Icom IC-705 First Impressions - QRP CW POTA 9/24/23 @ Tuskegee National Forest (K-4451)
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- I finally got an Icom IC-705. I had a Lab599 that I just wasn’t using very much, so I sold it to fund this radio! This is my first time using it for a CW Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. And let me just say, I didn’t know I would like this radio so much. You’ll see a lot more of it!
Thanks for joining me for this quick activation! 72 de W4ARB dit dit
Gear Used on this Activation:
Radio - Icom IC-705
www.dxengineering.com/parts/i...
Radio Cage - Windcamp ARK-705
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Antenna - Gabil GRA-7350T
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Antenna Tripod - Gabil GRA-ULT01
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CW Paddles - Bamatech BaMaKeY TP-III
www.bamatech.net/morsetasten/...
Backpack - Icom LC-192
www.dxengineering.com/parts/i...
Zipper Pouch for Radio Accessories
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Logbook Leather Folio
www.etsy.com/listing/13138093...
My Favorite Logging Pens
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Notice: The Amazon links above are affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, I may earn an affiliate commission.
Chapters:
Why I Bought the 705 - 00:00
On the Air - 08:41
Thoughts & Wrap Up - 37:15
QSO Map - 46:06
I love my 705. I find something new to do with it on a weekly basis. It's been turned on every single day since I bought it in February this year.
That's awesome! I've used mine every day since I got it last week too. I honestly don't know how they could have possibly packed more features into a single radio. Not only that, but it performs and sounds really good. 73!
@@w4arb My son and I have had SSB conversations from Atlanta to Germany! It's incredibly efficient and powerful if you get a efficient and resonant antenna.
as usual another good one Aaron -- nice lookin set up for sure - well i blew past 120 cw pota hunter contacts the other day inspite of the poor conditions in the far north here - sure am liking CW - take care 73
Thank you! Great to hear!! It just keeps getting more fun.
Congrats on the 705!
Thank you!! & 73 my friend!
Agree completely, the "cage" around the radio's a definite plus! I wouldn't have hesitated one sec in getting one; ur description of the rig certainly makes it more appealing, compared to just reading abt one, so thanx for that & 73 de WA4ELW in TN 🇺🇸 dit dit 😃
I like it a lot more than I thought I would. It’s really the radio that does it all. 73!!
I recently found your channel and watched your videos. I am a QRP CW POTA/SOTA guy myself. I've had my IC 705 since they came out in Nov. 2020 and love the radio. I added you to my HamAlert so I could start working you and was lucky enough to get you on your first day with your IC 705! Look forward to your future activations with the radio. Congratulations on picking up the code so quickly and being so proficient. Keep up the great work. 73 de KN3A.
Thanks for watching and for the contact! Also, really nice callsign! l always assumed I wouldn’t like the 705 because of the shape and size, but I was wrong. So far I like it a lot. I’ll be out with it again tomorrow morning! Catch you on the air again soon. 73
@@w4arb it was a concern of mine too until I started using it out in the field. The mini's like your Mountain Topper are useful for really lightweight activations. I will hopefully have a QMX radio in the next few weeks, which is about the same size as your MTR3B. Also based on one of your videos and HOA Ham, I also purchased the Gabil GRA-7350TC and really like it as well. Still partial to my EFHW's though with Tenn-Tenna balun. Look for you tomorrow morning hopefully. 72 de KN3A.
The QMX looks like a great radio. Those tiny QRP radios are a lot of fun. But the 705 packs pretty nicely too! I like the Gabil antenna. To me, it’s about like a much more convenient and compact multiband hamstick. Not the ideal antenna, but it gets the job done and it’s perfect for some situations!
Aaron, I always enjoy your videos, please when you setup the 705 for remote access make a video of the process! Watching this from Aruba while on vacation thanks for some afternoon entertainment
Thank you for watching and hope you're having a great vacation! That's a great idea. I'll have to do a video on it once I get it all figured out. I started working on setting up remote operation on it today. 73!
Congrats on your new toy, enjoy!
TU! It may be the new daily driver :) 73!
If you haven't already, please consider making a video on running remote with the 705. Is it one of those features that sounds cool but difficult to set up? I'm considering the 705 for some of the great features, but in the past I have bought things for features I ended up not using. Thanks for the channel!
Good idea! I am going to be setting up the SDR Control app with my ipad soon and I’m curious how well it works with CW. It’ll be interesting! I will say that the 705 is one purchase I don’t regret. It’s already become my favorite field radio, even over my Elecraft KX2.
@@w4arb i don’t think SDR control works with remote CW unless you are on the same network in the house. Flexradio does, and apparently works VERY well remote.
Have you ever done an SSB activation? With this radio you do have that option, case you want to give it a try sometime.
I have, but it's been about a year. I'm not a big fan of SSB personally. Too much talking :D
Aaron do you ever use the Icom backpack with this?
I bought the 705 used and it came with the Icom backpack. I used it a few times, but I haven’t recently. I might use it again at some point :)
Challenge: record a video comparing it to the kx2. I’m going to record a comparison focused on DX, the differences between them are interesting. I’d like to see if we have similar opinions or not hehe
73!
That would be a fun comparison! They are certainly different personalities of radios. To be honest, I don’t enjoy using my KX2 for DXing very much. I can’t even explain logically why. But I prefer my FT-991A or even the Mountain Topper MTR4B V2. I’ll be giving the 705 a try on my desk this week. :)
I looked around on eBay and all the 705's I found were free shipping from Japan. Is that where you found yours? I have a problem sending money to some place in Japan and not knowing anything about them.Thanks for the video and congrats on the new rig.
Mine came from someone in the US. I also hesitate to purchase any of the rigs from Japan since they're restricted to Japanese frequencies. They come up on the QRZ swapmeet page from time to time too. I just happened to run across one on eBay the day I was looking for one.
@@w4arb Thanks. Glad I wasn't just paranoid 🙂
I've been told that the 705 is pretty smooth on CW but I have never operated on one.
I can attest - they are great for CW. BTW thanks for our QSOs when you were on your New England trip. 72 de KN3A.
So far I’m quite impressed. I had always assumed I wouldn’t like it but wanted to try it anyway. I assumed wrong, it’s pretty fantastic.
Do you think the 705 could replace an HF base + VHF/UHF mobile home setup?
Good question! It absolutely can as long as you are okay with the max power being 10 watts. I’ve been using mine in the shack a lot, but I also operate QRP CW most of the time anyway. In my opinion, aside from being lower power, the 705 performs better and has a more refined interface than any HF base radio that’s priced under $2000…again that’s my opinion and is totally subjective. At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. Hope that helps! 73
@@w4arb Thanks. I think I might buy it plus an amp for more power. Here's hoping Icom releases a slightly bigger version with more power.
Even better, Yaesu and Alinco could offer their own portable shack-in-a-box radios. Competition is good.
@@josuedepaz4282bigger?! No way, smaller and 20 watts. Ditch D-Star and shrink the screen for more real buttons.
Most of them on eBay are the ‘neutered’ Japanese versions.
Some are. I got lucky to find a good deal on a US one. eBay deals do pop up if you watch often.
The waterfall settings from the factory are not very informative. Watch the video on customizing your waterfall colors to a classic style. I can’t attach a link, look for it " INSTANTLY Improve Your Icom Radio's Waterfall with THIS! " BR, 73!
I just followed that video and wow!! Much better! Thank you for the tip. 73!
Why don't they make CW decoders on such powerful transceivers? I'd trade my KX2 for one, but no. UD6ARJ 73!
Good question! Decoders can be handy sometimes. I very rarely use them though.
CW decoders generally suck at decoding CW!
@@jhopkins213 In a field where there is little interference, they do great. And this is a field transceiver. This feature is very helpful for beginners! For SDRs, it's probably just a couple lines of code...
@@SteveBerwick I know) I had a 7300. This is the great stupidity from Icom.