All change!

Well, if you've noticed my post about being nearly ready to buy an IC-705 has been removed, it's because an unexpected offer became available today on ebay!

I found a nearly-new FT-818ND with a BHI DSP board fitted.  The DSP itself is worth £120.  The seller was asking £540 plus postage, so I offered £518 plus postage.  He accepted!

2021 portable activity pack!

 

So there we are.  Not quite as convenient as the IC-705, and mostly inconsequentially less maximum power.  But I'm happy with a small gel or, later, a FePO4 battery.  Whilst this is more weight, it's insignificant: a 10Ah FePO4 is only 1.2kg, providing ample operating time and an all-up weight identical to a FT-891 without a battery.

A data cable is already ordered, and activity can begin very shortly!

So, sorry for the confusion, but I'm happy to experiment with this radio at this price.  The IC-705 was, in the end, just too expensive for an additional maximum 4W out.  After all, from the beach, the 6W maximum output of the 818 magically becomes at least 50W effective!

BTW, if you're interested in portable QRP and good frequency stability (we seem to be a surprisingly rare bunch), then this post about a standard (non-TCXO) FT-817 by my colleague PE4BAS is worth a read:https://pe4bas.blogspot.com/2021/02/ft-817nd-drift-test.html