ICOM IC-705 Feature Walk-Through

This post is developing into just about what I thought it would and stated in one of the very first threads!!!!

Nobody's talking about the positive features at all/ this radio is stuffed full of an unbelievable amount of features forsure.
First and foremost the direct sampling SDR and beautiful scope display which works excellent outside in the sun like the 7300.
All that everybody talks about is an auto antenna tuner , So shame on Icom for not including one.

Be assured many companies are going to have them, like the one below. DX engineering has it listed on their site also
https://www.google.com/amp/s/qrznow.com/the-new-mat-705-auto-atu-for-the-icom-ic-705/amp/


I believe the community is going to see the development of two types of QRPers.

The backpacking camping guy that may even like to build his own and the ones which wants to enjoy all the features they have on their SDR home radio when they're at camping or RVing/ which they can now have with the 705

 

I run a 7300 mobile and I have no difficulty seeing the big brightscope .
I know of dozens of others that are doing the same and that actually praised how bright and good to screen is.
Other than that I agree completely with the rest of your post

 

Sir have been a ham for 54 yrs and have 40+ years as a electronic engineer. I have designed, built and used antenna (that resonate) for the last 4 decades. I have also QRPed in the field for the past 3 decades. I probably no more about antennas then you ever will and for sure, based on your snarky comment, I sure the hell know what works and what does not work in the real world of not being at home.... Maybe you need to get out more and see how well you can do. I suspect not very well.. Here is a list of a FEW I have owned and used: KX2, KX3, K2/10/K3/1O,FT-817 AND 817nd, TEN-TEC ARGONAUT VI, HB-1B, KX1, MFJ-9020, 9040, 9220, 9240, TEN-TEC 506, IC-706, TEN-TEC-1340, SOFTROCK TRX, ROCKMITE 20 AND 40 AND MANY MORE. The latest being the Xeigu G90.... How many have you used in the field? Bet not many or you sure the hell would know that you need a manual or ATU more times then not... Many more times then not..

 

Actually, that already exists. I'm in the backpacking crowd, so the IC-705 isn't really for me. HOWEVER, I do think it is a snazzy looking rig.

 

At THAT point, just bring a 7300 with you! If I'm car camping, I use my Icom 7000.

On SOTA, my KX2 seems to fit the bill better than the 705 would. I don't need a waterfall as I'm swatting biting flies on a mountain top. I need a very low weight and low current drain radio. (the tiny, internal ATU is kinda nice, too) I'll get the 705 when it comes at a good price. I don't need to make 100 'first-ever' videos with the rig, so, it can wait.

 

I operated QRP for over a decade with an FT-817 and never an ATU. Heck, I didn't even use a -gasp- BALUN a lot of times. I just made a 40m (banana plug extension wires)/20m dipole and learned to fold it back to lower my SWR or work other bands with it. On those rock tops without trees, I brought a hand-tune vertical instead. I hate bringing extra crap when I have a 5,000' vertical climb!

Of course the internal ATU in my (new-to-me) Elecraft KX2 leaves the 705 and FT-817 in an uncomfortable spot for me... I refuse to bring the 817 on hikes now!

 

Was going to buy one, but wait! No antenna tuner... only Elecraft it seems knows how to build a tuner...What was Icom thinking? When you are throwing a wire over a tree rarely is it resonant.

 

https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/17050705.html

 

Or this!

https://elecraft.com/products/t1-miniature-stand-alone-atu-and-accessories

 

Looks like a great little rig...perfect for putting in the suitcase when flying away on business or vacation. Great travel rig...but not for me. I'm a hiker and this thing, although full of great features, is just way over the top in bulk and weight...and price. Lots of features I would never use such as DSTAR. That mode sounds like crap so I would never use it. The fact that it has no antenna tuner is not a big negative. If you're taking this thing camping and feel you really need a tuner then just make one. I love my little tuner which fits in my shirt pocket, built into an Altoids tin. It's easy to use and does the job up to about 10 watts. Has everyone gotten so lazy to think you need an AUTO tuner? Turning a little variable capacitor to dip the SWR is quite simple and fast.

 

As people have pointed out, “it doesn’t come with a tuner“. My guess is that’s not the deal breaker because if you they changed the 705 to have a built in tuner and they raised the price by the cost of an internal tuner, those people would still be out, now “it’s too expensive”.

There are many options for a tuner being that there is not one built in and yes I understand that these are external tuners and not internal tuners. My Ft-817 didn’t have a built in tuner so I bought the LDG Z-817 which included the cable. That tuner has also worked with every other low power radio that I’ve used it with and I expect it will work fine with the 705. Those things come up cheap on QRZ all the time at a reasonable price.

They have sold tons of Elecraft KX-3’s that didn’t come with a tuner. You see those come up on QRZ all the time. They sold for much more than the 705 when new. There are probably just as many people that added the internal tuner option when they ordered their KX3 which adds about $220 to the price of that already pricy radio and people still bought them. The KX line is probably the second biggest selling QRP rig next to the FT-817/818. That’s still the biggest bang for your buck even without the tuner but it’s not an SDR with a waterfall, D-Star and a few other options.

You can also build or buy the Elecraft T1 tuner which with work with the 705. Priced at $160-$190 depending of if you want to build it yourself of buy it prebuilt.

Now these guys also have a dedicated tuner for the 705. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/mtu-mat-705

Face it, most of us are old fat guys and we’ll carry and extra bag of snacks for a day of portable operation but I have to question the guy that says he won’t carry a tuner weighs just 10 ounces and an extra cable that might weigh 3 ounces. The 705 will be a big seller for the people that want to spend the money and it will be lacking some feature for the guy that won’t.

Just my two pennies.

 

I don't need the vhf/uhf and D-star as I have a TH-D74 Kenwood HT in my Bag along with a FT-3D... and a G90 X radio at 20 watts and a water fall is still easier to put in a bag and get out farther with a ATU built in for a random antenna or dipole. Price a D74 plus a G90 radio that fit in the same bag...... Even better you can talk on 2m/440 while also on HF at the same time.. Not happening there with the 705

 

The 705 is what we called "Gun Jewelry" with firearms

 

As a 7300 fanboy and DSTAR occasional user, that's my general opinion too (separate HF and VHF/UHF), but it's nice to have 10W and all mode on 144MHz/70cm and if you look at the Icom brochure there really is a lot going on with the 705. Like with the 7300, there are so many features that I still find new ones to try. For instance, I just set up the 7300 to scan 6M continuously when I get a sporadic E warning from DX Maps. All things considered, I drag my 7300 out for portable ops...not light weight but I know where everything is as it's also my main shack rig.

 

Knowing what you are referring to, I could not disagree more.