Icom IC-718
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| Frequency | TX 1.8-29.7 MHz (160-10 m ham bands), RX 0.030-29.999 MHz (general coverage) |
| TX power | 2 / 100 W (2-100 W continuously adjustable on SSB/CW/RTTY; 2-35 W on AM (carrier). 13.8 V DC, ~20 A on transmit at 100 W. Rated for full duty cycle.) |
| Modes | USB, LSB, CW, AM, RTTY |
| Weight | 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) |
| Connector | SO-239 |
| Year | 2000 |
| antenna | SO-239 (female), 50 ohm |
| mic | 8-pin round (front panel), 600 ohm (HM-219 hand mic supplied) |
| key | 1/4 in (6.5 mm) stereo jack (CW key/paddle) |
| phones | 1/4 in (6.5 mm) stereo (front panel) |
| remote | 3.5 mm mono (CI-V computer control) |
| ext speaker | 3.5 mm (8 ohm) |
| acc | 13-pin DIN (SEND, ALC, AF out, band voltage, tuner lines, RTTY keying) |
| alc | RCA phono (ALC in from an external amplifier) |
| send | RCA phono (TX control out) |
| tuner | 4-pin Molex (control for external AH-4 / AH-730 / AT-180; no internal ATU) |
| dc in | 13.8 V DC, supplied fused cable |
| ground | rear screw terminal |
| power req | 13.8 V DC +/-15%, negative ground; ~20 A on transmit at 100 W (RX ~1.3-2.0 A) |
A no-frills 100 W HF radio: 160 through 10 meters with a general-coverage receiver, in a compact 3.8 kg box. The four-element first mixer gives solid receive performance for the price. Newer units add an FPGA filter with five IF widths and built-in noise reduction and auto-notch; older ones take the optional UT-106 for DSP. It has an electronic keyer, VOX, compressor, IF shift, a noise blanker, 101 memories, and the control jack for an external AH-4-type tuner. MIL-STD-810 testing and full-duty-cycle rating make it a durable choice for emergency work, and it is about the simplest HF radio to operate.
HF only - no 6 meters and no 60 meters. No internal antenna tuner (the AH-4 is external, the AT-180 a separate unit). On older units the DSP is an extra-cost option and is receive-only. There is no spectrum scope or waterfall and no USB sound-card interface, so digital modes need an outboard interface. The display is basic. At around $900 it now costs about the same as the SDR-based IC-7300, which has pushed most new buyers to that radio.
A straightforward HF transceiver: turn it on, tune the dial, and talk - no touchscreen, menus, or waterfall, just a solid 100 W radio with a capable receiver. It suits new hams who want to get on the air without a learning curve, EmComm operators who value its ruggedness, and anyone wanting a simple backup rig. The IC-7300's SDR architecture at a similar price has taken most of the market, but the IC-718's 25-year run speaks to how well the basics hold up.
The IC-718 is the plainest HF radio Icom makes, and that is the point. There is no touchscreen, no spectrum scope, no menu maze - just a 100-watt transceiver that covers 160 through 10 meters, a tuning knob, a keypad, and a row of buttons. Turn it on, spin to a frequency, and talk. For a first HF station, or a no-drama backup, that simplicity is the appeal.
Under the hood it is a double-conversion superheterodyne with a four-element first mixer, a design Icom uses to keep strong nearby signals from overloading the front end. It receives general coverage from 30 kHz to 30 MHz, so it doubles as a shortwave receiver, though it transmits only on the ham bands and skips 6 and 60 meters entirely. Power is adjustable from 2 to 100 watts, and the radio is rated for full-duty-cycle modes like RTTY.
Two things make the IC-718 unusual. The first is sheer longevity: it launched in 2000 and is still in production a quarter-century later, which is almost unheard of for a consumer radio. The second is a quiet 2024 update - sold under the same IC-718 name, not a new model - that replaced the old crystal-filter-and-optional-DSP arrangement with an FPGA digital filter offering five selectable IF widths plus built-in noise reduction and auto-notch. On those newer units, the functions that once needed the optional UT-106 module are simply there.
It also tests to MIL-STD-810 for shock, vibration, and temperature, part of why emergency-communications operators have leaned on it for years. There is no internal antenna tuner, but the rear panel carries the control jack for Icom's external auto-tuners such as the AH-4, so a long wire and a feedpoint tuner make it a full multi-band station. What you give up is everything modern radios put on a screen - no waterfall, no USB sound card - and for that the SDR-based IC-7300 has taken most of the new-buyer market. But as a rugged, uncomplicated 100-watt rig, the IC-718 still earns its keep, much as the ruggedized IC-7200 did for field use.