Icom IC-9700 Haters' Delight? VK3BL discusses Measurement & Statistics

Being a UHF (1.2GHz / 23cm) transceiver, the performance characteristics of the Icom IC-9700 are inherently hard to quantify.

We've noticed that a few reports of 'frequency stability' issues have been circulating social media, so Jarrad VK3BL decided to take the opportunity to discuss the inherent difficulty of measuring 23cm equipment, and also why Rate My Radio shies away from publishing measurements of transceivers in general.

We didn't make this video as a critique of any one report or person - their efforts are in the spirit of Amateur radio and are most certainly educational - but merely to give an overview to Hams who maybe not familiar with VHF&UHF equipment how difficult making measurements can be.

With specific reference to the IC-9700, the following topics are covered:
How to make accurate measurements
How to produce accurate statistics
How to 'put things into perspective'

The last one is the most important. Let's just say the IC-9700 'drifts' a little bit at 1.2GHz - which it almost certainly does - how do we know as Hams if this is a reason to avoid purchasing the radio?

The answer lies in the history of previous equipment. All transceivers drift; in fact, it was very common on HF for most of the history of amateur radio, to the point we have a dedicated function / knob called 'Receive Incremental Tuning' or RIT to compensate for our QSO partner being 'slightly off frequency'.

Whilst 'drift' on HF transceivers has long become a thing of the past, it is still something that is encountered on the higher bands. So how do we know if a certain amount of drift is a reason not to buy a radio? Simple, we put it in context: is the new radio better than the previous generations?

Rather than relying on 'Amateur Measurements', we encourage prospective buyers to engage in a bit critical thinking of their own; after all, the most important thing a radio can do is meet the individual owner's operating passions.

As for the IC-9700, we recommend what we'd recommend when it comes to purchasing any radio:

If you can truly afford the IC-9700, go for it, be an early adopter and enjoy the privilege and excitement that comes with being the first kid on the block with the new toy.

If you can only 'justify' purchasing the IC-9700, maybe wait a while for the debates to settle, the VHF/UHF Field Ops & contesters to test them out and provide feedback, and any needed updates to be released.

If you can't afford the IC-9700, relish the fact that the revolutionary VHF&UHF Direct Conversion SDR Architecture has decimated the second hand price of traditional superhet radios, and grab yourself a bargain on the second hand market.

Now is truly the time to explore the exciting VHF & UHF aspects of our great hobby!

73, Jarrad VK3BL