Making a 100 watt Icom IC-705 with a Elecraft Amp. 

Agreed. I love the idea of this video but if the amps are crazy priced, it doesn’t make much sense.

So much this. As an urban ham, I have limited space. I'd pay extra for a dockable IC-705.

Thanks, you too!

Happy new year!

Thanks. You too!!

Definitely Hardrock 50 kit👍 Rob G3RCE

What sort of "wrinkles"? I've been looking to add either the Elecraft or Xeigu for my IC-705.

I have both the 125B and the KXPA100. Big difference in price, build quality and operation. The 125b currently has to set bands in the manual mode. Sometimes, on mine, I have to push repush a button to get it to take. The screen on the 125b is great tho, all the information you would ever need. Power input levels vary greatly to get the correct output out of the 125b. You do NOT want to send too much power to the 125b, it gets crazy sending funny codes then shuts down. The autotuner in the KXPA100 seems to get a better solution, and stays there.

I added it. Thanks for reminding me.

As for which antenna, it depends on which bands you wish to use as the ic705 covers mf hf vhf and uhf but if you want to cover most HF ham bands then an end fed half wave (EFHW) would probably be a good all rounder.

It can be. Nb or noise blanket is made for man made noise conditions like common electric noises, electric fences ect while noise reduction NR is used for atmospheric noise.

I was just suggesting keying the mic on FM to tune the amp if you don't have a CW key. 28.3 to 28.5 is SSB land.

@@K6UDA Cool....tnx for the video. Simple but informative!

3-5 watts is about all you need.

5 watts

You can get a FT-891 for less! and have 160 - 6 meters. I was trying to get something for my kx2. FT-891 is cheaper and a 2nd radio. De n5vwn

…..update. And that is exactly what I did! My 7300 is the shack “workhorse”, the 705 is the vacation/portable rig.

@@SteveBerwick I can give you this example: The 40 meter net I often check into near Atlanta will give me an S8 when I use the 705. When I use the 7300 on 100 watts, I usually get a report of 10db to 20db over 9. Both transmissions are equally intelligible, so some would say I don’t need the 7300. Example 2: on FT8 with the 705 I contacted Belize from the Blue Ridge parkway! Example 3: on FT 8 with the 705 I can sometime work Europe when the bands are good. With the 7300 on FT8, Europe is no sweat. Do I need both rigs? No. For years I could never have afforded these 2. Am I glad I have both? ABSOLUTELY.

@@SteveBerwick Absolutely, because you already understand the limitations of the 705 which in essence will make you a better operator. 10 watts output doesn’t seem conducive to “overheating” in any mode but using it only for RTTY for long stretches, but even for that at proper SWRs, I’d guess Icom tested it for surviving that!

A little over 2 S points difference between 5 watt and 100 watt. 80 watt is exactly 2 s points over 5 watt. @@SteveBerwick

I looked at the HARDROCK arduino code and the elecraft protocol. It wouldn’t be difficult to adapt the code for this amplifier. For me, the problem is cost. By the time I buy the elecraft amp and ATU, I can get a HARDROCK 500 for an extra $300 and get 500 and a built in psu.

@@ch716See, cost isn't really the issue for me: time and stupidity are. I would pay money to solve this problem if someone would build an interface box between the Elecraft amp and 705.

@@OttoDestruct yeah, I hear ya. If I had a KXP100, I’d do it and share with you. The hard rock interface just sends rs232 commands to the hard rock. The Elecraft has good documentation, so it’s totally doable for the cost of the hard rock 705 interface ($60). But yeah, I understand the code changes are the struggle for you. there are several features on the elecraft that I prefer over the hardrock 100w. 13.8v input vs 50v. 3db attenuation and two antenna ports. I’m not seeing any used for sale so people must love them. I’m very tempted, but $1665 is the current price, which is a struggle for me. Maybe I’ll keep my eye on eBay.

@@ch716 I think I may just bit the bullet and buy the Elecraft, interface cable be-damned - it's such a well-made amp/ATU. Well, I suppose I need to buy the actual radio first. [chuckles]

Thanks 👍

And Elecraft makes great stuff, and retains a lot of its value in resale, people do not seem to mention this often.@@markherman7619

Been really happy with my Hardrock 50 using it with a KX3, K2.

I am. And they have a bluetooth interface so the only cable to the radio is a 3.5mm to the send socket. The bluetooth reads all the 705 band info and sends it to the HR50. Works great.

Yea , but it makes no sense , 2 x cost , 2x weight, 5 x problems

@Mark Herman i loved the video, but i think that if u have to carry the 705+amplifier+external battery for the amp., then it would be the same carrying a 7300 and a battery, but i love the 705......maybe with a different amp.?

@@mondorondo6152 look at receive current for 7300. Maybe aq battery problem?

This wasn't a most bang for the buck video. It was specifically getting double duty out of the 705. QRP out in the field and 100 watts at home.

good point. But you can only use AM in the morning.

With FM I just have to key the mic and its at full modulation. Seems a bit quicker to me.

@@K6UDA I don't think you need the modulation for a tuner. Just wondering if the AM carrier power is sufficient. It would be good practice to use the minimum power required. Ok. I just tried it. There's more rf output on FM than the carrier output on AM.

@@K6UDA I agree with loctite222ms.

I thought people used a cw tone

yep

Yeah you can’t even buy one. And won’t be able to buy one for a 1-2 years at the least. This keyboard jockey Forgot to mention that. Probably not even a ham

@@ryany4326 I just bought one, it's not cheap, but there are ways to get it.

I believe it’s waiting for FCC approval

@Mark Herman Hi and hope you are well. Yes, it's not 100W, that hasn't stopped me from having a lot of fun with it on SOTA/POTA activations. Yes, it's a portable amp. For those wanting the extra 40W but with a QTH use case and the extra cash, do proceed and buy the KXPA100. For my use case, a portable and rugged form factor works amazing on field activities. Regarding the website, that's not a shop. A ham in Germany makes it and Yes, a long queue but totally worth the wait.

@@ryany4326 no, I didn't forget to write it. I was never asked to. And I didn't have to wait 2 years, I bought it and got it in about 3 weeks. I do live in Europe though.

The 7300 is HF only. The 705 does vhf uhf and dstar on all bands including HF. That’s pretty significant.

The 705 and 7300 are really nothing alike as far as features go. 705 has bluetooth, Wifi, 2M, 70cm and is made primarily for portable ops though it can be used as a low power base as well.

One shack one radio one antenna one amplifier...no other radio compares to the ic 705. Base and portability all in one.

7300 has a slow usb interface. The WiFi in 705 is faster. When using software, the waterfall experience is better.

Did I say it was a bargain? For the ham who wants or owns a super portable radio. suitable for lugging up the side of a mountain in a backpack, the 705 is a perfect choice. Hooking it up with an amp when your at home gives you a 100 watt choice. I've done a bunch of portable videos using antennas specifically made for lightweight portable use. I never recommended carrying an amp and power supply on portable expeditions.

An ICOM IC-7610 HF/50MHz All Mode cost $3,199.95, + Icom IC-705 HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Transceiver $1,369.95 = $4569.90 is alot more than A Icom Ic705 with an Elecraft KXPA100 amplifier that will will cost about $ 2850 and you can unhook the 705 and take it out for a walk