Radio Should You Buy?

I would recommend the 7300 to anyone. There are enough of them out there now that people realize this is the radio to beat at that price range and for the flexibility and ease of menu selections, etc. You can buy the RT Systems software for $25 if you need to make it even EASIER to program.

 

I've always been puzzled why anyone should buy programming software for an exclusively HF radio. What are you programming into memory? Two or three 6m and 10m repeaters?

Martin (G8FXC)

 

Maybe that's why its only $25 and doesn't require any fancy proprietary cables. I prefer to have all my programming on one easy to see computer page, as opposed to going through stacked menus for all my options.

 

This was a funny thread when just considering the 991a vs the 7300. Now we've brought in the FTdx-10 into the conversation. Wow. These are all great radios (first hand experience) but all three are completely different animals and can't be compared heads up. The 7300 is excellent HF-only for the price, the 991a has 144 and 440 all mode (oh yeah, and Fusion) and the FTdx-10 has a high performance HF receiver and transmitter. Like comparing a four-door sedan with a pickup with a sports car. And all three have different ergonomics. I keep hearing that the FTdx-10 has bad ergonomics - I have to disagree - the ergonomics are different (for sure!) but after using the radio exclusively since February, I find the ergonomics to be excellent and the other radios are now annoying to use. Its obvious (to me) that a ham designed the FTdx-10 - different for sure but logical also - it does take a while, especially if you are a new ham and the only radio you've ever had is a 7300. I wish I could whisper this....I didn't like the 7300 interface - the FTdx-10 is much better with a flatter menu system. To each his own!

73 Dave

 

Preprogramming for MARS/Gov't authorized frequencies outside of ham bands, etc is a big bonus for me. My little ol' IC-718 has about 90 of the 100 presets filled.

 

Maybe there were many more IC7300's for sale as they sold so many more than 991A. Remember that many hams felt cheated when the "A" came out. Many just bought the 991 and there was no upgrade path.

 

can't blame it on the 991A. , there was the 857 that later went D , 897 that later went D and can go on. just saying you can compare the 2 radios in this cace, one is a shack in a box the other is not

 

Like many, I analyzed the IC-7300 and FT-991A to death with a spreadsheet showing all the specs. I decided on the FT-991A simply because I wanted to try 2m SSB. After 8 months, I am perfectly satisfied with my decision. The only thing that I miss are the buttons and knobs to control IF Shift, band selection, RF gain to name a few. I guess if I got the IC-7300 I would feel the same. Furthermore, I had no major headaches connecting the FT-991A to my Linux computer via Flrig and Fldigi. I have not tried all modes, but maybe in the future.

 

Yengo 7300 y estoy muy feliz,nunca tuve buenos equipos,recien de grande me pude comprar y soy feliz,no conozco el otro equipo.-

 

Well there seems to be a lot of 7300's for sale versus the 991A ... that should tell you something.

 

I owned both. The 7300 seems pretty neat and the control you can have over the screen is interesting but that tissue-sensitive front end ruins everything even with attenuation engaged. I kept the 991A for portable use and sold the 7300 a couple of years ago to a new caring home. 73s

 

Although I have a IC- 7300 xcvr. I don't think the FT- 991 can beat tjhe 7300 price.There is lot more in the 991,but it cost several hundreds more.I'll go for the IC-7300 it's a lot of bang for the money!
K6TIM-Tim
Tucumcari,Nm.

 

Are you sure about the 991A? Over this side of the pond, the 7300 and 991 are almost exactly the same price...

Martin G8FXC

 

If my radio was to be my 1st ham radio,it would be the Yeasu FT991A for the price and value of the 2.The Icom 7300 is $1,099.95 verse the Yaesu at $1,169.95 at HRO store,that's a plus at $70.00 more for Yeasu and you get the 2 meters and 430mhz all SSB,FM,AM,CW and digitals bands and it has all the offsets and pl tones to get on the repeaters............now that's a VALUE for a 1st time ham radio operator in his shack..............

 

I faced this dilemma 4 years ago. There are pros and cons to each radio. Icom has a better interface and intuitive menu structure. I bought the Yaesu FT-991A 4 years ago for remote battery/base operation, but just peeled off the front plastic stickers 2 weeks ago. I never warmed up to it from day one because of its daunting menu structure. So, it was sidelined on the desk for years. I only bought it because my Icom IC-751A wasn’t transmitting. After the FT-991A was sidelined, I sent the IC-751A for authorized service, and was easily restored - a bad solder joint in the TX regulator section, a few electrolytics, and ceramic VCOs, and Voila! It’s still is mint condition, and still works like a charm…

In my frustration with Yaesu, I bought an Icom IC-7610 recently so I wouldn’t have to worry about hunting for hidden menus.

However, I decided to do a firmware upgrade on the FT-991A last week. I sat down for a weekend and listened to YouTube tutorials, and read the entire manual. Honestly, I’m now quite familiar with the menu system. It’s not that bad. I’m delighted to say that the Yaesu FT-991A is a very capable transceiver! You can customize the menu, placing the common items on the bottom of the display for easy recall. It seems to offer great features at a fraction of the size of larger rigs. Since I already have an HF rig in the IC-751A, and now the IC-7610, the addition of the 2m and 70cm bands is very enticing on the FT-991A. The IC-7300 lacks these bands, and I think after a short time, one could feel limited with the Icom.

Programming repeater channels is a nightmare, so HRO recommended the RTSystems software for Yaesu. I programmed a total of 70 repeaters - 10m, 6m, 2m, and 70cm. The software is a life saver! You just have to download the correct USB driver, and you’re all set. One can easily add, delete, modify, shift up/down the your frequencies. I have the FT-991A on top of a Bioenno LiFePO4 12V/20Ah battery, and LDG AT100ProII Tuner. Stackability makes for a very small footprint for portable use, or you can spread them on your table.

Remember, once you commit to learning the menus on the Yaesu, it’s unbeatable!