2 x IC-7300 vs IC-7610 by JH0ILL’s blog

I purchased an IC-7610. Frankly speaking, it was a transceiver with a list price of ¥368,000JPY, and I could not afford it. In my opinion, it was a good deal to buy one or two IC-7300s, whose performance is almost the same. For example, purchasing two IC-7300s for ¥139,800JPY = ¥279,600JPY would be cheaper and more convenient. Other IC-7610 owners have told me this, and now that I am an owner, it is frustrating to admit it, so I asked myself, "Is there still a benefit to buying an IC-7610? I thought about it. However, I am not an owner of the IC-7300, so please forgive me for having a selfish viewpoint there.
Let's consider what the IC-7610 has over the two IC-7300 Displays.

It has two digicel units.
APF for CW/RTTY
ATU can be stored
CW speed and pitch control knob
Very quiet at full break-in
IQ output function

That's about it. On the other hand, two IC-7300s can output two waves at the same time, so if you have two antenna systems and different frequency bands, you can do such tricks as QSO on a different band during operating FT8, which is currently popular. If this is the case, why the IC-7610? It is not a flagship model like the IC-7851, so I would like to be satisfied with the IC-7610 by at least showing its merits in practical use.
The IC-7610 is not an introductory HF model, but rather for those who are somewhat familiar with HF. I would like to think that these functions were developed with the operation pattern in the characteristic band of HF in mind.
First of all, after operating on HF for a while, everyone wants to make DX communications. Not digitally, but by actually trusting their own ears, they will want to pick up weak signals in distant foreign countries from among the noise and interference. In addition, when communicating with rare stations, many stations will crowd together, and usually split operation is used (i.e., transmission and reception frequencies are staggered to reduce interference). The DXers, as they are called, are eager to outperform other stations in terms of equipment and operation. On the other hand, another way to enjoy HF is to participate in contests. In contests, the key to winning is not only to communicate with many stations, but also to get more multipliers, which are special privileges that are unique to each contest. To do this, it is necessary to cover the bands and find the missing multiplier stations.
Then, if you consider what features the IC-7610 has to offer as a practical device for these HFs, you will surely want the IC-7610, not the IC-7300.
First, there is Digicel, which I have mentioned before. When operating at 7MHz or 3.5MHz, we often hear very strong signals from neighboring foreign broadcast stations in the evening and morning. signal. Especially when the antenna is pointed in that direction, the OVF (overflow) indicator lights up without a moment's delay, and the band begins to buzz. When this happens, the IC-7300's response is almost always to reduce the RF gain or turn on the ATT, as seen on Youtube and other sites. One way to listen to DX signals without OVF is to use a digicel. Usually, where OVF is occurring, the OVF has never been eliminated by adding a digicel. Even if a super local station comes up, it seems to work fine as long as it is not on a neighboring frequency. In other words, in low-band DX, the IC-7610 is expected to be more capable than the IC-7300.
Another feature is dual-watch. It is easy to think that two IC-7300s would be better for this purpose, but for some purposes, the IC-7610 is easier to use than two IC-7300s. That is when it comes to split operation, which is essential when communicating with rare stations. In this case, you receive on the frequency of the rare station and call the transmitter a short distance away. The important thing in split operation is to anticipate the frequency that the rare station will probably listen to, and to avoid collisions with other stations. It is also necessary to listen to the signals of the rare stations. With the IC-7000, when using split operation, the user usually watches for rare station frequencies, and when selecting a transmit frequency, the user listens for the transmit frequency while pressing the XFC button, and then calls in on the available frequency. The IC-7610 can listen to transmit frequencies simultaneously using the same antenna system and display the area on a spectrum scope, allowing the user to quickly locate the frequency on which a station was picked up by a rare station and the vacant frequency in the vicinity, while listening to the rare station's signal. system, and during the time when the transmitting device is transmitting, the receiving device must be completely shut down to protect the front end. Such a feat is definitely better left to a single IC-7610. In fact, not only this, but the IC-7610 also has an IQ output function, and when connected to a PC via USB3, HDSDR software and CW Skimmer can show at a glance which frequency was picked up during a CW pileup.
For CW operation, there are some useful functions. I use CW for 90% of my daily DX communications, so the functions that support CW are very important to me. I especially like the APF (audio peak filter) function. When I used to use the TS-480HX, signals below S4 were buried in noise, making reception very difficult. With the IC-7610, when the APF is activated, even signals as severe as S1 to S2 can be understood almost completely. I can now get weak DX signals from stations below 100W that used to call me when I CQ'd at 1kW. This is equivalent to having a good antenna. It is also nice that the audio pitch control knob and the CW speed knob can be operated quickly, and in the case of CW, it is etiquette to match the speed of the other party, and the knob is good for switching speeds. The pitch control is also very convenient as it changes the tone that is easy to hear at any given moment. Another thing I like is the lack of a full break-in relay sound. I don't want to set a full break-in if the relay sound is too loud.
The IC-7610 is also useful for contests. I use CTESTWIN and rig control with CAT. However, at this time, we can only support barefoot communication (linear amplifiers must be linked as well...). Furthermore, it is a linkage of HDSDR+CW Skimmer using IQ signal. In this case, it is now possible to connect to CTESTWIN via Telnet and quickly move to a frequency of an uncommunicated station and communicate with it. I tried this at ARRL International the other day. This kind of trick is possible.
There are still a few features left in the IC-7610 that I haven't used yet. One is the ability to install a transverter for the LW band. This is difficult to do due to difficult licensing requirements. It also has a remote function and can act as a server. It also has a receiver antenna port for changing the transmit and receive antennas in the low band, and even has a tracking function. All of this is not possible even if there were two IC-7300s.

In summary, the following may be true.

Mainly for domestic SSB communication.　→ One IC-7300
You want to communicate with FT8 and SSB at the same time on different bands.　→ 2 IC-7300s
CW communication is relatively frequent → IC-7610 is good, but IC-7300 is also OK
Many cases of calling DX rare stations → IC-7610 is recommended
Low-band DX communication in the evening and morning → IC-7610 is recommended
Contest winners → IC-7610 is recommended
Want to use the remote function → IC-7610 recommended?
It seems to me that the IC-7610 is the model for those who want to experience more depth after getting to know the joys of HF with the IC-7300. However, its position in relation to higher-end models such as the IC-7700 and IC-7851 is unclear.