We've been getting loads of info on new raios coming out next Q1.
For starters, there's Yaesu's new FTX-1F. I'll let Peter explain this one:
Plus side: There's a lot to like in this one. I love the display, for starters.It really is a nice looking unit.,
They designed this thing for field duty. The folks at Yaesu observed the rise of POTA, SOTA and so on and put together a design that will shine in that environment. ... a huge battery inside which means you can run for quite a while without external power. Just get to your POTA site, string up your end fed or what have you, hook up, and go.... for hours.
Personally I wouldn't look twice at the thing, because I don't do QRP, (it only does 6w on the battery and 10 if you've got an external supply) nor do I do anything much outside the shack, on HF. I'll work POTA stations all day long, and help them get their contacts, but I don't actually DO POTA. To each his own.
Still, I can't deny I like the look of the thing. I will tell you what, though.... Get the power to 100 w or better, and all mode and put it into this package with this display, and I'll be standing in line, with a kilobuck plus in my hand, to replace my beloved 991a. Truthfully, there's not much that would cause me to give up the 991a. And I have to admit if I was to do POTA for whatever, I'd be looking seriously at this one.... it is specifically designed for that kind of work.
Downside: QRP. Not my brand of beer.
Downside.... the multi-layered menu structure. No, I've not seen it in action, (who has, at this point?) but it's got to be that way given he dearth of controls as you can see in the pic. I got around this issue with WIN4YAESU some time back. Puts all the controls out front. But in a small package designed for field duty, you're going to need to make some compromises.
Downside: No internal tuner. This one is a bit edgy... most folks will be running EFHW's or similar and won't need the tuner. Some folks will, or simply feel uncomfortable running that way.Yeah, they could have put one in but only at the expense of the better size, and therefore the amount of available operating hours per charge. (mitigating factor.... the tuner is available as a tack on along with a cooing fan, for those will run higher density modes such as FT8. Yaesu apparently figures if you're running in those modes you're going to be packing a laptop or perhaps a Arduino or something, so the added external size won't be much of an issue. They're probably right.
Conclusions: It'll be popular with the field day/POTA/SOTA crowd, no doubt.
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The other new box is the ICOM 7760.
Well, as you can see, it's actually Boxes, plural, with a control head you can separate
from the RF deck.
Indeed, at Icom says:
The IC-7760 offers a new “innovative Shack Style” consisting a full control head with separate RF deck, connected through a control cable for greater installation flexibility. The supplied control cable is 3 m, 9.8 ft long, and by using a commercially available LAN cable, the RF deck can be installed in a more remote location. Furthermore, the control head and RF deck can be connected through a wired home LAN connection for remote operation. This simple configuration does not require a PC, and can be easily operated from nearly anywhere in the home as long as a LAN connection is available.
Here's a post Tokyo rundown on the unit:
Impressive. It just doesn't have 2m/70cm, as the 991 and the FTX-1F do. I personally find the addition of VHF/UHF in new rigs attractive... and for a premium rig like this cannot understand the thinking behind not including them.
(Although I personally am annoyed that nobody seems to want to include 220MHz, we all know why... it's only available in ITU region 2. As a result, the market isn't large enough to support it's inclusion. I suspect the 4m band in Europe will suffer the same fate as the 1.25m band here in the states..... But, I digress)
For a lot of folks, the Flex radio is their dream rig. This has enough similar features, and if the build quality is up to Icom's usual standards this thing is going to turn some heads.
I'm not sure on the availability of either of these boxes short term, but estimate they'll have them out by Q1 2025.
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