Lab599 Discovery TX-500 Radio First Impressions.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Version Française: • Lab599 Discovery TX-50...
My First impressions of the Lab599 Discovery TX500 transceiver, thanks to Eric who loaned it to me for this review. It won't be much in depth since I will not have it for long but I am so far very impressed by the ruggedness of this radio. The CW keyer seems to have a glitch which hopefully will be fixed in a future firmware. Any TX500 owners experiencing the same? The receiver is very sensitive, tested with my 5m-perimeter magnetic loop antenna. 160 and 6m make this radio a very attractive choice for portable operations and you won't be afraid to take it outside. I wish the Morse key and audio cables were much thicker, but other than that, a very promising and well built product! Merry Christmas!
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Totally understand the CW problem, it should be fixed. I wish the cat control and data connections were on the same side of the radio. Also wish it had an internal audio interface. These are my only "fails". Still not a big fan of putting so much emphasis on the relatively few negative aspects versus the barely mentioned positive aspects of the radio.
The TX500 is definitely not a data radio, but it is a lightweight rugged rig which can survive winter deployment at 65°N. We mustn't loose our objectivity Gil. Without the CW issue, this is the rig Elecraft should have built.
I couldn't agree more!
Gil, try cw with another antenna. Maybe rf signal from magnetic loop makes keyer "hoping"
I doubt it. My mag loop has almost no RF return, but I will try another one. I also heard the problem has been fixed.
@greylake trains I use IC-705 in our Alberta, Canada winter under -15 Celsius and I haven't had any issues either with snow blowing on it or light rain or cold.
If it were -15C outside with blowing snow I think I'd pass on portable operation. You're made of sterner stuff than myself!
I just got this radio and really love it! My twelve year old daughter and I just had a DX contact with Slovenia from Wisconsin, USA last night. Really impressive receiver!
Thanks for the video Gil!
I took the speaker-mic apart for a look inside. the speaker-mic has a silicone seal around the joint between the two halves of the case to keep water out. The microphone element is an electret. The PTT lever operates a tine that closes a microswitch on the inside of the seal, a very nice arrangement.
Gil, great and objective review!
I'm operating this rig with SSB since half a year in heat, heavy rain and snow without any problems. Lab599 is very responsive for user input. Just tell them the problem and they'll look at it.
Great thanks!
The problem with the key was in the old firmware, fixed in the new ones, update the firmware
Thank you for the review. And a thank you to the person who loaned the radio to you. Fantastic! Merry Christmas :)
You too!
Glad to hear a critical review of this radio! Hopefully they keep making this rig better.
👍 Thanks Gil. Certainly, seems to perform very well on receive. Yes, I agree that the ability to easily and flawlessly operate CW should be a primary requirement for any multimode HF portable rig. MX HNY 2022.
Great review and I laughed out loud when you talked about the flimsy CW cable.
Best most objective review of this radio. Thanks again, Gil!
Thanks for the review! Totally agreed, this robust construction is made for the real world, outside of the ham shack. We see too many radios optimized for use on a shelf, on a desk indoors, BUT being foisted as trail-friendly radios. This transceiver, being built like a brick, is good because bricks usually last more than a lifetime ;-)
73 de Ray ..._ ._
Ps. USB QSO using your home brew magloop from the terrace at ten Watts: QRP works !
You know it Ray! Even so-called "portable" radios, even with great performance, aren't outdoors radios... Merry Christmas to you both :-)
Gil, I use my TX-500 mostly for CW, and could not be more pleased. The keyer works well, even though not full QSK. Keyer speed is not set in wpm, but is linear, with a setting of 100 equivalent to about 20 wpm. The CW filters are great! CW memories and Beacon mode are very helpful for Parks on the Air (POTA), and presumably for SOTA as well. The whole radio is a heat sink for long operating sessions and hot days. It is very efficient on power consumption, so smaller (and lighter) batteries are practical. And, I don't worry about carrying it or using it in the outdoors. I am looking forward to some winter operations, poor sending will be my frozen fingers, not the radio, hi hi. 73 de Brian - K3ES
Agreed, great radio!
Merci pour cette revue Gil! Joyeux Noël de VA2 LDN
Elle arrive en Français...
It is a nice rig. Merry Christmas to you, too.
Hi Gil,
Absolutely love my TX500 as a field radio. I use it with a straight key and also a Digirig Mobile V1.6 interface - no problems at all. It’s ruggedness means I don’t need the weight and bulk of a Pelican case in my backpack. I normally work with a SOTA Beam 10m pole and a EFHW in the vertical configuration, so no need for a tuner and SWR is shown graphically across the band if you press and hold “tune”. I think it will be a good radio for use on my sailboat. Have a great Christmas and 2022. 73, de VA7SZ.
There sure is something to say about not needing to carry a case..
Great introduction to the TX-500. You are the only one I've heard from about the keyer problem. Thanks for the info. Once the manufacturing ramps up I hope to buy one.
Presumably it has been fixed..
I love this radio! I check in to hf Winlink (ardop) using a pi almost every day. I also use it to check into a local 40m traffic net, most times the control op is 500-700 miles aways (EFHW ant). Mostly always (depending on bands of course)get great sig reports. Ive used it with SSB, cw, js8 and ft8 without issue. Great radio that just sips power. 73 de KF7VUT
Indeed so it seems!
Congratulations! I am also looking forward to get this one!
I wish it was mine...
@@RadioPrepper
GE, PLS check firmware version, as some owners noticed that cw keyer issue already fixed!
I will thanks, that would be great!
In Russia CPM is used, in order to convert to WPM use factor of 5 (100 CPM is 20 WPM, very simple arithmetics). I hope keyer issues are ether misconfiguration or will be fixed in future software updates.
Thank you for the review, it was interesting!
I did not know thanks.
@@RadioPrepper One of this funny peculiarities. :-) And you can use this radio as a melee weapon is you need. :-)
Great review, Gil, thank you. I'd really like to get my hands on on of these radios - and I will at some point.
Have a great Christmas!
You and me both. Merry Christmas!
Hi Gil, I've had a TX500 for the last few months, it's a fantastic bit of kit with a robust front end and really efficient finals, really sips power out of the battery, I'm looking forward to getting the clip on battery pack for it, unlike some of my other portable radios with this one being out in all weather's not a problem, happy Christmas Gil Adam G7CRQ
You too Adam!
Great review, K4SWL had the same sentiment about the CW, your review touched on more issues than his did. Thanks and Merry Christmas. 72 de AI5DD
I didn't see it... Thanks.
Your honest reviews are always appreciated
Thanks!
I'm not sure, but probably in Russia they are measuring CW speed in cpm, not wpm. This radio is designed and supported by Russian amateurs. Merry Christmas !!!
It is true, they use factor 5 to convert WPM to CPM, AFAIR.
Also in Sweden characters per minute is the standard.
Thanks for the fair assessment. Merry Christmas and happy New Year.
You too!
CW should be adjustable deff work on that.
FM that's true is a plus
I wonder does it do ctcss or just encode tone encode for fm repeaters? & the split adjustable offsets? .
Very Rugged design.
Great video keep up good work .. Can't wait for part 2 .
Shame is $949 US it should be $600 not the nose desirable shaped radio but toughest build quality in portable.
Very nice looking radio cant wait to see more testing . And you have a very meery christmas
You too!
Gil:
It sounds like the keying issue could be related to the iambic mode setting. Check menu number 5 and select iambic mode-A via the sub-menu and see if the problem goes away. Of course this would depend on your keying style, but it's worth checking. I haven't had any CW keying issues with my TX-500 and I'm not aware of any reports regarding keying problems so please let us know what you find.
Tony -K2MO
Thanks for all your videos! Merry Christmas! 73. K7NFO
Gil, I love my TX-500 - The best Feature IMHO - The 'Tone' button that activates the 'pseudo-VNA-SWR' trace - I can use this radio 'without a tuner' and see where my antenna VSWR is att its low point!
Nice Review, strange - my buttons will not pull off as easily as yours do - probably would if I really tried hard!). I use a Kenwood SP-41 Speaker (4 ohm) for great audio (from the mic jack). I have a KX2/3 but I see this as my new POTA radio!
Thanks, I'll try that VNA feature..
Hi Gil Thanks for the only review that I have seen that has been honest.The good and the bad : )) wishing you a very happy Christmas 73 de Tony Gm1vla
You too!
Merry Christmas to you to !
You too!
Pretty darn nice rig. Thanks Gil
Sure is Victor!
Merry Christmas Gil!
I really like the rugged design and the general looks of the TX-500. The big miss for me with this $1K radio is no direct USB interface for audio and CAT control. Adding the USB capabilities would have added very little to the BOM cost and used next to nothing for space on the PCB. It's 2021 and this should be standard equipment on all commercial rigs. I guess I'm looking for a IC-705 in a TX-500 case.
Thanks again for the making the review and hope to see more in 2022.
73,
-KB7ZUT
Thanks you too!
fantastic community on your channel Gil!
Thanks yes!
An interesting review, thanks Gil! As it comes to the CW speed measurement, well, the radio is made by Russians and they probably think you should embrace the Russian standard if you like their radio :)! It seems also that majority of Russian hams are just happy with this small feature, and it could be a good selling point in the local market . To make life easier, one can convert the speed from CPM to WPM by applying the coefficient 4.22 (for the text comprised of just 26 latin letters) or 3.65 (for the mixed text of letters-numbers-signs). So, par example, if you like 18WPM, 18X3.65=65.7CPM. It’s probably a bit simplified calculation and there might be other converting methods. Looking fwd to the field test! Merry Christmas! 73 Linas LY2H
Thanks Linas!
Great stuff Gil . 73s Vk3ut Greg . MERRY CHRISTMAS Mate Cheers from downunder
You too!
Gil, you're in CWR mode and might want to switch to CW. Thanks for the review. Also, did you notice the flashing diamond on the screen for zero-beating? Joyeux Noel.
Thanks. It did not let me switch to CW.
@@RadioPrepper press and hold the mode button to select the alternate mode. ;-)
Great thanks!
What is CWR mode?
CW Reverse..
Great stuff👍👍
looks interesting but the quick button turn on and the ease of the button caps coming off...means to me you need a special case to carry it in. No "throw it" in a bag.
Glue the buttons and disconnect the battery...
Bonne présentation permettant de se faire une idée assez précise de ce tranceiver qui attire l’œil dans un premier temps.
73' Merci.
F1PHL - Charles
Merci. Elle arrive en Français....
@@RadioPrepper Super ! depuis 3 ans et apres une baisse significative permanente depuis fin des années 90 le nombre de radio amateur remonte en France. Votre contribution est très importante pour alimenter cela.
Merci encore malgré que nous devons perfectionner pour encore mieux communiquer, la langue de Shakespeare...
J'en ferais plus en Français...
@@RadioPrepper Merci Gil, ce sera un plaisir pour nous de partager ce sujet qui nous plait tant. Joyeux Noël.
Joyeux Noël!
Hi, I had the same issue with the keyer. Turned out the TX-500 is set to Iambic A by default. When I changed it to Iambic B all problems where gone. Have you tried that? 73 Åke SM6Y
Hi, yes.
Merry Christmas, Gil de KO4AYC
You too!
Nice, honest review, Gil! Looking forward to part 2. Like you say, the only weak points seem to be the CW implementation, and the loose buttons. I wonder if you could use a dab of silicone glue to affix the the buttons to the radio? The subscriber list for this radio is quite busy, with a lot of end-user support. There has been a firmware release for the radio, but being that I don’t have the radio, I can’t confirm anything. How does this radio compare to our all-time favorite PRC-320? Thx es 73!
Different time periods, apples and oranges.. The TX500 remains a commercial HAM radio; still a very different philosophy of use than a military transceiver. For SHTF, assuming I could recharge Clansman batteries easily, the 320 wins in the ruggedness department while the TX500 is so much lighter..
Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas!!!
Merry Christmas!
Imagine the capability of the 320 but easily carried. I think the radio, battery and ATU are about the same weight as as a Clansman battery. I've had no issue with the buttons at all. I bought covers for the front and the connectors from a 3D printer maker on Etsy to provide additional coverage.
Merry Christmas Gil 🎅🏻
You too!
I wonder if you had the keyer in the wrong mode, Gil? It has modes A and B available via the menu. Straight key operation is excellent.
Agreed on the use of CPM... Crazy.
The first thing I did when I got mine was to build decent cables. It's been a fantastic radio in the few months I've had it.
Right mode. I do like it, very solid.
@@RadioPrepper must be your cheap paddles then 😉🤣
LOL yes ;-)
Merry Christmas All
You too!
thanks for the video
how does the audio compare to the icom 705 as my hearing is a tad poor
Hi, I never heard a 705, so no idea..
Happy Christmas Gil :)
You too!
Thanks for the review. I have a Lab599 and operate mainly CW. Perhaps you are in the wrong CW mode? Also can you post what firmware version you are running?
I will be checking those...
Hello Gil, Thanks for the video. Very great. Just one question... do you know in which country this TRX is built ? Where is located Lab599 ? Difficult to find any details on the net (?).... Have a nice time. 73's Stéphane.
I think it's Russia.
Cpm or wpm? What is the difference? What is the problem???? I dont understand
I am metric guy. But, if you say 4 inches i understand it is 101 mm. And little bit more
Most people are just used to wpm.
Great review thanks. Which would you say is the better radio for SSB only - the Lab599 or Elecraft KX2, can't decide between the two. I have discounted the Icom IC-705 because it looks too chunky, just don't like the shape of it.
I think the TX500 brings more to the table, though performance is similar. The KX2 beats the TX500 in CW of course..
Superior in what regard?
I guess it depends on the user. 2, 6, 7 are negatives for me, the rest I certainly agree with..
Cw is an afterthought to today's Amateur Radio Operators
Let's make some noise about it...
It remains to be seen if FT8 will perdure..
I completely agree with the view on cables. Having said that, it is not too difficult to redo them.
Regarding the Morse Keyer speeds in "characters per minute" Vs "words per minute" there is simply a ratio of 5 (A word is made up of 5 characters on average. 12 words = 60 characters). The military and the Russians use this notation of speeds; some Morse code learning software too.
As for the keyer which has misfires, it is just a mismatch between the displayed speed of the keyer and that of the operator (that of the operator being too low compared to that expected by the keyer which, him, do not wait for the operator to send his dashes or dots). So you just have to lower the keyer speed a little for the problem to disappear definitively. I tested ...
73 F5NFB.
Well, I always use the same speed and all my radios (maybe 30 with CW) but one do not have that problem.
Well I had it with all my radios ... and since I adapted the speed I no longer have it.
I wouldn't be surprised if characters/minute is the standard measure in Russia. It certainly is the standard measure in Sweden.
Thanks for the great video. Curious what would be the most versatile multi-band antenna to use in the field with this radio? And how about at home?
Multi-band antennas are so difficult! Portable, using a tuner, I'd say a random wire with a 9:1 UNUN or a W3EDP. At home, a G5RV maybe..
@@RadioPrepper Thank you, will look into it!
Nice review, Gil ! What military radio would you think is good!
HF? The Clansman radios are getting old... A bit more modern, something like a Syncal 2000 maybe... There are Others... Codan manpack... Now they have built-in encryption so are prohibited...
@@RadioPrepper Thank you Gil. Appreciate your work!!!
Rune didnt mention his trx did he?
Nice clear modulation, I was wondering what his trx was.
He didn't say..
Happy Christmas to you
de 2e0ree
Thanks Andy!
Christmas is so soon... But, maybe for next year!?
That would be nice!
Good review Gil, many thanks for that. Does it include an ATU ?
Nope.
@@RadioPrepper I use the Elecraft ATU with mine. Works well.
@@RadioPrepper I use a simple home made matcher with mine. No need for anything fancy.
Indeed, or a resonant antenna..
Thanks for the video, but why hams think it's a great radio in 2021 or 2022. It's like being happy because Sony just released an analog black and white TV in 2021. Come on guys, yes great case, very portable, but the TX599 is a 1990 radio, not 2022 ham radio transceiver. If a company cannot make it better than the icom ic-705, don't release because you missed your target year of release. Now, we need color touchscreen screen, Bluetooth, WLAN, digital voice, and more built-in our portable transceivers. Again, good video.
Features sometimes are not what you want. I would buy a TX500, never a 705 even if it cost half of the TX500's price... The TX500 aims at a certain category of customers who have specific needs, and it succeeds at that. To me a 705 is not adapted to field operations, and I don't mean an afternoon at the park... In that sense The TX500 is superior. Take a PRC-320 for instance, late 70s design... If it wasn't for the weight and aging components it would beat them both, by far... Yet it has no screen and clancky wheels to set the frequency... Newer isn't necessarily better. It depends on what you need. My ideal radio has no screen and no power-hungry features, it is ultra-simple, reliable, light and small. You can roll over it with your truck, throw it in a river and use it afterwards. No that the TX500 can, but it comes closer than any other even though it is still not rugged enough IMHO. The 705 isn't even on that race's starting line...
@@RadioPrepper I understand. I know someone who said kind of the same thing. He still has the analog black and white TV withoutadigitalbox converter, even though he cannot watch anything on it. He said smart color TV isn't better and not TV for him.. his old school home phone, because the modem home phones are VoIP, no smartphone. He thinks smartphone is not phone, cause it has color screen, can send & receive color photos & videos. He doesn't believe new technologies can better than old one. I respect his belief, so I can understand hams who do not comprehend the. value of a radio like the Icom IC-705 in the amateur radio service. It's sad, but it is what it is. Anyway, thanks for the video. You did a good job.
Thanks. That is not the issue here though, and it is not a preference based on nostalgia but on function. I will try to explain.. DSP and color screens draw current. For portable operations you want small and light batteries that will last a long time, because there is no power outlet nearby to recharge them, and maybe you only have a small solar panel. Large screens can be damaged if you fall or drop the radio. The radio needs to be somewhat waterproof to survive the environment. Here in the mountains in winter, everything at dusk gets covered in dew. This can damage regular HAM radios, as it did for my Minion SDR when it got splashed by salt water on my boat. I know the value of the 705, it is a great radio with great features, but those features are not what I need. It is not a matter of old vs new, it is a matter of activity and environment. A nice suit made by a good tailor is a fantastic garment for the opera, but you would not wear it to go camping. Different features for different missions... I used to own a KX2... Great radio, high performance, superb for CW... I rarely took it out! It was too fragile to be used outside in rough environments. I sold it.
@@RadioPrepper ok, thanks.
Why CWR @12:38?
It seems to switch between CW and CWR depending on the selected band.
@@RadioPrepper ok.. Of course it makes no difference.. I was just curious.
73
It's not cheap is it. For a QRP I'd say it's a good 2/£300 overpriced. ICOM 705 more feature packed and better performer and flexibility.
Not cheap but I have not seen the 705... It is very rugged. Sometimes less features is better. I bet the 705 does not draw 100mA...
ic705 has most of features you might think.
But it is very bulky and owners wear to it protection rails which once more increased size and weight. Also I would not go in rainy forest without serious tent but it is ok for tx-500.
You also have to consider radio usage and radio usage environment.
Features are overrated.
@@RadioPrepper
Agree,
Most of users don't need such "Bells and whistles" =)
But to be honest, I wish that icom705 would be like Xiegu x6100
For a nearly $1000 radio ($949 HRO), this radio should not have any bugs. The CW issue is inexcusable for a radio of this price class.
It might be my sample or setup, we'll know soon...
@@RadioPrepper there is an update available. Wonder if it's been applied.
Someone posted it had, but I have no verified it..
Elecraft take notes and improve
Yes!