I’ve been looking for a second rig for the ham shack since I parted ways with my IC-910H. I like having two rigs during VHF contests, one running 6 meters and the other running 2 meters. So here I’ll talk about my requirements and how the IC-7100 fit them.

Essential Rig Requirements

While I’m not wedded to Icom rigs, they have been very good to me and our efforts with Radio Scouting activities. Not only that, but I like their rigs and their approach. That all started with inheriting an IC-745 from my dad, followed by the IC-9100 plus testing their IC-7300 and IC-9700. After that, I thought about an SDR rig like SunSDR. But I wanted to stay in my current Airspy SDR receiving setup.

The other criterion is that I wanted a rig with both 6 and 2 meters. That included some older used Icom rigs from IC-746 Pro to another IC-9100. But considering that the rig is mostly a transmitter only, supported by the Airspy, the IC-7100 fit very nicely.

IC-7100 — Features that Fit

One big thing that I wanted was a direct USB connection to the rig. But, on the other hand, I didn’t need much in the way of a receiver. And a compact rig is always a good size.

I also valued two antenna connectors, one for HF/6 and one for 144/432 MHz. That gave it a significant leg-up over the more expensive and lower-power IC-705.

It’s also convenient that the menu structure and overall operation match the IC-9100, so my learning curve isn’t quite as steep.

The downside is that IC-7100 does not have a separate PTT connection for an amplifier. But you can implement that with the ACC connector, including separate HF/6 and VHF/UHF PTT lines. That could be useful if I return to VHF roving or portable operations.

Purchasing the IC-7100 — Lots of Options

Icom has discontinued the rig, but there are still many options for purchase. [Note: I’ve been informed that Icom has not discontinued this rig but expect to get them back in stock soon]. I kept a close eye on eBay listings. And, while watching some of those auctions and buy-it-now listings, I stumbled upon HamEstate.com. Their goal is to help ham families move the departed ham’s gear onto others. Their listing of an IC-7100 appeared on one of my searches. The price was right, and they shipped very promptly. Check them out for other gear.

BTW. I also picked up a remote head base mount on eBay. It moves the remote head vertically to 90 degrees rather than the 45-degree display. It’s a 3D-printed item. I found the included screws didn’t fit. But Lowes has the correct metric version, M3-.50 x 10. I particularly like how it now matches the alignment of the IC-9100 display. The buttons and touchscreen still work great, although you’ll need to add rubber feet to the mount to prevent movement. I also picked up a Nifty! Mini-Manual — you’ve got to have that!

Two Rig Setup — IC-7100 and IC-9100

My first big motivation to get the IC-7100 up and running was so that I could send the IC-9100 for repair. Unfortunately, something went wrong with the HF/6 receiver, which I haven’t been using on 6 meters, but HF is another matter.

Once the IC-7100 arrived and was placed on the air, I sent the IC-9100 to Matt Adrian at the Icom Service Center in Michigan. I worked with Matt at Heathkit back in the day. He does excellent work and keeps you informed at every stage of the process.

On the initial installation of the IC-7100, everything was pretty much plug the IC-9100 connections into the rig, and make sure all the levels were correct. It worked a treat on both HF, 6, and 2 meters. While the IC-9100 was being repaired, I added a few more South American grids on 6 meters and a 1200-mile meteor scatter contact on 2 meters.

Now that the IC-9100 has returned home, I’ve set the IC-7100 for 6 meters only. It uses the Airspy SDR, Antennas-Amplifiers preamp/switch/bandpass filter, and M2 amplifier. A Downeast Microwave sequencer is used to keep all that switching correctly.

The IC-9100 is set up for 2 meters and HF. Instead of a sequencer, it directly runs the Tokyo Hy-Power 2-meter amplifier and uses the amp’s internal preamp. I like that simple setup, and we’ll see how the receiver works versus the Airspy lash-up I have been using.

That’s the news from K5ND. Glad to see the 6-meter Sporadic E season getting underway. There’s been some tropo for 2 meters but not enough other stations on the air during the openings. Next up is the ARRL June VHF Contest.

I look forward to seeing you on the air.