Price of everything’s going up even secondhand cars. Our car’s now worth over £1,000 more than what we paid for it last year. I was in the market for an Acom amp for Xmas - price has gone up by £400 overnight - you can forget it. They’re putting down to a shortage of semi-conductors and lack of drivers. Certainly a shortage of semi-conductors - I struggled to get a couple of shift registers and a 555 time at work the other week!!
1 Like
HRO replied to my query: An order placed for a TX-500 now won’t likely be fulfilled until mid-January.
1 Like
I’ve had my TX-500 for a couple of weeks now and thought I’d post a quick update on my thoughts so far.
As you may know I don’t have any hills nearby so haven’t activated with it yet, but have done quite a lot of chasing. I wanted to get a feel for how it would work in poor weather, so have done a few sessions chasing with the sota antenna and TX-500 in the back garden. Temperature was around 3degC on the last couple of occasions, cold enough to need gloves.
Its worked out very well, the user interface on this radio is excellent. Easy to use with gloves on, and the display has always been very readable without taking any precautions (admittedly we haven’t had much sun, but enough to indicate its unlikely to be a problem). I’ve grown to like the GX12 connectors - they are very quick to attach+remove with a quick spin of the locking ring.
Bought some spare connectors and will be making up better key cable as the supplied cable feels too thin - one clumsy cable trip I’m sure will break it. Otherwise everthing else feels really good. The tuning knob turns smoothly with just enough weight and friction, no adverse effects at 3deg C.
I’m amazed how it appears to sip power - my LiFePo4 battery hardly seems to need much charging after hours on receive. I’ll make up a breakout cable soon to measure it properly, but its very noticeable the battery needs much less charging than after using the IC-705.
My intention is to use the IC-705 as my home radio and for data modes where it excels. The noise reduction works much better on the 705; I don’t use it on the TX-500 as it sounds horrible, but its not a noisy radio anyway. But so far I’ve been reaching for the TX-500 first as I just like the user interface and feel of the controls better - I’ll let you know if that changes after the ‘new radio’ syndrome has worn off 
So thats a few thoughts after a couple of weeks, its definitely a keeper.
73,
Jonathan
6 Likes
I think I have used mine enough in the last two months to make a comment or two.
It arrived very quickly indeed. and was on test very shortly. It took me a while to locate spare GX12 connectors; as soon as they arrived I wired up a pair of spare power leads (no internal battery to fall back on) and a variant of the headset/ptt adaptor I use with the KX3. Essential spares for multi-day trips.
A quick look around the shack/workshop revealed a plastic case just the right length and depth and wide enough for the T1 AMU as well - not as neat as the one I found for the KX3 but providing good protection - not that I think it really needs it. The case goes in a jiffybag to protect the waterproofs etc in the sack from the hard plastic case.
Seager Hill, G/WB-022, is a short drive and very short walk, so off we went on a not very nice day - but its waterproof so why worry. That has been my greatest benefit after a rather paranoid approach to the KX3 in bad weather.
Half a dozen contacts on 60m with varying reports, including suggestions of RF in the audio. (I now keep the T1 at arms length from the TX500 which seems to be better.) On 40m with 19 contacts the comments were more favourable and reports mostly 59 58 or better! Then a couple of quick contacts with the HH on 2m as Ian and Esther,AZA/B, were on May Hill, G/WB-019 (1 point towards Ian’s recent MG 
) and then home for lunch well satisfied with the new radio.
The TX500 has now been on 19 activations resulting in 325 contacts in the log and I have got very cold and fairly wet using it without detectable effect on the radio. (EDIT - the conditions do seem to have killed my phone battery.)
Points of concern:-
the ptt switch lead is very light and seems vulnerable - however it did survive being pulled fairly hard to extract it from a clump of heather. (It did not come as I was standing on it 
) I am not confident in it and still carry the speaker/mike supplied - just in case.
the connectors are stiff and difficult to extract with cold hands. I have considered leaving them in place (but then there is the effect on the emerging cable to consider.)
In conclusion, I am very happy with the TX500 to the extent that Vicki, M6BWA/P, is asking what I am going to do with the KX3 
EDIT - this is not a request for suggestions 
73,
Rod
11 Likes
Sell it and buy an IC705
Why would I even consider doing that?
73,
Rod
3 Likes
Because you wouldn’t buy a KX2 as you have a fine business HF radio in the TX500. So to cover 2m/70cms and do data effortlessly the 705 is obviously what you want to buy. It’s not rocket science 
The system does not work like that - I borrow 2m and 70cm.
Rod
2 Likes
Hi Rod…Don’t show this to Viki😁
1 Like
You don’t really get this radio lark do you Rod. One’s aim in life is to have more shiny things than you can really use. If you were doing the pursuit of shiny things properly you would keep the KX3 and buy a 705 as well. 
4 Likes
I have got past that stage
One really nice shiny job and then downsize the rest - still thinking about stage 2.
73,
Rod
PS - I shall now cease my part in the hijack - apologies 
2 Likes
Well I may get there one day but right now owning more shiny is why I still go to work and haven’t retired. Well we want a new kitchen so I may as well work long enough to pay for that then stop. Just mulling over how to buy a V12 car that wont bankrupt me now I’m down to just 1 vehicle again. I should really buy an electric car instead. But sadly electric cars have as much emotion to them as a milk float! So a V12 (or if I go down market a W12) will have to do.
Anyway, it’s good to know that most TX500 owners are happy with the purchase.
1 Like
You could save money and buy a V10 car. That presents a few nice options! Just think what you could do with all that dosh you didn’t waste on 2 extra cylinders…
I had a shot of a top of the range Tesla (not mine!) acceleration is mind blowing, easily outstrips Porsche and other boys’ toys
2 Likes
Yes they do go fast and accelerate amazingly but they don’t make the right noises. Years of equating noise to performance has to be unlearnt. So they have none of the emotion inducing effects of hearing a Columbo V12 being revved, or the distictive sound of Audi’s I5 or even the simple rumble of a large American cross-plane crank V8 at idle.
A chap at work has a Tesla 3 dual motor and it’s almost as fast as the boss’ McLaren 600LT. Just I know which drives the emotion. And as I said before, if I spent as much as a Tesla costs I’d expect the panel fit to be such that it didn’t look like Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and The Blind Boys of Alabama had assembled it. Hell even Dacia can get consistent panel fit!
3 Likes
But with the money you save on fuel Andy (after you’ve paid off the Tesla of course), you could invest in a suitable ghetto blaster system and play (as loud as you want) a sound effect to suit the occasion (anything from a tame V12, through express trains, concorde to the USSS Enterprise hitting warp drive). The universe is yours…
3 Likes
I still remember the “whoosh” of Parnelli Jones driving the turbine car at the 1967 Indy 500. He led the whole race until a gearbox failure with eight miles to go.
Indy would have been all turbines, but they changed the rules to favor piston engines. They also outlawed four wheel drive. So much for racing driving innovation. We might have all been driving whooshmobiles.
wunder
Only 18 years after Rover’s JET1
1 Like
A friend of mine found the perfect case for his TX500. Nintendo Switch case. It was on sale for $10 when he bought it, I do not know the regular price.
73 Gary
3 Likes
Emotions through noise, that’s just childish. A real *&^%!, so much unbearable noise because of a few naive motorists with sprint exhaust etc… very embarrassing.
73, Perter - HB9PJT
1 Like