Icom IC7300 A to Z #42 SWR Graphing Function

NOTICE: In July 2021 the channel name changed from HamCuredSmoke
To Ham Radio A2Z. All of the earlier videos (like this one) are still available.
In this video we will look at how to graph the SWR of your antenna over a range of frequencies. This handy, built-in function is a great way to see how broad your antenna is and how the SWR looks across an entire band or segment of a band that you're interested in. This function works with or without an antenna tuner in the circuit. So you can see how well your antenna is tuned or you can see what kind of tuning range a non-resonant antenna has when using a tuner.

[@hawks1282]

I really appreciate seeing a video that covers proper etiquette and FCC compliance while tuning. Lot's of folks just hold the tuner button and go.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Thanks.

[@jetstar6498]

After returning to amateur radio after a 16 year absence, it was refreshing to see this series on the IC-7300. Thanks for the effort it took to put this together. It was extremely helpful in getting back up to speed with this rig.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Welcome back! I'm glad you found the videos helpful. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@arizonareport]

Thank you very much for putting together such a comprehensive library of videos on the IC-7300. I will be rewatching these for years.

[@mrgajeep]

Tom, your tutorials result in new adventures for me. I am saddened that I am not able to glean this amount of detail from the manual on my own. Therefore, please know how much your dedication to details, your work making these presentations mean to me. Thank you so much.

[@crohnos01]

Another fine video Tom, thanks so much. My diapole antenna is giving me some spotty reception and I was just trying to figure out what and how the SWR meter did for me on the 7300. Once again, your videos are most timely. Awesome job. Thanks and 73s 👍

[@gregobrien6165]

Hi Tom, beginner here and my ICon 7300 is on the way! You have definitely made this radio MUCH less intimidating.! Thanks so much for putting these features into plain English.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Thanks for the kind words Greg. I'm glad it has been helpful.

[@leericelli_w8rnb202]

Tom: Really enjoy your tutorials. I'm hoping you'll do one for setting up the 7300 for remote operation

[@Ficklid]

What can I say but thanks, Tom! I just bought a 7300 two days ago. I haven't received it yet but I feel like I already know it from watching all of these excellent videos. I hope top meet you on the air to thank you in person! :)

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Thanks Geoff. Congratulations on the new rig!

[@Alcohen2006]

TOM ! Where have you been all my life ? ! ? I bought my 7300 last November (2020), and just discovered these videos today (May 5, 2021). True, I played with the radio enough to make contacts, and wandered around a bit under the hood with the junior manual, but I never approached it yet in any organized fashion. Until I get the full encyclopedia either printed or loaded into my laptop, THIS series of videos is my Operating Manual ! With this tour de force, you walk away with the annual Toobie award and a quart of Merit Badges. Thank you ! Al, K2KQU

[@richardg8itb706]

Many thanks for ALL your work in making these videos; they have been - and still are - extremely helpfull in getting to know my IC-7300! Far better than just trying to make my way through the user manual.Greatly appreciated! 73. Richard G8ITB.

[@michaelterrien1609]

Tom: Watched all 42 episodes of your ICOM IC-7300 A to Z Series and found them to be superior over the dry reading of the manual. I just passed my Tech/General exam, KE8PLG, and got this radio in September. Working on an antenna solution right now (Condo dweller with an HOA). Being new at Ham Radio this series really helped me get going. Followed your videos with hands on my radio. Your direction and presentation worked great. These videos will become a permanent future reference for me. Looking forward to seeing more. Thanks. Mike KE8PLG.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Mike! First, thanks for your kind words. Congratulations on the radio and the license and welcome to the hobby. I lived in an HOA for almost 10 years. There's no doubt that HF is a compromise, but you can definitely get on the air. There are plenty of stealth and small antennas and plans out there. I'm glad that you are finding the videos helpful. I haven't posted a 7300 video for a while, but I'm not finished yet. There are still more features and functions to cover. I've been a little side-tracked starting the 7100 series and there may be some other series coming too. I really appreciate your taking the time to comment. Hopefully we can meet up on the air or maybe at Dayton or another hamfest someday. 73, Tom WA2IVD

[@bashiar786]

Tom, for info the reason Icom suggest power of 30watts or more is due to the fact that the SWR is inaccurate with lower power settings, you can verify this yourself, check SWR at 30watts or above then start to reduce power down and you will see the SWR reading reduce suggesting that your antenna has a low SWR.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

I haven’t really tested this in detail. I don’t have a good, calibrated external power/SWR meter to check the radio against. This sounds like a good excuse for a new piece of test equipment. :-)

[@saltire546]

Tom, thank you for the Icom 7300 videos , they have been a great help and so much better than having to try and decyfer the manual .Icom should give you a free radio for helping out their customers .

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Thanks!

[@saltire546]

@@HamRadioA2Z Did you get the email i sent ? 464!

[@keeterp7522]

Neat. I tried the 10W level and then 30W and 50W. AT 10W the SWR was low...it increased as the power setting was set higher. The antenna, a dipole, is pretty well flat at 14.074, which is good because I've been using FT8 a lot. Looks like I have a problem because at the 50W level it rose to about 2.75.

[@swflKVNC]

Thanks Tom, Even though I have been using my 7300 for a while, I still find myself saying "oh wow" on every video. I sure wished you had an Anytone 878 DMR :) Please continue. 73

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Funny thing Tom. I actually picked one up at a hamfest a couple months ago because there was a really good deal on them. I've been thinking about doing some videos on it, but I also just started a series on the 7100. If there's enough interest, maybe I'll add that to the list too. Thanks for the kind words. 73, Tom

[@imahamjim]

Nice job. I really appreciate you doing all on the 7300. Jim k1az

[@barndweller4573]

Thank you for that simple video. I am about to go out in the back field and set up my stuff I have built over the winter getting ready for some pota. This will make tuning the antennas l lot easier!

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Glad it was helpful!

[@longtonailtrdwtr8715]

At 7:00 I thought my dryer was done… it it was just yours. BTW Fantastic dryer choice.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Ha! That's too funny. Just went back and rewatched that bit. Never realized the dryer music was in there.

[@MAURICIOFALCAOPY5MZ]

Another fantastic video, Tom. Congratulations from Brazil. De PY5MM

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Many thanks! 73, Tom

[@jetstar6498]

Tom, thank you for the Icom 7300 episodes. I found them to be very well done and understandable. I am returning to amateur radio after a 15 year absence and will be purchasing this rig. I've watched all videos and wonder if there are any more about this rig. Much thanks! 73!

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Thanks for the kind words. There are definitely others besides mine out there. I typically add videos every week or two as I'm able to fit them in between family and work. 73, Tom WA2IVD

[@jetstar6498]

I have watched some our videos, but preferred your step by step approach. 73. W9ACF/Jeff @@HamRadioA2Z

[@jetstar6498]

@@HamRadioA2Z PS: what touch screen pen do you use? Would like to order same. Thanks again. W9ACF/Jeff

[@donaldsmith3048]

This would be where putting in my general information in the range that it will let me transmit would keep me out of trouble because it will not test the SWR outside my limits.

[@w4mkh]

Another great vide. Thanks Tom. Every video (and I have viewed almost all of them) makes me want the 7300 even more. Hopefully someday soon I will be able to get one. Video suggestion: can you do something un ununs? I get the basic principles of a 4:1 or a 9:1 unum but I don't understand how to determine which I need. Thanks. W4MKH

[@fredmillard5018]

thanks Tom, really enjoy your videos. Fred N4CYF

[@normjacques6853]

Hi Tom. Great video! At the end you showed what looks like an SDR/Panadapter display. Unless you've already done this and I missed it, would you consider doing a video on how you set your up, and maybe what SDR you're using? Thanks, and 73! W1NLJ

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Norm. The SDR is an RSP Duo from SDR Play. I used it to demonstrate the difference between CW and MCW in a non-7300 video a few months ago. You can check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5-1hqqdq9t7gck 73, Tom

[@robdf9024]

Thanks a lot much appreciated. 73 de Rob 9J2RD

[@roythaller3998]

Great set of videos Tom. It helped me a lot as I am a show and tell type of person. I was wondering what happened to video #29? It is not on the list. Also is there a video on the Scan function? Audio Scope? Although it is simple... Thank you 73 VA7RTL

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Roy. Video #29 is out there, I just forgot to add it to the playlist. I've just fixed that. Here's a direct link as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJ7RaqCLg8mqq9U

[@paulcooper4624]

Hi Tom, many thanks for sharing your knowledge of the IC-7300 in a way even this sexagenarian could understand. I have one area of the unit which I cannot seem to master when reading the manual and that's the one under the "Scans" Section 10-1 to 10-7. I have watched all of your IC-7300 videos twice searching for this section but cannot see it. If I've missed it somehow, probably due to approaching senility, could you please advise which video you covered it in.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Paul. Thanks for the kind words. I will be adding videos on the scanning functions. Sorry, I’ve been offline for a while. We’ve been moving into a new house. Getting internet access setup has been a little problematic and the whole moving process has taken more time than I was planning for. I had visions of not missing a beat on videos, but that just hasn’t happened. I expect to be back in production soon.

[@eddy2561]

Great videos Tom, better than most that I've watched on KZbin. Just a note that some of your videos your hand obscures the display.....otherwise, first rate! 73 ~ k6sdw

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Yeah. Sorry about that. On one recent one, I was at a temporary camping setup and forgot to bring a small stylus that I normally use. Thanks for the kind words. 73, Tom

[@donaldsmith3048]

This looks like the best way to test a new antenna. I will be sending up my new 7300 and putting up my antenna soon and this looks like a good way to test the new antenna.

[@porkyfedwell]

Excellent as usual. So, do I have to attach a microphone to step through the bars? Can't I just use my cw key? I generally don't have a mic attached to my radios. Thanks!

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Actually, I don't know the answer to that. I've never tried it with a CW key. I'd be even more curious to know, if you have the keyer setup, instead of using a straight key, I wonder if the Dahs will automatically step through each bar? If you try it please comment back here and let us know.

[@williamarquett5948]

Tom, I have really enjoyed all these IC-7300 videos. On video 16 at approximately 9:51 mark there is a an orange blinking light to the right of the FIL1 icon --- "OCF". What is that? thank you

[@charlesrandle7915]

Tom, Thanks for the excellent videos. I was attempting without success to figure this stuff out by reading the manual. One question, how do you turn the tuner off? I've been trying to find that in the manual but, no joy,

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi. I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos. This isn’t explained very well in the manual. When you press and hold the TUNER button, it forces the the radio to tune. When it’s done, TUNE will be shown on the display. If you just briefly press TUNER, then TUNE will turn off and the tuner is bypassed at that point. Each time you briefly press TUNER, it toggles the internal tuner on and off. The answer in the manual is hidden in a NOTE at the bottom of page 11-2 where it tells you how to reset the latching relays in the tuner if the radio gets bumped hard. 73, Tom

[@charlesrandle7915]

@@HamRadioA2Z Thanks for the help, Tom. I figured it out after posting. I need to get the manual printed and take it to Office Depot for binding. Jumping around the pdf from the table of contents to the text is slow and clumsy for me.They could have mentioned the toggle in the section on swr graphing. I have a Yaesu Dual band radio that's worse, five buttons and two knobs and maybe a hundred non-intuitive menus. Thanks again.

[@edballardwd8jvv601]

I like your series for the 7300, I have an off topic question on 20 meters after sundown I get OVF flashing red on my screen meaning I have a signal that is overloading the front end of the 7300 is there any easy way to filter out the signal ? might be a good topic for a video when you are through with your series. Thanks for your Videos 73 Tom

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Ed. It's a great question and I haven't covered it yet. Unfortunately, it's a little hard to get the OVF indicator to flash on queue. I have seen this on my rig on both 40 and 80 on occasion. On one occasion I figured out that another station within a couple miles of me was transmitting at high power. The 7300 does have bandpass front end filters, but they can only stop so much. You could try turning on the Attenuator. You can also just turn the RF gain down a little bit. Hope this helps. 73, Tom

[@edballardwd8jvv601]

@@HamRadioA2Z I have tried both the band pass and turning down the RF gain with little success. The offending station is a foreign broadcast station. The other night while listening I heard music. The frequency I was listening to was 14.300 Mhz there is a Maritime Mobile Service net on that frequency that I listen to from time to time. Thank you Tom for the reply, I like your videos on the Icom gear I have a lot of it lol 73, keep them coming.

[@michaelbradley8508]

Great channel... Thank you. What would you recommend as a good resident antenna for the IC-7300? Michael VA6XMB

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Michael. That is one of those questions that’s like asking about religion or politics. It depends a great deal on what your property is like. I use an end fed antenna currently because I have 1 tree in the back yard where we rent. So I can run a wire from the house up to the tree. I have a friend nearby in an antenna restricted neighborhood and he has a vertical setup right next to a large tree in his yard. The short answer is whatever antenna you can fit and get on the air with is a good start. You can always put up more and different ones later.

[@videoric]

Just a comment that you can capture each graph as you do it and save it to the SD card. Turn on the screen capture function under Menu>Set>Function>Screen Capture>[Power], then exit and click the Power button quickly to capture each SWR screen. Seems odd to use the Power button for this, but that's what they use. Can view them later with Menu.Set.SD Card>Screen Capture View. Also, had trouble keeping in my license class "lane". Have you found a trick to do the SWR so that you can't transmit out of frquency for our license class? Or is this allowable and not considered to be "transmitting"?

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Thanks! That’s a great tip.

[@reidlanham2011]

Could you do this process into a dummy load?

[@furonwarrior]

4:25 SSB doesn’t transmit unless there is audio.

[@batfalcononyoutube]

I am not sure if you have already covered it in the past, if you did, please tell me in what video. When you hit the Mhz numbers, the screen that comes in, has a button on the last line, saying "GENE". What is this button? What is this made for? It's on page 163 of the manual, section 19-9.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi. GENE is for General Coverage receive. It is basically treated like another “band”. One neat feature of it is that it has 3 band stacking registers just like all of the amateur bands. So, you can go to GENE and tune in some frequency and mode. Go back to the band screen and hit GENE again. Then tune in another frequency and mode and then finally a 3rd time and it will remember those 3 frequency and modes and cycle through them each time you hit GENE. Although it is intended for general coverage receive, you can tune in anything you want, including frequencies within amateur bands.

[@batfalcononyoutube]

@@HamRadioA2Z Thank you!

[@davidvaughn7752]

So, what's wrong with ID'ng your station before you go into the SWR Graph mode and then immediately switching to the Graph and checking your antenna/VSWR then? Or, you can monitor on another radio or a web-SDR to make sure you are not interfering with another station. Having a back-up rig is important for many reasons. 73 K7GYB

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Yes, you can ID before you start the SWR test, but that is just on one frequency. Depending on the step size you set and the number of bars, you can transmit short carriers across and entire band.

[@JamesKlyng1twofish]

Will this damage the radio if during measuring, the SWR is at 3:1 or greater?

[@saltire546]

How long before Icom replace this model ? I am tempted to buy one but knowing my luck a day after i buy one they will announce a new model.

[@HamRadioA2Z]

The 7100 came out several years before the 7300 and it’s still going strong. Given the 7300’s popularity, I expect it will be around for several more years at least.

[@Steve-qz4li]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do a video on setting up the 7300 along with JTDX software on Windows 10 for FT8 as no matter how i try i cant set this up PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Steve. Been off the air for a bit moving into a new house. I'll be making videos again soon. I'll see what I can do.

[@quaildogusa]

My graph didn’t show anything. Hope that means I have a 1:1.

[@vrb1960]

Does this work when using an external tuner?

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Yes and no. The graphing function does work, but if the tuner is engaged, then you’re just measuring the SWR between the radio and the tuner. So you should be seeing close to 1:1. You can use this to see how broad the match is by checking to see how quickly the SWR increases on either side of the tuned frequency. You need to make sure the tuner is disengaged if you want to see the SWR of the antenna.

[@jkbish1]

i am brand new to ic7300. My radio says No DATA and shows no swr graph. Is my radio broken?? I see now. a tad more involved that I thought

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi. I don't remember, but it might say that the first time you go to the SWR graph screen if you've never used it before. Once you've used the function once, it will show whatever the previous results were whenever you go to that screen.

[@86casimir]

Hello Tom. I come to annoy you a little because I have a problem with this. I can't get the bars to appear to control the SWR and luckily I have an external power meter rosmeter to find out. I have the impression that my internal ATU is HS, because by connecting for example to an antenna set to 10m ros impeccable with or without internal ATU. Normal you tell me. On the other hand, if I go over 20m on the same antenna and I activate the ATU, the SWR display of the ICOM 7300 finds me a good ros but my output measuring device indicates a crazy ros. Calibrated rosmeter tested. I hear the ATU relays clicking well but the antenna tuning is not done. For the example: 1/ 10m antenna 10m band with or without ATU ok everything is good. 2/antenna 10m band 20m with or without ATU reading swr on the icom 7300 1/1 ????? swr reading on external device between 5/1 and 6/1 oops! So here is my problem. If you have a small idea? All my good 73's. Joel/F8MGW

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Joel. You are not annoying at all. This is a fairly common question and is a source of confusion for many people. The internal antenna tuner does not actually "tune" the antenna. It is only adjusting the impedance at the antenna connector on the radio to match the 50 ohm impedance of the transmitter (and receiver). For example, if your antenna is 3:1 SWR on 20 meters, it will still be 3:1 on your external meter after the tuner has tuned. If you could put your meter between the internal tuner and the transmitter, it would show 1:1. Other people have had similar confusion with external tuners. It is very important where you place a power/SWR meter in the system relative to a tuner and the radio. Unfortunately, with the internal tuner you have no chance to put the meter between the tuner and the radio. I think this might make a good video. Thank you for the idea. 73, Tom

[@W8QH]

I tried this with 2 cross needle meters, only matched on a few bands, on 160 I had 3:1 on the meter, and the 7300 was flat. 1:1

[@HamRadioA2Z]

Hi Ed. Thanks for the comment. When you did the test, did you have the internal tuner in the 7300 engaged? The internal SWR function is looking at SWR through the tuner. Your external meter will be looking at the antenna system directly. Make sure you have the internal tuner off and try repeating the test. That might be the difference.

[@W8QH]

@@HamRadioA2Z First Thanks!! for great video's. Each band I used only the internal tuner. First test compared just the cross meter in line with the antenna., The second was using the cross meter in a manual tuner in bypass function, similar to the first test.

[@phasorsystems6873]

Create some circuits! Type androidcircuitsolver on google!

[@saltire546]

How long before Icom replace this model ? I am tempted to buy one but knowing my luck a day after i buy one they will announce a new model.

[@SteveG4YTK]

Just bought mine and its an amazing transceiver . Thanks Tom great video again and very helpfull