XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated

EI7GL....A diary of amateur radio activity

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ICOM IC-705 Reviewed in RadCom by Peter Hart

Posted: 29 Mar 2021 12:04 PM PDT https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2021/03/icom-ic-705-reviewed-in-radcom-by-peter.html



In 2020, ICOM introduced the IC-705 radio, a 10-watt QRP multiband
multimode portable capable of operating from all bands from 160m (1.8 MHz)
to 70cms (432 MHz) with the exception of the 4m (70 MHz) band.

For a low power radio, the amount of hype and buzz surrounding it has been amazing. There has been a host of online reviews, blog posts and videos
about it but they tended really only to concentrate on the radios features rather than its performance.
In addition, I think it's fair to say that a lot of the reviews were done
by HF operators. I saw one person doing a frequency stability test on WSPR
on 20m (14 MHz) which was frankly useless as it meant nothing. Frequency
tests need to be done at the highest operating frequency on the radio i.e.
432 MHz where the changes would be the biggest.
RadCom Review... In the April edition of RadCom magazine, a full review was carried out by Peter Hart, G3SJX. Peter carries out extensive performance
tests of radios on his bench on a regular basis and his reviews are highly regarded as they're seen to be truthful and honest. If there is a problem
or issue with a radio then he calls it out for people to see.
The review is quite extensive running to five pages but I noted that he mentioned some 'low level intermodulation products' appearing with
some 'quite small input signals' on the VHF bands. Whether you'd notice
these or not I guess might depend on how RF quiet your location is.
One of the big questions that VHF operators had about this radio was about
its frequency stability. The previous IC-9700 was known to drift and many
VHF guys had to add third-party GPS locked frequency standards to overcome this. Would the IC-705 have the same issue?



When the IC-705 was introduced, it was mentioned that it had a built in
antenna for GPS and some people speculated that the frequency stability
might be GPS locked as a result.
Peter confirms in his review that the IC-705 uses a high stability
temperature controlled crystal oscillator to achieve a performance of 0.5
parts per million (PPM). The built in GPS is as far as I know just there primarily for D-Star operation in terms of timing and location.
I did however come across a YouTube video today from Hayden, VK7HH who did
a frequency test on 432 MHz with WSPR.

While the IC-705 did drift 2Hz over the two minute transmission, it did
stay within the required 4Hz window for the mode.
In Conclusion... In his final summary, Peter G3SJX concludes..."The IC-705
is a great take-anywhere QRP radio, ideal for all outdoor activities and
SOTA expeditions. Covering HF through to the UHF bands with all-mode
operation, a top-level performance and extensive remote connection capabilities, it is quite a remarkable piece of kit. Currently priced at £1300, it is excellent value for money."
It might be outside the price range for some but it looks that it's a great radio for those who can afford it.
RadCom... RadCom is the journal of the Radio Society of Great Britain and
is posted out on a monthly basis to all members. A digital version is also available on their website for members to view and each issue stays there
for 12-months.
The RSGB website can be found at https://rsgb.org/main/

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New report shows 84% of contacts on the 50 MHz band are via the digital FT8 mode

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 03:00 AM PDT https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2021/03/new-report-shows-ft8-is-dominating-6.html


A new report by Michael, G7VJR of the popular ClubLog website shows that
an amazing 84% of contacts on the 50 MHz band over the last 13-months have
been via the FT8 digital mode.

The data is taken from the almost 1.8 million QSO's logged on the site in
the last 13-months.
This is bound to stir some controversy with a lot of people having
misgivings about how this digital mode seems to be replacing the
traditional SSB and CW means of communication.
As can be seen from this previous post, FT8 has enjoyed an explosion in popularity since it was released in 2017.
It does look though as if the pendulum have swung a bit too far in the
digital direction. During the Summer Sporadic-E season, there are many
times where signals are reasonably strong and a SSB contact could be
completed in a much shorter time frame than say a FT8 contact with its 15-second transmission cycles going back and forth.
There is also the advantage of SSB and CW users being spread out over 100
or so kHz where as the FT8 users are all gathered at the 50.313 MHz
watering hole.

How to get more of a balance though might be easier said than done.
Links...
1) G7VJR Blog

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Latest stats from ClubLog website show over 50% of contacts in 2020 were
via FT8

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 12:50 AM PDT https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2021/03/latest-stats-from-clublog-website-show.html





The latest stats from the Clublog website suggests that the FT8 digital
mode now accounts for over half of all contacts made on the amateur radio
bands in the year 2020.
The chart below from July 2017 to March 2021 shows how FT8 has grown to dominate the bands since its release in the second half of 2017.

Surprisingly, the newer and faster FT4 mode doesn't seem to have made any inroads on the popularity of FT8 since its introduction in late 2019.
Tens of thousands of logs are uploaded to the Clublog website every year
and the data trends for 2020 are based on over 66.4 million contacts.
Links...
1) G7VJR blog post

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