| As soon as I turned on the IC-7610 for the first time I was immediately impressed by the clarity of the audio. Signals that were not even moving the S-meter and buried in the mud were still Q-5 copy! Stronger signals were studio quality copy. The SSB TX is very clean and bright sounding, according to on-air checks I’ve made. All EQlines between the Low- and high-ends are really good in balance. What i like….!!!!: -Control of the RX filters. Three stored values of which the parameters may be adjusted. -The noise reduction is great, and works very well in SSB/CW mode, which in my experience is the exception. -The NR does get some pretty rough signals up to good-copy status. -The ATT can be dailed manual between 5db to 55db. -The SSB TX seems to be very clean and bright sounding, according to on-air checks I’ve made. -I do like the I/Q output which interfaces to HDSDR. Heck of a band scope. |
The IC-7610 Front panel
The IC-7610 Back panel
The IC-7610 block diagram
IC-7610 inside top view
IC-7610 inside bottom view
IC-7610 Features
- Direct-sampling/digital up-conversion HF/6m transceiver with two independent, identical receivers
- MAIN and SUB receivers can operate independently on different bands and modes (emissions)
- SUB receiver tuning knob available by plugging RC-28 controller into front-panel USB-A port
- MAIN/SUB Tracking (simultaneous tuning) from main tuning knob (enabled by menu option)
- Each receiver front end has dedicated ADC, ADC driver/preamp, 0-45 dB X 3 dB step attenuator, BPF group and Digi-Sel tracking preselector
- Separate DAC/audio chains for MAIN and SUB receivers; binaural reception possible
- Powerful ALTERA® RF FPGA performs digital down/up conversion, frequency-management and signal-processing tasks
- Separate Lattice® Common FPGA performs signal-processing tasks
- Separate AF/SQL controls and EXT SP jacks for MAIN and SUB receivers
- Independent MAIN and SUB real-time FFT spectrum scope/waterfall displays with high dynamic range (100 dB)
- Separate scope RBW (resolution bandwidth) and VBW (video bandwidth) adjustments in Spectrum Scope menu
- Independent MAIN and SUB spectrum scope/waterfall displays(can be stacked L/R or MAIN above SUB)
- Dual clock displays
- Headphone left/right mix can be turned on or off
- MULTI knob for easier operation (similar to IC-7300)
- ANT1 and ANT2 ports with switched hybrid splitter for user-selectable dual-antenna (e.g. diversity) or Dual Watch configurations
- RX ANT IN/OUT BNC break jacks switchable between MAIN and SUB receiver
- 10 MHz EXT REF I/O and Transverter I/O BNC jacks
- NTP (Network Time Protocol) server connectivity (when IC-7610 is connected to Internet)
- RF-FPGA has MAIN and SUB inputs (from ADC’s) and outputs (to DAC’s), and display data channel to display driver subsystem
- CW keying waveform generation & shaping in FPGA to minimise latency
- CW RX APF function with adjustable position (f0), width and AF gain
- Low-noise, high-performance 16-bit ADC’s (Linear Technology LTC2208I); sampling rate 122.88 MHz
- Low-noise ADC driver with high gain-bandwidth product (Linear Technology LTC6409)
- High-quality 24-bit, 192 kHz stereo audio codec encodes transmit audio and decodes Main and Sub receive audio
- Digital up-conversion (DUC) exciter and 14-bit DAC (ISL5961IAZ) offer exceptionally low TX phase noise and clean transmitted signal
- New low-phase-noise clock oscillator with Crystek ultra-low-noise VCXO provides high target RMDR of 105 dB (1 kHz offset), 110 dB (2 kHz offset) and excellent transmitter phase noise performance
- Common low-noise power supply for the VCXO and FPGA helps assure ultra-low phase noise
- 100W MOSFET PA unit with fast T/R switching
- High-speed relay-type auto-ATU with emergency mode to match highly-reactive antennas
- Ethernet LAN port supports internal RS-BA1 server as in IC-7851, IC-7700 (FW V2.0 & higher), IC-7800 (FW V3.0 & higher)
- LAN Output Select menu option for AF (baseband) or IF
- Multiple memory functions
- Two rear-panel USB-B ports (USB2 & USB3) for CAT control/PCM audio & I/Q baseband output (now supported in Firmware V1.20).
- Future 12 kHz final IF I/Q output via firmware upgrade
- Two front-panel USB-A ports for USB stick, mouse, RC-28 controller, keyboard etc.
- SD card slot for data capture, record/playback, firmware upgrade etc.
- Firmware upgrade via SD card or USB stick
- External meter and keypad jacks on rear panel
- 7″ (diagonal) high-definition touch-screen display
- Screen image capture to SD card
- Scope/waterfall windows can be stacked side-by-side or MAIN above SUB
- Multi-purpose real-time audio scope and FFT audio spectrum analyzer
- Rear-panel DVI-D port for external video display
- External display resolution selectable via menu: 800X600 or 800X480
- Large RAM reserve for future firmware expansion
- Dimensions & weight: 340 (W) X 118 (H) X 277 (D) mm, 8.5 kg
- Operating refinements:
- Mute band by pressing corresponding volume knob
- Mic DC bias can be disabled for dynamic mc
- Keyer memories can use F1-F8 on keyboard
- Can record and capture directly to USB drive or SD card
- Adjustable independent beep tones for the main and sub bands from 500-2000Hz