IC-7300 In Multi Radio Environment?

In 2019 I organised a trip to a remote farm in Devon for a mini DX-pedition, a sort of radio holiday for a few good friends and club members to play radio non stop for 5 days with 10 acres of field to erect antennas and a non existent HF noise floor. We took three Kenwood TS-590SG sets with us and I was amazed with their performance in a multi radio environment. One was running QRO via an Elecraft KPA500 amplifier and there was never any problems with interference between the operating stations. At one point, we were working CW on 20m @ 100w using a ZS6BKW and working SSB on 20m @ 100w using a DX Commander with around 15m separation of the antennas with no issues. The only slight interference issue we had was if another operator was using an exact second harmonic but even then, most stations were still workable.

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GPS Data for Icom IC-9700

Don’t want to build your own? I now sell these and an alternative design with a better, fixed external unit on my shop!

The Icom IC-9700 has a GPS data input available but no oficial accessory from Icom. It’s a 2.5mm TRS connection that allows users to connect a GPS unit with an RS232 output to the IC-9700 and use that data for DSTAR transmission. There are several GPS units on the market that can provide the data but they are often expensive standalone units or cheaper, older generation units with lower sensitivity and performance when it comes to tracking GPS satellites. Continue reading “GPS Data for Icom IC-9700”

IC-7200 Mic upgrade

Just a quick post about the stock microphone on the Icom IC-7200. If you have a “made in China” version of the HM-36 then you can make your audio a lot better.

Forget messing around with the mods listed over the internet and jump right in with a kit from AB5N. His microphone element along with the associated modifications will transform your HM-36 into a great sounding microphone.

I tried 4 different modifications and the AB5N came out on top. Highly recommended.

Icom IC-7200 QRS mod

I’m a keen user of ALE on the HF bands and recently purchased an Icom IC-7200 to use as a dedicated ALE station. I picked the IC-7200 as I liked the form factor, the fact that is is a dedicated HF radio and that it has a built in USB interface. The only problem with using the IC-7200 for ALE use is that the TX bandpass filters are switched in and out using relays as the radio scans through the bands. This causes an annoying “click, click, click” sound when the radio is changing bands and, when scanning at 5 frequencies per second, can put considerable wear on the relays. Luckily, there is a fix for this problem…

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