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Friday, August 30, 2019

The IC-705 a FT-817 successor?


http://www.cqdx.ru/ham/new-equipment/hf-vhf-uhf-sdr-icom-ic-705-transceiver/

Seems to be the hot news of the day. Hamshop.com in the Netherlands already offers to make reservations for the radio without any costs. In the mean time some hints are getting published:


Most interesting is the bluetooth/LAN option. My guess is that you can connect to your radio with computer or even your phone via Bluetooth and or WiFi. Will it also have a USB connection like the IC-7300? Personally I've been busy to connect CAT/soundcard via bluetooth to my windows tablet a while ago. I still have some experiment waiting but this radio seems to have it build in.

Update 1-Sept-2019:

Some links to other articles about this new radio:

https://qrper.com/2019/09/icom-introduces-the-ic-705-portable-qrp-transceiver/

https://swling.com/blog/2019/09/could-the-icom-ic-705-be-a-shortwave-listeners-holy-grail-receiver/

http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2019/08/icoms-ic705.html

https://dailyantenna.blogspot.com/2019/09/will-i-be-getting-new-icom-ic-705-qrp.html

https://w2lj.blogspot.com/2019/08/guess-ill-jump-on-bandwagon.html

21 comments:

  1. Don't know what went wrong, just a matter of copy paste....but it went wrong. I changed it, tested it and it seems to be ok now. 73, Bas

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  2. Well it would seem Icom has jumped on the boat and Yaesu have been left in the dust regarding a very very popular Yaesu rig. Good for Icom to put this rig in the market. During Dayton this year for sure I thought I would see a Yaesu replacement to the FT 817. Yeasu have missed the boat on this one.
    73,
    Mike
    VE3WD<

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    1. Yes Mike, Yaesu did make a makeover of the FT-817 with the FT-818. I think they do not really listen to what the hamradio community want. However, you don't know what they have to offer next year. Sometimes it's just like a game of chess in business. 73, Bas

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  3. Replies
    1. Elecraft makes very good radios but take a complete different path. Icom does research what customers expect no doubt. I even think they actually read blogs about this.... I've been writing about a radio like this in the past and G3XBM did as well. I think there is a market for such a "QRP" model. They probabely did make a research on that as well....73, Bas

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  4. Well, I wonder how much money I need for that? Still, the Icom range really is now excellent. As soon as I saw and used the 7300, I knew I needed an Icom next. The current mid-range models from Yaesu are really very clunky in comparison, and they are not pleasant to use.

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    1. I can't help it but I actually not a fan of Yaesu. I like the FT-817. But if Icom had made a similair model my choice would be easy. 73, Bas

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  5. A price point of about $1000 has been floating around. My question would be if the power consumption is not too high.
    Next, a radio like this one could be very useful as a base TRX for a transverter into microwaves.
    Second question would be : 70MHz ?

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  6. Another "pancake-flat" QRP rig. Sorry I don't like flat as I don't do portable/Sota. Something like a Japanese 10 watt model of a current modest size rig would be nice. I once had a TS-130V years ago that was great.

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    1. Well, I'm shure a lot of people disagree with you Dick. But how about the IC-7300? You can set it at 10W ;-)....73, Bas

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    2. Hi Dick, good to see your still around. ;-) Well, I agree with you. I always work from the shack at home. And I don't like flat radios too. Maybe technical a good product. But still my FT817 works fine for 11 years now. 73 Paul PAØK

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    3. Hallo Bas, zelf ben ik geen fan van deze uitvoeringen. Misschien technisch een goed product. Maar mijn FT817 werkt nog steeds goed. Kijken hoe lang ie mee gaat. 73 Paul

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    4. Hallo Paul, ik doe mijn FT817 ook niet weg hoor. De IC750 ziet er mooi uit maar is ook groot en kwetsbaar. 73, Bas

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  7. Hallo Bas, ik zie dat jij ook berichten modereert? Ik had de laatste tijd heel veel spam reacties op mijn blog dus ik modereer nu ook de comments. 73 Paul

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    1. Ja Paul, alle reacties die binnenkomen na 14 dagen worden gemodereerd. Ik krijg ook erg veel spam. 73, Bas

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  8. I have always been a strong Yaesu supporter in my life until the 7300 came out with SDR and I started to purchase the first ICOM radio. I enjoy every minute of using it. I was always afraid I might not understand the radio menu with ICOM or will not find certain functions but it was easy. I now purchased my 4th ICOM radio because they meet out needs and listen. Yaesu I am sorry but you really missed the boat, the 817 was a masterpiece in it's days but why did you not integrate at least C4FM into the 817/818 or something else unique? PA1AGB

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    1. The only radio from Yaesu I still like is the FT-817. It is really worth the money for such a small rig. But you never know what radio Yaesu will come up with in the future. 73, Bas

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  9. I was initially interested in the new Icom but have since changed my mind. I've had the beautiful ELECRAFT KX3 and I also own an FT-818ND. Of the two, I always chose to grab hold of the 818 when going out for a walk. It's tough, compact, light and reliable.

    Side by side, of course the reception of the KX3 beats the 818, but in the real world, it's only by a small margin. Whenever I took the expensive (£1800) KX3 outdoors, it felt like I was guarding the Crown Jewels! When I take the 818 outdoors, I don't even think about it!

    I am guessing that the new Icom will also feel like the KX3. Like taking a Rolls Royce on a hill-climb when you know you should take the Land Rover, lol.

    I do hope that Yaesu have something up their sleeve. And to be honest, I hope it's not too different than the 818 - same thing but with a good solid 10W, built-in ATU and better "fuel consumption" :-)

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    1. Well Tom, I think the IC-705 will be at the same price level as the FT-818. But I agree the FT-817/818 is build like a tank and a different design compared to the IC-705 SDR with a sensitive touch screen. The idea is really great but theoretically. Taking out the small FT-818 is more practical. 73, Bas

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Thanks for your comment. Bedankt voor je reactie. 73, Bas