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Product Preview - The IC-718 HF All Mode Transceiver

Radio communication company, Icom (UK) Ltd, are pleased to announce details of the forthcoming IC-718 HF all mode transceiver. Aimed as an entry-level product, the IC-718 continues all the traditions of high quality engineering that you would expect from Icom. Conveniently sized and easy to operate, the IC-718 utilises all the latest RF and digital technology and is designed to be one of the most practical rigs ever. Officially launching at the Dayton Hamvention in May 2000 the IC-718 is a worthy addition to the Icom amateur range.

The IC-718 offers an excellent overall specification coupled with ease of use. The first thing that strikes you about the IC-718 is its similarity to the IC-R75 and more importantly that the speaker is mounted on the front panel of the transceiver. With the speaker facing the operator audio can now be more clearly heard during operation.

The IC-718 features a clean 100-Watts transmitter for SSB and CW and a built in electronic keyer for CW and 40 watts output on AM. As you would expect, an all mode, general coverage receiver is built in and covers 30kHz -29.999 MHz. A newly designed PLL circuit has been adopted to improve Signal / Noise ratio characteristics. This combined with a 4-element system mixer ensures truly superior performance.

The IC-718 is equipped with a minimum number of switches and controls for ease of use. For example, the 10-key pad on the front panel allows you to directly enter an operating frequency, or access a memory channel. All popular operating modes are offered; USB, LSB, CW, RTTY (FSK) and AM, in addition there is a level adjustable noise blanker, a variety of scanning functions as well as a hand microphone and electronic keyer as standard.

The auto tuning steps function speeds up tuning through the bands but only activates when turning the dial quickly. The band stacking register ensures that you always return to the last used frequency when changing bands.

To reject interference, the IC-718 has an IF shift function which shifts the centre frequency of the IF passband electronically to reduce nearby interference. A microphone compressor ensures really punchy audio to get your signal through in difficult operating conditions. The compression level is easily adjustable from the front panel. This function really makes a difference when propagation conditions are poor. RF gain control is combined with the squelch control. The RF gain adjusts minimum response receiver gain and improves reception on the noisier bands. An electronic keyer with a variable dot/dash ratio control is built in. The CW pitch is variable from 300-900 Hz and the keyer speed goes up to 60 wpm! Full break in capability is available with an adjustable break-in delay.

The IC-718 has a total of 101 memory channels, which stores operating frequency and mode. The IC-718 has a number of options available to enhance the model including UT-106 DSP unit to further improve receiver performance, CR-338 High Stability Crystal improve the frequency stability to within +/-. 5ppm, UT-102 voice synthesiser, which gives the IC-718 a clear electronically generated voice etc.

Ian Lockyer, Marketing Executive at Icom (UK) Ltd said,' We are hoping that the IC-718 will be with us in July. My first impressions of the product is that it has a wide range of superior features whilst retaining a unique flexibility. I feel that this product will provide further evidence that there is an Icom product for everyone in our wide portfolio.'

Icom UK Marketing - marketing@icomuk.co.uk