Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The IC 718 is a great HF rig for the money. You will get what you pay for with this HF transceiver with some price surfing. The critical DSP unit which used to be optional has been included in recent years so be sure to look for that if you make the purchase. The 718 has good receive and good transmit...good, not great, and for the price it is solid. The ergonomics and menu layout is very intuitive. The included mic is a no-frills type but it works just fine. I made many DX contacts with this radio right out of the box. Be sure to understand that if you need an antenna tuner this unit does not have it. A good tuner will add another $150 or more if you need one (you will need it for longwire or OCF style antennas). Most off-the-shelf multi band antennas will require a tuner so take a look at that when shopping. LDG makes fantastic low cost auto tuners and they hook to this or any other radio with ease. Also understand a suitable 12 VDC power supply is required (as is the case with most all HF base transceivers). I only mention these things for those who are new to HF radio which this particular unit is very apt to attract and these things add up. One word of advice: If you are getting into radio casually this is a super choice on a budget. However, if you are the type who tends to grow into a hobby quickly I would suggest saving and researching a more capable radio. I say that because it will not take long to outgrow the 718 if you find you need a tuner, want better audio and better DSP, want a spectrum scope, dual receive, multiple antenna jacks, better speaker quality, higher quality mic, and so on. If you add some of those things to this unit you will wind up at or over the price of a more advanced radio. In this hobby it takes no time at all to say to yourself "I sure wish I had X, Y, and Z." As an entry level, low cost base station or as a backup rig you cannot make a better choice. I loved mine but within a year had outgrown it and moved on but I wish I kept it as a backup. Radio is a blast and it can get expensive quickly so research and discussion with other HAMs is the key. Pros: cost, ease of use, compact and semi portable, ICOM reputation and build quality Cons: no ATU, average RX audio (small speaker), single antenna jack Please note again that the cons listed are not a ding on this very capable radio. At the price ICOM has made a superb model.