ICOM IC-7110 (SEVENTY ONE TEN)

It's autumn 2026 and my pre-order for the new IC-7110 has been submitted. It's just a case of waiting for Icom to start production and deliver stock to the dealer network. When will that be? Who knows - hopefully before the end of the year, but experience suggests it's more likely to be next Spring.

So why start talking about it already?? Well, I've been wishing and hoping for this radio for sooooo long and I am very excited that Icom have created it. 

When I had an IC-7100, I was super happy and I would have kept it forever, had I not been spoiled by the IC-705's amazing feature set - that colour touch-screen, the waterfall and scope, the built-in GPS, WiFi and BlueTooth and many other truly useful functions. The 7100 needed updating to include those modern features and then it would just be perfect!

In an ideal world, I'd have liked Icom to retain the overall appearance of the older radio with that oddly shaped head unit, but of course, they would never do that because it divided opinion when it was introduced to the market. Some (like me) thought it was a fabulously practical design and others simply laughed at it.

Anyway, the new head unit has a choice of mounting units for the desktop, car or truck. And I don't doubt for a minute that independent accessory manufacturers like MYDEL will come up with some clever ideas too.

Up to now, I've heard many YouTubers referring to the new radio designation as "Seven Thousand One Hundred and Ten" or "Seven One One Zero" and even incorrect interpretations of it, lol, so I decided to add my own in the form of "71 10" or "Seventy One Ten". Whatever people end up calling it, it will no doubt become a massive success for Icom. 

For me, the Seventy One Ten will spend most of its life in the shack, so the base unit will be sat on a shelf and the head-unit will sit on the desktop below my PC monitor, where it's easy to access. I already own the RS-BA1 (V2) Software and the RC-28 external VFO, so it should result in a great desktop setup. Of course, having the head-unit right in front of you, pretty much negates the need for remote control software (unless you are sight-impaired and want to benefit from your large monitor), but when you want to sit in another room or out in the garden on your laptop, then the RS-BA1/RC-28 package is an absolute boon!

On top of that, I should also be able to use the awesome SDR CONTROL app on my iPad Pro. This app is just a joy to use and is amazingly well integrated with Icom radios. I've used it with my 7610, 7300 and 705 many, many times, without any headaches or configuration problems - it's truly Plug & Play!

 

When I first heard about the Seventy One Ten, I told myself I'd sell the 705, but after a lot of thought, I've decided I just can't let it go and here's why...

Removing the 7110 from the shack for a full Field Day or Special Event is not a problem, but disconnecting the shack setup just for a random couple of hours outdoor play is not really feasible as far as I'm concerned; it's just easier to pick up my 705 RuckShack and go!

This is where the Yaesu Optima package gets the upper hand I guess, because the head unit can be operated standalone (once you disconnect the four cables from the head unit and fit a battery)! Mind you, it's the only upperhand for Yaesu! Yes, I've owned one - and quickly sold it.

Wouldn't it be great if you could buy two base units - one for the car and one for the shack? Then just move the head unit between the two. Ouch, that would be expensive, LOL! I wonder how many people would go for that option if there was a decent discount for the multi-buy?

Anyway, I'll post more when this exciting new radio arrives in the UK.

73, Tom, M7MCQ.