ICOM IC-7300 vs Yaesu FT-891!

You've likely heard it before. "The receive on the FT-891 is as good as the IC-7300" Well is it? Lets find out and alot more.
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[@doesstuffoutside]

Hearing these radio prices from the future hurts.

[@Seeker43]

Being 80 yrs old, retired USAF, the 891 fit my lifestyle. I cant complain, its a great little rig for all around use.

[@jonvenusti]

Thank you for your service 73

[@mdouble100]

I have the 891 and simply love it. Other commenters have advised use headphones with the 891 and I agree. DNR really makes a big difference.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I’ll likely be packing headphones when I deploy.

[@ericdreizen1463]

Same here, altho I plan on getting an IC7700, which is SLIGHTLY better, hi! But I've been having w/ my 891!

[@PIasmaZombie]

@@ericdreizen1463 Look at the receiver specs on tge sherwood list, the receiver of the ic7700 is only marginally better and the 7700 costs used about 6 times more than a new ft891. i would get the 891. then the first version of the 7700 has a problem with the final transmitt transistors, they damage and the repair costs about 1800€ plus delivery. icom later made the 7700 with other transistors for that reason, prior they didnt want to admit the problem.

[@CondoreComputing]

Really loving my 891. got mine for $530 when all the bad initial reviews came out and it dropped in price everywhere. Im glad i didn't listen to all the negative comments about it. Of course it has its problems, but for the price im super happy with it as my first HF radio.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Great deal.

[@w4mkh]

I have had the IC-7300 for about a year and love it in the shack. I just ordered the FT-891 a few minutes ago mainly for POTA but also as a backup in the shack.

[@forgetyourlife]

put an external speaker on the 891 and they become the same. Or listen to them both on headphones and they become the same.

[@N2YTA]

I have an 891, I use an MFJ-281 speaker.

[@aerialheights5680]

*forget_your_life * Yeah, it's bonehead simple to grab a $30 set of Boston CR4s from ePay and run one for each radio so it's not little more than a cheap speaker comparison video instead of a receiver comparison.

[@davidwilkinson1480]

I have a ft- 991A and then purchased a ft-891 and liked it so much I bought a second one as a back up. Love my 891

[@SMB_SpeedTwin]

You are right, both of these are on my ‘list’ along with the G90

[@billryland6199]

The only fair comparison of the sound is to use identical external speakers. The 891 has a small internal speaker. My 891 sounds great on a good speaker.

[@royruganijr8857]

I just bought 991a and am loving it. Got md-100 and getting sp-10 for it.

[@rasvanter3704]

Have you taking that 991a to a park?

[@daveycrockett9447]

I have both - first bought the IC7300 and loved it - then bought the 891 for SOTA/POTA.... loved the IC7300 until I found out that the 891 blew away the SSB watt output of the 7300. Found out with a wattmeter that with 7300, I was only putting out around 30-40W at 100% power. With 891 - I would get more than double that SSB output. A lot of ICOM fanboys will say it's normal - but why is this normal when Yaesu doesn't have a problem putting out more substantial output power on SSB!!!!!

[@frankpeletz1818]

Yup ,that's Icom . I own 4 ( 730,745,746 and 7200 ) they all show low power transmitting ,put on a dummy load thru a bird after alignment ,100 watts -put on the and same "low power". Meanwhile the 891 shows better then 100 watts output on the air.

[@gradus8373]

Странно

[@bbpcoo2914]

Planning on upgrading to general this month, so I invested in the 891. Many give it a hard time due to menus and how you have to dig for things. Yes this is true, but I’ve worked with yaesu radios for almost four years now. With the time I’ve spent with the 891, I have really enjoyed it so far!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It is a good radio. But yeah, they should change up those menu. I doubt they will though.

[@o00scorpion00o]

I love my 891 also, DNR makes it sound a lot better than the 7300 which I also own. The 891 is also incredibly compact and has a very handy scope. The Audio on the 7300 is harsh and tiring.

[@aurtisanminer2827]

@@o00scorpion00o a friend of mine said his 891 was able to pick up weak signals better than his 7300. He ended up selling the 7300.

[@schnitznschnatzn]

The noise reduction on the 891 is incredible and blows the 7300 out of the water.

[@Manuelgcv6]

the nr in 7300 is better

[@schnitznschnatzn]

Interesting. My IC-7300 more or less only attenuates the noise as well as the voice. RF gain helps a little with the SNR, but it also impacts the S-Meter reading. The FT-891 on the other hand suppresses the noise without attenuating the voice audio and does so with DNR at level 1. Using the squelch / RF gain dial, you can pull a curtain filter right over the noise floor, making it far superior than the IC7300 in that category. But, maybe I'm not using it the right way on the Icom. What's your secret?

[@o00scorpion00o]

Yes completely agree, I love my 7300 but it is noisy compared to the FT-891 and it sounds great with headphones. Portable the FT-891 is also an excellent portable radio.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

@@o00scorpion00o Can an external speaker be used instead of headphones?

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@Manuelgcv6 Not a hope in hell is the DNR on the 7300 better than the 891, Listening with the same headphones the DNR on the 891 wins hands down all the time and is great for pulling out weak signals , the 891 is also lest tiring to listen to for extended periods, I still love my 7300 though.

[@aurtisanminer2827]

I just noticed K8MRD in the live chat. He now has lots of videos using the FT891.

[@TXLorenzo]

The FT 891 with DNR rocks.

[@williamlimyx]

TXLorenzo how to enable DNR ?

[@samiam9059]

Yaesu has excellent algorithms for noise reduction. My ftdx 1200 rocks.

[@TXLorenzo]

@@williamlimyx There is a DNR function on the menu.

[@ZAR66]

891 is a great rig in the mobile.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I bet!

[@aurtisanminer2827]

I’m planning to get the 891 as a portable rig. My ft450 is a little bulky for backpacking.

[@tomasz5274]

Thanks for another interesting video! Every side by side comparison is precious as a lot of us on other side don't have such possibility. It would be interesting to attach audio recorder directly to radios line-out to compare their sound independent from built-in speakers (some folks plan to use headphones and external speaker anyway). It's interesting that there is lot of comparisons of 891 (portable/mobile) with 7300 (more like base station) but I'm unable to find YT comparison of 7100 and 891 which are more in the same class of mobile radios - of course with different capabilities. Or with TS480. Sounds like interesting project for one of the future episodes? :) Thanks Josh and keep doing great work! :)

[@o00scorpion00o]

The DNR on the FT-891 is much better, it pulls weak signals out much better than the IC-7300 , I Own both, I love the 7300 but the 891 is just a much quieter radio , much less tiring to listen to than the 7300. If someone wants a SDR get a proper SDR like a Flex, Flex is much easier to use remotely, the Icom remote software is a pain in the ass and not fantastic. I do love my 7300 though I just wish the DNR and audio sounded as good as the 891.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

The 891can be used with an external SDR then?

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@johnratcliffe6438 Sure can, google is your friend.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

@@o00scorpion00o I'm sure Google is my friend, but I am grateful you took the time out of your life to reply. Gratitude! :)

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@johnratcliffe6438 Lol I was heading off for night shift best I could do :-)

[@bdm1000]

I think there is a mod to make it less tiny. The right set of headphones.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Lol.

[@chuck4050]

Josh, nice video on both radios. I think maybe if you do again both radios hooked to the same speakers they would be closer. On my 857 I keep the menu at the power output usually my most used adjustments not sure if the 891 can do that I haven't a lot of time on that radio. I know that 891 would sound Sweet on my Palstar SP30B speaker as would the 7300. Hope to see you at Dayton!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

That is indeed a good idea. I should have ran them off the same speaker.

[@chuck4050]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse I wish I had been at home we would have been able to talk but was on my way to Lancaster for the weekend, maybe next time.

[@roberthopkins8089]

The icom vco and frequency display are well connected... The yeasu vco is super twitchy and i have steady hands.. Something in the making is better tuned on the icom.. Its more analogue/real I Agree you should use the same speaker for both radios. The difference between then is portability. The face off of the yeasu is a boon for me. Plus the 6 mtrs in that little box... Both 5 times the radio that i started with.. Both good radios. The 891 is a dirty bugger if pushed so im told.

[@cg9952]

Had a 891 but like my new 7300 more. Almost the same price w discounts.

[@TXLorenzo]

I have both and they are great for different functions. One stays home and the other goes portable.

[@billryland6199]

@@TXLorenzo Same here. I use my IC-756 ProIII for the base station and the 891 for portable.

[@bdm1000]

Great job!

[@GhostRider1974]

Man, turn that DNR function on on the 891 ! You will be amazed. Maybe you tried it later in the vid ;)

[@GhostRider1974]

I have a video on my channel showing the 891’s DNR turned on.

[@GhostRider1974]

...and I see you did! 😎

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Lol

[@dhonzik]

Dont see Tesla on that t-shirt the true inventor of radio

[@TXLorenzo]

The FT 891 runs around 1 amp on receive, not 2 amps.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Tell Yaesu to update their website.

[@TXLorenzo]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse I know, right? They shot themselves in the foot over that one. They lost a lot of sales over that mistake.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I think you are correct on that one!

[@jlvetor123]

I own the 7300 received it yesterday and I own the 7100. Question, I see you have the MFJ 4230DMP 30 Amp Switching Power Supply. What is the difference between it and the MFJ 4230MV 30 Amp Switching Power Supply? Keep up the good work. 73

[@zxeng6064]

Does anyone else find that the 891 sounds like a flapping flag I have a Icom pro 3 and a 891 however I find monitoring on the 891 exhausting the icons sound super smooth don't understand the flapping on the 891

[@q1o1mancow]

hi im bill KD9JRU,from the Chicago area,,great show thanks for posting, can i ask for some help with my new 891, #1. headphone and mike jack? and what middle price headphones can i connect to it and have some type ? of switch to run the mike. also im running a WINDCAMP WA-4 HF Portable, it works great as for getting out all over the us, but i have to use sdr websites, to hear any reply's out of the state, like vegas or d.c...what type of an antenna can i get to work well with this radio with or with out the antenna tuner ?,thank you

[@tonykg5ton897]

01:07:44 Yet another waterfall reference in the chat.

[@rasvanter3704]

Can you compare 891 with 991a?

[@vk4foo]

Are you comparing the speakers or receive audio, hmmmmm

[@YO2DA]

Try without Procesor and 60% mic gain

[@Quake3DeathGod]

Should try and pick out weak, barely there stations and see who's the true winner. I ha e a 991 and my 15yr old ft-100d can hear things my 991 can't even get a sniff of. The new tech is losing actual signal by passing it through to many filters. I have a old rci-2970 that can hear 10m dx at night NONE of my other equipment can hear.

[@PIasmaZombie]

Make a video of that, i'd like to see and hear.

[@yaesuicomkenwood]

Thanks for that video, but! How a transciever A/B comparison becomes more usefull? - Use external, equal loudspeaker, on each transceiver (outherwise you compare loudspeaker)! - Switch each 5 second, between A and B transceivers. - Switch during the same station is talking. - Don't talk yourself during the test. May be you find some more? Best Regards Mark

[@gregorysmith3097]

Nice video. I'm an IC-7300 owner, but I'm looking at the 891 for POTA. Took the 7300 and it's heavy and I'm afraid I'm going to break it. Any clue why HRO would have the 891 listed as a base station? Maybe a "mobile" has to be under a certain power?

[@jdgjhn1]

The menu on the 891 is a disaster. They need to reconsider their software configuration. ICOM does a much better job of putting the features front and center, where you don’t have to dig for them. The receiver and speaker on the 891 is really great, but the ICOM is a better overall radio. And, yes, it’s not entirely fair to compare a mobile against a base station. I’m buying the 7300.

[@cg9952]

What kind of beer is that?

[@MrRadiorobot]

In an audio comparison let the radios do the talking... Not you.. Just saying 😉

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Welcome to live stream video. You might enjoy my videos under 20 minutes. Very much focused on the topic.

[@KE8MWQ]

What antenna would you suggest for the ft891 that won't break my bank account

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Wolf River Coil Take It Along 1000 Extreme.

[@KE8MWQ]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse thank you for your help 73

[@anthonycosta1776]

Either horrible band conditions or your transmitting from a ten penny nail..

[@robertoellison348]

SIR, HOW ARE YOU?? QUESTION FROM THIS GUY N3NDX,, IS THE XYL A HAM OR MAYBE A SORTAKINDA FUTURE HAM LADY GUY?????? LET US SEE HER FACE A TIME OR TWO.. SHE HAS A NICE VOICE AND NICE LOOKING HAND.. JUST SAYING..... 73 BRO....... 04-18-2019..... I REALLY WANT THAT IC-9700..

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

She is on a video. I had her try to pass a technician practice exam.

[@robertoellison348]

OH YEAH@@HamRadioCrashCourse YOUR RIGHT, I REMEMBER THAT NOW,,, SORRY I FORGOT,, HEY MAN THANKS FOR THE QUICK RESPONCE.. 73.. 04-18-2019...

[@forgetyourlife]

100 watts HF on the ground isn’t much different than 100 watts HF on a mountain. It’s skywave not line of sight Josh. Sota with 100 watts HF is silly.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Says you?

[@forgetyourlife]

Ham Radio Crash Course Says the ionosphere wise guy.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Well you’re wrong.

[@forgetyourlife]

Ham Radio Crash Course You need to read your ARRL handbook more often.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

So we’re clear. Your saying an antenna at sea level, off the ground enough for the band of operation is the same as 6500 above sea level on a mountain top?

[@marcinmichigan2772]

how is the touch screen on the ft-891?

[@billryland6199]

It does not have a touch screen.

[@marcinmichigan2772]

@@billryland6199 that was my point

[@bovineexcrement8635]

Touch screen on a mobile radio is a stupid idea...