A huge benefit of ICOM’s new IC-705 HF/50/144/430 All Mode Portable Transceiver is that it comes with built-in Bluetooth®, something you’ll be thankful you have on your outdoor adventures. Say you’ve taken your IC-705 to operate on a summit or in a park. With the Bluetooth activated, you can enjoy more comfortable, hands-free operation anywhere—without ever having to use a microphone.
Just throw the Bluetooth in your backpack (preferably the IC-705 backpack, LC-192) and you can receive and transmit audio through the Bluetooth, allowing you two hands to fill in your log book, enjoy a cup of your favorite beverage, and have a better chance of fending off gnats and mosquitoes, while sparing you the fatigue of talking and listening through a speaker mic. Getting the Bluetooth set up with the rig takes only a few easy steps. The device includes three programmable function buttons and a PTT switch. It comes with USB charging cable and earbuds.
The VS-3 is the same Bluetooth originally made for use with ICOM’s ID-5100A VHF/UHF Digital Transceiver for convenient communication while operating a vehicle. Unlike the IC-705, use of the VS-3 with the ID-5100A requires installation of optional ICOM UT-133 Bluetooth module, sold separately.
You’ll find the IC-705, the VS-3, the AL-705 Magnetic Loop Antenna for the IC-705, and the IC-705 Portable Transceiver Backpack (LC-192) at DXEngineering.com, along with a great assortment of other ICOM rigs and accessories.
For October, our Word of the Day column will be focusing on new products that have become available since the 2020 DX Engineering catalog came out.
