Hello to all,
I recently got a question from a fellow ham and future cruiser (he's boat
shopping now), regarding the
Icom M-802 and the
Icom IC-7300....and asking my opinion....
So, here is what I sent to him...
~~~~~~~~~
Jeff,
I just saw your message....it was just a profile comment (that I never look at), but then see you are asking a question....and a rather important one at that!!
This might be more than you asked for....but here goes anyway!
Off the top-of-my-head, here are more than 10 things that differentiate the M-802 vs. the IC-7300...
1) First off, while the IC-7300 is becoming the signature ham radio of the decade, let's remember a few things about it, that can be problematic for HF maritime operations, on a boat...especially
offshore / in
remote locales...
a) It's a ham radio, and of course is not certified for any other radio
service....and hence is illegal to use on anything other than the ham radio bands...
b) Being a ham radio (and again not needing to pass any certifications other than harmonic and Part 15) its spectral purity and transmit IMD are not up to the maritime standards, so even if you desired to flaunt the laws and attempt to use the IC-7300 on the
marine bands, you'd likely be causing
interference to other users..
c) It's an SDR-type radio....which in and of itself isn't a bad thing....but the inherent design means it is a
software driven ("defined") radio, and as such can have some rather peculiar problems, as well as the architecture of its design lends itself to be easily updated/improved with new firmware and
software....again, not necessarily a bad thing for hams on shore, but for a radio on an
offshore boat that is a primary means of
safety or
distress communications, this is not such a great idea (at least not in my opinion), as it should be designed and built for its purpose not to stroke the egos of hams...
d) The menu-driven approach (especially using a touch screen) isn't very conducive to easy operation on a boat, especially when at sea....and in a tough situation (heavy
weather, etc.) trying to use a menu-driven radio is the last thing I would be wanting to try!
2) Of course, the main difference between all "ham" radios and all modern "marine" radios is
DSC...Digital Selective Calling...
There are no "ham" radios with
DSC....and since DSC (which has been a part of the GMDSS since the 1990's) is the only way you can signal the > 80 HF coast stations and > 450 MF coast stations, and the 10's of thousands of SOLAS-grade ships....and except for signaling the USCG, AMSA, or NZMA (who do still
monitor HF-SSB Voice channels) or calling vessels in US waters (who are still required to
monitor ch. 16 VHF).....DSC has been the only way to signal anyone on the maritime bands now, for decades!!
(of course "SSB Voice communications" is used for two-way communications, to talk/pass traffic, etc., between vessels, ship-to-ship; and ship-to-shore, or shore-to-ship; but this is done after signaling via DSC first, and coordinated via DSC....and then switching to the coordinated SSB Voice channel/frequency)....
Except for the scheduled cruisers' nets (and the aforementioned USCG, AMSA, and NZMA) there is nobody monitoring HF maritime comms with SSB Voice, only HF-DSC....and again this has been the case now for decades (the GMDSS was implemented in the 1990's, being fully operational and required on all SOLAS vessels and all signatory nations Feb, 1st, 1999)...
So, if you want to use the radio for any
safety / distress communications, or for most maritime communication, then a MF/HF-DSC-SSB-Radiotelephone (such as the M-802) is necessary...
Please have a look at these video playlists...where you'll get a good idea of what the GMDSS is and particularly what DSC is and how-it-works...
HF-DSC Comms
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnN6ygtZ3h2n3z5nlv-ga2zYuPozhUXZX
Maritime HF Comms (in general)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnN6ygtZ3h2nPNdApNsZDo_Jk3NB_Bt1y
Icom M-802 Instruction Videos
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnN6ygtZ3h2npivDjoFrC-8QKVyMb4tVr
USCG communications page
https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=cgcommsCall
3) Next in succession of importance is the design and build
reliability of the radio, as well as easy-of-use (even for untrained persons), and simplicity of operation of the M-802 (its crappy manual notwithstanding)....it is an easy radio to use and it performs perfectly on all channels/freqs no matter who is using it....(you really can't screw it up)
See the M-802 Instruction Videos in the playlist above...
4) Then is the fact that it not only works well at "battery voltages" of 12.0dvc (and lower), it actually must maintain its full spec'd performance (meet the FCC Part 80 spec) when operated between 11.5vdc and 15.5vdc....there are no "ham" rigs that can do that....and most ham rigs will shut-down when voltages approach 12vdc....and most will have transmit distortion ("fm'ing") with voltages much below 12.6vdc...and will generally not have proper output at voltages below 13.2vdc...(and remember this is on transmit, at full-power, where you will also have some voltage drop in the DC power
wiring....if you use large enough power wiring to keep voltage drop to 3%, at 13volts that is about 0.4 volts....so if your "house voltage is 12.6vdc, at best the voltage at the radio is 12.2vdc, best case scenario...)
5) Of course, "everyone" will say that marine radios are designed for the maritime
environment...and they are....but to what extent does that make them "better" than most ham radios?? Well, that's an argument that I haven't
solved....but suffice to say that the M-802 is certainly more rugged and better suited for the marine
environment that the IC-7300!!
Also, the fact that the M-802 is destined to be used on-board a boat (in close proximity to its antennas and
computers, etc.) it is designed to be more RFI protected than most ham rigs, and certainly better than most other consumer
electronics....(I cannot compare this aspect directly with the IC-7300, but assume it is at best on par with most ham rigs...)
{understand that I not only have the radio just a dozen feet from the antennas, but that I regularly sit within 1 - 2 feet of the antennas, with the mic (and headphones) on extension cables, and talk on the ham and marine bands, without any
interference / RFI / feedback....and while this is a testament to the excellent antenna ground / rf ground I have, it is also a testament to how good the M-802 and AT-140 are....try taking a modern ham rig, place it within 10' of a long (efficient) base-fed vertical wire antenna, and then sit next to the antenna with the mic on a long extension cable as let me know how well it works...}
6) Then you have the "compatibility" of the M-802 to other systems/devices (such as a
GPS NMEA input, an external
PACTOR modem, etc.)....although these can be used with the IC-7300, they are not as readily plug-n-play as with the M-802...
7) And, while you mentioned the "150 watts" vs."100 watts"....yes, this is only 2db of transmit power difference....but, 2db more power is 2db stronger of a signal....and when signals are marginal, this can make a difference!!
And, please note that the M-802 is rated at 150 watts output, continuous duty, on FSK (100% duty-cycle), as well as SSB/CW, and other digital modes...
And, produces a clean linear signal at 150 watts output....useful for both voice and digital modes...
8) Of course, the M-802 also has the advantage of having its control
head (and speaker)
remote from the main transceiver unit....this allows mounting the radio (main unit) in a safe location away from
salt spray / moisture, and near to the 12vdc power wiring....and still have full 100% control and access to the control
head (and speaker, and microphone) where you desire to operate from...
(I actually have a second control head, that I was going to mount out in my
cockpit but never did....but, I do have an Icom microphone extension cable and headphone extension cable, that I run up to the
cockpit, so I can use the radio while on watch at sea...the mic has "up"/"down" buttons and a separate programmable "control" button you can use to get a lot of functionality of the radio from, while still being 20' away from the control head...)
9) The M-802's built-in IF-DSP-based Speech
Compressor is very good....adds significant talk-power and "punch" to your SSB audio, without any distortion at all (and without negatively effecting the radios transmit IMD nor spectral purity!).... Most ham rigs cannot do this...(but, I haven't looked at the IC-7300's speech processor system, but assume it's good??)
10) Although this last item is anecdotal / subjective, I (and others) get unsolicited reports of crisp / clear audio and a very clean signal with the M-802 on the ham bands where so many are used to crappy sounding and dirty signals, the M-802 stands out head-n-shoulders above the ham radios on-the-air!!
I do hope this helps clarify the differences....
Fair winds..
John