I love the idea of this minimalist CW paddle - it’s so tiny you can always find room for it no matter how small your field bag is! And it’s super cheap too. So I ordered the kit and it has sat on the shelf for months!! Why??? Here’s why…..

CW Paddle from VK3IL

Yes, those SMD components are incredibly tiny 😳 😳😳  Boy, I knew before I ordered the kit that they were small, but it was only when I came to pick them up that I realised I just how awkward SMD work is for a novice. Even with a pair of tiny tweezers I struggled to pick them up and keep hold of them! They kept pinging out of the tweezer’s grip and very nearly got lost on more than one occasion.

Somehow, I managed to get them soldered onto the pads and although it’s not pretty 😂, it worked!

I plugged the paddle into a transceiver set to 20wpm and was delighted to discover that I didn’t miss a beat on my usual CQ CQ TEST DE M7MCQ string.

Very pleased with this little kit. Recommended for SOTA!

73, Tom, M7MCQ.

Okay, so after successfully building my QMX+ 😵 I connected it to a PC and ran the terminal-emulator PUTTY to run some tests. I haven't evaluated the outcome - for now it's just a case of running the tests and grabbing screenshots. They may be of use to other kit-builders.

AUDIO TESTS

ADC I/Q TEST (all bands similar)

The main area for concern is in the AUDIO TESTS where the separation between the two traces is not particularly good - especially on 20, 30 and 40M. Well, that's how I'm reading it anyway! Your comments are very welcome and so too are your recommendations for how to improve the readings.

The DIAGNOSTICS readouts don't ring any alarm bells with me and I'm quite pleased with the power-output on most bands. As for the rest of the figures, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Again, any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated.

The RF TESTS indicate (to me) that 20, 40 and 80M need some work. How to improve those readings - I have no idea.

I'm guessing that the first approach should maybe be to REFLOW all the solder joints on the toroids, followed by a redistribution of the windings and see what changes. Other than that, I'm at the mercy of you, the readers 😊🙏

UPDATE <<<<<

28 AUG 2024

For the tests above, I had used a cheap Dummy Load that I'd bought from a rally, and tonight I decided to try the tests again with a good quality Dummy Load. There was quite a big difference in the readings!  So before you run your tests, make sure you are using a good DL with sound connections.

Having seen the new readouts, I feel quite happy with the results 😍

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

(Either anonymously or with your callsign)

Thanks!

73, Tom, M7MCQ.

 .

The first build of the QMX+  (HERE)  ended up being a fail due to a short inside the CPU. Needless to say I didn’t make this diagnosis - it was a guy called Ian (G4GIR) who very kindly offered to examine the kit for me and he in turn received technical guidance from Jeff (W1NC) - I thank them both for their extremely helpful assistance.

As a result of Ian and Jeff’s help, I was able to convince Hans that the fault was not of my own making and so he sent over a replacement PCB and other components (but not the toroids). This meant that I had to reuse the old toroids, but rather than trying to desolder them all and then struggle to get them to fit with extremely short ‘legs’ (which would be nigh on impossible - it was tough enough originally), I decided to rewind them. Thankfully, I had two bobbins of the correct thickness enamelled wire.

The first problem though, was removing the hot-glue that I’d applied to the toroids on the original pcb! 🙄

Before I installed a single component onto the new pcb, I hooked it up to a PC with a USC-C lead and fed the pcb's Vdd with 3.3V (current-limited at 200mA) to make sure that the board showed up as an external drive - it did! 

I wish I'd done this on my original kit because it would have showed that there was something wrong with the pcb because I wouldn't have wasted all that time and experienced all that frustration. It should be the first instruction in the build-manual.

Once I started the new build, it went together pretty quickly, although I will say again, it was a bitch to solder! I’ve never come across a pcb that’s given me as much trouble. It seems like the ground plane is huge and the solder pads are tiny.

Throughout the build I checked for a short between Vdd and Gnd. There were no issues this time and before I knew it, I was ready for the first power-up (again with a current-limited power supply set at 7V/200mA). The QMX showed up as a flash drive again on my PC so I dragged the firmware across to it and rebooted the radio. Bingo!….

With everything seeming to be working fine, I raised the voltage to 12V and tuned around for signals. I’m pleased to say that it seemed to be working okay, so then I tried some transmissions through my EFHW and searched the RBN to see how far I’d reached.

Once I could see that I was getting out well, I put the case together and tuned around the bands to test the CW Decoder - it was working really well!

So for now, I’m very happy! I’ve not done any proper testing of each band because I’ve had enough for now 😂 😂 I’ll do more tests next weekend and update this page.

When you make a warranty claim against a small company like this, you feel kinda bad about it and some people try to make you feel even worse, but when the claim is totally valid, I feel no guilt whatsoever and expect a very positive reaction from the supplier.

In the case of this build, the claim was appropriate and it was handled superbly by Hans Summers, without any delay or hesitation and I absolutely appreciate that. So much so that I went onto his donation page and made a voluntary contribution as a thank-you for making it easy.

UPDATE - TEST RESULTS<<<

Okay, so after successfully building my QMX+ 😵 I connected it to a PC and ran the terminal-emulator PUTTY to run some tests. I haven't evaluated the outcome - for now it's just a case of running the tests and grabbing screenshots. They may be of use to other kit-builders.

AUDIO TESTS

ADC I/Q TEST (all bands similar)

The main area for concern is in the AUDIO TESTS where the separation between the two traces is not particularly good - especially on 20, 30 and 40M. Well, that's how I'm reading it anyway! Your comments are very welcome and so too are your recommendations for how to improve the readings.

The DIAGNOSTICS readouts don't ring any alarm bells with me and I'm quite pleased with the power-output on most bands. As for the rest of the figures, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Again, any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated.

The RF TESTS indicate (to me) that 20, 40 and 80M need some work. How to improve those readings - I have no idea.

I'm guessing that the first approach should maybe be to REFLOW all the solder joints on the toroids, followed by a redistribution of the windings and see what changes. Other than that, I'm at the mercy of you, the readers 😊🙏

UPDATE <<<<<

28 AUG 2024

For the tests above, I had used a cheap Dummy Load that I'd bought from a rally, and tonight I decided to try the tests again with a good quality Dummy Load. There was quite a big difference in the readings!  So before you run your tests, make sure you are using a good DL with sound connections.

Having seen the new readouts, I feel quite happy with the results 😍

The only thing remaining to do with this kit is to install the GPS unit, which I’ll do shortly.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

(Either anonymously or with your callsign)

Thanks!

73, Tom, M7MCQ.

 .

.

My only gripe about the QMX build was that the design left the components incredibly tightly crammed in, and I wondered why they hadn't made the PCB just 10mm wider. But since then, I have read Hans Summers' document explaining that, for him, it was a design-challenge to come up with such a compact design. Well, he did an amazing job!!

Anyway, here we are a year later and I see that Hans has released the QMX+ transceiver kit. This time, the design has much more space between components and I'm anticipating that the build will be far easier than the original design.

So what is a QMX+?? Well it's a high quality 12-band MultiMode (CW/DIGI) Transceiver which can be purchased as a self-build kit or as a pre-assembled unit - it's worth noting however that there is a very long waiting list for pre-assembled units - maybe up to 6 months 😮

In terms of functionality, the "PLUS" version is little different to the standard QMX but it has the advantages of being able to house a GPS unit, an SWR Bridge, a Real Time Clock (battery backed), a Developer's Kit and maybe even an ATU in the future. Hans also has other "secret" plans for the ongoing development of the QMX+ including SSB Mode which will be awesome!

I feel (and I may be completely wrong) that the QMX+ is a big step toward the release of the fabled QSX which will be an All Mode transceiver with who knows what features. 

I currently own a couple of (tr)uSDX transceivers and these are simply amazing little radios which are multi-band, all-mode SDRs with built-in sound card, speaker, mic, keyer, PTT, etc. But their performance is far from perfect. Don't get me wrong - I love them - and when you're up on a hillside playing POTA or SOTA, their performance will bag you many contacts for little outlay. But they're just not in the same league as a QRP-Labs product.

I'll always remember when I built my first QRP-Labs kit - the QDX. It went together well and it performed superbly!! I was getting better results on my 5W QDX than my Multi-Watt IC-7300.  I was (and continue to be) very impressed!

The quality of this kit is extremely high and I've yet to come across a QRP-Labs kit with missing pieces. The aluminium case is strong and well finished, with sharp text on the end plates.

In addition to having access to the manual electronically, I also decided to print a copy so that I could read through it prior to starting the build and highlight bits which I think warrant special attention, making notes in the margins of the page. I also use the printed manual to mark off each completed section.

I had decided to do this build at the weekend while I was at our caravan - nice and peaceful with no distractions. Prior to going there though, I wound all the toroids and then bagged them individually in tiny sealer-bags with ID labels.

All pretty straightforward but the most tedious was L506

Before starting the build, I laid out all the components and marked off the capacitor values. Once that was done, I fitted the caps, the diodes and the inductors. Very simple.

After that I installed the BS-170 transistors, clamping them in place before soldering. 

When it comes to winding the T501 Transformer, you have to decide whether you want a 9V radio or a 12V. I opted for 12 and for this you are strongly advised to choose the "RWTST" method of winding (Really Weird Twisted Sister Transformer) and boy, it certainly is weird!

I'll be honest and admit that the first time I wound T501, I wasn't confident I got it right, so I unravelled it and started again. I was struggling to understand the diagram (see below).

Diagram From The Manual

In the hope that it will help others, I have redrawn this and although it makes sense to me, it may not to you 😂....

After that, I put the two power boards together and fitted them to the main pcb. You have to be very careful to read the instructions and slow down when you're fitting these. Read a couple of pages ahead before beginning!! I totally forgot that the black connectors have to be mounted so that there’s a gap below them. I just about managed to get away with it (der!).

 

I then started fitting all the 'hardware' such as the BNC connector, power connector and 3.5mm sockets before installing the LCD panel and battery board.

With everything installed (don't forget the link under the GPS Board (if you bought one)), it was time to slide the PCB into the lower half of the enclosure. 

Before you do though, spend some time examining the pcb to see if any of the component legs need trimming down, because there's very little space between the underside of the pcb and the metal enclosure and it's very easy to end up with a short. 

I purchased some amazing little side-cutters from the local £shop which were perfect for the job! To be honest, I thought they might be junk, but they turned out to be the toughest fine cutters I've ever bought, so I went back and got another pair 😊

With everything put together it was time to apply power and see if any smoke emanated from the case 😬. In case I'd made a mistake (or two), I opted to use a current-limited psu to avoid damage on power-up.

 FIRST TEST >>>

When I switched it on, there were no lights, no display, no noise, nothing. And thankfully there was no smoke!

Before anything will work, you have to connect the radio to a computer with a USB lead and install the firmware, but when I did this, the USB was not recognised. I tried a different lead and even a different computer - nothing! 😰 

I checked and double-checked the pcb for any obvious signs of faults such as dry joints, solder shorts, etc, but there was nothing obvious. I could see 9V at the power switch.

I sought help on the Groups.IO forum and got nowhere initially, so I submitted a trouble-ticket at QRP-Labs but six days later there was no response from that either.

It's extremely disappointing when stuff like this happens and I know there's bigger problems in the world, but neverthless I'm feeling quite disappointed considering that I've successfully built 5 other kits from Hans (including the regular QMX which is much tougher build) and a few from other kit manufacturers.

A few days on and members of Groups.IO started to make suggestions and I learned that there should be voltage at Vcc and Vdd but there was none on mine. The thread got busier and someone suggested that I try swapping out the Power Boards from my QMX to my QMX+.  To reduce the risk of damaging anything, I was using a variable voltage/current PSU.  With it, I could reduce voltage to maybe 7.5V and 200mA.

Before swapping out the boards, I recalled my soldering struggles and decided to reflow virtually all the connections to make sure that I'd not got a bad joint somewhere which was causing these issues. The Ground Plane on this pcb really does suck the life out of your soldering iron! 

I decided to remove the power boards and the GPS module. It was then that I discovered I actually had a short on Vdd. No amount of probing with my DMM helped discover the source of the short, so I’ve given up for now.

I’ve approached an electronics professional friend to see if he can afford the time to do some fault-finding for me. If not, I might have to order another and start all over again 😪.

Part-2 to follow!

UPDATE >>>

Regrettably, my friend is in the process of moving to another country(!) so I'm now proper stuffed 😂 I guess I'm going to have to write this off completely. 

I was thinking of ordering another one and trying again, but this build has made me a little weary. Plus it's highlighted the fact that without any electronics knowledge, I've just been a lucky constructor up to now.

I'll have to sleep on it 😓

UPDATE >>>

On a more positive note, G4GIR very kindly offered to look at the board for me, so I've popped it in the post to him and await his verdict. Let's hope it's nothing I've done 😂😂😂

UPDATE >>> 4 July

Ian G4GIR has carefully examined the pcb and has determined (with the very kind help of Jeff Moore W1NC) that the fault is with the main CPU, so that's nothing to do with me or anything that I've done wrong. In fact, Ian complimented me on my construction work.

I have since found out that others have had a faulty CPU including G0MGX, so maybe it's not that uncommon?

So I have written to Hans and I await his response - a positive one hopefully.

UPDATE >>> 11 July

Hans has very kindly shipped out replacement pcb and components to allow me to start from scratch. I will be looking for ways to carry out checks stage by stage from the forums this time.

73, Tom, M7MCQ.

UPDATE >>> 26 AUG

PART TWO of the build is >>> HERE <<<

This next post shows how I completed the kit and shows the final outcome 😊

There's so much hatred for FT8 and associated digital modes on social media that it becomes utterly boring!! I don't do a great deal digital work, but I'm sick to death of seeing people belittle other people's preferred mode of operation.

By far the biggest victim of this vitriol is FT8 and it pains me to see people tearing apart the enjoyment of fellow hams, claiming that FT8 will be the death of Amateur Radio, when the truth is, it has generated HUGE levels of interest and activity on all the bands, all the time and occupies a tiny amount of bandwidth and never encroaches on others.

Anyway, enough of all that - I am only posting this because I saw a little poem on social media that someone called Gregory Weisheipl posted and I kinda liked it...

FORBIDDEN FRUIT

In the quiet of the night, beneath the starlit sky,

A room is softly glowing where the radio waves fly.

Amateur radio’s magic in the dance of FT-8, 

Where signals cross the oceans in a digital state. 

No voices in the air, just pulses swift and bright,

As callsigns on the screen bring messages to light.

From distant lands they come, in bursts of code they greet,

In silent conversations, where strangers often meet.

With patience and with skill, they tune the frequency,

Each QSO a bridge, in this vast community.

From mountaintops to valleys, through the atmosphere they soar,

Connecting friends and strangers on a worldwide tour.

FT-8, a wondrous mode, with messages so brief,

Bringing joy and knowledge, in its quiet, coded speech.

Though words are few and fleeting, the bond is ever strong,

In every signal sent, we hear the same old song.

So here’s to every operator, with ears and hearts so keen,

Who find the joy in contact, in signals clear and clean.

Amateur radio’s charm, in FT-8’s embrace, 

A timeless way of reaching out, across the human race.

PS : The poem was generated by ChatGPT! 😮

IC-705 THREE YEARS LATER

What should I compare it to?  Well the truth is, there's nothing on the market to compare - that's a fact! Yaesu have dropped their old FT817/818 range and it was way out of date anyway. The Elecraft KX3 was a great alternative if you could live without all the features of the 705, but they're next to impossible to get hold of in the UK and the price has just gone plain silly anyway!

If you put the IC-705 and the KX3 side by side in a shack at home, you might be able to detect that the KX3 is slightly better at receiving really weak signals, but for the other 99% of the time, when you've driven, walked, hiked to the perfect take-off spot and set up your antennas, there's little practical difference between a KX3 and the 705. Or between a 705 and an 817. In fact, my $89 (tr)uSDX will probably get you as many QSO's in the log as the others from the top of a hill!

Over the last couple of years I've relied almost exclusively on my IC-705, using it outdoors, on hillsides, in the back garden, in a park, at the caravan, by the seaside and even at home as a base station. It's been utterly reliable and surprisingly tough even though it's not been wrapped in cotton wool. Unlike my Elecraft, I've never really worried about it - I guess I look upon it as a bit of a workhorse. If it gets a little scratch or a ding, it doesn't really matter. I don't believe it would substantially affect its resale price either.

The notable difference between the IC-705 and other radios  is flexibility, features and what I call 'friendliness'.... 

The Icom IC-705 is more feature-rich than any other portable radio. It puts together such an awfully good package that you don't have to buy anything else (assuming that you use resonant antennas). You can operate throughout HF, 6M, 2M and 70cm on LSB, USB, CW, AM, FM, DV and DSTAR. 

With the radios built-in server, you can operate remotely. With the built-in WiFi you can tether to your mobile phone and operate Digital Modes out in the field. Thanks to the built-in GPS, you can even ensure accurate timing for FT8, etc. 

After using it so frequently and for so long, I'm now in that happy place where I know I just need to grab my small rucksack and head off outdoors for some radio fun. I don't need to carry a million bits of ancillary items - it's just my radio, my antennas and my iPad. If I'm just going out for a couple of hours, then I rely on the Icom battery, but if I'm out for the day I will take a 13.2V LifePO too.

Up on a hillside, I tend to stick with 5W and there's little need for more. Usually, the take-off is excellent and my SotaBeams Dipole works amazingly well - enough to have SSB chinwags across to America from the UK. In fact, one of my favourite chats was from a beach to two hams in America using only 2.5W (KE5EE and WD4NGB).

If I'm struggling to get a response to my CQ calls on 5W, I might move up to 10W, but once I establish contact with someone, I ask them to let me drop to 5W and get another report. If the report is very good (it often is) then I'll ask for another at even lower power. Needless to say, I don't want to make the QSO hard work for the other operators, but most people are happy to experiment with me and they often end up dropping their power to me too and because they've been so used to knocking out 400W+ for years, they've forgotten how far they can get on a tiny fraction of the power. All very entertaining (to me at least) 😂 

I have to admit that it's easier to answer someone elses CQ Call than it is to get a response to your own CQ Call at QRP levels. But patience often does reward. I find that using the IC-705's TX Memories makes light work of repetitive calling. I have a Long and a Short CQ Call recorded in memory and it's easy to set a TX-Loop going. The call is repeated over and over with a small pause inbetween to allow you to listen for any responses. 

Once I've finished with SSB, I tend to briefly switch to the 705's CW TX-Memories and put out a "CQ TEST"  for a few minutes on various bands to see how far I get on the Reverse Beacon Net before switching over to DSTAR depending on how close I am to a repeater. The IC-705 comes with a comprehensive list of repeaters already programmed in and thanks to the built-in GPS it can quickly determine which repeaters are the closest to your location and list them in order of distance (showing you the distance of each one in miles or kilometres).

After DSTAR I might switch to FT8 which gives me a chance to grab a drink and a sandwich. 

The IC-705 has proven to be a true all-rounder and can seemingly do it all, without any fuss or alterations or expensive plugin modules. The only thing that isn't included is an ATU, but neither does the KX3 come with one (unless you pay almost £300). Most of my portable antennas are resonant, so I usually have no need for a tuner, but if I want to use a multi-band end-fed, then one is required. 

I own three ATUs - the LDG Z100PLUS, the Elecraft T1 and a recently added MAT-705PLUS. My favourite is the Elecraft T1. It's compact, light and incredibly good at finding a match - quickly!! And finding a quick match is very important when it comes to QRP equipment because many QRP Transceivers don't seem to have a very robust PA, resulting in blown transistors during long tuning sessions.

Thankfully, the 705 is pretty strong in this respect and I've never had a problem when tuning up using any of my tuners.

The success of the IC-705 in the marketplace has led to much third-party and community support. One of the most useful addons for the 705 is Marcus Roskosh's SDR-CONTROL app which not only provides remote-control operation, but also provides a host of other tools which make the 705 (or 7610 or 9700) an absolute dream to work with. It's a game-changer.

SDR-CONTROL is available on IOS or MAC and I personally use it with my iPad 11. It performs flawlessly with virtually no lag between the readings on the radio and the readings on the iPad. It's all very fluid!

 

All the functions of the radio are available on the software display and the bandscope and waterfall are superb!! It's nice and easy to adjust the bandscope to increase the signal-peak display size and the ratio of scope to waterfall. The meter is nice and clear but I was hoping for an analogue option which isn't there (in the current version). Long-pressing the "TUNE" button sets the power to 10% (adjustable in menus) and transmits in AM mode so that any attached tuner will activate safely. Long-pressing the PTT button will allow you to choose between the radio's mic or the iPad's mic.

VFO A and B are visible onscreen and it's easy to switch between the two. Everything is very intuitive and there's never a struggle to figure anything out. Take FT8 for example - you can switch to it and be making contacts within seconds! No fiddling around with cables, no special drivers or VACs - it just works. Simple!

 

Any FT8 contacts that you make are logged automatically and that brings me to the next feature in the SDR-CONTROL toolbox - the LOGBOOK. Yes, there's a logbook built-in and it has an easy export function to transfer your contacts to your QRZ, etc.

By clicking on a button, you can see the full contents of the ToolKit which includes some very handy features such as the DX Cluster. This can show you active signals on the bandscope, allowing you to quickly spot and engage desired DX. There's also a BandPlan, a set of CW Macros, QRZ LookUp and PSK Reporter. 

There's lots more to this amazing App and it adds so much to the already pleasurable IC-705. I suggest that you go read the manual by clicking on the image below to find out much more about it...

Click me to read the SDR-CONTROL Manual

So, as you can guess, I've been very happy with my 705 - probably more so than any other radio I've owned (and that's saying something). It does pretty much everything I want and it does it all simply, effectively and without fuss. I can play on all the ham bands, in all the modes, I can do analogue and digital and I can enjoy fantastic support from third-parties and a knowledgeable community.

What do I dislike?? Not much really - in fact it seems a bit churlish to complain when a radio offers so very much. If I had to be Oliver Twist and ask for more, then.... I'd ask for CW Decoder instead of the RTTY Decoder. Having said that, the 705 interfaces very easily with my PreppComm Morse Encoder/Decoder....  

 

I do believe that the IC-705 is genuinely the best portable transceiver ever to hit the market. It offers such great value for money and has so many features and functions. And it's not just about the specification list - it's about how everything works - it's incredibly intuitive. Everything falls to hand and makes sense.

There's so many features which make life easy for the operator and where some radios end up looking like a bowl of spaghetti when trying to do something different, the IC-705 often does it wirelessly via WiFi or BlueTooth. Even small things like getting a pair of AirPods working - I've come across so many radios which have BlueTooth but then fail to connect to BlueTooth headsets! The Icom even works with Yaesu's headsets! The very fact that you get a server built into the radio to enable remote operation is pretty darned amazing - especially when you consider that even Yaesu's £3,100 Flagship 101 doesn't have such a feature 😮.

And yes, the £45 SDR-CONTROL software significantly adds to the richness of the 705 which some might say is down to Marcus Roskosch and not the radio, but the fact that the Icom is flexible enough to permit such interaction/connectivity is something that should be applauded. 

Okay, so what about something other than a KX3 or 705? Let's say you bought an FT818 or a G90 or a TX-500?

Well for a start, I wouldn't even give the Russian-built TX500 a second thought because I wouldn't want to support the economy of the disgusting terrorist Putin. Although the HF TX-500 is a very visually appealing transceiver and is around 2/3rds of the price of a 705, it lacks most of the features that I personally value. 

The G90 is a fabulous budget HF transceiver which offers lots for little, but at the end of the day, it's a cheap Chinese radio which I could never consider to be my 'forever radio'. Like the TX-500, the G90 lacks valuable features.

The FT818 is an old favourite of most hams. It's been out there for over 20 years and at half the cost of a 705 is always going to be the QRP radio of choice for people who are happy with the basics. But let's face it, it's old technology and looks like a dinosaur compared to the 705. A rugged, reliable shack-in-a-box but limited in a modern world.

So in summary, I am still over the moon with the Icom IC-705 and I'm glad I invested in it. In the past, radios have 'come and gone' but this one has stayed with me and I can't imagine a time when I would swap it for something else. Maybe Yaesu will bring out something to compete, but I can't imagine how they'd actually make something better! If they do, I'll be all over it 😁

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Please remember that these are just the opinions of an M7 operator. My goals, desires and requirements will be different to yours. I'd be interested to hear about them. Please feel free to leave a comment below and include your CallSign if possible. 73, Tom. 

UPDATE <<<<<<<

Read THIS POST to see how easy it is to use an external amplifier with the IC-705, in this case an MX-P50...

UPDATE <<<<<<<

I paid over £20 for my tilt-stand and although it's good for shack use, it makes it a little awkward to fit neatly in my ruckshack, so I've started using a couple of 25mm roundhead bolts instead. Takes seconds to lightly screw them into the base and it results in the radio being tilted to the perfect angle. I got the screws from the local £shop in one of those little multi-pack screw sets. 

SMA Caps hot-glued to bolts to provide non-slip solution

Quick 5W QSO - internal battery

UPDATE August 2024

Yaesu just announced the planned launch of the FTX-1F (early 2025) and all the Yaesu fanboys are waving their flags, claiming victory over Icom, who led the way with the 705 3 YEARS AGO! 😂

The FTX-1F will be a great radio and having Dual Receive is a big plus for many people, but will it have all the amazing features and benefits that Icom have been supplying for years??

Look at the FT-DX101D : that was launched 3 years after the glorious 7610 and it still didn’t have a built-in Server! It didn’t even have a clock!! 😂 But it did have a 3D scope to keep the Under-12s happy 😂

I hope the FTX-1F has all the bells and whistles of the 705 like built-in Server, QSO Recorder, GPS, WIFI, Bluetooth, etc. I will probably buy one if it’s not stupid money. But I reckon it will cost about £1700 (or more). We’ll see.