so anyway i finally got one about three weeks ago after debating it forever and honestly i dont know why i waited this long. been running an old TS-570 for probably eight years and while that radio never let me down i knew i was missing out on stuff. the 7300 is just a completely different experience, the waterfall alone changed how i operate, i actually catch stuff now that id have totally missed before just scrolling past on the panadapter.

one thing i wasn't expecting was how different the audio sounds on receive, way more presence somehow, i dunno how to describe it exactly. had to mess with the filters and the twin passband tuning for a bit before i found settings i liked but once i did it was hard to go back to how i had the 570 set up. also the built in ATU handles my off-center fed dipole pretty good, not perfect but good enough that im not running out to the shack every 20 minutes.

only gripe i have so far is the knob feel is kinda plasticky compared to the 570, small thing but you notice it when youre spinning the VFO for a while. anyone else made this kind of jump from an older Kenwood or Yaesu to the 7300 and had the same adjustment period or am i just overthinking it

yeah the waterfall thing is real, that was my experience too when i moved from a 756 Pro III. you start to see the bands differently, like literally see them, and it changes what you go after. i remember the first time i watched a pileup develop on 17m in real time it was kind of wild honestly.

the knob feel is a valid complaint, i've heard a few people say the same thing. theres an aftermarket weighted knob that a few guys run, think its made by a guy on qrz or something, never tried it myself but people seem happy with it. doesnt fix the plasticky feel everywhere else but the main tuning knob is what matters.

for the ATU id say manage expectations a little, its a convenience matcher not a miracle worker. if your OCFD is way off on a band just keep that in mind. but for most situations yeah its totally fine.

im actually in almost the same boat right now debating between the 7300 and the FT-991A because i want the VHF/UHF built in and thats the thing holding me back. but everyone i talk to says the HF performance on the 7300 is just noticeably better so i keep coming back to it. your post is not helping me wait lol