Overall, this is a great receiver and it will be for me for many years!
Good points: high sensitivity, good selectivity on SSB/CW and narrow FM, no birdies, no overload suffering, three antenna connectors on the back, very simple to use, good IF shift, very low frequency image level.īad points: poor selectivity on wide FM (230 kHz, not suitable for FM and TV DX), no miracolous noise blanker, no VFO but memories as VFO, low deflection of the S-meter.Īfter opportune comparison also with IC-R9000, the IC-R8500 is almost similar but with very lower price. Selectivity and sensitivity is the same than dedicated transceivers (like TR751, FT290, etcetera). Over 30 MHz it is perfect, no birdies, no frequency image. I have make comparison with IC-R7000 and IC-R7100 and my IC-R8500 is the winner! Behaviour on 0/30 MHz is not poor like I believed before test. I have purchased it two years ago as used.
