Watching your videos certainly took me back to my early days of CW on top band with a home brew TX and an AR88 with a huge step up to a Codar AT5 and Eddystone 940. I was an early SSB adopter with the Heathkit DX100U and the sideband adapter. After quite a lot of years I ended up with a three element tribander on a tower and kilowatt driving it. When my first wife died everything either went or was mothballed. Now with relatively low cost of SDR I am back with 20W into a 5RV and enjoying my CW as much a I did with the AT5. Sometimes going back to basics is a step forward. Keep the videos and the memories going. Ken - G3WNR
Another good video Peter. i do love the look and functionality of the new Icom radio's. Thinking of getting the IC 705 as it ticks all the boxes i am in need of for portable and mobile. Will have to wait till they arrive. 73's
Nice video. I also have an IC-9700. I really haven't played with it to much. Still trying to figure out how to use it. I didn't download the manual yet, so soon as I do I will be on the air. I also have the 7300, which I love. 73 Clark KG7LOI.
I've worked as far away as Kent on 2 metres SSB. Just 2.5W into a homebrew 4 element yagi in my loft. FT-290R in North Staffordshire, IO83WA. 2 metres is a very versatile band. 73, G1DRP
Thanks for your videos! Being influenced with broadcast AM transmitters, my favorite band is 160 AM and 75 AM. Second is 10m skip on SSB and FM. I like the oddball bands. N3SWL
Another great advantage of 2m and 70cm operation is (if you live in a suburban area) these bands aren't (yet?) subject to the high levels of digital noise from VDSL, Wifi connectors over mains wiring, poorly suppressed SMPS (increasingly common on cheap battery chargers), etc. I am seriously thinking about the IC-9700, I have used the IC-7300 for 3 years now and I've been pleased with it, it works well on HF FT8 and also 4m.
Interesting to know what the longevity of those Tft displays is. Sd cards, great, but will we still be using them or T least that format, in 20 years? Reminds me of those tektronix scopes of the 80s that had floppy drives built into the front of the instrument.
also looking at getting on of these , I currently use the FT847 , with mods it's a good all around radio. I have used it mainly to work EME on 70cm . It requires a few mods to make it stable , a crystal heater mod or the Leo bodnar mod. The IC9700 , looks a good radio , I would add the GPSDO to it on the onset to give Hz freq acuracy .
Hi peter , check my Qrz page call GW4LWD, When I'm ready I'm come to you for the 9700. You have to note it's not stable on freq when using modes like WSJT-65 and eme . But an easy fix with the keo Bodnar GPSDO. If you want some real fun, get a long yagi on 70cm and point it at the moon . You can here signals of the moon with a simple setup, you would need to run wjst software. (JT65B) connected to the 9700. Calls you would receive would be HB9Q, DL7APV and NC1I for starters on a single yagi.
Yes it will be the Colchester Radio Amateurs CW net on a Sunday / Monday at 21:30 local 144.163Mhz USB / CW or 145.350Mhz FM +/- 12.5Khz on the other days of the week (different times). You may have heard me sending morse code messages. :) 73 Richard G3OMB
2m in my area is a very snobby band now unfortunately, the majority of HAM's on 2 in my area won't come back to your call unless they know you or you have a full licence. It's become a very unwelcoming band. i was away from radio for over 20 years and came back on to find the most unwelcoming people on 2m. Safe to say i took down my 2m antenna and gave up on that band.
Hi Mark. Sorry to hear about your local 2m guys. I only operate SSB only on 2m and try and keep my CW up to speed on HF. Try and find an alternative band - there are quite a few of them!! 73 Peter.