{"id":45009,"date":"2020-08-28T08:58:21","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T12:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=45009"},"modified":"2020-08-28T09:32:34","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T13:32:34","slug":"lab599-discovery-tx-500-answers-to-your-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/lab599-discovery-tx-500-answers-to-your-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"lab599 Discovery TX-500: Answers to your questions…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Caught in light rain while operating from South Mountains State Game Land.<\/p><\/div>\n

I shipped the lab599 Discovery TX-500 I’ve been evaluating to HRO yesterday. I’ve had it on the air now for a week with intense use. I’ve activated a total of 8 parks in 7 days–via the Parks On The Air program. I’ve operated CW, SSB, and spent time listening to HF broadcasts.<\/p>\n

I’ve gotten a number of questions from readers in comments and via email. What follows are my answers to the most frequently asked questions. Note that this will be a “living” FAQ post for the TX-500–I will update it periodically with new questions\/answers:<\/p>\n

\n

TX-500 Frequently Asked Questions<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Q: The TX-500 looks so thin and flat. Is it durable?<\/h3>\n

A: The TX-500 chassis is made of CNC-machined aluminum alloy. Without a doubt, it’s the most durable and rugged portable ham radio transceiver I’ve ever tested.<\/p>\n

Q: Why did lab599 choose multi-pin connectors for the mic, speaker, and CW ports instead of standard 1\/8″ plugs? Are they proprietary connectors?<\/h3>\n

A: Their goal was to make the TX-500 water-resistant. The TX-500’s connectors help prevent water intrusion. These are not proprietary connectors. While they’re uncommon in the world of amateur radio, they’re often used in aviation, commercial, and military applications.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The connectors are GX12mm in various pin numbers–refer to the port\/pin configurations from the diagram above (taken from the TX-500 manual).<\/p>\n

Note that W2ENY is selling a number of connector packages and TX-500 accessories<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Q: Is the TX-500 completely waterproof?<\/h3>\n

A: It’s my understanding that the TX-500 is sealed to the point of being water and weather resistant. Meaning, if it gets caught out in the rain, it should be fine. If you’re operating maritime mobile and it falls in the water? All bets are off. To my knowledge, the TX-500 is the most weather-resistant amateur radio<\/em> transceiver currently on the market (please comment and correct me if I’m wrong on this point).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Q: Does the TX-500 have a built-in antenna tuner?<\/h3>\n

A: No. If you’re using the TX-500 you’ll either need a portable external antenna tuner, or operate with resonant antennas. In the field, I actually prefer using resonant antennas to get the most mileage per watt. At home, I employ an external ATU. In the field, I’ve used my ZM-2 ATU (see photo above) to tune my resonant antennas on other bands.<\/p>\n

Q: Does the TX-500 have full break-in QSK for CW operators? Does it have pin diode switching?<\/h3>\n

A: No. The TX-500 uses a relay for transmit\/receive switching. In my videos, you’ll hear the T\/R switch as I’m keying. I keep the delay set to the shortest amount of time. At this setting, I can’t hear between characters, but I can hear between words. Some may call this “semi break-in.” The relay clicking, for what it’s worth, is the softest I’ve heard in a portable transceiver. I believe this is due to the fact the TX-500 is solid and sealed so thoroughly. You can hear it, though.<\/p>\n

I believe this video will give you a good impression of how the relay sounds when set to the shortest delay\/recovery time:<\/p>\n