This was probably this best interview with Ray that I have seen. It was an honest assessment of the Amateur Radio market and candid response to questions about ICOM.
Thanks Bob. Great interview. Appreciated hearing Ray's thoughts about D-Star and making it easier to experiment at the software level with radios starting with the IC-705.
Ray's a good dude. Every ham video he's in is informative. You're a pretty solid guy yourself, Bob. I've gotten more info from your channel than so many others....keep it up!
Well Ray, I've had my ticket about 40 yrs, and I'm mostly a Collins S line, Henry kind of guy. So, and this D Star DMR stuff is all "beam me up Scotty" That being said I bought an ICOM IC-7300 about a year ago, AND I LOVE IT! I'm sure it does lots of cool stuff I have yet to discover. But, does EVERYTHING I want it to do, and the human interface is good enough that I can figure out how to do it. Three cheers for the 7300 and ICOM for making such wonderfully easy to use radio.
Wow.so much truth in this segment . My 70 just arrived today . Due to both of you using this product on TH-cam. The answer is no I am not climbing that mountain without my cell phone . And I do have the app that decodes CW. Thanks guys , good stuff..
Thanks, Bob and Ray! I bought my 705 last summer, shortly after passing the General exam. It mostly sat in a storage box until last week. I had my first D-STAR QSOs, using Doozy on my laptop and operating off the dining table. I still haven't been out in the field or operated HF but I've a few antennae I've either bought or built and I'm going out Sunday to start playing with it. I've used DMR and written my own codeplugs but D-STAR, for reasons noted, makes more sense and is more fun for ham operations. 73 de KN6NPZ
What they're not mentioning is that when you buy your own DMR radio with your own programming software. You have the option to turn the stun/kill feature off. Those features have been available for years on a lot of commercial radios all the way back to analog radios.
I use D-Star almost every day. I don't always talk, I often just like to listen and have it on in the background. The quality of the audio is just crazy :)
Sweet. Heard you on 30C two days ago. Funny listening to the groupies asking if it was really you. You have quite a few fans and I’m one of them. Awesome interview. BTW, I’m in line for a 705. Can’t wait.
I have had zero contact with Icom DSTAR radios or Yaesu Fusion (C4FM)radios. I assume the digital modes/repeaters are incompatible. I have seen some radios advertised for DMR and Ham Radio. They did seem to be less expensive but less full featured than either ICOM or Yaesu xcvrs. Seeing this video, I will investigate all three, but I was leaning toward the IC-705 in the winter this year and my first digital mode w/DStar t. I don't do any 2m/70cm work now but I do need a radio for that other than my FT-817. Thanks for video.
Yep watched the first few minutes so far and 110% agree... if you going to use digital protocols in amateur radio, you really should understand them in depth, I have presented on this several times. Especially the benefits and learning/experimentation available in purpose built amateur protocols (D-Star, C4FM)
Tried DMR for a year or so, mostly just to learn more about it. Found it to be a PITA for ham use. I also recently bought (and use) a YSF radio (FT-3DR), and like it, but YSF is nowhere near as versatile as D-STAR. Granted, my wife and I have been on D-STAR for six years and love it.
@@knuckler269 Wouldn't be nice if Anytone Beta Tested its software and radios? As Bob so eloquently stated, Programming a Code Plug is a pain in the A**. The Anytone CPS and firmware updates are terrible
Great interview! Did Ray mention whether we’ll see a dstar “2.0” with higher quality audio codec in the same level as DMR? I’m not a huge DMR fan, but do like the audio quality and dual slot capability.
Nice interview, but please tell Ray that USB-C 3.2 supports some obscene charging levels, enough to quick charge a 20v laptop. The 2.1A limit is obsolete, that's the old USB2.0 standard.
I've only had my license for a couple of years. First radio I got was an 868. I find writing DMR codeplugs very easy. I even program my Motos now. I want to try DStar. I've watched enough radios that I think it's finally sunk in on how to use it and set up your radio for it. Debating on what I want. I thought about a 5100 or 7100. Wish they had a color screen though. I like the bells and whistles. I mainly use 2M/70CM and DMR for now when I do use my radios. I can't really justify a 9700 but I'd sure love to have one. But I probably won't be buying anything anytime soon though until I see which way the economy is going to go. Enjoyed the video
@@robertobeltramelli4138 I guess it depends on how you look at it. The AnyTone 878 has a color screen but the fonts imo need work. I have moto stuff also 5550,xpr7550,sl7550 and they have color screens and they're nice but they're commercial radios so you don't get all the info like callsigns and location info that you do on other radios.
Bob, great interview with Ray. He had some good points. The idea of commonality/interoperability is very interesting. On the commercial side you have the P25 standard so all manufacturers play by common rules. It’s seems our side is like going through the “VHS/Betamax” time. Like Ray states, what say the next DMR example could be DMR Plus and we are left with a Betamax. Just my 2 cents. Love the show. Keepum coming.
Wow. Obviously ICOM is hurting with the popularity of DMR. You asked the appropriate and respectful questions we have all been pondering.Your best work by far.
I would not say hurting, as D-STAR continues to grow each day with new users. But when you have masses of people using a land mobile protocol, it is much easier to get the attention of inexpensive manufacturers. What happens when those manufacturers go to a new protocol?
Can I connect my 9700 to ethernet and use D-Star with any reflector yet via Terminal Mode? Because I see people saying the 705 can do it, but I thought it was a REF function not a radio function. Thoughts?
I love Icom hardware, the ID51 is the best HT on the market and look how old it is! I wish Icom would do true APRS!! An ID51 with APRS would be killer.
having a cw decoder on the 7300 would be nice to help aid learning code, heck even when someone might be going too fast and you are having a hard time keeping up
dmb3428 with the bluetooth interface you can do it on your phone or tablet. Did you want to read CW on the screen of the 705? Does the 705 have a keyboard screen to type back your response?
I own an IC9700. I would really like to see an update that allows me to connect to all of the D-Star reflectors via the ethernet connection. I shouldn't have to buy an Open Spot to be able to do this!
If the big manufacturers don’t incorporate DMR into their radios, the market will remain fragmented. DMR is not protected by patent. There is no harm to their market share if all the radio makers include it. They will never give up their own proprietary systems. The problem seems to be the manufacturers don’t realize that the users control the market not them.
@@robertobeltramelli4138 icom is the only one that dont have DMR they jut want you on their system . Kenwood, Vertex(yaesu), Motorola, Alinco, Harris, Tait and almost everyone have DMR radios
And i start to see lots of old motorola dmr repeaters on ebay. Ao that happens when the repeatera become even cheaper people will buy them. But you cant beat the yaesu fussion 400$ dualband repeater. People buy it even just for the analog price :D
There are NO D-Star Repeaters within 75 miles of me. Meanwhile, there are dozens of Fusion and DMR repeaters within 25 miles of my home. Tells me everything I need to know.
I had a neighbor that blew out my New Home entertainment speakers by keying up on his homemade amp for his CB radio. The cool thing is chatting with Australians on his rig and mystery wooden box from Federal Way, WA in 1996
When Icom, Yaesu, and Kenwood digital radio's can talk to each other, when I don't need a third party to use Ham Radio, and when the digital voice quality is as good or better than wide FM, THAT is when I buy a digital Ham Radio.
Soon, perhaps, will be enough repeaters for the networking, d-star, *-link, etc. to reach quality of commercial level, not monetization or profit, for ham.
@@K6UDA I'm a Icom guy but have the TS-480HX in the mobile. What a difference running 200 over a 10 or 100 watt radio. It's just not 1db better it's a huge difference. I know I've had all kinds of different rigs in there and 200 watts just destroys the rest. 😁
I'm going to be redundant: Great interview. Around my neck of the wheat fields, DMR and C4FM (Fusion) are the flavors of the month, so D-Star is of little use for me.
Said this once being about the Icom IC-705...Almost twice the size of the KX2 odds are a little more heavy then a KX2 and even bigger then the KX3 at some points..KX2 5.8”W x 2.8”H x 1.5”D...KX3 7.4"W x 3.4"H x 1.7"D...IC-705 7.9W x 3.1H x 3.3D..I'm betting no tuner option will be part of it ether..so lets see what we get..2m 70cm..my HT does it..band scope..Didnt the Xiegu radios already do that??And not really needed in portable ops in my book...10 watts...KX2 does it already..My KX3 does around 18 watts off my 12v battery..DStar..Most are using ether a Kenwood or Icom HT if they want DStar portable anyways..So just what did they give us that make this such a game changer???...Not hating on Icom but just pointing out some much needed facts before everyone creams their jeans over this thing and makes it out to be the biggest thing to ever hit the ham radio market..I'm sure it will be a nice radio..Icom makes some nice radios but game changer??I'm sorry but not really all people are making it out to be in my book....
Call Sign routing needs to be allowed to work when a hotspot is tethered to a cellphone and not just on a home network. I never can get a clear answer as of why this doesn’t work.
DMR does work better for commercial, even public safety use. IPSC is a very robust protocol that provides great multi repeater coverage. But voice is where it shines. Tons of Fusion here, D-Star there's nothing within 100 miles or more.
Disabling the stun or kill function in DMR is as simple as deselecting a checkbox in the CPS. Actually, in the Hytera CPS that come with my radio, it was already deselected, as was the encryption option. So this is just FUD, in my opinion. D-STAR does have some advantages over DMR such as the transmitting the call sign in every transmission, without the need for a static ID to call sign table being loaded into the radio. Features like this is what I would emphasize, not some commercial feature that the DMR protocol supports but no one in the ham community uses. FUD aside, I do look forward to buying an ID-4100A soon and experimenting with D-STAR.
Phil, the point of discussing that is many hams do not know about these features, and many of the early radios had these enabled. I think you will enjoy the ID-4100A.
The Alinco DJ-MD5 DMR HT, can be Programmed with a Commuter, and also have a ICOM IC52A D-Star HT, which I like it Much More then DMR, D-Star is only 6.25 Khz Wide, unlike DMR and Fusion, this is 15 Khz Wide, Much more Spectrum efficient, it be nice to have Terminal Mode on Bluetooth, Both ICOM 705 and the ICOM IC52A, this way I be able to Use it Wireless,
Cool interview, nice guy. In my opinion wrong on DMR. DMR is so common. It'll last. The amateur radio operators alone are a huge market. But fully understandable from an icom perspective.
I'm waiting for someone to develop a 2.0 version for improved audio, ALL of these modes sound like Steven Hawking and R2D2 had a love child. If I can't recognize my buddy's voice until he ID's, it's pretty useless to me.
Icom really had a chance. But what they did was a collosal stupid mistake of epic proportions. What they did was just took their icom 7300 and “dumbed it down” by removing the internal antenna tuner which is the stupidest thing anybody could’ve done in the world just so they could shrink the size of the radio and gave it the new name of icom 705. But what they have done is they were close so close to the brass ring and could have had one great QRP radio. But Nooo. What they did by removing the internal antenna tuner thus dumbing down their radio and thus left the door wide open and guess what. Xiegu an upstart new company that wants to go places just walks right in With their smaller new G 90 “with” an internal antenna tuner and a waterfall and one of the coolest SWR’s That can easily diagnosed antenna problems. And the price is a fraction of what icom wants. And walks off with the prize and leaves icom eating their dust. Icom had the chance and they just dropped the ball and fell flat on their qrp faces. Whoever in their company that decided to remove the internal Antenna tuner and everyone that let them get away with it was the stupidest move Icome has ever made in their history. Icom should be out right ashamed but they are going to pay through the nose because Xiegu’s new G 90 is going to walk off with their lunch. Let me add an additional note here. Every radio I own is icom. I love icom but I have to be honest. Icom has absolutely been hoisted by their own petard by leaving that internal antenna tuner out. Opening the door for Xiegu g90 to walk right over them.
I agree. I own G90 an keep getting free firmware updates adding new and enhanced features for FREE. $400 and I hav160m-10m rig 1-20W that I can power with LiPo batery @ 9AmpHrs, fairly portable. ATU and nice SDR waterfall to boot.. I really was hopign to bu y iCom as new General.. but G90 was batter value . Also a DMR Anytone 878 owner and FT-70d owner. No Dstar in our update NY area, but C4fm and DMR..why?
This was a strange, misguided conversation. I know there are fanboys for each protocol, but the adversarial attitude is unnecessary. Yeasu System Fusion was created solely for amateur use and was never intended to be a commercial product. This isn't mentioned. Codec2 and FreeDV are American based innovations are not mentioned and are ignored because hams can't get on Amazon and buy a $90 radio today. I have a CW decoder in my Xiegu radio, so why it isn't in Icom providing it? The IC-705 will be way overpriced for most non-fanboy operators!
In the early days of DSTAR I was all excited and thought (hoped) that it would catch on in my area, it didn't. Icom severely overpriced the radios and shot themselves in the foot. They've also made the mistake of trying to reinvent the ID-51A one too many times. And asking $99 for the high capacity battery for that radio was the icing on the cake. I've been out of the hobby now for about seven years and will probably never go back. Thanks Icom!
Christ, I have zero interest in DMR, D-Star, 2 meters or FreakQuartzFest for that matter. But for some reason, and I can't explain why, I enjoyed this video. It was very pleasant... and making watchable vids isn't no (I'll leave that to prove my ignorance) joke. You're good at it and I enjoy them all even if they piss me off. Hey wait- that's your methodology and I know it and I'm still not immune. OOps.. touchy word these days. 73 OM Mr. UDA
CW decoding can be done by logging software, so I am not surprised Icom has declined on doing this. As a lifelong CW op, I do not see the need for it. But, I recognize some do need it. I am more interested in Icom making CAT interface much easier and bullet proof away from the CI-V protocol to more USB/Bluetooth based communication.
Back in 07, when D-Star was first getting traction in my area, I purchased several Icom D-Star radios with boards for myself, family, and a friend. On simplex, the audio quality was outstanding. When the first repeaters came up in my area, audio quality through the repeaters was noticeably diminished. When these repeaters were linked through the network, audio quality sounded like crap. Registering on the network, while kind of dumb, was not terrible. You had to contact a networked repeater's owner and have them put you in the database as I seem to recall. Nowadays, the registration process as I understand it involves multiple steps and is ridiculously, unnecessarily, cumbersome. Why this is, I do not know. Of the digital modes I have used (D-Star, P-25, Astro, DMR, and Fusion), D-Star by far has the crappiest audio and is the most prone to "space talk", other noise, and distortion. Not using it to send data, I see no use or advantage to it, other than to say I am "using digital" (...whoopee...) and that it will display your callsign and negate the need for voice ID when transmitting. DMR, at least serves a purpose other than just being digital. To me, its biggest annoyance is having to update your list of ID's (ID number to call sign, etc). DMR offers far less distortion and space talk than D-Star and gives you the very real advantage of allowing two conversations on the same channel with no interference between them. The other digital modes, in my experience, have better audio quality than D-Star but about the only advantage I see with them over analog is being able to say that you are operating on digital (...whoopee...). Yeah, D-Star was created specifically for ham radio but it is a crappy sounding, outdated, mode IMHO. At the risk of being thought irreverent, I have often mused that Fukushima was probably God's judgment on Japan for creating D-Star.
For you QRP fans out there I see they have released the new icom 705 for about $1,300 dollars. But for about $450 dollars you can get a small lightweight QRP size Xiegu G90 transciever with internal antenna tuner that is so good it could probably tune up a head of lettuce, an antenna analyzer, a water fall, and up to 20 watts. However if you save up all your hard earned money, for and extra $850 more dollars you can actually get an icom 705 with no antenna tuner. ??? uh what did you say $850 dollars more of my hard earned money and NO ANTENNA TUNER. ??
@@K6UDA First let me say I really enjoy watching your reviews. Keep up the good work. Sure you can use my comment. God Bless and keep safe from that Chinese Communist Party Corona virus.
Icom should listen a people.... Yes, cw decoding in icom 7300 why not.... View extra lines in the software and is done. I don't wanna a extra software for it!
Ray has it right for sure. You want CW learn the dam code already its not that hard. The 7300 is old news now. On to the next thing 705 maybe a 7400 in the future.... Icom looks at things from a market point of view. What are we going to make money on? Sota guys are a minority we don't really care. Etc Etc....
my problem is all these different protocols do segregate radio users. Icom d star, Yaesu fusion, dmr, and whatever else is out there. There are dongles or whatever that allow some things to cross talk to others but not everyone talks to everyone and much of that is reliant on the internet. But when the internet goes down that doesn't work,.
I know if you get bored there is always something new. I learn a lot from watching yours and the other youtube hams. It really helped me reengage in our hobby. I enjoy outdoor portable ops on hf thanks Bob be safe
@2.55 'you get two talk-pads on dmr...' Errrm, carry on Ray... @10.00 'right now, the flavour of the year is dmr'... -ok, give you that one, but if you(Icom) realise it, why are you still pushing the overpriced, over-low bandwidth gmsk modulated signals just like my first Nokia used instead of rethinking corporate strategy while taking a piece of the dmr pie.. not profitable enough..? ;) @11.00 'we are going to sit there and support the direction that the JARL is wanting...' -That answers the previous question. Sit away & get comfy while waiting for the plummeted dstar sales figures to recover then... @12.00 'right now, the only way you can communicate to them is callsign routed' -unlike that pesky other mode you really dislike Ray ;) -I have a ex-donkey Ray, would you be able to sell it for me with commission negotiable..?
Icon 705 looks very flash but like everything Ham Radio related the manufacturers don't seem to listen to the end user, instead just doing what lines there pockets.. A portable all band Transceiver with no built in ATU is just stupid. The HS2 will be out soon and at a 1/3rd or possibly a 1/4 of the price has a built in ATU and also has all the Cellphone, internet and digital modes inter connection and operations under the sun. I was planning on buying the IC705 But think I will now see how the HS2 looks in practice.
@@K6UDA It's the Updated model from the Alliuance HS1 but instead of just covering HF and 6Mtrs it does VHF and UHF as well. It was due for release anyday but I think it may have been delayed by the virus. They have it down on special offer pre release on there site at the moment. It looks like a really good all band all mode SDR with built in Bluetooth and WiFi 30watts apparently. Would love to see a full review of one as it looks just the ticket for portable operations.
I'm sticking with good ole analog audio. Can't stand those digital modes. YUK! They sound terrible. Why would I want that when good ole FM is clean and clear with excellent bandwidth and quality. If I want a crappy sounding digital audio path then I'll use my cell phone. YUK! Give back my analog cell phone. I loved it. It didn't scramble words when signal was a little down.
I agree with all that Ray had to say, commercial radio can work in the Amateur world, but to use features made for the corporate end of those radios, it wrong. I think they are used by power hungry users, who really don't belong in Amateur radio.
all users should know whats in there code plugs not have them done for them . not only dmr but duel band radios should program them there selves and not be totally lazy and let some one else do it for them .
"i'm thinking about the ham community" ..buuuuut ... DSTAR radios are way more expensive than DRM radios. then open up the DSTAR IP and let others build cheap(er) DSTAR radios!
The D-STAR IP is open, one of the reasons Kenwood developed a D-STAR radio. The key thing to reduce costs is the volume of units. Since D-STAR was designed for Amateur Radio, it will not migrate to the Land Mobile industry, where hundreds of thousands are sold globally.
This was probably this best interview with Ray that I have seen. It was an honest assessment of the Amateur Radio market and candid response to questions about ICOM.
Thank you.
He certainly did discuss alot of other modes and implementation, i learned a good deal from this interview. Thanks.
Thanks Bob. Great interview. Appreciated hearing Ray's thoughts about D-Star and making it easier to experiment at the software level with radios starting with the IC-705.
This was great. Very substantive arguments and discussion.
Ray's a good dude. Every ham video he's in is informative.
You're a pretty solid guy yourself, Bob. I've gotten more info from your channel than so many others....keep it up!
Thanks.
Awesome interview, thank you for doing this for us.
Well Ray, I've had my ticket about 40 yrs, and I'm mostly a Collins S line, Henry kind of guy. So, and this D Star DMR stuff is all "beam me up Scotty" That being said I bought an ICOM IC-7300 about a year ago, AND I LOVE IT! I'm sure it does lots of cool stuff I have yet to discover. But, does EVERYTHING I want it to do, and the human interface is good enough that I can figure out how to do it. Three cheers for the 7300 and ICOM for making such wonderfully easy to use radio.
Thank you for the kind words. Greatly appreciated!
Such a great video thank you for sharing
I liked how when Ray was asked a question he didnt know the answer to, he was honest about it....started up guy right there
that is ray he always shoot straight with you no mattery what that is what i love about ray
Thank you.
I did enjoy this video. Thank you, Bob (and Ray) for your time and for sharing this information. See you in the next one. 73
Nice of Ray to spend sometime with you Bob. Great interview and take care.
Wow.so much truth in this segment . My 70 just arrived today . Due to both of you using this product on TH-cam. The answer is no I am not climbing that mountain without my cell phone . And I do have the app that decodes CW. Thanks guys , good stuff..
Another great video with a wealth of information. My first contact was on DSTAR and still use and enjoy it. Thanks Bob
Ray is such a down to earth guy. Great interview Bob! 73
I really can't wait to see what else they have in store for D-STAR. Very cool!
Bob fantastic interview I can't wait to see the rest of that interview with Ray.
Thanks, Bob and Ray!
I bought my 705 last summer, shortly after passing the General exam. It mostly sat in a storage box until last week. I had my first D-STAR QSOs, using Doozy on my laptop and operating off the dining table. I still haven't been out in the field or operated HF but I've a few antennae I've either bought or built and I'm going out Sunday to start playing with it. I've used DMR and written my own codeplugs but D-STAR, for reasons noted, makes more sense and is more fun for ham operations. 73 de KN6NPZ
What they're not mentioning is that when you buy your own DMR radio with your own programming software. You have the option to turn the stun/kill feature off. Those features have been available for years on a lot of commercial radios all the way back to analog radios.
Great interview. Im new to d-star and find it easier to use than DMR which I've used a few years. I also like the concept of D-star more than DMR
I use D-Star almost every day. I don't always talk, I often just like to listen and have it on in the background. The quality of the audio is just crazy :)
Sweet. Heard you on 30C two days ago. Funny listening to the groupies asking if it was really you. You have quite a few fans and I’m one of them. Awesome interview. BTW, I’m in line for a 705. Can’t wait.
Thanks. But like I always say, I’m just another guy in my shack playing with radios.
Very helpful as I am considering the IC-705. Thanks.
Good interview - first comment from First Bob thanks for doing this!!!
I have had zero contact with Icom DSTAR radios or Yaesu Fusion (C4FM)radios. I assume the digital modes/repeaters are incompatible. I have seen some radios advertised for DMR and Ham Radio. They did seem to be less expensive but less full featured than either ICOM or Yaesu xcvrs.
Seeing this video, I will investigate all three, but I was leaning toward the IC-705 in the winter this year and my first digital mode w/DStar t. I don't do any 2m/70cm work now but I do need a radio for that other than my FT-817.
Thanks for video.
Yep watched the first few minutes so far and 110% agree... if you going to use digital protocols in amateur radio, you really should understand them in depth, I have presented on this several times. Especially the benefits and learning/experimentation available in purpose built amateur protocols (D-Star, C4FM)
Bob & Ray in the same video! My two favorite Hams! Dave - KU9L
Informative interview. Did Ray happen to mention when the IC-705 will show up at retailers?
As of today, no new information. Maybe we can blame the virus.
What make was the Telescoping mast on the Rv shown in the first part of the Video with Rat Novak on 3-23-2020 from QuartzFest
That is a US Tower ALM-31.
Great interview, Bob.
Thank you sir.
Tried DMR for a year or so, mostly just to learn more about it. Found it to be a PITA for ham use. I also recently bought (and use) a YSF radio (FT-3DR), and like it, but YSF is nowhere near as versatile as D-STAR. Granted, my wife and I have been on D-STAR for six years and love it.
I have both D-Star and DMR (anytone 878) and prefer to use D-Star.
Why?
@@radiosification How to put it nicely. I bet it's the people.
DMR tends to attract a very specific 'genre' Where d-star is good hams :-)
@@spaceshipdev same here. also d* is more versatile I think
@@spaceshipdev And that's why I gave up on DMR.
@@knuckler269 Wouldn't be nice if Anytone Beta Tested its software and radios? As Bob so eloquently stated, Programming a Code Plug is a pain in the A**. The Anytone CPS and firmware updates are terrible
My Yaesu FT3D does photos without an external app or cell phone.
Great interview! Did Ray mention whether we’ll see a dstar “2.0” with higher quality audio codec in the same level as DMR? I’m not a huge DMR fan, but do like the audio quality and dual slot capability.
Nice interview, but please tell Ray that USB-C 3.2 supports some obscene charging levels, enough to quick charge a 20v laptop. The 2.1A limit is obsolete, that's the old USB2.0 standard.
RR
I've only had my license for a couple of years. First radio I got was an 868. I find writing DMR codeplugs very easy. I even program my Motos now. I want to try DStar. I've watched enough radios that I think it's finally sunk in on how to use it and set up your radio for it. Debating on what I want. I thought about a 5100 or 7100. Wish they had a color screen though. I like the bells and whistles. I mainly use 2M/70CM and DMR for now when I do use my radios. I can't really justify a 9700 but I'd sure love to have one.
But I probably won't be buying anything anytime soon though until I see which way the economy is going to go.
Enjoyed the video
Dapper Ribbit do any DMR radios have a Color Screen?
@@robertobeltramelli4138 I guess it depends on how you look at it. The AnyTone 878 has a color screen but the fonts imo need work.
I have moto stuff also 5550,xpr7550,sl7550 and they have color screens and they're nice but they're commercial radios so you don't get all the info like callsigns and location info that you do on other radios.
Bob, great interview with Ray. He had some good points. The idea of commonality/interoperability is very interesting. On the commercial side you have the P25 standard so all manufacturers play by common rules. It’s seems our side is like going through the “VHS/Betamax” time. Like Ray states, what say the next DMR example could be DMR Plus and we are left with a Betamax. Just my 2 cents. Love the show. Keepum coming.
Hi,informative video, especially because I have an Icom, learned a lot, interesting man,thanks from Rotterdam.
Wow. Obviously ICOM is hurting with the popularity of DMR. You asked the appropriate and respectful questions we have all been pondering.Your best work by far.
I would not say hurting, as D-STAR continues to grow each day with new users. But when you have masses of people using a land mobile protocol, it is much easier to get the attention of inexpensive manufacturers. What happens when those manufacturers go to a new protocol?
Thanks for the interview. Very informative. Keep us to date on the 705. Thinking I might have to have one.
Me too.
Another great show Bob.
I have a Ts590s but I do like the look of the icom
Some good information. Thank you for
Always love Ray
Thank you.
Can I connect my 9700 to ethernet and use D-Star with any reflector yet via Terminal Mode? Because I see people saying the 705 can do it, but I thought it was a REF function not a radio function. Thoughts?
Bob, great interview!!!
Thanks
My little Xiegu g90 got upgraded to a cw decoder without a problem, why not you Icom for the 7300?
I love Icom hardware, the ID51 is the best HT on the market and look how old it is! I wish Icom would do true APRS!! An ID51 with APRS would be killer.
www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/th-d74a/
great interview
Great interview Bob
having a cw decoder on the 7300 would be nice to help aid learning code, heck even when someone might be going too fast and you are having a hard time keeping up
dmb3428 with the bluetooth interface you can do it on your phone or tablet. Did you want to read CW on the screen of the 705? Does the 705 have a keyboard screen to type back your response?
good interview! I liked what Ray had to say about DSTAR.
Great interview
I own an IC9700. I would really like to see an update that allows me to connect to all of the D-Star reflectors via the ethernet connection. I shouldn't have to buy an Open Spot to be able to do this!
With the IC-705 will you able to get your audio and control the radio via the USB cable?
great interview good questions.7 3
If the big manufacturers don’t incorporate DMR into their radios, the market will remain fragmented. DMR is not protected by patent. There is no harm to their market share if all the radio makers include it. They will never give up their own proprietary systems. The problem seems to be the manufacturers don’t realize that the users control the market not them.
they want to sell their stuff and hook you, but they are so many dmr manufacturers and even used repeaters are many on ebay
DMR folks like cheap radios, Icom does not sell Cheap Radios.
@@robertobeltramelli4138 icom is the only one that dont have DMR they jut want you on their system . Kenwood, Vertex(yaesu), Motorola, Alinco, Harris, Tait and almost everyone have DMR radios
And i start to see lots of old motorola dmr repeaters on ebay. Ao that happens when the repeatera become even cheaper people will buy them. But you cant beat the yaesu fussion 400$ dualband repeater. People buy it even just for the analog price :D
So Ray was alluding to talking to the radio with WiFi or Bluetooth via our cellphone. CW interface would be an app?
That’s what I got.
Bob - I'm surious...what camera are you using? One of the best podcast images i've seen. tnx es 73, Dick AB0CD..
I use a Cannon M50 and a Sony RX100 mk7. Thank you.
There are NO D-Star Repeaters within 75 miles of me. Meanwhile, there are dozens of Fusion and DMR repeaters within 25 miles of my home. Tells me everything I need to know.
Probably why you need a hotspot and solve that distance problem.
And probably fusion is there because of the great pricing. It was a steal at one point
Todor Tihomirov the closest fusion Repeater is 22 miles.
@@smithsterj i just wanted to say that they almost gave them away and the are as cheap as a radio
I had a neighbor that blew out my New Home entertainment speakers by keying up on his homemade amp for his CB radio. The cool thing is chatting with Australians on his rig and mystery wooden box from Federal Way, WA in 1996
When Icom, Yaesu, and Kenwood digital radio's can talk to each other, when I don't need a third party to use Ham Radio, and when the digital
voice quality is as good or better than wide FM, THAT is when I buy a digital Ham Radio.
Soon, perhaps, will be enough repeaters for the networking, d-star, *-link, etc. to reach quality of commercial level, not monetization or profit, for ham.
I have a question, when is Icom going to make a 200 watt moblie? Kenwood has had one out for years. Hmm 🙄
Hmmm. I don’t know. If I ran the company there would be one now.
@@K6UDA I'm a Icom guy but have the TS-480HX in the mobile. What a difference running 200 over a 10 or 100 watt radio. It's just not 1db better it's a huge difference. I know I've had all kinds of different rigs in there and 200 watts just destroys the rest. 😁
I'm going to be redundant: Great interview. Around my neck of the wheat fields, DMR and C4FM (Fusion) are the flavors of the month, so D-Star is of little use for me.
I really like D-STAR. DMR is ok. P-25 was fun before all the cross mode stuff started.
Said this once being about the Icom IC-705...Almost twice the size of the KX2 odds are a little more heavy then a KX2 and even bigger then the KX3 at some points..KX2 5.8”W x 2.8”H x 1.5”D...KX3 7.4"W x 3.4"H x 1.7"D...IC-705 7.9W x 3.1H x 3.3D..I'm betting no tuner option will be part of it ether..so lets see what we get..2m 70cm..my HT does it..band scope..Didnt the Xiegu radios already do that??And not really needed in portable ops in my book...10 watts...KX2 does it already..My KX3 does around 18 watts off my 12v battery..DStar..Most are using ether a Kenwood or Icom HT if they want DStar portable anyways..So just what did they give us that make this such a game changer???...Not hating on Icom but just pointing out some much needed facts before everyone creams their jeans over this thing and makes it out to be the biggest thing to ever hit the ham radio market..I'm sure it will be a nice radio..Icom makes some nice radios but game changer??I'm sorry but not really all people are making it out to be in my book....
Call Sign routing needs to be allowed to work when a hotspot is tethered to a cellphone and not just on a home network. I never can get a clear answer as of why this doesn’t work.
so frustrating to have Micro-USB but not USB-C in 2020!!
USB-C may very easy deliver up to 45W
DMR does work better for commercial, even public safety use. IPSC is a very robust protocol that provides great multi repeater coverage. But voice is where it shines. Tons of Fusion here, D-Star there's nothing within 100 miles or more.
Thanks dude
Disabling the stun or kill function in DMR is as simple as deselecting a checkbox in the CPS. Actually, in the Hytera CPS that come with my radio, it was already deselected, as was the encryption option. So this is just FUD, in my opinion.
D-STAR does have some advantages over DMR such as the transmitting the call sign in every transmission, without the need for a static ID to call sign table being loaded into the radio. Features like this is what I would emphasize, not some commercial feature that the DMR protocol supports but no one in the ham community uses.
FUD aside, I do look forward to buying an ID-4100A soon and experimenting with D-STAR.
Phil, the point of discussing that is many hams do not know about these features, and many of the early radios had these enabled. I think you will enjoy the ID-4100A.
The Alinco DJ-MD5 DMR HT, can be Programmed with a Commuter, and also have a ICOM IC52A D-Star HT, which I like it Much More then DMR,
D-Star is only 6.25 Khz Wide, unlike DMR and Fusion, this is 15 Khz Wide,
Much more Spectrum efficient, it be nice to have Terminal Mode on Bluetooth, Both ICOM 705 and the ICOM IC52A, this way I be able to Use it Wireless,
Cool interview, nice guy. In my opinion wrong on DMR. DMR is so common. It'll last. The amateur radio operators alone are a huge market. But fully understandable from an icom perspective.
But still no internal antenna tuner..........
Qrp folk often use resonant antenna I dont need a built in atu
I'm waiting for someone to develop a 2.0 version for improved audio, ALL of these modes sound like Steven Hawking and R2D2 had a love child. If I can't recognize my buddy's voice until he ID's, it's pretty useless to me.
How do you get an ICOM shirt, like that.
Work for Icom would be a start.
Theres a few people I wouldn't mind stunning or killing their radios LOL
Icom really had a chance. But what they did was a collosal stupid mistake of epic proportions. What they did
was just took their icom 7300 and “dumbed it down” by removing the internal
antenna tuner which is the stupidest thing anybody could’ve done in the world
just so they could shrink the size of the radio and gave it the new name of
icom 705. But what they have done is they were close so close to the brass ring
and could have had one great QRP radio. But Nooo. What they did by removing the
internal antenna tuner thus dumbing down their radio and thus left the door
wide open and guess what. Xiegu an upstart new company that wants to go places
just walks right in With their smaller new G 90 “with” an internal antenna
tuner and a waterfall and one of the coolest SWR’s That can easily diagnosed
antenna problems. And the price is a fraction of what icom wants. And walks off
with the prize and leaves icom eating their dust. Icom had the chance and they
just dropped the ball and fell flat on their qrp faces. Whoever in their
company that decided to remove the internal Antenna tuner and everyone that let
them get away with it was the stupidest move Icome has ever made in their
history. Icom should be out right ashamed but they are going to pay through the
nose because Xiegu’s new G 90 is going to walk off with their lunch. Let me add
an additional note here. Every radio I own is icom.
I love icom but I have to be honest. Icom has absolutely been hoisted by their own petard by leaving that
internal antenna tuner out. Opening the door for Xiegu g90 to walk right over
them.
I agree. I own G90 an keep getting free firmware updates adding new and enhanced features for FREE. $400 and I hav160m-10m rig 1-20W that I can power with LiPo batery @ 9AmpHrs, fairly portable. ATU and nice SDR waterfall to boot.. I really was hopign to bu y iCom as new General.. but G90 was batter value . Also a DMR Anytone 878 owner and FT-70d owner. No Dstar in our update NY area, but C4fm and DMR..why?
fyi your like one of two that has content newer than 2 years old, was there a fight to the finish among ham users I didn't hear about?
I'll just wait for the 100 watt version of the 705 to replace the 7100 on the SUV.
This was a strange, misguided conversation. I know there are fanboys for each protocol, but the adversarial attitude is unnecessary. Yeasu System Fusion was created solely for amateur use and was never intended to be a commercial product. This isn't mentioned. Codec2 and FreeDV are American based innovations are not mentioned and are ignored because hams can't get on Amazon and buy a $90 radio today. I have a CW decoder in my Xiegu radio, so why it isn't in Icom providing it? The IC-705 will be way overpriced for most non-fanboy operators!
Why can you carry the radio on your back like the GIs during WWII with the antenna attached and a telephone style handset.
You can if you want to.
i have ailunce hd1 and you can use it without computer, and i program it my self
In the early days of DSTAR I was all excited and thought (hoped) that it would catch on in my area, it didn't. Icom severely overpriced the radios and shot themselves in the foot. They've also made the mistake of trying to reinvent the ID-51A one too many times. And asking $99 for the high capacity battery for that radio was the icing on the cake. I've been out of the hobby now for about seven years and will probably never go back. Thanks Icom!
You know there’s plenty more to play with in this hobby.
Christ, I have zero interest in DMR, D-Star, 2 meters or FreakQuartzFest for that matter. But for some reason, and I can't explain why, I enjoyed this video. It was very pleasant... and making watchable vids isn't no (I'll leave that to prove my ignorance) joke. You're good at it and I enjoy them all even if they piss me off. Hey wait- that's your methodology and I know it and I'm still not immune. OOps.. touchy word these days. 73 OM Mr. UDA
CW decoding can be done by logging software, so I am not surprised Icom has declined on doing this. As a lifelong CW op, I do not see the need for it. But, I recognize some do need it. I am more interested in Icom making CAT interface much easier and bullet proof away from the CI-V protocol to more USB/Bluetooth based communication.
Back in 07, when D-Star was first getting traction in my area, I purchased several Icom D-Star radios with boards for myself, family, and a friend. On simplex, the audio quality was outstanding. When the first repeaters came up in my area, audio quality through the repeaters was noticeably diminished. When these repeaters were linked through the network, audio quality sounded like crap. Registering on the network, while kind of dumb, was not terrible. You had to contact a networked repeater's owner and have them put you in the database as I seem to recall. Nowadays, the registration process as I understand it involves multiple steps and is ridiculously, unnecessarily, cumbersome. Why this is, I do not know.
Of the digital modes I have used (D-Star, P-25, Astro, DMR, and Fusion), D-Star by far has the crappiest audio and is the most prone to "space talk", other noise, and distortion. Not using it to send data, I see no use or advantage to it, other than to say I am "using digital" (...whoopee...) and that it will display your callsign and negate the need for voice ID when transmitting.
DMR, at least serves a purpose other than just being digital. To me, its biggest annoyance is having to update your list of ID's (ID number to call sign, etc). DMR offers far less distortion and space talk than D-Star and gives you the very real advantage of allowing two conversations on the same channel with no interference between them.
The other digital modes, in my experience, have better audio quality than D-Star but about the only advantage I see with them over analog is being able to say that you are operating on digital (...whoopee...).
Yeah, D-Star was created specifically for ham radio but it is a crappy sounding, outdated, mode IMHO. At the risk of being thought irreverent, I have often mused that Fukushima was probably God's judgment on Japan for creating D-Star.
For you QRP fans out there I see they have released the new icom 705 for about $1,300 dollars. But for about $450 dollars you can get a small lightweight QRP size Xiegu G90 transciever with internal antenna tuner that is so good it could probably tune up a head of lettuce, an antenna analyzer, a water fall, and up to 20 watts. However if you save up all your hard earned money, for and extra $850 more dollars you can actually get an icom 705 with no antenna tuner. ??? uh what did you say $850 dollars more of my hard earned money and NO ANTENNA TUNER. ??
I feel ya. Can I use your comment for a video?
@@K6UDA First let me say I really enjoy watching your reviews. Keep up the good work. Sure you can use my comment. God Bless and keep safe from that Chinese Communist Party Corona virus.
Icom should listen a people.... Yes, cw decoding in icom 7300 why not.... View extra lines in the software and is done. I don't wanna a extra software for it!
I don't want to just stun their radio I want to stun them!
Ray has it right for sure. You want CW learn the dam code already its not that hard. The 7300 is old news now. On to the next thing 705 maybe a 7400 in the future.... Icom looks at things from a market point of view. What are we going to make money on? Sota guys are a minority we don't really care. Etc Etc....
my problem is all these different protocols do segregate radio users. Icom d star, Yaesu fusion, dmr, and whatever else is out there. There are dongles or whatever that allow some things to cross talk to others but not everyone talks to everyone and much of that is reliant on the internet. But when the internet goes down that doesn't work,.
I could careless about d star. I enjoy icoms hf products.
And that’s why this hobby is so great.
I know if you get bored there is always something new. I learn a lot from watching yours and the other youtube hams. It really helped me reengage in our hobby. I enjoy outdoor portable ops on hf thanks Bob be safe
@2.55 'you get two talk-pads on dmr...' Errrm, carry on Ray...
@10.00 'right now, the flavour of the year is dmr'...
-ok, give you that one, but if you(Icom) realise it, why are you still pushing the overpriced, over-low bandwidth gmsk modulated signals just like my first Nokia used instead of rethinking corporate strategy while taking a piece of the dmr pie.. not profitable enough..? ;)
@11.00 'we are going to sit there and support the direction that the JARL is wanting...' -That answers the previous question. Sit away & get comfy while waiting for the plummeted dstar sales figures to recover then...
@12.00 'right now, the only way you can communicate to them is callsign routed' -unlike that pesky other mode you really dislike Ray ;)
-I have a ex-donkey Ray, would you be able to sell it for me with commission negotiable..?
Icon 705 looks very flash but like everything Ham Radio related the manufacturers don't seem to listen to the end user, instead just doing what lines there pockets.. A portable all band Transceiver with no built in ATU is just stupid. The HS2 will be out soon and at a 1/3rd or possibly a 1/4 of the price has a built in ATU and also has all the Cellphone, internet and digital modes inter connection and operations under the sun.
I was planning on buying the IC705 But think I will now see how the HS2 looks in practice.
Never heard of the HS2. What is it? Who makes it?
@@K6UDA It's the Updated model from the Alliuance HS1 but instead of just covering HF and 6Mtrs it does VHF and UHF as well. It was due for release anyday but I think it may have been delayed by the virus.
They have it down on special offer pre release on there site at the moment. It looks like a really good all band all mode SDR with built in Bluetooth and WiFi 30watts apparently. Would love to see a full review of one as it looks just the ticket for portable operations.
I'm sticking with good ole analog audio. Can't stand those digital modes. YUK! They sound terrible. Why would I want that when good ole FM is clean and clear with excellent bandwidth and quality. If I want a crappy sounding digital audio path then I'll use my cell phone. YUK! Give back my analog cell phone. I loved it. It didn't scramble words when signal was a little down.
He is just trying to make dstar look good because he works for them. If I worked for any ham radio company I would say my product.
15 seconds and demonetized!
I agree with all that Ray had to say, commercial radio can work in the Amateur world, but to use features made for the corporate end of those radios, it wrong. I think they are used by power hungry users, who really don't belong in Amateur radio.
You really think Dstar is any easier to program than DMR? lol.
Much easier. the modern radios come preprogrammed with all the D-Star repeaters on them.
all users should know whats in there code plugs not have them done for them . not only dmr but duel band radios should program them there selves and not be totally lazy and let some one else do it for them .
What happened to just saying "The Virus"? Lol!
It works better when he is in the dim room and the green lights come on as he says "The Virus".
He talks out the both sides of his mouth.
"i'm thinking about the ham community" ..buuuuut ... DSTAR radios are way more expensive than DRM radios. then open up the DSTAR IP and let others build cheap(er) DSTAR radios!
He's a salesman so...
The D-STAR IP is open, one of the reasons Kenwood developed a D-STAR radio. The key thing to reduce costs is the volume of units. Since D-STAR was designed for Amateur Radio, it will not migrate to the Land Mobile industry, where hundreds of thousands are sold globally.