{"id":48514,"date":"2021-04-11T07:31:38","date_gmt":"2021-04-11T11:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=48514"},"modified":"2021-04-11T07:31:38","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T11:31:38","slug":"giuseppe-compares-the-icom-ic-r8600-with-the-ic-705","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/giuseppe-compares-the-icom-ic-r8600-with-the-ic-705\/","title":{"rendered":"Giuseppe compares the Icom IC-R8600 with the IC-705"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Giuseppe Fisoni, who reached out a few weeks ago noting that he was very impressed with the Icom IC-705<\/a>‘s receiver performance even compared with his Icom IC-R8600 wideband receiver.<\/p>\n

I asked Giuseppe if he would perhaps write up a short informal report to share here on the SWLing Post.<\/em> He just sent me the following notes:<\/p>\n

\n

Hi Thomas,<\/span><\/p>\n

[…]Consider this more of a qualitative comparison – just S meter readings with a few brief notes.<\/p>\n

My overall impression is that the IC-705 is a fantastic SW receiver, as you\u2019ve already made clear on all your posts. In most cases, it holds up well against the IC-R8600, and even performs better in some cases. I have some notes below, which you are welcome to share with your readers if you\u2019d like. For a while I also had two IC-705s in my hands, so I even got to test \u201creplicas\u201d with the 705 (there was no major difference but it was still fun to do).<\/p>\n

A few things about my comparisons:
\n1. All tests were done using a 50\u2019 long wire antenna (house to tree) with an un-un.
\n2. The IC-R8600 was operated using an ICOM AC adaptor (creating a disadvantage), while the IC-705 was run on battery. However, I tried to only compare stations where the noise floors were comparable and the 8600 didn\u2019t have any RFI.
\n3. I tried my best to normalize the RF gains on each radio, but this became somewhat difficult. I\u2019m not sure if they are on the same scale (i.e. does 80% RF gain mean the same thing on both radios?). Also, I very quickly noticed that turning up the RF gain on the 8600 only increased the S meter reading and apparent noise floor on the waterfall spectrum, but it did not actually make the audible signal or noise audibly stronger. This was especially true from 50% and up on the RF gain. In contrast, the RF gain on the 705 operated as you\u2019d expect – the more you turned it up, the higher the gain on the signal (and noise), evenly across 0-100%.<\/p>\n

Test #1<\/h3>\n

2021.02.08
\n0211 UTC
\n3,330 kHz CHU<\/p>\n

IC-705: weak signal but audible, S6
\nIC-R8600: no signal!<\/p>\n

Winner: clearly 705. Shocked the 8600 couldn\u2019t pick up CHU!<\/p>\n

Test #2<\/h3>\n

2021.02.08
\n0219 UTC
\n3,215 kHz WWCR Nashville<\/p>\n

IC-705: S9+20
\nIC-R8600: S9+20 to S9+40.<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie – although the 8600 had a stronger signal on the S meter, it didn\u2019t really sound any better than the S9+20 on the 705.<\/p>\n

Test #3<\/h3>\n

2021.02.18
\n1958 UTC
\n9,690 kHz Radio Espana Exterior<\/p>\n

IC-705: S9 to S9+10
\nIC-R8600: S9+20<\/p>\n

Winner: Another tie – the stronger signal didn\u2019t make much of a difference. The 8600 only sounded slightly better because of its speaker, not the receiver, so I\u2019m calling it a tie.<\/p>\n

Test #4<\/h3>\n

2021.02.18
\n2001 UTC
\n10,000 kHZ WWV<\/p>\n

IC-705: S3, very weak
\nIC-R8600: S7 to S9 but high atmospheric noise<\/p>\n

Winner: 8600<\/p>\n

Test #5<\/h3>\n

2021.02.18
\n2006 UTC
\n11,820 kHz Radio Riyadh<\/p>\n

IC-705: S1, barely detectable
\nIC-R8600: S5 to S7, intelligibility unstable<\/p>\n

Winner: 8600<\/p>\n

Test #6<\/h3>\n

2021.02.18
\n2012 UTC
\n15,000 kHz WWV<\/p>\n

IC-705: S3 to S5
\nIC-R8600: S9, slightly clearer and crisper tones<\/p>\n

Winner: 8600, but not by much<\/p>\n

Test #7<\/h3>\n

2021.02.18
\n2015 UTC
\n15,580 kHz VOA Selebi-Phikwe, Botswana<\/p>\n

IC-705: S1 to S3, in and out with fading
\nIC-R8600: S9, much more stable signal<\/p>\n

Winner: 8600<\/p>\n

Test #8<\/h3>\n

2021.02.19
\n00016 UTC
\n7,780 kHz WRMI Slovakia International<\/p>\n

IC-705: S9 solid, stable signal
\nIC-R8600: S9, same<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie<\/p>\n

Test #8<\/h3>\n

2021.02.18
\n0022 UTC
\n6,604 kHz USB Gander VOLMET<\/p>\n

IC-705: S5 to S7
\nIC-R8600: S9<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie, no real difference<\/p>\n

Test #9<\/h3>\n

2021.04.09
\n2335 UTC
\n11,940 kHz Radio Exterior Espana<\/p>\n

IC-705: S5 to S9 solid signal with some fading
\nIC-R8600: S9<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie – no obvious difference<\/p>\n

Test #10<\/h3>\n

2344 UTC
\n9,420 kHz Helliniki Radiophonia, Greece<\/p>\n

IC-705: S9 +20. Excellent signal
\nIC-R8600: S9+ 20-30. Excellent signal<\/p>\n

Winner: Again, a tie. But the wonderful Greek music reminds you again how much better the speaker is on the 8600.<\/p>\n

Overall<\/h1>\n

Here\u2019s the important thing: even though in most cases the IC-R8600 pulled in a much higher S meter reading, it often didn\u2019t matter unless the difference between the two radios was a lot. In cases where it mattered, I could have turned up the RF gain or preamp on the 705 to match the signal on the 8600 (unless it was really weak on the 705), but I was trying to avoid that for the sake of having some baseline for comparison. How comparable are RF gain levels across ICOM radios?<\/p>\n

IC-705 pros\/cons take aways for me:<\/h2>\n