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| IC-7200 with the optional grab handles |
This is a darned shame. The IC-7200 had something of a cult following; it was rugged, military like in it's design and it just looked cool. But it was no slouch - it offered great HF performance and incorporated a sound card interface that made using it on digital modes like PSK-31 or for Winlink a snap.
The IC-7200 was declared dead once before back in 2016, but a year later customer demand spurred Icom to put it back into production. One dealer, Gigaparts, capitalized on the radio's rugged appeal and offered the radio in several custom colors done up by an after-market paint shop. Some of the designs were a bit outlandish, but the 'Vietnam olive drab' option was an attention grabber.
I've owned my IC-7200 for about a year and was so impressed with its performance and rugged build that I was planning to buy a second as a back-up. Alas, it looks like I'll be looking for a used one if I don't move fast.
I'm also scratching my head wondering just why Icom killed off this radio but keeps the very long in the tooth IC-718 in production. The IC-718 went into production almost 5 years before the IC-7200 first came to market. It's a good radio, and Icom has sold truckloads of them, but it's an archaic design by today's standards and other than a low(er) price and the Icom name badge it really doesn't offer any thing that would make it competitive. In fact it's direct competitor in the Yaesu lineup - the FT-450D is a much better radio. The IC-7200 could hold its own against the FT-450D, but not the IC-718.
My guess is that Icom figured out that the IC-7200's sales were eating into sales of the IC-7100 'shack in the box'. Just speculation. Or maybe Icom's got a nifty IC-7200 replacement waiting in the wings. Maybe a ruggedized manpack HF rig, 20 watts out, internal battery pack, takes a whip antenna for operations on 10 and 6 meters, fully integrated handset. Hey c'mon Icom, make Daddy happy!
But in the meantime my IC-7200 will soldier on. I recently had the MARS/CAP mod done on it and it gets dragged to the field now and again for some fun.
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| IC-7200 running Fldigi from the back of my truck |
It's a workhorse for sure. I'm keeping mine.
W8BYH out
It's back out now, just picked one up. KL7IS
ReplyDeleteThis is in reference to your IC718 comment in the body of the 7200 text. . As a person who has repaired many 718's, be it know that components are unobtanium from Icom, many are no longer available from the parts houses, and I have had to purchase most IC's via Ebay. Not sure if they still support these at the factory, if they do they must have a mother load of circuit boards that they just change out, or they hoard the IC's, not for resale. Icom no longer makes crystal filters for these radios either, and one ham radio supplier said they received their last order of filters in 2018. Be wary of anyone that charges you dollars for the chip diodes. These are still available at 28 cents each from Newark, and I have seen Icom invoices where they charged $12 for one chip diode. I 're-repaired' an Icom repaired radio where the owner was charged $72 for six 28 cent diodes and $170 to put them in. The total Icom repair bill was 100 less than what it could be bought for new from HRO at that time. .
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