@wb4sqi - DX Engineering is selling the mAT-705 for $220 and they expect it to ship mid September.
Icom: IC-705: New QRP rig from Icom in the works
- Thread starter prcguy
- Start date
- Status
Torn between having an autotuner on a barefoot rig or Hardrock 50 with tuner built in. I see pros and cons with both. Was hoping to find an Elecraft T1 (nobody is selling these days) or LDG 817 tuner.
On that mAT-705 antenna tuner.... a duplexer is needed for HF and VHF/UHF antenna feeds with the IC-705. It seems the tuner needs to be on the HF antenna feed side of the duplexer and most of the popular duplexer brands will need BNC adapters or connector swaps. At least it "seems" that way, as I imagine the tuner on the radio feed side of the duplexer might balk a bit with duplexer passthrough separation. Thoughts?
-cognetic
-cognetic
Seems every time i look at the price it keeps going up from different vendors I look at. Was hoping around under $1000 but doesn't look like it.
Folks, we aren't going to use this forum to debate the radio's specifications when they are readily available from the manufacturer. Sometimes, the tech support people on the other end of the phone misunderstand the question, sometimes the answer is misunderstood, sometimes tech support grabs the wrong information. I put a lot more faith in printed specifications than what some guy told another guy on the telephone. And, you will note that the screen captures presented below are all pretty consistent.
Also, this radio is not a scanner. It is not intended as a scanner. It is an amateur radio transceiver that covers the 160m through 10m HF bands plus 6m, 2m, and 70cm. The radio can receive and transmit CW, SSB, RTTY, AM, FM, and D-STAR Digital Voice. If you want a receiver for mil-air or other digital voice modes or whatever else you want to listen to, you should probably look at something else.
From the IC-705 specifications listing on the Icom America website:
From the IC-705 brochure downloadable from Icom America's website:
From the IC-705 Basic Manual downloaded from the Icom Japan website:
Also, this radio is not a scanner. It is not intended as a scanner. It is an amateur radio transceiver that covers the 160m through 10m HF bands plus 6m, 2m, and 70cm. The radio can receive and transmit CW, SSB, RTTY, AM, FM, and D-STAR Digital Voice. If you want a receiver for mil-air or other digital voice modes or whatever else you want to listen to, you should probably look at something else.
From the IC-705 specifications listing on the Icom America website:
From the IC-705 brochure downloadable from Icom America's website:
From the IC-705 Basic Manual downloaded from the Icom Japan website:
DVE
Newbie
No reviews from the happy owners? 
I've got my device yesterday. Frankly, a bit of mixed feelings.
Advantages are well-known. Good screen, nice UI, smooth graphics, good mix of hardware and touch controls.
Some disadvantages:
- Antenna connector is "facing" left. Icom guys, are you kidding? Its a portable radio. I have IC-705, I have MJF 20M and 40M telescopic antennas - and I cannot screw it at the top of the radio and start transmitting (technically I can but with horizontal antenna the range will be obviously poor). I need to wait 2 weeks for chinese angle adapter, is it normal for 1500EUR radio?
- SD-card cannot be accessed via USB. Damn it's 2020 now. Even 100$ phone or camera from 2005 allows to read/write files via USB.
- Recording quality is poor - WAV 8000Hz only, and cannot be changed in settings. With 16/32GB card it looks weird. IF recording mode is missing too.
- Complete lack of SDR features. USB audio works but 12KHz AF is maximum. At least Stereo IF 192KHz is expected. IF recording will be also nice. USB or LSB bandwidth is too limited, I cannot write DRM recording, for instance, or any other digital signal. I cannot change AM to 12KHz, and so on.
- The last but not least. WiFi. It works somehow, I can connect IC-705 to my home network. And thats it - I can do nothing more. Icom "remote control" software cost 70EUR and is selling on CD. What? I have no CD more that a 5 years on my PC. And even if I buy it, I am not sure that it will work if I just copy the files. I will expect at least remote IQ connection via WiFi and Extio DLL driver for that, so skimmer or other software like HDSDR can be used in parallel. At least, it will be nice to have a protocol description, maybe third party software can be done for remote access.
PS: I understand that we are "early adopters" for this type of transceivers, and it's technically the first one on the market. We are all beta-testers But the lack of simple features, like change recording settings is a bit discouraging, Icom had a lot of time for improving the software, the delivery was delayed at least for half a year.
I've got my device yesterday. Frankly, a bit of mixed feelings.
Advantages are well-known. Good screen, nice UI, smooth graphics, good mix of hardware and touch controls.
Some disadvantages:
- Antenna connector is "facing" left. Icom guys, are you kidding? Its a portable radio. I have IC-705, I have MJF 20M and 40M telescopic antennas - and I cannot screw it at the top of the radio and start transmitting (technically I can but with horizontal antenna the range will be obviously poor). I need to wait 2 weeks for chinese angle adapter, is it normal for 1500EUR radio?
- SD-card cannot be accessed via USB. Damn it's 2020 now. Even 100$ phone or camera from 2005 allows to read/write files via USB.
- Recording quality is poor - WAV 8000Hz only, and cannot be changed in settings. With 16/32GB card it looks weird. IF recording mode is missing too.
- Complete lack of SDR features. USB audio works but 12KHz AF is maximum. At least Stereo IF 192KHz is expected. IF recording will be also nice. USB or LSB bandwidth is too limited, I cannot write DRM recording, for instance, or any other digital signal. I cannot change AM to 12KHz, and so on.
- The last but not least. WiFi. It works somehow, I can connect IC-705 to my home network. And thats it - I can do nothing more. Icom "remote control" software cost 70EUR and is selling on CD. What? I have no CD more that a 5 years on my PC. And even if I buy it, I am not sure that it will work if I just copy the files. I will expect at least remote IQ connection via WiFi and Extio DLL driver for that, so skimmer or other software like HDSDR can be used in parallel. At least, it will be nice to have a protocol description, maybe third party software can be done for remote access.
PS: I understand that we are "early adopters" for this type of transceivers, and it's technically the first one on the market. We are all beta-testers
But the lack of simple features, like change recording settings is a bit discouraging, Icom had a lot of time for improving the software, the delivery was delayed at least for half a year.
Last edited:
Totally happy with mine. No radio engineering center will ever be able to design a radio to meet every need. Being a ham for 50 years I already had several right angle BNC connectors so was ready to go immediately.
Wishes? Yep, wish it had a built in ATU. Wish it were 20 watts on HF instead of 10. Disappointed? Not at all, I can get by with the radio as-is and will enjoy every minute.
Wishes? Yep, wish it had a built in ATU. Wish it were 20 watts on HF instead of 10. Disappointed? Not at all, I can get by with the radio as-is and will enjoy every minute.
Here is a top-quality Amphenol silver-plated BNC right angle adapter from a reputable dealer: bnc connector USD 10.95, EUR 9.35
Are there any amateur radio stores in The Netherlands where you can get an adapter faster than two weeks for a Chinese product? Also, I do not believe that you will get adequate transmit performance from the radio by using a telescopic whip antenna attached directly to the radio. Most QRP operators that I know use ground-mounted verticals that are separate from the radio or they throw an end-fed half-wave antenna up into the trees.
If you were expecting a portable version of a Flex or Apache Labs SDR, you were sincerely mistaken. The IC-705 is a portable version of the IC-7300 with a few features deleted to save space, save weight, and save power consumption.
Are there any amateur radio stores in The Netherlands where you can get an adapter faster than two weeks for a Chinese product? Also, I do not believe that you will get adequate transmit performance from the radio by using a telescopic whip antenna attached directly to the radio. Most QRP operators that I know use ground-mounted verticals that are separate from the radio or they throw an end-fed half-wave antenna up into the trees.
If you were expecting a portable version of a Flex or Apache Labs SDR, you were sincerely mistaken. The IC-705 is a portable version of the IC-7300 with a few features deleted to save space, save weight, and save power consumption.
Are those really disadvantages when consumers have plenty of time to look at product pictures and read the manuals prior to purchase?
DVE
Newbie
The question is not in the lack of right-angle connector of course
I am a bit scary that the angle connector can damage the board with the heavy antenna because of the angle forces momentum. So I ordered this one:
As for other stuff I mentioned, they are software issues, not hardware. And maybe it can be fixed in the next firmware. For instance, the recording quality with 8000s/r is absolutely not enough for AM stations, and I don't understand that Icom programmers were not able to find 1-2 days to add new config in settings.
Hit_Factor
Member
I ordered one of those as well. It's not here yet. Tracking says it's in New Jersey.The question is not in the lack of right-angle connector of course
View attachment 92279
As for other stuff I mentioned, they are software issues, not hardware. And maybe it can be fixed in the next firmware. For instance, the recording quality with 8000s/r is absolutely not enough for AM stations, and I don't understand that Icom programmers were not able to find 1-2 days to add new config in settings.
Where did you order that antenna mount from?
I found them on eBay...
WINDCAMP Quick Release Antenna Bracket For ICOM IC-705 Portable Shortwave Radio | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WINDCAMP Quick Release Antenna Bracket For ICOM IC-705 Portable Shortwave Radio at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
With a company like Elecraft where the owners are hams and radio designers, the owners can solicit ideas from customers, implement the changes quickly then update a few radios and take them home on Friday to test over the weekend and offer a firmware update Monday morning. You cannot get that from Icom or Yaesu or Kenwood.
Icom has been doing a fantastic job lately and their recent IC-7300, IC-7610 and IC-9700 have been amazing radios and a good value and I suspect the IC-705 will sell even better. But their is no guarantee they will ever get another firmware update or bug fix, ever. If they do, great but don't hold your breath.
Icom has been doing a fantastic job lately and their recent IC-7300, IC-7610 and IC-9700 have been amazing radios and a good value and I suspect the IC-705 will sell even better. But their is no guarantee they will ever get another firmware update or bug fix, ever. If they do, great but don't hold your breath.
Going to pass on this radio and get the lab599. Icom could have made this a great radio but missed the boat.
Mine should be here Monday or Tuesday at the latest, fairly quick service for shipping from China.I found them on eBay...
WINDCAMP Quick Release Antenna Bracket For ICOM IC-705 Portable Shortwave Radio | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WINDCAMP Quick Release Antenna Bracket For ICOM IC-705 Portable Shortwave Radio at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
What does the 599 do that the 705 does not? Reverse that question and the list is huge.
- Status
