Icom IC-735

The Icom IC-735 is pictured on the left. This is the rig we'll be using (rather it is an image of a similar rig).

The radio tunes from 500 KHz to 30 MHz, and has a transmit output of up to 100 watts on the Amateur Bands.

When I obtained the rig, I got it from another friend of mine, Phil, AI4DQ and Harry, VE7JH. Along with the rig came a tuner, power supply and a semi-matching speaker. I'll be taking only the rig and an Alinco power supply (profiled here) to reduce the weight. Since I got the rig a couple of years ago, I have made a lot of contacts on various antennas around the house. Currently I use a tri-bander beam, and a multi-band vertical antenna, as well as a couple of wire dipoles. Each antenna seems to have it's own set of conditions under which optimum performance occurs. The real problem is that my dipoles aren't well aimed due to the yard arrangement. Instead of a good East-West radiation pattern, it's more SW-NE which somewhat limits by best signals from areas to which I generally communicate.

The rig has traveled across country with us, going from Colorado, to Kentucky, Michigan, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and to the Renaissance-Festival in Phoenix one time a couple of years back. It has traveled up into the mountains with me at least once on a weekend camping trip where I was at 11,000 feet and made a few contacts from up there. Normally on the Jeep I use "Hamsticks", a series of vertical antennas for various bands. I have one for each band. They are decent, but I'm sure there are better antennas than those.

No matter which antenna I use however, the rig performs outstandingly. It's rather old, but it was well taken care of before I owned it, and I try to keep it clean, and free of dust. With a little luck, anyone who is interested in connecting up with us will be talk to that rig on the other end.