Sunday, March 15, 2020
Icom IC7300: Memory External Keypad
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The Icom IC7300 is a fantastic and very popular ham radio HF rig. One thing that we didn't care for is if you utilize the transmit memory functions for CW, phone, etc. half of the touch screen was dedicated to the memory location buttons.
The IC7300 has other features that are a much better use of the touch screen real estate than displaying the memory location buttons. A few examples are...
Making the Band Scope larger:
Displaying the Audio Scope:
Or getting more information on how the rig is behaving:
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In a RTFM moment, I discovered that Icom had a simple circuit that allows the operator to use an external switch keypad to control the top four memory locations.
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A search of our spare parts bin uncovered that all of the materials needed were "in stock". We set the 3D printer on a mission to print a project box while the soldering iron connected everything up. Soldering took about 10 minutes; the 3D print a few hours. The end result is a nicely done external keypad for the memories. We like it; we like it a lot!
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The project is cheap, easy, and useful. 73!