so i've been running an old TS-570 for probably eight or nine years now and kept telling myself i didnt need to upgrade, the 570 is a solid radio and i still believe that, but i finally caved and picked up an IC-7300 about three weeks ago and man i kind of wish i hadnt waited so long.

the real time spectrum scope is the thing everyone talks about and yeah it lives up to the hype, but honestly what surprised me more was just how clean the receive audio is out of the box. didnt have to mess with the DSP settings much at all, just tweaked the NR a little on 40m during some noisy evenings and it was basically there. the touch screen took maybe a day to get used to but now it feels totally natural.

one thing i wasnt expecting — the built in USB audio for digital modes is genuinely seamless. had WSJT-X running in about 20 minutes with zero fuss, no external interface needed. coming from fighting with a Signalink for years that alone felt like witchcraft. anyway not trying to sell anyone on it, just figured id share since i see this question come up a lot. happy to answer stuff if anyone has questions about coming from older kenwood gear specifically.

the USB audio thing is really what gets people, i remember setting mine up and just kind of staring at the screen waiting for something to go wrong and it just... worked. my shack is pretty cramped so losing the Signalink on the desk was actually a meaningful quality of life thing not just a convenience.

curious how you find the ergonomics compared to the 570, i demoed one at a hamfest a while back and the knobs felt a little lighter than i expected, nothing serious just different. also the AF and RF gain being concentric took me a minute to figure out. you get used to it fast though. the panadapter alone makes it worth it for casual band watching when im not actively in a pileup or whatever.

good to hear, ive been on the fence about this exact upgrade for like two years. my 570 is starting to act a little weird on transmit — nothing dramatic but the ALC behavior feels off sometimes and im not sure if its worth having it looked at or just calling it and moving to something newer. the 7300 keeps coming up whenever i ask around. does the scope slow you down at all or do you basically just ignore it after the novelty wears off