I had an FT-818nd which I loved as a portable radio but wanted something that could do digital modes without needing something like a SignaLink and external GPS. The IC-705 ticked these boxes but had a heafty price tag! So time for the FT-818nd and FT-857d to go.
The IC-705 arrived nicely boxed, there are plenty of unboxing video’s out there so not going to bother to describe the contents, my only complaint was there was no Icom Sticker, yeah I know its the little things.
I installed the battery, plugged in the mic and connected an antenna and mains power and fired it up. It looks very similar to the IC-7300 which I have as a base HF station. The interface was easy to use and I started to listen to calls. Didn’t bother to try and get out on HF SSB from my QTH as its urban and a bit of noise so my 10 Watts is not going to do that much. I did connect my 2M slimjim and made some contacts on 2M so was very happpy with that.
