I see that ICOM just released a new Firmware upgrade for the IC-7300. This is Version 1.40 and it has some good looking upgrades to the Waterfall and the scope display, among other things. I also like the added ability to customize some of the Front panel control functions. I am going to go through... Continue Reading →
IC-7300 “SEND” signal – Be Careful when using it
There has been an ongoing discussion for quite some time about a reported "RF Tail" on the IC-7300. This report is based upon the fact that the 7300 provides a SEND signal that is supposed to be useful for telling offboard equipment if the 7300 is currently Transmitting or Receiving. Actually there are two of... Continue Reading →
IC-7600 RTTY Settings for MMTTY
I have posted these before, but people keep asking about the settings to use for RTTY on the IC-7600 with MMTTY. So this post provides my latest settings. This article provides my latest MMTTY settings screenshots. I am using it with N1MM+ Contest Logger. If you are having trouble using MMTTY with another program (N1MM+... Continue Reading →
A Dipole that Covers the Entire 80 Meter Band with SWR less than 3:1 – UPDATED 11/8/2025
11/8/2025 update - Found a very good Link from W4RNL (SK) discussing this broadbanding approach. He is my favorite source for practical antenna information. In his article, he gets into the details and performs some modeling of this approach to broadbanding dipole antennas. you can find his research here Many Hams use wire antennas, and... Continue Reading →
ICOM IC-7600 (or 7610) Wiring for use with Elecraft KPA/KAT-500 Power Combo
Note - While this Post documents my IC-7600 setup, I believe this will work equally well with the IC-7610 but I do not have one to test. If anyone can provide confirmation or feedback, it would be appreciated. I have had the IC-7600 for about 4 years and have now added the Elecraft KAT-500 Antenna... Continue Reading →
160 Meter Inverted “L” Antenna – Updated 12/30/2020
I have a need to get on 160m occasionally for a contest, but have limited space. I tried a dipole, but it was just too much trouble. I had to bend the ends all around to fit my small lot. I keep hearing that an Inverted L is a decent antenna, but have never been... Continue Reading →
Your Elecraft KAT-500 Tuner Protects your KPA-500 Amp – until it doesn’t – UPDATED 10/30/2019 and 10/19/2020
I have been using an Elecraft KPA-500 linear amplifier and a KAT-500 Antenna tuner with my Icom radios (mostly the IC-7600 and briefly with the IC-7300) After much research and discussion, I figured out what I thought was the best way to interconnect the IC-7600 with the KAT/KPA-500 so that the Amp would be protected... Continue Reading →
Can’t Use TUNE Button on IC-7300 with KAT-500 Tuner
When I initially connected my IC-7300 to my Elecraft KAT-500 Antenna Tuner, I was unable to get the Tuner to start Tuning the KAT-500 from the TUNE button on the front panel. Here is what I discovered: I was using separate 12 volt power from my Station power supply for the Tuner. Only the Tune... Continue Reading →
Using the KAT-500 and KPA-500 with Icom Radios: Part II – Updated 2 AUGUST 2020
I have continued to investigate the various ways to connect my Icom IC-7300 or IC-7600 to the Elecraft KAT/KPA-500 Tuner and Amplifier. I have received some very helpful communication from a number of other Hams using Icom Radios with the Elecraft KPA-500 Amplifier and KAT-500 Tuner. It appears that there are several different ways to... Continue Reading →
Using the Elecraft KPA-500 and KAT-500 with Icom Rigs: Part I
I now have the Elecraft KAT-500 Antenna Tuner and the KPA-500 Linear Amplifier. My rigs are not Elecraft, but Icom (7600 and 7300) and Yaesu (FTDX-3000). I want to setup the Station to use the Elecraft components with my non-Elecraft transceivers. Since the KAT-500 has connections for the Icom AH-4 antenna control interface, I will... Continue Reading →
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