• SFI = 189 A = 5 K = 1
• IC-M710 - set up serial control and my own Python control panel - modelled somewhat loosely on the Skanti TRP series control panel

The IC-M710 is a marine HF radio - SSB/CW/FSK - up to 150W. It's tuned by selecting pre-programmed channels, with separate RX & TX frequencies. There is no VFO tuning as we'd use it on the amateur bands - and this makes it awkward to use.

(There's a MIC plugged in mainly because the RX audio loops via 2 pins in the mic, so unless it's plugged in, or the link is made in another way, there's no RX audio!)

I wrote a few different control programs in Python to make things a bit easier. This one seems to work ok. There's also a user-programmable bank of presets - presets can be added from the main control panel by pressing the Store button.

• if I offset the RX tuning by +200Hz I can get a more pleasant 800Hz resolved CW tone.
• I'll do something in the code to do this automatically when CW mode is selected.
• 30m
  • Heard CQ from SM5OMP and replied - with 60W from the IC-M710 & BVp
  • QSO with SM5OMP - Georgios - Skaerblacka - BVp - RSt
• Using the M710 isn't going to be a frequent operation, but it's fun to do something different. There's no narrow CW filter - so it's 3kHz wide. The QSK works nicely though.

The desktop with both M710 windows open:

• Period 2 : 2015z
• IC-M710 @ 60W
• 30m : CQ call 10123kHz
  • Answered by ON4KCD - Claude - Liege - BVp/BVc - RSt+ - Age 63, ham 40 years, Begali key
• Discovered major drawback with IC-M710 - not “single signal” CW reception due to SSB filter and the position of the BFO - during QSO on 10123kHz heard strong signal from 2E0ISD on 10121kHz. Not good in crowded bands - I think using IC-M710 for CW is a bit of a dead loss, really. I've come to this conclusion every time I try it. Time to accept it, and move on.
• Back to the IC-7200…..
• CQ
  • Called by EA1ARW - Luis - nr Burgos - BVc - RCh - Age 46 - Nice long chat about keys, cooties, paddles, homemade keys, noise, QTHs, Summer & Winter in Shetland etc. Luis is on vacation away from his home QTH's urban noise and enjoying the bands noise-free.