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Reviews For: W4RT OBF-ICOM-DIY-500

Category: Filters, RF: bandpass, duplexer, lowpass, highpass, RFI/EMI

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Review Summary For : W4RT OBF-ICOM-DIY-500
Reviews: 2MSRP: 239 - 269
Description:
One Board Filter
2300 Hz SSB and 500 Hz CW
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.w4rt.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0025
WB0FDJ Rating: 2011-09-29
Excellent addition to the 703 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my IC-703+ now for two years, purchased new. I decided that, as with any QRP rig, I'd need at least a CW filter. Looking at the technical info in the manual it was clear that the 703's filters don't just "drop in", like the FT-817. So, since I was going to get the soldering iron out anyway I went ahead and purchased the One Board Filter from W4RT.

This served as my "main rig" for a year and is in use daily still, so I am very glad I did. If you have decent soldering skills you can do this. I did find that removing the stock Murata filter was a bit tricky since removing parts from any board is fraught with danger. You will be working around some SMT parts so take care.

The board really helps on SSB. The week I put it in I worked a whole bunch of guys in the Texas QSO party with excellent reports (from MN). Comments on audio quality have been favorable ("sounds fine"). On CW the filter is both amazing and necessary. Signals really do "pop out" of the backround noise when it's engaged and it reduces operator fatigue tremendously. My 703+ is my go to rig for the QRP contests and I often use it in the SKCC sprints. I can operate for hours with headphones without complaint.

This is a quality product from a respected company who makes these kinds of add-ons available to folks who run basic equipment. If you plan to keep your 703 and actually use it, some filtering is required and if you operate SSB then this is a great addition. If you have any doubt about doing the work yourself, let them do it for you.
K8ATA Rating: 2008-05-23
Great performance and outstanding customer service! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This dual filter combination brings the Icom 718 to life and is well worth the price. I spend a considerable amount of time DX'ing on SSB and the improvement over stock is night and day. The CW filter is even more impressive. With it's steep skirts and greatly reduced white noise it makes listening a pleasure.

If you plan on doing it yourself, be very careful how much heat is applied during removal of the stock filter. The leads are very tight in the holes and you can easily pull out the plated-thru contacts (trust me). I would strongly suggest letting W4RT install it for you, it is well worth the extra $30.00 charge. The customer service from W4RT is also noteworthy; it is as impressive as their filters!

73,

K8ATA