How to Program an IC-7300 — Step by Step

The one you see in most shacks. Nearly everything you touch while operating has its own key or knob on the front, and only the settings you change once are buried in a menu tree.

This page covers: Icom IC-7300. They share the same firmware, so the steps below are identical on all of them whatever name is printed on the front.

Icom calls it CI-V, not CAT

If you have come from a Yaesu, the computer-control settings are not where you expect and are not called what you expect. Icom's is CI-V, it lives under MENU then SET then Connectors, and it has an ADDRESS as well as a baud rate — 94h on this radio — which Yaesu has no equivalent for. Software that asks for a rig address is asking for that. The baud rate also ships on Auto rather than a fixed number, which is usually the right answer and occasionally the reason something will not connect.

Three doors, and knowing which is which saves you the manual

FUNCTION opens the receive controls you reach for constantly — noise blanker, noise reduction, notch, AGC, compressor. Touch any of those for a full second instead of tapping and its own adjustment screen opens, which is the single most useful thing to know about this radio. MENU then SET is the deep tree, for things you set once. And QUICK is a shortcut menu whose contents change with whatever is on screen. The big jobs — split, tuner, filter — skip all three and have their own keys and knobs.

What you can do on this radio

Rather do this on your phone, standing at the radio?

The app walks you through the same steps one at a time, on a screen sized for a phone.

Open Radio Rosetta

Set the radio up for FT8 and other digital modes on an IC-7300

One setting does almost all of the work here, and it ships wrong for the way nearly everybody actually uses this radio. Get that one right and the rest is housekeeping.

Have these to hand before you start

  • A USB cable to the computer. The IC-7300 has its own sound card and CI-V interface built in, so one cable carries audio and control.
  • Icom's USB driver installed.
  1. Push MODE, choose USB, then touch DATA to switch the data mode on.MODE›touch USB›touch DATAThe screen should show: USB-D, or USB-D1, in the mode area.FT8 runs upper sideband, and the DATA key is what turns plain USB into the data version of it. The manual is explicit that touching DATA in the MODE screen is what activates data mode.
  2. Then MENU, SET, Connectors, DATA MOD — and set it to USB.MENU›touch SET›touch Connectors›touch DATA MOD›dial → USB›MULTIThe screen should show: DATA MOD, then USB.Watch out. This is the one. It leaves the factory on ACC, meaning the radio expects your audio to arrive on pin 11 of the round accessory socket on the back — not over the USB cable you just plugged in. Leave it on ACC and WSJT-X will key the radio and transmit silence. Everything looks perfectly configured and nobody hears you.
  3. USB MOD Level, in the same Connectors list, sets how hard that audio drives the transmitter. It starts at 50%.touch USB MOD Level›dial → 0 - 100%›MULTIThe screen should show: USB MOD Level, then a percentage.This is the radio's half of the drive setting. The computer's output slider is the other half — see the drive level page for how to balance the two.
  4. ACC/USB Output Select decides what the radio sends back to the computer. AF is the default and is what a decoder wants.touch ACC/USB Output Select›dial → AF›MULTI›EXITThe screen should show: ACC/USB Output Select, then AF.The alternative is IF output, which is for panadapter software rather than for decoding. If your waterfall is completely dead, this is worth a glance.

One quiet convenience worth knowing: DATA MOD applies to all three data modes at once, so you set it here and never think about it again. And it is separate from DATA OFF MOD, which is the same choice for when data mode is off — so switching to SSB does not undo any of this.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Connect the radio to a computer on an IC-7300

Icom's computer control is called CI-V, and it has one thing Yaesu's does not: an address. If your software is asking for a hex number and you have been looking for a baud rate, that is what it wants.

  1. MENU, SET, Connectors, CI-V Baud Rate. Auto is the default and usually the right answer.MENU›touch SET›touch Connectors›touch CI-V Baud Rate›dial → Auto›MULTIThe screen should show: CI-V Baud Rate, then 4800, 9600, 19200 or Auto.On Auto the radio matches whatever the software is using, which is why the IC-7300 tends to connect first time where a Yaesu on 4800 does not. Pin it to a fixed rate only if something is unhappy.
  2. CI-V Address is 94h on this radio, and that is what your software wants in its rig address box.touch CI-V Address›dial → 94h›MULTIThe screen should show: CI-V Address, then 94h.Watch out. Leave it at 94h unless you have two Icoms on the same bus. Change it and every piece of software you own has to be told the new number.
  3. CI-V USB Port decides whether the USB socket and the round REMOTE jack share the same bus. Unlink is the default.touch CI-V USB Port›dial → Unlink from [REMOTE]›MULTIThe screen should show: CI-V USB Port, then Link to [REMOTE] or Unlink from [REMOTE].Unlinked keeps the USB cable's control channel to itself. Link the two only when you have something on the REMOTE jack that has to see the same traffic.
  4. CI-V Transceive ships ON, which makes the radio announce every change you make on the front panel.touch CI-V Transceive›dial → OFF›MULTIThe screen should show: CI-V Transceive, then OFF or ON.Watch out. This is a real source of trouble with some logging and digital software — the unsolicited traffic arrives in the middle of a conversation and gets read as a reply. If your software keeps losing track of the frequency or throwing timeouts, try OFF here before you touch anything else.
  5. USB SEND is how the computer keys the transmitter. It ships OFF.touch USB SEND›dial → the port your software keys on›MULTI›EXITThe screen should show: USB SEND, then the control port.If you are letting the software key the radio over the cable rather than by CAT command, this has to be set to the line it uses — usually RTS or DTR. Left OFF, the radio will not transmit when the software asks.

Order of suspicion when it will not connect: the COM port number first, then the address, then Transceive. The baud rate is rarely the problem on this radio precisely because Auto is the default.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the drive level for digital modes on an IC-7300

Two sliders and a meter. The mistake almost everybody makes is turning one of the sliders up to compensate for the other being wrong.

  1. MENU, SET, Connectors, USB MOD Level — the radio's input level for audio arriving on USB. Default is 50%.MENU›touch SET›touch Connectors›touch USB MOD Level›dial → 0 - 100%›MULTIThe screen should show: USB MOD Level, then a percentage.Start here rather than in the computer. 50% is a sensible middle and gives you room to move in both directions.
  2. Push MULTI for the Multi-function menu and touch RF POWER to set the transmit power.MULTI›touch RF POWER›dial → downThe screen should show: The power setting.Digital modes transmit flat out for the whole cycle rather than peaking on syllables the way speech does. Running well below the radio's maximum is normal practice and does more for your signal than any menu item.
  3. Put the meter on ALC so you can see what the transmitter is doing while you adjust.FUNCTION›touch METER›dial → ALCThe screen should show: The ALC meter.Watch out. The target is ALC barely moving. Any real ALC action on a digital mode means the audio is overdriving the transmitter and you are splattering across the band — which you cannot hear and other people can.

Set USB MOD Level once, then do your fine adjustment with the computer's output slider and leave the radio alone. If you find yourself needing the computer near maximum, turn USB MOD Level up a step instead of pushing the computer harder.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Narrow the filter to shut out the station next door on an IC-7300

The IC-7300 gives you two ways at this, and the second one is the reason people love this radio: the scope shows you the interference, so you are aiming at something you can see rather than guessing by ear.

  1. The quick way: push FILTER to step between the three stored filter widths.FILTER›dial → FIL1, FIL2 or FIL3The screen should show: FIL1, FIL2 or FIL3, with the width.Three presets per mode, so the common case is one button rather than any adjustment at all.
  2. For the surgical version, rotate the inner and outer TWIN PBT rings in opposite directions to each other.dial → TWIN PBT inner and outer, opposite waysThe screen should show: The passband narrowing on the scope, with the width and shift figures.Watch out. Opposite directions narrows the passband. Turn both the same way and you shift the whole passband sideways instead — which is a different and also useful thing, but not what you want when you are trying to shut somebody out.
  3. Touch the filter icon and hold it for a second to see exactly what you have done.touch the filter iconThe screen should show: The FILTER screen, with passband width and shift value in hertz.Numbers rather than a picture. Useful when you want to come back to a setting you liked.
  4. Hold TWIN PBT CLR for a second to clear it and start again.hold TWIN PBT CLRThe screen should show: The dot beside the passband width disappears.Watch out. That little dot is the tell that PBT is doing something. If a signal sounds oddly thin or muffled and you cannot think why, look for the dot — PBT left set from an hour ago is a very common cause.

PBT adjusts in 50 Hz steps on SSB, CW and RTTY. Narrow only until the interference goes, not as far as the control travels — the audio gets hollow well before you run out of knob.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Turn on noise reduction on an IC-7300

For steady hiss and hash. On this radio it is on the FUNCTION screen, and the thing to know is that tapping it and holding it do two different jobs.

  1. Push FUNCTION, then touch NR to switch noise reduction on.FUNCTION›touch NRThe screen should show: NR shows ON.
  2. Now touch NR again and hold it for a full second to open its own screen, and set the level there.touch NR›dial → the levelThe screen should show: The NR adjustment screen.Watch out. A tap only toggles it on and off. The level control is behind the one-second hold, and a lot of people never find it — so they run noise reduction at whatever it was last left at and conclude it makes everything sound underwater.
  3. EXIT closes the screen.EXITThe screen should show: Back to normal operation.

Use the least that does the job. Noise reduction always takes some of the wanted signal with the noise, and on this radio the level control is fine enough that there is no excuse for leaving it too high.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Turn on the noise blanker on an IC-7300

For repeating pulse noise — ignition, power line, an electric fence. Same pattern as noise reduction: tap to switch on, hold for the settings.

  1. Push FUNCTION and touch NB.FUNCTION›touch NBThe screen should show: NB shows ON.Watch out. There is a dedicated NB key on the front panel too, so once you know you want it you do not need the FUNCTION screen at all.
  2. Hold NB for a second to open its own screen, where the level, depth and width live.touch NB›dial → level, depth and widthThe screen should show: The NB adjustment screen.Width is how long the blanker assumes each pulse lasts. It is the setting worth moving when the blanker helps a bit but not enough — more so than the level.
  3. EXIT to close.EXITThe screen should show: Back to normal operation.

Turn it off when the pulse noise stops. The manual notes that with a strong signal present the blanker can distort what you are listening to — so a blanker left on out of habit is a real cost, not a free insurance policy.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Notch out a whistle or a carrier on an IC-7300

One key, three states, and the middle one is the one most people never try. AN hunts the tone for you; MN lets you aim it yourself.

  1. Push FUNCTION and touch NOTCH to cycle it: OFF, then AN, then MN.FUNCTION›touch NOTCHThe screen should show: NOTCH showing OFF, AN or MN.AN is the automatic notch — it finds the tone itself and will chase more than one. MN is manual, and you place it.
  2. With MN selected, hold NOTCH for a second to open its screen and move the null onto the whistle.touch NOTCH›dial → the null onto the toneThe screen should show: The notch position, and the tone disappearing.The scope helps here in a way it does not on other radios — the carrier you are trying to kill is usually visible as a spike, so you can aim at it rather than hunt by ear.

AN first, because it is one touch and it usually works. Reach for MN when the automatic notch cannot find the tone, or when it keeps taking a bite out of the voice you are trying to save. And turn it off afterwards — a notch parked in the passband quietly removes part of everything you listen to next.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Work a DX station that is running split on an IC-7300

Icom's Quick Split is the neatest implementation of this on any of the radios here: one long press does the copying, the switching and the turning on, and then you nudge the offset while listening to your own transmit frequency.

Have these to hand before you start

  • The frequency the DX station is transmitting on.
  • Where it is listening — "up 5", or a range like "5 to 10 up".
  1. Set VFO A to the station you can hear, in the mode you will use.dial → the DX station's frequencyThe screen should show: The DX frequency.
  2. Hold SPLIT for one second.hold SPLITThe screen should show: Split turns on, and the VFO B frequency appears in the bottom right of the main screen.That one press copies VFO A's frequency and mode into VFO B and switches split on. Both halves, done — which is the step people forget when they do this by hand and end up transmitting on the wrong band.
  3. Hold XFC down and turn the dial to set how far up or down you will transmit.hold XFC›dial → the offsetThe screen should show: The transmit frequency, and you hear it while you hold XFC.Watch out. This is the good part: XFC lets you listen on your transmit frequency while you set it. So you find out whether the frequency you picked is clear before you call, rather than after everyone tells you.
  4. A plain press of SPLIT turns split off again.SPLITThe screen should show: The split indicator goes out.

If you would rather set it up by hand: push A/B for VFO B, set your transmit frequency and mode there, push A/B back to VFO A, then press SPLIT. And if you keep nudging the receive dial by accident while hunting for the transmit frequency, turn on SPLIT LOCK under MENU, SET, Function, SPLIT — it freezes the receive side so the dial only moves transmit.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Save a frequency to a memory channel on an IC-7300

The only thing to get right is the last step, which is a touch and hold rather than a tap.

  1. Push V/M until you are in VFO mode.V/MThe screen should show: VFO A or VFO B.
  2. Set the frequency, the mode and the filter you want remembered.dial → the frequency you wantThe screen should show: Your frequency.The filter is stored with the channel on this radio, not just the frequency and mode — so if you have a favourite width for a particular net, set it now and it comes back with the channel.
  3. Use the up and down keys to land on the channel you want.▲▼ an empty channelThe screen should show: BLANK, if the channel is empty.Watch out. If BLANK is not showing, that channel already has something in it and saving will overwrite it without asking.
  4. Touch the channel number to open the VFO/MEMORY screen, then touch MW and hold it for a second.touch the channel number›touch MWThe screen should show: BLANK disappears, replaced by your frequency.Watch out. Held, not tapped. A tap does nothing, which reads as the radio ignoring you.

You cannot touch the channel number while the mini scope or the expanded scope is on screen — the manual is explicit about that. If the touch is not registering, close the scope first rather than assuming the screen has stopped working.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Run the antenna tuner on an IC-7300

A real tuner, built in as standard, and one key drives it — but as on the Yaesus, a tap and a hold do different jobs.

  1. Tune to the frequency you want to work, and listen first.dial → your operating frequencyThe screen should show: Your frequency.Watch out. Tuning keys the transmitter. Do not do it on top of a QSO already in progress.
  2. Push TUNER to switch the tuner in. Nothing is tuned yet.TUNERThe screen should show: TUNE appears.This puts the tuner in the path and picks the nearest of up to 100 stored match points. Often that alone is enough and you never need the next step.
  3. Hold TUNER for one second to actually tune.hold TUNERThe screen should show: TUNE blinks red while it works, then goes steady. It should reach better than 1.5:1 in two or three seconds.Watch out. If it cannot find a match, TUNE disappears altogether and the tuner bypasses itself. That is the radio telling you the antenna is outside its range — not a fault.
  4. Push TUNER again to take it back out of the path.TUNERThe screen should show: The TUNE indicator goes out.

It matches 16.7 to 150 ohms, which is an SWR of about 3:1 — so a random wire or a G5RV on the wrong band may simply be beyond it. If a first attempt fails, try again; the manual says a second pass often succeeds where the first did not. And if you change antennas, clear the stored match points under MENU, SET, Function, Tuner, Preset Memory Clear, or the tuner will keep reaching for settings that belonged to the old one.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the CW keyer speed and weight on an IC-7300

Speed lives on the Multi-function menu, which is the knob rather than any of the menus — press the MULTI dial and it appears.

  1. Get into CW mode first. The keyer controls are not offered in any other mode.MODE›touch CWThe screen should show: CW in the mode area.
  2. Push the MULTI dial, touch KEY SPEED, and rotate to set the speed between 6 and 48 words per minute.MULTI›touch KEY SPEED›dial → 6 - 48 WPM›MULTIThe screen should show: The speed in WPM.Send at the speed you can comfortably receive. Answering a call at 30 when you copy at 14 is how a QSO ends early.
  3. CW PITCH is on the same menu, and it changes both the tone you hear and your sidetone without moving your operating frequency.MULTI›touch CW PITCH›dial → your pitchThe screen should show: The pitch setting.Worth setting to whatever your ear likes. It does not affect where you are transmitting, so there is no cost to changing it.
  4. VOX/BK-IN steps through BKIN for semi break-in, F-BKIN for full break-in, and off.VOX/BK-INThe screen should show: BKIN, F-BKIN, or no indication.Semi break-in transmits while you key and drops back to receive a moment after you stop. Full break-in lets you hear between the dits, which is how you notice somebody trying to break in on you.

The keyer is set to Paddle by default. If you are using a straight key, the key type is on the CW-KEY SET screen — worth changing, because a straight key into a radio expecting a paddle behaves strangely enough to make you doubt the key.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Reset the menu to factory settings on an IC-7300

Two resets, and Icom is unusually clear about the difference — the manual lists exactly what the gentler one spares. Read that list before you reach for the other one.

  1. MENU, SET, Others, Reset.MENU›touch SET›touch Others›touch ResetThe screen should show: Partial Reset and All Reset.
  2. Partial Reset is the one you almost certainly want.touch Partial ResetThe screen should show: The radio resets and restarts.It puts the VFO settings and the menu contents back to default and KEEPS your memory channels, your call sign, the memory keyer, RTTY memories, user band edges, REF Adjust, fixed edges and the PRESET memories. In other words it fixes a misconfigured radio without costing you anything you typed in.
  3. All Reset clears everything and returns the radio to factory.touch All ResetThe screen should show: The radio resets and restarts, empty.Watch out. Memory channels, filter settings, the lot. The manual's own words are that you will need to rewrite your operating settings. There is no undo, so this is the one to be certain about.

Partial Reset first, always. It clears up nearly everything that sends somebody looking for a reset — a setting changed by accident, a radio somebody else has been in — and it costs you none of your channels. Save an SD card image before All Reset and it becomes a five-minute job instead of an evening's retyping.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Keep going