{"id":45958,"date":"2020-10-16T09:15:10","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T13:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=45958"},"modified":"2020-10-16T09:15:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-16T13:15:10","slug":"more-field-time-with-the-new-icom-ic-705-general-coverage-qrp-transceiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/more-field-time-with-the-new-icom-ic-705-general-coverage-qrp-transceiver\/","title":{"rendered":"More field time with the new Icom IC-705 general coverage QRP transceiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I’ve been using the Icom IC-705 pretty heavily since I took delivery of it a couple weeks ago.<\/p>\n

The more time I spend with this radio, the more I like it.<\/p>\n

Serious functionality and features<\/h1>\n

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

I originally stated that I’d probably sell the IC-705 after my review\/evaluation period because it simply doesn’t have the design characteristics I like in a field<\/em> QRP radio.<\/p>\n

I tend to prefer simple field radios with a basic high-contrast LCD or analog display, and a protective cover over the display. I’m not personally the biggest fan of pressure sensitive touch screens in field applications.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, I stopped by Lake Norman State Park<\/a> for a quick Parks On The Air (POTA)<\/a> activation.<\/p>\n

I wrote a field report on QRPer.com<\/a> noting the fact that the IC-705 is a superb SSB transceiver. It truly is. I included a video showing the IC-705 as I worked a few stations on the 40 meter band, and another video demonstrating SSB memory keying (politely overlook the fact I had the rig set to LSB on 20 meters in that video–!).<\/p>\n

Listening in<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a>When I finish a park activation, I often spend a little time on the broadcast bands tuning around and enjoying the low-RFI setting.<\/p>\n

At Lake Norman, I decided to make a short video highlighting the wide receiving range of the IC-705. The video only highlights a few bands–the IC-705 can actually receive from 0.030\u2013199.999 MHz and 400.000\u2013470.000 MHz.<\/p>\n

The EFT-MTR end-fed antenna I had connected to the IC-705 that day was not ideal for reception above 15 MHz, but as you’ll see, it was adequate for a little radio fun. I was using the Emtech ZM-2<\/a> external antenna tuner that day because my mAT-705’s battery died<\/a>.\u00a0 I highly recommend the ZM-2 for shortwave listeners and QRPers alike because it makes it so easy to tweak wire antennas for optimal matching and reception. In the video, however, I left the tuner in the last matched configuration. This isn’t exactly a pro video, but I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway:<\/p>\n