Icom IC-7300 vs Yaesu FT-710: Which HF Radio to Buy

Buy the Icom IC-7300 if this is your first HF radio, if you will live on FT8, or if you want a touchscreen that explains itself. Buy the Yaesu FT-710 AESS if you already know your way around a menu, spend your evenings on crowded CW or contest bands, and care more about the receiver than the learning curve. Both are 100 W HF and 6 m direct-sampling radios with a 4.3-inch touch display and a built-in tuner. Neither is a wrong choice.

My short version: the IC-7300 is the easier radio to own and the FT-710 is the stronger radio to listen through. Pick the trade-off you notice more.

Who should buy which

This comparison sits inside our wider guide to the best HF transceivers for a home station, where both radios land near the top of the mid-price tier. Here is how I would split the buyers.

• First HF radio after an upgrade to General: IC-7300. It has the gentlest learning curve and the biggest pile of tutorials, settings guides and accessories of any radio in the class.
• Mostly FT8 and other digital modes: IC-7300 by a small margin. Both radios run audio and CAT over one USB cable, but the Icom setup has fewer surprises.
• CW operators and casual contesters: FT-710. Its receiver copes better when a loud station sits right next to the weak one you want.
• Operators who want to see the band on a big screen: FT-710, which has a DVI-D monitor output on the back. The IC-7300 has no external display port.
• Buying used to save money: IC-7300. There are far more of them on the used market, and the parts that matter rarely fail.

Specs and use side by side

All figures are maker specifications. Icom and Yaesu do not measure everything the same way, so treat close numbers as a tie.

ItemIcom IC-7300Yaesu FT-710 AESS Receiver designRF direct sampling, 15 band-pass filtersDirect sampling with twin A/D converters Transmit bands160 m to 6 m amateur bands160 m to 6 m amateur bands Receive range0.03 to 74.8 MHz30 kHz to 75 MHz Power output2 to 100 W (AM 25 W)5 to 100 W (AM carrier 25 W) Display4.3-inch colour touchscreen4.3-inch colour touchscreen with 3DSS scope Antenna tunerBuilt in, 16.7 to 150 ΩBuilt in, 16.7 to 150 Ω on HF Antenna connectorsOne SO-239One M-type (SO-239) External displayNoneDVI-D output, mouse via USB-A Network remoteRS-BA1 software (optional)SCU-LAN10 LAN unit (optional) SpeakerInternalInternal, plus SP-40 external speaker with the AESS version Receive current (standby)0.9 A typicalAbout 1.8 A Transmit current at 100 W21 AAbout 21 A Size (W×H×D)240 × 94 × 238 mm239 × 80 × 247 mm Weight4.2 kgAbout 4.5 kg Best atEasy daily use, digital modes, used valueCrowded bands, CW, big-screen operating

On paper they are close to twins. Same power, same bands, same screen size, a tuner in both, one antenna port on each. The differences show up once you start operating.

The receiver on a crowded band

This is the FT-710's strongest card. Yaesu fed it twin A/D converters and a low-noise 250 MHz synthesizer, and quotes transmit phase noise of -143 dBc/Hz at 2 kHz. On a busy 40 m evening or a contest weekend, it holds a weak signal next to a very loud one a little better than the IC-7300 does. The gap is real but small. It is not the difference between hearing a station and missing it on an ordinary night.

The IC-7300 has its own answer in the IP+ function, which Icom says improves third-order intercept when a weak signal sits beside strong interference. It is fine for everyday DX and casual contests. Under serious contest pressure, its phase noise becomes audible near the big signals, and that is the point where I would want the Yaesu.

If you never contest and mostly work the open band, you will struggle to hear a difference. If you sit in the middle of CW pileups, you will.

Filters, noise tools and how they feel

Both radios have a full DSP toolkit: noise blanker, noise reduction, notch and variable bandwidth. The way they work in the hand is different.

On the IC-7300, the tool to learn first is twin passband tuning. Squeezing the passband in from either side to push an adjacent signal out works better than anything else on the radio. Keep noise reduction low, because past the middle settings it starts to sound hollow and weak signals fade along with the noise. The auto notch handles a single carrier well.

The FT-710 gives you SHIFT, WIDTH, NOTCH, CONTOUR, APF, DNR and NB, and it draws the passband on screen so you can see what each control does. Filter width changes smoothly as you turn the knob, with no pops. Narrow CW filters stay clean without ringing, and the audio peak filter on CW is a welcome extra for crowded bands.

For SSB and digital I call this a draw. For CW the Yaesu is a little more pleasant.

Menus and the learning curve

This is where the IC-7300 wins clearly. Its touchscreen menus are laid out so you can find a setting without the manual, and pressing the multi-dial brings the common adjustments up on the side of the screen. You can set it up without reading the manual cover to cover.

The FT-710 also has a touch panel, plus a FUNC knob and a quick menu for favourites. Its deeper setup still lives in numbered menus, though, and the first proper setup takes an evening with the manual open. Once it is set up you rarely go back, but the first week is harder.

For a new operator I give a lot of weight to this. A radio you understand gets used more.

Digital modes and FT8

Both radios carry audio and CAT control over a single USB cable, and both have a one-touch FT8 preset with room for five presets. Neither needs an external sound card interface.

On the IC-7300 the one habit to learn is keeping the ALC meter at zero on FT8. If it moves, you are overdriving, and the splatter shows on everyone else's waterfall. Our FT8 setup guide for beginners walks through that level-setting step by step.

On the FT-710, early firmware had USB audio levels that shifted when you switched between SSB and data. Later firmware fixed it, so check the firmware on any FT-710 you buy and update it before you chase a level problem.

Scope, screen and add-ons

Both scopes are fast and useful. The IC-7300 lets you touch the scope to zoom on a signal and touch again to tune it. Its Fixed mode, a narrower span and a properly set reference level turn it from a pretty display into a real tool.

The FT-710 uses Yaesu's 3DSS display from the larger FTDX radios, with a waterfall a tap away, and can show the scope, an oscilloscope and an audio FFT on one screen. The DVI-D output lets you put all of that on a desk monitor and drive it with a USB mouse. For operators who find a 4.3-inch screen small, that one port may decide it. The IC-7300 never got a display output.

The AESS in the Yaesu's name is its Acoustic Enhanced Speaker System, which combines the internal speaker with the SP-40 external speaker that comes with the AESS version. It is a nice touch for listening without headphones.

Long-term ownership and the used market

The IC-7300 has been on sale since 2016, and that age works in its favour. The finals and receiver front end almost never fail, there are walkthroughs for every menu, and used examples are easy to find. Before buying one used, press every corner of the touchscreen for dead spots, listen to the fan on transmit, and check the firmware. Icom's current release is version 1.42.

The fan on both radios is audible on long transmit sessions. I would not choose between them on fan noise.

The FT-710 is newer, so there is less second-hand stock and a thinner pile of shared settings. The firmware update that sorted the USB audio is the main thing to know.

One more note: Icom now sells the IC-7300MK2, which it describes as an enhanced version of the IC-7300 with about 12 dB better RMDR and transmit phase noise, an HDMI output, a CW decoder, LAN and receive-antenna connectors. That closes several of the gaps listed here. This article is about the original IC-7300, which is still the one most buyers will find on the used market.

For the full write-ups, read our long-term IC-7300 review and the Yaesu FT-710 AESS review. The catalog pages for the IC-7300 and the FT-710 AESS collect specs and related articles in one place.

Verdict by buyer type

• New General licensee: IC-7300. Easier menus, more help when you get stuck, and plenty of radio to grow into.
• FT8 and digital operator: IC-7300, narrowly. Both work, but the Icom has the simpler, better-documented setup.
• CW operator: FT-710. Cleaner narrow filters, the audio peak filter and a better strong-signal receiver.
• Casual contester: FT-710. If you want two receivers or SO2R, neither radio has them, so look at the Yaesu FTDX10 or higher.
• Operator who wants a big-screen shack: FT-710, for the DVI-D output.
• Budget buyer: a used IC-7300, which is easy to find and holds up well.

If you are still undecided, my tie-breaker is simple. Pick the IC-7300 if you want the easiest radio to live with, and pick the FT-710 if you want the better receiver and do not mind learning its menus.