I hadn't heard of the fx4a, had to look it up. Haven't seen any reviews except previews. Does it exist? I like the tiny size, but 40-17 meters would bug me. i would miss 80 and 10, and probably wouldn't use 17 or 30. But that's just me. As to the 703, I have no info on it, except that if it's like the 706, it might not like to run on batteries. It was the Icoms that I remember having trouble with a narrow voltage range requirement...but maybe the 703 doesn't have that problem. And I like Icoms, have an HT and a receiver that I love. And I'd bet that the 703 could be smaller/lighter than the 817. For a 5w radio the 817 seems pretty heavy. But I know a couple of guys that have them, and they seem pretty cool.
Picking a new dual band
- Thread starter kenaiking
- Start date
The 703 is about the same weight as the 817 but has way more features. Runs on batteries no problem and it still draws pretty low current. It has a better receiver, larger faceplate with more display options, built in antenna tuner and is 10 watts. It can be run from 9.6V to 16V (I think). I will know bit more about it in a couple weeks as it just became my first HF unit 
I think I am going to switch it up though and go with a LNR Trail Friendly Antenna and an Alex Loop.
The FX4A replaced the FX4 so there are a few around. I would still like to try one for SOTA stuff but you are right it is very limited on its bands. But at less than a pound and super low current draw it would be handy. If it was a couple hundred bucks I would be way more willing to experiment with it.
I think I am going to switch it up though and go with a LNR Trail Friendly Antenna and an Alex Loop.
The FX4A replaced the FX4 so there are a few around. I would still like to try one for SOTA stuff but you are right it is very limited on its bands. But at less than a pound and super low current draw it would be handy. If it was a couple hundred bucks I would be way more willing to experiment with it.
Well I finally got everything installed so I guess I better update the thread
I was not able to mount an antenna on the roof due to having to park in a garage everyday. I was kinda stumped on where to mount the antenna especially because Toyota says to keep them as far away from the trucks computer as possible. After some thread hunting I found the BAMF CB antenna mount. It attaches to the inside of the bed and extends to the outside of the truck. BAMF was kind enough to drill it out for a NMO mount as well. I think it's a good compromise area on the truck.
The body of the Icom I mounted in the glove box with 3m VHB. It worked extremely well and allowed me to run all the wires under the center console. I mounted the face of the radio with a Lido LM700 mount and ran the wire through a hole I drilled by the cup holder. I used Velcro to attach the face to the Lido mount for now but I may change that up to some earth magnets. I wanted it to be easy to disconnect the face to prevent theft.
I am still waiting for my speaker to show up so for now I ran the line out into my aux input on the stereo. There is a bit of alternator wine this way but I haven't got around to grounding and bonding the truck.
As for the radio I like it so far. It is easy to use and sounds great (like most Icoms).
I was not able to mount an antenna on the roof due to having to park in a garage everyday. I was kinda stumped on where to mount the antenna especially because Toyota says to keep them as far away from the trucks computer as possible. After some thread hunting I found the BAMF CB antenna mount. It attaches to the inside of the bed and extends to the outside of the truck. BAMF was kind enough to drill it out for a NMO mount as well. I think it's a good compromise area on the truck.
The body of the Icom I mounted in the glove box with 3m VHB. It worked extremely well and allowed me to run all the wires under the center console. I mounted the face of the radio with a Lido LM700 mount and ran the wire through a hole I drilled by the cup holder. I used Velcro to attach the face to the Lido mount for now but I may change that up to some earth magnets. I wanted it to be easy to disconnect the face to prevent theft.
I am still waiting for my speaker to show up so for now I ran the line out into my aux input on the stereo. There is a bit of alternator wine this way but I haven't got around to grounding and bonding the truck.
As for the radio I like it so far. It is easy to use and sounds great (like most Icoms).
Well I was able to pass the extra last night and it reminded me about this post so I figured I would update this.
I have been running this for about a month now with excellent results. I get excellent reports and my received signals are always very strong. I was worried with the placement of the antenna but so far so good. I also mounted an external speaker into the little change cubby on the tacoma. It is the perfect spot nice and out of the way but still giving really good sound.
So far I really like the IC-2730. It is very easy to use, easy to program, and rugged. Only thing I haven't figured out is where to mount my mic. The Icom sticky mounts keep falling off
I have been running this for about a month now with excellent results. I get excellent reports and my received signals are always very strong. I was worried with the placement of the antenna but so far so good. I also mounted an external speaker into the little change cubby on the tacoma. It is the perfect spot nice and out of the way but still giving really good sound.
So far I really like the IC-2730. It is very easy to use, easy to program, and rugged. Only thing I haven't figured out is where to mount my mic. The Icom sticky mounts keep falling off
