Sherwood Engineering VHF/UHF Test Results

Model IC-9700 Serial # 12001078 Starting test Date: 04/10/2019

Firmware: 1.05 and later 1.06

IF BW 2400 –6 / -60, Hz / Ultimate dB

IF BW 500 –6 /-60, Hz / Ultimate dB

Front End Selectivity (A – F)

First IF rejection +/- kHz dB

Dynamic Range of radio, no preamp 2m 70cm 23cm

Dynamic Range 20 kHz 74 75 75^ dB
Dynamic Range 10 kHz 74 75 dB
Dynamic Range 5 kHz 74 75 dB
Dynamic Range 2 kHz 74 75 dB

Dynamic Range of radio, Preamp ON

Dynamic Range 20 kHz 71 76 dB
Dynamic Range 10 kHz 71 76 dB
Dynamic Range 5 kHz 71 76 dB
Dynamic Range 2 kHz 71 76 dB

Dynamic Range of radio, preamp ON, IP+ ON

Dynamic Range 20 kHz, 2 meters 75* dB
* IP+ has an inconsistent and minimal impact on third-order IMD.
^ Dynamic range phase noise limited on 23cm @ 20 kHz. See Notes

2 meter blocking above noise floor, 1uV signal @ 100 kHz, AGC ON, 111 dB
The blocking signal was registering on the S meter at this point.
This measurement was running into RMDR limits.

Note:
Approximate S meter reading on 70cm for the dynamic range measurements:
Preamp OFF: S9+30 dB
Preamp ON: S9+40 dB

Approximate S meter reading on 23cm for the phase-noise limited dynamic range
measurement:
Preamp OFF: S9+28 dB
2 Meter reciprocal Mixing Dynamic Range (RMDR), Preamp OFF
Spacing kHz

2.5 95 dB
5 100 dB
10 103 dB
20 106 dB
30 108 dB
40 109 dB
50 111 dB
100 114 dB
200 116 dB
300 116 dB
400 114 dB
500 111 dB

Phase noise (normalized) at 2.5 kHz spacing: 122 dBc/Hz

Phase noise (normalized) at 5 kHz spacing: 127 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 10 kHz spacing: 130 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 20 kHz spacing: 133 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 30 kHz spacing: 135 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 40 kHz spacing: 136 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 50 kHz spacing: 138 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 100 kHz spacing: 141 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 200 kHz spacing: 143 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 300 kHz spacing: 143 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 400 kHz spacing: 141 dBc/Hz
Phase noise (normalized) at 500 kHz spacing: 138 dBc/Hz

Noise floor, 2.4 kHz, 144.2 MHz, no preamp -126 dBm

Noise floor, 2.4 kHz, 144.2 MHz, no preamp, IP+ -125 dBm
Noise floor, 2.4 kHz, 144.2 MHz, Preamp ON -139 dBm
Noise floor, 2.4 kHz, 144.2 MHz, Preamp ON, IP+ -137 dBm

Sensitivity SSB, 144.2 MHz, no preamp 0.35 uV

Sensitivity SSB, 144.2 MHz, no preamp, IP+ 0.35 uV
Sensitivity SSB, 144.2 MHz, Preamp ON 0.082 uV
Sensitivity SSB, 144.2 MHz, Preamp ON, IP+ 0.10 uV

Noise floor, 500 Hz, 144.2 MHz, no preamp -131.5 dBm

Noise floor, 500 Hz, 144.2 MHz, no preamp, IP+ -131 dBm
Noise floor, 500 Hz, 144.2 MHz, Preamp ON -145 dBm
Noise floor, 500 Hz, 144.2 MHz, Preamp ON, IP+ -143 dBm
Noise floor, SSB, 433 MHz, no preamp -127 dBm
Noise floor, SSB, 433 MHz, Preamp ON -137 dBm

Sensitivity, SSB, 433 MHz, no preamp 0.3 uV

Sensitivity, SSB, 433 MHz, Preamp ON 0.1 uV

Noise floor, 500 Hz, 433 MHz, no preamp -132 dBm

Noise floor, 500 Hz, 433 MHz, Preamp ON -144 dBm

Noise floor, SSB, 1240 MHz, no preamp -133 dBm

Noise floor, SSB, 1240 MHz, Preamp ON -138 dBm

Sensitivity, SSB, 1240 MHz, no preamp 0.14 uV

Sensitivity, SSB, 1240 MHz, Preamp ON 0.09 uF

Noise floor, 500 Hz, 1240 MHz, no preamp -138 dBm

Noise floor, 500 Hz, 1240 MHz, Preamp ON -144 dBm

Signal for S9, no preamp, 2 meters 15 uV

Signal for S9, Preamp ON, 2meters 3.8 uV

Gain of preamp
Preamp 2m 19.2# dB
Preamp 70cm 19.8# dB
Preamp 23dm 9.6# dB

# Preamp gain determined by the difference in OVF indicator.

2 meter AGC threshold at 3 dB, no preamp 0.7 uV

2 meter AGC threshold at 3 dB, Preamp ON 0.18 uV

Notes:

OVF, 2m, preamp OFF -8.3 dBm

OVF, 2m, preamp ON -27.5 dBm
OVF, 70cm, preamp OFF -10.8 dBm
OVF, 70cm, preamp ON -30.6 dBm
OVF, 23cm, preamp OFF -22.3 dBm
OVF, 23cm, preamp ON -31.9 dBm

Noise floor & sensitivity measured with HP 8662A and HP 8642A with good correlation.

2 meter RMDR measured with HP 8642A

Spurious responses on 2m:

I have looked for the spurs, and when I find one I swap synthesizers to be sure the spur
is in the radio. The architecture of the HP 8662A and 8642A are completely different,
and if a spur shows up on both, then it is in the radio. I have found three types of spurs
with a test signal level of -25 dBm = S9+60 dB on 144.2 MHz. Preamp OFF.
Note: The S meter just starts to flicker at -107 dBm = 1 microvolt.

Three spurs have the following characteristics: The level is just below moving the S
meter, but the S meter flickers as the spur is tuned in.
144.296 MHz, 145.250 MHz & 144.104 MHz

Two spurs have the following characteristics: Weak burbling spurs that sound like a
switching power supply or a voltage converter source.
144.327 MHz & 144.073 MHz

One spur has the following characteristic, weak but clean & far below S0: 144.516 MHz.

Testing with a non-even signal frequency on 144.238 MHz did not materially affect the
results as to the number or level of spurs.

Frequency Stability

There are frequency stability issues with the IC-9700 that affect both CW, SSB and weak
signal digital modes such as those provided by WSJT X. Frequency drift on 2 meters
through 23cm has been observed causing digital decoding to be seriously degraded or
impossible.

IP+ is not providing any consistent improvement in third-order dynamic range that exists
with the IC-7300 and IC-7610. At some test levels IP+ makes IMD worse.

At the end of this report are IFSS (Interference Free Signal Strength) input vs. third-order
distortion curves. Notice there is almost no difference between IP+ OFF vs. IP+ ON.

Drift test summary:

The cooling fan is a major source of frequency drift in the IC-9700, affecting the TCXO
master clock oscillator. While a 10 MHz accurate and stable frequency source can
calibrate the TCXO, this internal clock cannot be phase locked to an external standard.

When operating on SSB on 2 meters, use of RIT of 10 or 20 Hz to compensate for drift,

was required, if that level of frequency tuning error is of concern. On 70cm SSB, drift on
the order of 50 Hz was definitely a problem. On SSB at the maximum 10 watt power
level on the 23cm band, the cooling fan does come on if the transceiver is fully warmed
up. The cooling fan always spins up on 23cm on modes other than SSB.
Frequency drift for WSPR transmissions is even a problem on 2 meters, let alone the
higher frequency bands. Other WSJT modes are also affected, such as JT65 and QRA64,
for example.

Drift tests were also run key down in CW mode to simulate what might happen when
running digital WSJT modes. The key-down drift on 70cm was of the same order of
magnitude as the SSB drift test.

With firmware 1.06 it was observed that changing the power level when transmitting a
carrier, the fan speed smoothly increased or decreased as the power level was increased
or decreased, but with a short time lag.

433 & 1296 MHz data Column 3 is a second run, & column 4 is second run.

Start 433.000 007 MHz 1296.000 002 432.999 997 1295.999 989
0.5 433.000 020 1296.000 026 433.000 012 1296.000 006
1.0 433.000 035 1296.000 055 433.000 024 1296.000 044
1.5 433.000 050 1296.000 075 433.000 032 1296.000 062
2.0 433.000 044 1296.000 097 433.000 042 1296.000 084
2.5 433.000 019 1296.000 114 433.000 049 1296.000 107
3.0 433.000 003 1296.000 133 433.000 051 1296.000 127
3.5 432.999 998 1296.000 141 433.000 051 1296.000 142
4.0 432.999 994 1296.000 142 433.000 050 1296.000 137
4.5 432.999 993 1296.000 136 433.000 050 1296.000 123
5.0 432.999 992 1296.000 127 433.000 050 1296.000 100
5.5 1296.000 117 433.000 050 1296.000 078
6.0 1296.000 109 433.000 051 1296.000 064
6.5 1296.000 103 433.000 051 1296.000 051
7.0 1296.000 096 433.000 051 1296.000 039
7.5 1296.000 092 433.000 051 1296.000 030
8.0 1296.000 089 433.000 051 1296.000 021

The two key-down drift tests on 70cm and 23cm show a significant drift consistent with
the 3:1 frequency difference. Depending on the wait time between runs, maximum
frequency excursing is similar, but the end frequency at 5 or 8 minutes may differ.

Observations on 23cm

Noise floor measurements were difficult to accurately make on 23cm due to leakage from
the HP 8662A synthesizer and limitations in shielding of the radio and possibly common-
mode pickup by the radio. Commercial double-shielded coax with N connectors were
used, along with a 30 dB Narda 150-watt attenuator. Absolute errors could be on the
order of a few dB.
The receiver is phase noise limited at times on 23cm. At times the 5th order IMD was
stronger than the 3rd order IMD. The 3rd order IMD could increase or decrease if the two
test signals were imbalanced by a few dB.

From a dynamic range standpoint, it is likely that phase noise will dominate over the
intermodulation product. The level of phase noise only degrades a few dB at spacing
closer than 20 kHz.

The test signals that produced the phase-noise limited measurement were on the order of
-63 dBm. The S meter reading for the two test signals for at above -63 dBm level were
S9+28 dB.

When measuring OVF at 100 kHz offset on 23cm, phase noise was reading upscale on
the S meter as follows:

Preamp OFF, S meter read S6

Preamp ON, S meter read S4

IFSS curves
 Transmit Composite Noise Icom IC-9700

144.2 MHz

Offset kHz 100 watts 30 watts

10 -121 dBc/Hz -120 dBc/Hz

20 -122 dBc/Hz -121 dBc/Hz

50 -125 dBc/Hz -123 dBc/Hz

100 -129 dBc/Hz -128 dBc/Hz

433.2 MHz

Offset kHz 75 watts 30 watts

10 -111 dBc/Hz -112 dBc/Hz

20 -113 dBc/Hz -113 dBc/Hz

50 -115 dBc/Hz -116 dBc/Hz

100 -120 dBc/Hz -120 dBc/Hz

Rev H