Tag Archives: Icom

Reading an interval signal in the waterfall

I’ve been doing a lot of SWLing with the new Icom IC-705. I suppose I’ve not much to post here other than to simply say: I think Radio Exterior de España‘s interval signal looks brilliant on the ‘705 waterfall. I captured this at the end of their scheduled broadcast around 22:02 UTC today.

Of course, the audio was pretty nice, too. Their interval signal is unmistakable:

I’ll admit: I’m loving the native recording capabilities of the IC-705. This came straight off of the MicroSD card. Bandwidth was set to 9 kHz.

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Taking the Icom IC-705 to the field for a battery endurance test

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I recently posted results from my listening endurance test with the new Icom IC-705 QRP general coverage transceiver. I’ve been on a mission to see just how long the supplied BP-272 Li-ion battery pack can hold up with a full charge in real-world conditions.

Thursday, I took the IC-705 to the field and activated a park using only the charged battery pack. After nearly 2 hours of constant operation (calling CQ and working stations) the BP-272 still had nearly 40% of its capacity.

That’s better than I expected, especially knowing the BP-272 is the slim, lower capacity battery pack.

I have to admit: that was a particularly fun activation because propagation finally gave me a break and I worked stations from the Azores to Oregon on a mere five watts of power.

Click here to read my full field report at QRPer.com.

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Icom IC-705: Let’s see how long it’ll receive with supplied BP-272 Li-ion battery pack

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The shortwave radio listener part of me might actually be more excited about the Icom IC-705 than the ham radio operator part of me.

The IC-705 has a number of features for ham radio operators who also enjoy broadcast listening. For example, it sports:

a general coverage receiver,
good performance specs,
notch filtering (both manual and automatic),
Icom twin passband filtering,
an AM bandwidth filter maximum width of 10 kHz
built-in digital recording of both received and transmitted audio,
audio treble/bass adjustments,
and battery power from Icom HT Li-ion battery packs

The Icom IC-705 ships with an BP-272 Li-ion battery pack and since the announcement last year about the IC-705, I’ve been curious how long the BP-272 could power the IC-705 in receive only.

A real-world RX test

Yesterday morning, I resisted the urge to hunt POTA and SOTA stations with the IC-705 and, instead, spent the day simply listening.

I started the experiment with a fully-charged BP-272 7.4V 1880 mAh battery pack (the pack supplied with the IC-705). At 9:00 in the morning, I unplugged the IC-705 from my 12V power supply and ran the receiver all day on just the battery pack.

I made some practical changes to maximize play time: I turned on the screen saver, turned off GPS, set the LCD backlight auto adjustment to 2%, and set the screen timer to turn off after 1 minute.

I ran the volume somewhere between low and moderate and only raised it to what I would consider very loud a few times to copy weak signals. I listened to AM, SSB, and FM signals across the spectrum, but primarily cruised the HF bands.

Of course, I never transmitted with the IC-705 during this period (saving that for the next test).

I probably could have done more to decrease current drain, but frankly I wanted this to be based on how I’d likely configure the rig for use on an SWL DXpedition.

Results

I unplugged the IC-705 from the 12V power supply at 9:00 local and the radio auto shut down at 16:39 local: a total of 7 hours, 39 minutes.

Honestly? I’m fairly impressed with this number mainly because it’s based on the smaller battery pack. The supplied BP-272 pack has 1880 mAh of capacity. The optional BP-307, on the other hand, has 3150 mAh of capacity.

If I decide to keep the IC-705, I will be very tempted to purchase a ($130 US) BP-307 pack as well.

Next test: How long can the IC-705 last on battery during a POTA activation?

As early as today, I will see just how long the BP-272 pack can operate the IC-705 during a POTA activation. This will be a true challenge on the smaller battery pack since POTA activations require a lot of transmitting (constant CQ calls and exchanges). There’ll be no lack of calling CQ on a day like today when propagation is so incredible poor.

Follow the tag IC-705 for more updates.

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The Icom IC-705 has landed at SWLing Post HQ

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Yesterday, I received my new Icom IC-705 QRP transceiver (along with two FT-60R HTs) from Universal Radio.

I got home pretty late yesterday afternoon so haven’t had a lot of time to put the IC-705 on the air.

I did tune to the Voice of Greece and REE last night and, must say, was pretty impressed with AM mode.

This morning, I also worked two CW stations and one in SSB on the 40 meter band from my home.

Very early days, but I get the impression the IC-705 receiver is top shelf. At least, I like what I’m hearing.

So far, the only negative I’ve mentally noted is the difficulty in propping up this radio for use on a desk. It’s a little awkward. No doubt, a number of 3rd party solutions will soon emerge. I’m personally hoping someone will design a 3D printed stand/cradle.

Indeed, a 3D-printed front panel cover would also be nice because I do worry about the touch screen display being damaged in my backpack. Being a bit of a picky backpack geek, I did not opt for the custom Icom LC-192 backpack (completely subjective: just not my style and not waterproof). The IC-705 can be secured in the LC-192 so that the front panel is well-protected.

The IC-705 backlit display is very easy on the eyes–I hope it’s as easy to read in sunlight outdoors. We’ll soon find out because I’m certainly taking it to the field!

IC-705 Unboxing Photos

By request, here are some “unboxing” photos (click to enlarge):

Follow the tag IC-705 for more updates.

Your support made the purchase of this IC-705 possible.

Thank you!

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My Icom IC-705 is inbound…sharing my predictions

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I was contacted by Universal Radio yesterday afternoon with a tracking number for my Icom IC-705. It will arrive by Monday evening.

A number of SWLing Post readers in the US and UK have notified me that their IC-705s have also been shipped and a few have even been received already.

I’m really looking forward to checking out the IC-705. The preliminary reviews (overviews, really) have been pretty positive. I found the IC-7300 to be a fabulous rig and the IC-705 smacks of the ‘7300. The ‘705 even includes more features than the ‘7300 (multi-mode VHF/UHF, D-Star, Wifi, and built-in GPS to name a few) although lacks an internal tuner.

I’ve received more questions about IC-705 and the TX-500 than I have any other radios this year. Both, in many senses, are ground-breaking in their features, (and in the case of the TX-500) form-factor and build.

If I’m being honest, I was more excited about the TX-500 because it simply suits my field operating style better (my full TX-500 review will be in the Oct 2020 issue of TSM).

Since I haven’t received the IC-705 yet and haven’t read any truly detailed reviews or comparisons, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before and share a few of my personal predictions.

Predictions

I’m human and can’t help but form a few expectations/opinions prior to a thorough rig evaluation. That and, having owned a number of their products, I’m very familiar with Icom as a company. I’ll probably regret this later, but here goes…

I suspect:

I’ll like the touch screen display more than I think I will. I’m not a big fan of color backlit displays in field radios. I prefer simple high-contrast LCD displays that are readable in full sunlight. I’m hoping Icom will have optimized the IC-705 display for reading outdoors.
I’ll be able to operate the radio without referring to the manual because I’m so familiar with the IC-7300.
I’ll really miss having a built-in ATU on a rig in this price class. Feels like a missed opportunity, however seeing the inside of the IC-705, there really isn’t a lot of spare room. With that said, I plan to review the mAT-705 ATU compact external tuner and hope it’ll pair nicely.
I’ll be disappointed with the amount of run time I’ll get from a fully-charged BP-272 battery pack. I really hope I’m wrong about this one. Icom did some serious engineering on the IC-705 to lower the amount of current needed in receive. We’ll see if that paid off and if it can compare, for example, to the run time I get from the rechargeable battery pack in my Elecraft KX2.
I’ll be very pleased with some of its features like CW and Voice memory keying for POTA and SOTA activations.
I’ll still find D-Star complicated to use even though, hypothetically, the IC-705 can connect directly to D-Star via WiFi. I hope I stand corrected on this point.
I’ll struggle to find the perfect padded pack to house the radio. I’m a bit of a pack geek/snob and don’t really like the Icom LC-192 backpack. I’ve no intention to order it even though it’s designed to work with the radio. So while this doesn’t apply to 99% of my readers, it’s a big deal in my world. 🙂 I’m sure I’ll sort out a solution.
I’ll feel some buyer’s remorse when, in 6 months, the IC-705 price drops a couple hundred dollars. That’s okay. I see it as taking a bullet for my readers (and, let’s face it, I love new radio gear). Plus, I’m banking on the notion that the IC-705 will make for a capable QRP EME transceiver.
I’ll love the built-in digital recorder for making off-air shortwave broadcast recordings (although I do fear I’ll find the AM audio filter too narrow).

Again, these are completely off-the-top-of-my-head predictions and based on no hands-on time with th IC-705. Next week, I’ll start to see how many of these predictions are correct and how many I totally missed.

I can tell you this: I’m not sure I want to see the invoice from Universal Radio. It includes the IC-705, two Yaesu FT-60R HTs, and some Anderson PowerPole connectors! Although I’ve had the IC-705 on order for ages, I added the HTs and connectors at the last moment because they don’t seem very pricey when you’re already at the $1300 US mark, right–? (Shhhh! The FT-60Rs are a gift for my daughters who take their Technician test this weekend!)

How about you? Do you have an IC-705 on order? What are your predictions and thoughts? Please comment!

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Phillip loves the Icom IC-R30, but frustrated with mono audio out

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phillip Novak, who writes:

A question or perhaps comment on the Icom IC-R30 that I’m hoping SWLing Post readers might shed some light on.

I’m a very new and extremely pleased owner of one of these units for the past 2 weeks. Aside from receive capability, usability is a big deal for me and this thing has proven to be a joy! The menus, buttons and build quality just feel great and frankly, I’m pretty happy about having made the “investment”.

So, it was with great excitement that my wife and I have the week off at the cottage – more so for me, as I was looking to really break the R30 in while sitting on the lake shore.

And then …. I was extremely disappointed to find out that the r30 headphone jack is mono (just like the IC-R6 that I already owned). On top of that, the jack is slightly recessed into the body of the unit, which renders the mono-to-stereo split adapter useless! (I really thought they would have changed it!)

Someone, please enlighten me as to why Icom would choose a mono plug!

It’s funny you mention the recessed plug as I had the same issue with a portable recently–the audio out port was recessed to the point that only the provided cheap earphones would fit!

Perhaps SWLing Post readers and IC-R30 owners can provide you with a simple solution? Of course, you can always purchase or build a mono-to-stereo adapter or patch cord–one with a slim profile to fit in the IC-R30 audio port recess (that’s the tough part, of course). But perhaps there are even earphones that have this functionality built-in? I honestly don’t know. Any ideas, readers? Please comment.

And, Phillip, we’d welcome your review of the IC-R30!

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Icom announces the new ID-52A/E HT with color display and Bluetooth

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Paul and John (KC8RZM), who share the following press release from Icom:

Icom releases the ID-52A/E Amateur Handheld Transceiver with Color Display and Bluetooth® Communication

Icom Incorporated (Headquarters: Hirano, Osaka, Japan/President: Masataka Harima) releases the ID-52A/E*, VHF/UHF dual band digital transceiver that supports D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio).
* ID-52A is the USA version, ID-52E is the European version

The ID-52A/E is equipped with a color display. The display size is increased to 2.3 inches (1.7 inches for the ID-51A/E), and a transflective display is used to achieve excellent visibility, even in bright sunlight. The transceiver also supports Bluetooth® communication as standard. Wirelessly connect to Android™ devices with ST-4001A/ST-4001I Picture Utility Software and RS-MS1A Remote Control Software installed, the optional VS-3 Bluetooth® headset is also available, for hands-free operation.

And the following features are enhanced from the previous ID-51A/E models. Simultaneous reception in V/V, U/U, V/U as well as DV/DV. Air band reception is expanded from VHF to UHF (225 to 374.995 MHz). The new model can be charged via micro USB connector. Audio output is significantly increased from 400 mW to 750 mW. The latest function of D-STAR enables you to send, receive and view saved photos on an installed microSD card using only the ID-52A/E.

In addition to the above, the ID-52A/E has a variety of attractive features such as the DR function with easy set-up, built-in GPS receiver, micro SD card slot, IPX7* waterproof construction, and Terminal/Access Point modes. The ID-52A/E is a product that leads the amateur radio digital communications with enriched features that satisfy any users, from beginners to even heavy users who want to fully enjoy D-STAR.