Tag: icom
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The One HF Setup I’d Recommend If You Want Capability Without Breaking the Bank
If someone asked me to recommend one HF setup that covers almost everything a ham could need without draining the bank account, here’s exactly what I’d point them to.
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FTX-1 Optima vs IC-7300 Mark II: Which One Should Live In Your Shack
I run both the Yaesu FTX-1 Optima and the Icom IC-7300 Mark II. Here’s how they actually compare on connectivity, heat during FT8, portability, and VHF/UHF coverage.
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Yaesu FT-857D vs FT-891, G90, FTX-1 Field, FTX-1 Optima, IC-7300 Mark II, and FT-817: Where Each One Actually Wins
Part of our The Yaesu FT-857D: The Complete Guide. I get asked constantly how the FT-857D stacks up against the rest of the radios in my shack and go-bags, so here’s the honest rundown of where each one wins and where it doesn’t. Quick disclosure up front: I own and regularly use the FT-891, the…
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Icom ID-52 Review: D-STAR’s Flagship Handheld
Part of our Handheld Radios (HTs) guide. If you have gotten into D-STAR and are ready to move past a budget dual-band handheld, the ID-52 is Icom’s answer to what a flagship D-STAR radio should be, and it shows in almost every part of the radio. Display and Interface The ID-52’s color display is a…
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Icom IC-705 vs Xiegu G90 vs FT-891: Which Portable Radio Fits You
Part of our Where to Spend Your Money guide. These three radios get cross-shopped constantly, and I own two of the three, so I want to lay out the real tradeoffs rather than just declare a winner. Power Output The FT-891 wins here decisively at a full 100 watts. The G90 sits in the middle…
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Icom IC-705 Review: A Compact SDR QRP Radio for the Field
Part of our Handheld Radios (HTs) guide. The IC-705 was one of the first radios to bring genuine SDR performance into a battery-powered, backpack-friendly package, and it remains one of the most capable portable radios on the market years after launch. What Makes It Different Unlike the Xiegu G90 or Yaesu FT-891, the IC-705 covers…
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What Is a MARS/CAP Mod? How It Works and the Legal Reality
What a MARS/CAP mod actually does, who’s legally allowed to use it, and how to unlock extended transmit range on the Icom IC-2730A, AnyTone AT-D878UV II Plus, and AT-D578UV III Plus.
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2001: D-STAR Published, the First Ham-Specific Digital Voice Mode
Part of our The Evolution of Amateur Radio timeline series. Every digital voice mode I operate today, D-STAR on my FTX-1, DMR on my AnyTone, all traces back to a research project the Japanese government funded in the late 1990s. The result was D-STAR, and it holds a distinction none of the other digital voice…
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Troubleshooting IC-7300 Mark II Digital Mode Audio Issues
The digital mode audio problems that come up most with the IC-7300 Mark II, and the order I actually check things in to fix them fast.
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IC-7300 Mark II vs Icom’s Higher-End Radios: When You Actually Need More
Where the IC-7300 Mark II tops out, and what actually justifies stepping up to something like the IC-7610 or IC-7851.