ICOM IC-705 – New Product

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Icom introduces the IC-705, new all bands all modes QRP transceiver at Tokio HamFair taking place in Ariake, Tokyo on August 31st – September 1st 2019.

The IC-705 is a new compact size portable transceiver that incorporates a real-time spectrum scope and waterfall display, with full RX Coverage from HF to 2 meters band, and full TX coverage from HF to UHF, including the 70 MHz in the European version.

Here below the official English IC-705 Video

Official Video By Icom
IC-705 by Icom
ICOM IC-705 Hi-res picture

Main Features

  • TX Bands: HF 50MHz 144MHz 430MHz (70 MHz for European Version)
  • Reception: Continuous from HF to 2 meters, including Airband and FM Broadcast
  • Modes: SSB CW RTTY AM FM D-Star DV
  • RF Direct Sampling System
  • Real-time spectrum scope and waterfall display
  • 4.3 inch Touch Screen Display
  • Compact Size 20cm(7.9 Inch)x8cm(3.1 Inch)x8,5cm(3.3 Inch), Wight 1 Kg
  • Li-ion BP-272 Battery Pack
  • Output Power: 5W (Battery) – 10W (13.8 V DC)
  • Bluetooth and Wireless LAN for mobile device Remote Control
  • GPS: Antenna and Logger, to be used in D-Star DV Mode
  • MicroSD Card Slot for firmware upgrades, voice recording, GPS Log
  • D-Star: full functions, save and display pictures
  • Antenna: VHF UHF Whip antenna included
  • SP Mic: with programmable buttons, included
  • Backpack: multi-function, optional
IC 705 Trasceiver
ICOM IC-705

ICOM IC-705 is currently presented as Prototype. Please note that above features are an extract of currently available documentation. IC-705 availability date and price to be announced.

IC-705 Pre release information
IC-705 leaflet cover

IC-705 Presentation in English at Tokyo HamFair

Picture gallery

ICOM IC 705 pictures taken from social media networks

Youtube Videos

Here some Youtube videos posted in recent hours about the new Icom QRP Transceiver. Videos are coming directly from the HamFair 2019 in Tokio, and represent the first videos of the new ICOM Product.

Comparing ELECRAFT KX3 to ICOM IC-705

Early pictures and info

Here below the first images taken during the exibition preparation at the Icom both, before the official opening of the HamFair in Tokyo.

Top Amateur Radio Websites – Issue 1926

Lab599 Discovery TX-500 – Compact HF/50 MHz QRP Transceiver

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Article Updated on July 2020

Lab599 Discovery TX-500 radio tailored for adventure, for extremes, for using in places unattainable before, with no sacrifice of performance or features.

Discovery is a Software Defined Radio ultra-compact transceiver with a general coverage receiver from 0.5 to 56 MHz all modes, for a total weight of 0.57 Kg (20 oz).

This QRP transceiver offers an adjustable power output from 1 to 10 W, while the receiver comes with auto-notch, noise reduction, and RX/TX EQ, and the current drain can be as low as 100 mA.

TX-500 Display

The Discovery TX-500 has a built-in fast pan-adapter, for easier search for new contacts and evaluation of band conditions wherever you are, at any time.

Features

  • 160-6-meter ham bands
  • General ‘receive’ coverage 0.5 – 56.0 MHz
  • All modes: SSB, CW, DIG, AM, FM
  • High-performance 32-bit floating-point DSP
  • Current drain as low as 100 mA in ‘receive’ mode (backlight on, preamp off, no signal)
  • External power supply DC 9-15V, 1 to 2A typical in transmit
  • High-contrast LCD with 256 * 128 px
  • High-performance real-time panadapter (48 kHz wide)
  • On-line firmware updates
  • Tilted feet (rear), fold up for transportation
  • Ultra-compact size (H*W*D): 90 mm (3.5″) * 207 mm (8.1″) * 21 mm (0.8 “)
  • Weight: 0.55 Kg (19,4 oz)

The Lab599 Discovery covers 160-6 meters, all modes, with a maximum power output of 10 W. It comes with true desktop-radio features, like auto-notch, noise reduction, and RX/TX EQ. The transceiver has a built-in fast pan-adapter, for easier search for new contacts and evaluation of band conditions wherever you are, at any time.

In receive mode, current drain can be as low as 100 mA —a unique feature on the market. Transmit efficiency is also excellent, with improved battery life.

Unique Form Factor

The Lab599 Discovery unique form-factor allows you to operate from anywhere. The transceiver is only 30 mm thick, including knobs, weighing only 0.58kg. Fold out the tilted-feet at the rear for use on a desktop or picnic table.

The transceiver’s body is made of durable aluminum by the method of precision milling, to ensure a unique shock protection and provide good heat removal from the output part of the transmitter.

Band Pass Filters

Discovery TX-500 has 11 discrete RF bandpass filters. The RF signal is only passed through one of the band-pass filters — any out-of-range signals are rejected.

Pan-adapter

The transceiver features a built-in high-performance pan-adapter, for better search for new contacts and evaluation of band conditions — wherever you are, at any time.

Other Features

  • External power supply DC 9-14V, 1 to 2A typical in transmit
  • Internal CW keyer with 10-300 СPM range
  • Computer control via USB
  • High-contrast LCD with 128 * 64 px;
  • Firmware upgrades
  • DSP RF speech processing for excellent ‘punch’
Lab599_Discovery_TX-500
The Case

Availability

Discovery TX-500 will become available once CE certification has been completed during fall 2020. Pre-order now to reserve one in the first delivery! Preliminary release date is September 14, 2020.

Discovery TX-500 Price

The Lab599 Discovery TX-500 price on the prerelease stage is 1059 USD, 890 Euro.


Discovery TX-500

Visit the Laboratory 599

New OSCAR-100 Uplink Converter MK2 by DXPatrol

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CT1FFU Antonio Matias by DXPatrol has recently released a new improved version of his Es´Hail Sat (OSCAR-100) Uplink Converter.

  • Full lockable into a internal TCXO 10 Mhz reference or a external GPSDO
  • Extreme accuracy and precision transmission frequency.
  • Local Oscillator has 4 factory pre-programmed frequencies for 4 IF usages. (see manual)
  • Easy selection by dip switch ( s1) on board. 28MHz, 144MHz, 432MHz, 1296Mhz IFs
  • Clean and stable signal.
  • Spurious emissions = < 50dB
  • 100mW output ( 20dBm )
  • Local Oscillators uses a Analog Devices AF4351 synthesizer
  • locked into 10MHz TCXO Sine Wave Oscillator Frequency Stability 0.5PPM
  • power supply 10 to 15V
  • Current consumption 300mA
  • Dimensions: 84mm/65mm Connectors SMA PLL Lock red LED indication
  • IF power input 1 to 3 W adjustable ( 6W absolute maximum)

The QO-100 Upconverter cams fully tested and assembled and prices are around 120€ .

For all updated and current prices visit DXPatrol Web Site

Top Amateur Radio Websites – Issue 1925

IOTA CONTEST 2019

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27th – 28th July 2019 12:00 – 12:00 UTC

The RSGB IOTA Contest is the most popular contest in the RSGB HF Contests calendar, attracting entries from around the world.


IOTA refers to the RSGB “Islands on the Air” awards. A newcomers’ guide to the system of IOTA references and further information on the IOTA Contest can be found at the IOTA Contest Information page and on the IOTA Contest FAQ page. A beginners’ guide to operating in the contest is here.

If you have any questions about these rules, please email hf.query@rsgbcc.org

New for 2019

To shorten the exchange, for 2019 the sending of RS(T) will be optional. i.e. you do not have to send a report as part of your exchange. 

Top Amateur Radio Websites – Issue 1924

WSJT-X version 2.1.0 released

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The WSJT Development Group is pleased to announce the general availability (GA) release of WSJT-X Version 2.1.0.

WSJT-X 2.1 is a major upgrade that introduces FT4, a new protocol for HF contesting.

Improvements have also been made in the following areas:

  • FT8 waveform generation using GMSK, fully backward compatible
  • user options for low-sidelobe waterfall and spectrum display
  • UDP messaging for inter-program communication
  • accessibility
  •  

… as well as many minor enhancements and bug fixes.

We now provide a separate installation package for 64-bit Windows, offering significant improvements in decoding speed.

A more detailed list of program changes since WSJT-X 2.0.1 can be found in the cumulative Release Notes: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/Release_Notes.txt

Upgrading from earlier versions of WSJT-X should be seamless. There is no need to uninstall a previous version or move any files.

Please do not continue to use any release candidate — that is, any beta release with “-rc#” in the version name.

Links to installation packages for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh are available here:
http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html

You can also download the packages from our SourceForge site:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt/files/

It may take a short time for the SourceForge site to be updated.

WSJT-X is licensed under the terms of Version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL). Development of this software is a cooperative project to which many amateur radio operators have contributed. If you use our code, please have the courtesy to let us know about it. If you find bugs or make improvements to the code, please report them to us in
a timely fashion.

We hope you will enjoy using WSJT-X Version 2.1.0.

— 73, Joe, K1JT, for the WSJT Development Group

Top Amateur Radio Websites – Issue 1923

OMEGA+ Portable Radio

The Omega+ radio is an interesting compact portable transceiver by the Omega-Radio Group, designed by SQ7BFS Lukasz and SP7NJ Pawel, software is by SQ7NUW Peter.

Transceivers comes in 3 models:

  • 1 band – basic (up to 30 MHz)
  • 2 bands (50 / 70 MHz)
  • 10 bands (160/80/60/40/30/20/17/15/12/10m)

Its compact design, the small dimensions, just 120x40x180mm (4.7 x 1.5 x 7 inch) and the weight of aprox. 700g (1.5 Pound) make the OMEGA+ Radio an ideal transceiver for QRP SOTA and general portable operations, but can also be considered a valid companion radio on every ham radio shack.

The Omega+ is provided as a semi-assembled kit. All main circuits are already assembled, and to the customer is asked just to execute some simple and easy connections. An online assembly manual is provided at omega+ web site

Receiver can cover continuously from 100 KHz till 72 MHz while transmission is limited to all HF ham radio bands inclunding WARC.

Receiver sensivity is rated at 0.16 µV while maxium power output up to 10W with a maximun power consumption of 1.6A

Omega+ radio is currently available via HamRadioShop.pl and is sold at a price around 290 Euro (310 USD) for the HF 10 bands version.

OMEGA+ Image Gallery

Pictures Courtesy of SQ5RTK Michał

OMEGA+ leaflet distributed at Ham Radio Friedrichshaffen 2019

The Omega+ additional specifications:

  • Antenna Connector: SO-239
  • Power Supply: 11 – 14V DC
  • Power Consumption:
    • TX Max Power 1.6A,
    • RX: 0.26A
  • Temp Range: -10°C + 50°C (14°F to 122°F)
  • AF Output power (13.8V): 0,7W with an 8 Ohm load
  • Output LPF
    • One LPF 30MHz (HF 10 bands version)
    • One LPF 75MHz (VHF 6/4m version)
  • Supplied accessories:
    • Hand Microphone
    • DC Power Cable

TX Frequencies:

  • 1.800-2.000
  • 3.500-3.800
  • 5.100-5.500
  • 7.000-7.200
  • 10.100-10.150
  • 14.000-14.350
  • 18.068-18.168
  • 21.000-21.450
  • 24.890-24.990
  • 28.000-30.000
  • 50.000-52.000
  • 70.000-72.000

OMEGA+ Options:

  • Desktop mounting Bracket
  • SSB Narrow 10-pole filter
  • Mic. Compressor Unit
  • DIGI Interface

Rear Panel Extenal connections

  • ANT connector for the HF/50MHz/70MHz antenna
  • KEY external key or paddle for CW operation
  • 13,8V to connect a regulated 13,8V DC power source
  • EXT-SP external speaker
  • MIC – Microphone connector or digi mode cable

Some OMEGA+ Videos

Testint the OMEGA+ on 80 meters band

testing the OMEGA+ on 80 Meter Band
OMEGA+ 50 MHz 70 MHz Version running in 6m Contest

Omega+ Radio Links