I have been a radio hobbyist for over 55 years and over that time, I have owned a lot of radios. Last Wednesday, UPS delivered my latest acquisition, an ICOM IC-R8600 10 kHz-3 GHz receiver and I believe it is the best receiver I have ever owned. (It should be since it is the most expensive radio I have ever owned! LOL)
According to Sherwood Engineering's highly-regarded receiver tests, the IC-R8600 is number 2 of 132 tested receivers and transceivers [sorted by Third-Order Dynamic Range Narrow Spaced or ARRL RMDR (Reciprocal Mixing Dynamic Range) if phase noise limited]. (The only better receiver is a transceiver.) After using the radio for less than a week, I concur with Sherwood's test results.
And last evening, I logged my first new station with the IC-R8600: WFAT on 700 kHz, a daytime-only operation transmitting 2500 watts from Athol, Massachusetts, 74 miles away.
I am still familiarizing myself with the 8600, slowly working my way through the manual in order to take in all the features the radio has to offer. And I plan to review those features in future installments of this blog, so please stay tuned.
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