so ive had the IC-7300 for about three years now and honestly its been a great radio, no complaints really. but lately ive been doing more contest work and some DX chasing and i keep running into situations where i feel like 100w just isnt cutting it, especially on 40m when the band is crowded and everyone else seems to be running amps anyway.

ive been looking at either adding a linear amp to the 7300 setup or just jumping ship to something like the IC-7610 or maybe the TS-890S. the 7610 appeals to me because of the dual watch and the second receiver for SO2R type stuff even though im not really doing full SO2R yet. the 890 i keep hearing good things about the roofing filters and the receive performance but i havent heard one in person.

the other option is just stick with the 7300 and grab an amp, been looking at the Ameritron AL-811H or maybe stretch to the AL-80B if i can find one used. probably more practical honestly but then i dont get the receiver upgrade which is what im actually more interested in when i think about it.

anyone made a similar jump or have opinions on the 7610 vs 890 specifically? or am i just experiencing grass is greener syndrome with my current setup

had the 7300 for a year before moving to the 7610 and yeah the dual receiver thing is genuinely useful even if you're not going full SO2R. i use it mostly to monitor another band while working a pileup and its nice to have. the waterfall on the 7610 is also just... better. smoother and the dynamic range feels more real if that makes sense, the 7300 can get a bit washed out in heavy QRM.

that said the 890 receive is supposed to be in a different league, i havent owned one but a buddy at the club runs one and he swears the roofing filters make a noticeable difference in a contest environment. the controls on the kenwood feel more traditional too if you like knobs for everything rather than touchscreen. i dont think you can go wrong either way but if SO2R is even a remote possibility down the road the 7610 makes more sense to grow into.

as for just adding an amp to the 7300, totally valid and probably the most cost efficient path but you said yourself its the rx you actually want so might as well be honest about that and get the radio upgrade first then add power later

TS-890 owner here and i'll just say the recieve on that thing spoiled me for everything else. ran it next to a friends 7610 at a field day type setup and on a noisy 40m evening the difference was pretty clear, not huge but noticeable when signals are weak and the noise floor is messy. the APF and the twin PBT implementation on the kenwood is really well thought out once you get used to where everything is.

only thing is the 890 interface takes some getting used to, its not as instantly intuitive as the icom stuff. and the waterfall isnt quite as slick visually, functional but not as pretty. also worth knowing the 890 doesnt have a built in antenna tuner on the base model i think, or its a limited one, so factor that in depending on your antenna situation.