21 Aug

It's important to know who you are dealing with

It would be silly to part with your hard earned cash without doing a due diligence. Have you done your research? I've certainly done mine.ICOM Inc. is a Japanese manufacturer of radio transmitting and receiving equipment founded in 1954 by Tokuzo Inoue. The company's original...
21 Aug

IC-M73EURO is in stock!

I am not really in to floating. (I can get seasick riding on the bus over Spit Bridge!)However, stocking Icom marine radios is an absolute must in a harbour city.What is the difference between IC-M73 and IC-M73EURO?Bandwidth and power output: EURO version is 5W (6W...
21 Aug

Am I part of the cure, or am I part of the disease?

I got my first brand new radio - an FT101ZD - at the age of 17. It was a present from my parents, and came with a condition: to be shared with my 15 year old brother who was also an amateur radio operator. Mom...
21 Aug

Call me a chicken…

Let me use an analogy we are all familiar with: nobody needs a Rolex. A $25 battery operated Casio keeps better time than a $25K mechanical Rolex. But Rolex is not about timekeeping - it's about luxury and prestige. Or, what the watch snobs would...
21 Aug

Why does no one want to talk to me?

No need to beat around the bush: if you find that people on air fail to engage with you in a meaningful way, and keep the conversation brief, then most likely, your signal is either very weak or your modulation quality is poor.Personally, I'd rather...
21 Aug

ATU is a big fat liar

Hi NickI’m new to the hobby and looking to buy an Icom-705. I have a question:Do I need an antenna tuner for this radio? I intend to use an end fed antenna but also have a Yaesu ATAS 25 antenna that I was using with...
21 Aug

What is a VHF Marine radio?

A VHF Marine Radio uses Very High Frequency transmission to broadcast voice for communication between a vessel and a transceiver, which could be another boat, a handheld VHF receiver, or a station on land.VHF Radio uses 'Channels' that allow simple broadcast frequencies to be used...
21 Aug

Are you an "accessory" ham guy?

According to my research, 70% of amateurs are only interested in the main transceiver, showing a complete disinterest in accompanying accessories. Matching desk microphones, external speakers, antenna tuners, matching amplifiers - they couldn't care less. The radio room is filled to the roof with every...
21 Aug

This is just so much fun

This morning, I decided to have some fun on CB. CB stands for Citizen Band - no license to transmit required!The radio of choice: a handheld ICOM IC-41PRO, 5 Watts 80 channels UHF transceiver. One for myself, one for Andrew.The plan was to see what...
21 Aug

Selling the dream

In 1967, Hallicrafters released a new receiver, the SX-122A. A sophisticated piece of equipment, to be sold to a sophisticated customer. While the radio offered plenty to brag about, the advertisement appearing in radio magazines depicted a young listener, in front of a map of...
21 Aug

Can IC-705 be used on Green Cube satellite?

A subscriber asked. Recently he bought 705 (not from me!) and he is considering 9700.The short answer is yes. The 705 has dual USB virtual port so setting up Doppler frequency control and digital modem is the same as on 9700. However, IC-705 is only...
21 Aug

Remote operation

Setting up a remotely operated station is a thing which separates casual amateurs with pros.Not terribly difficult, but for most (myself included) there is a steep learning curve. Now, you may say - I have no real need for remote operation because I don't have...
21 Aug

How good is the ICOM IC-7300?

I got my first IC-7300 weeks after it was released in Japan. Direct import, plus shipping, customs clearance, GST on import. Put it on air in digital mode - and it was love at first sight. A few months later, I was visiting my brother...

It’s important to know who you are dealing with

It would be silly to part with your hard earned cash without doing a due diligence. Have you done your...

IC-M73EURO is in stock!

I am not really in to floating. (I can get seasick riding on the bus over Spit Bridge!)However, stocking Icom...

Am I part of the cure, or am I part of the disease?

I got my first brand new radio - an FT101ZD - at the age of 17. It was a present...

Call me a chicken…

Let me use an analogy we are all familiar with: nobody needs a Rolex. A $25 battery operated Casio keeps...

Why does no one want to talk to me?

No need to beat around the bush: if you find that people on air fail to engage with you in...

ATU is a big fat liar

Hi NickI’m new to the hobby and looking to buy an Icom-705. I have a question:Do I need an antenna...

What is a VHF Marine radio?

A VHF Marine Radio uses Very High Frequency transmission to broadcast voice for communication between a vessel and a transceiver,...

Are you an “accessory” ham guy?

According to my research, 70% of amateurs are only interested in the main transceiver, showing a complete disinterest in accompanying...

This is just so much fun

This morning, I decided to have some fun on CB. CB stands for Citizen Band - no license to transmit...

Selling the dream

In 1967, Hallicrafters released a new receiver, the SX-122A. A sophisticated piece of equipment, to be sold to a sophisticated...

Can IC-705 be used on Green Cube satellite?

A subscriber asked. Recently he bought 705 (not from me!) and he is considering 9700.The short answer is yes. The...

Remote operation

Setting up a remotely operated station is a thing which separates casual amateurs with pros.Not terribly difficult, but for most...

How good is the ICOM IC-7300?

I got my first IC-7300 weeks after it was released in Japan. Direct import, plus shipping, customs clearance, GST on...