‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM DECEMBER 2013 QST  PAGE 43‰
RECORDED AUDIO ONCE OR REPEATEDLY, FROM EITHER THE MAIN MENU KEY, OR THE
QUICK MENU.  IT WORKS FINE, ALTHOUGH I QUESTION THE UTILITY OF REPEATING
THE VOICE MEMO TRANSMISSION OVER AND OVER AGAIN FOR UP TO 10 MINUTES I
COULDNT FIGURE OUT WHY ANYONE WOULD WANT TO DO THAT.  THE SPEECH FUNCTION
ALLOWS THE VARIOUS MODES, FREQUENCIES, AND CALL SIGNS DV TO BE ANNOUNCED,
WHICH IS NICE WHILE DRIVING YOU DONT HAVE TO LOOK AT THE RADIOS DISPLAY TO
SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING.  I LIKED THIS FEA

REALIZED ITS VALUE IN THE CONTEXT OF DISASTER RESPONSE AND PUBLIC SERVICE
COMMUNICATIONS FOR SERVED AGENCIES.  IT HELPS TO HAVE A HARD RECORD OF
MESSAGES SENT AND RECEIVED DURING THE HEAT OF BATTLE ON THE DISASTER FIELD
FOR NOT ONLY THE AFTER ACTION HOTWASH, BUT ALSO IN CASE QUESTIONS ARISE.
INCIDENT COMMANDERS WONT NEED TO RELY ON SUBJECTIVE ANSWERS WHEN THEY CAN
HEAR THE ACTUAL MESSAGES THEMSELVES.  NOT AS DRAMATIC AS ALL THAT,
LISTENING TO YOUR QSOS AFTER THE FACT CAN HELP YOU HONE YOUR BASIC QSOING
AND SOCIAL SKILLS ON THE AIR.  AND, WELL, TRUTH BE TOLD, ITS JUST PLAIN
FUN, TOO.  THIS FUNCTION WORKED WELL FOR ME YOU CAN AUTOMATICALLY PARSE THE
QSO RECORDING INTO TRANSMISSIONS AND RECEPTIONS, OR JUST KEEP THE RECORDING
RUNNING.  THE GPS RECEIVER DISCUSSED BRIEFLY AT THE OUTSET OF THIS REVIEW
WORKS WELL, NOT ONLY FOR THE BENEFIT OF FINDING AND ENTERING YOUR NEAREST D
STAR REPEATER FOR ALMOST INSTANT ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM WHEN MOBILE, BUT IT
ALSO DOES A FINE JOB OF PROVIDING YOUR POSITION, ELEVATION, AND SPEED.
THIS INFORMATION CAN BE TRANSMITTED AUTOMATICALLY VIA D PRS IN THE DIGITAL
VOICE MODE EVERY TIME YOU KEY THE MIC, IF DESIRED.  SOFTWARE INSTALLED IN

AUDIO QUALITY THERE HAVE BEEN CRITICAL COMMENTS CIRCULATING ABOUT THE
TRANSMITTED AUDIO QUALITY, WHICH SOME HAVE CATEGORIZED AS MUFFLED.  THIS
WAS CAUSED BY THE MEMBRANE THAT IS APPARENTLY INCORPORATED INTO THE
MICROPHONE TO ALLOW FOR SOME MEASURE OF WATER RESISTANCE.  WHILE THE FIRST
PRODUCTION UNITS HAD THE THICKER MEMBRANE, ICOM WAS QUICK TO IMPLEMENT A
FIX WITH AN UPGRADE PLAN THAT SOLVED THE ISSUE IN SHORT ORDER.  YOU CAN
TELL IF YOU HAVE THE NEW MATERIAL BY LOOKING INTO THE MIC OPENING.  IF IT
IS WHITE, IT IS THE NEW MEMBRANE.  I LOOKED THE TEST UNIT HAS THE WHITE
MEMBRANE AND THE AUDIO WAS NOT AT ALL MUFFLED.  YOU CAN CHECK YOUR
TRANSMITTED AUDIO BY TWO METHODS.  BY USING THE ECHO FUNCTION ON YOUR LOCAL
D STAR REPEATER, YOU CAN HEAR YOUR AUDIO REPEATED BACK TO YOU.  OR, YOU CAN
RECORD TRANSMISSIONS AND INDEED BOTH SIDES OF A COMPLETE QSO BY USING THE
RADIOS RECORD FUNCTION RECORDINGS ARE MADE ONTO A MICROSD CARD THAT IS
INSERTED INTO A SLOT ON THE SIDE OF THE RADIO.  THERES EVEN A VOICE
RECORDER FUNCTION FOR SIMPLY RECORDING YOUR OWN NOTES REMINDERS, LISTS,
ANYTHING.  YOU CAN EVALUATE YOUR OWN AUDIO AND COMPARE IT TO OTHERS
PARTICIPATING IN THE QSO.  I TRIED BOTH METHODS, AND THE AUDIO QUALITY
SEEMED ABSOLUTELY FINE TO ME.  REVIEW OF FUNCTIONS SOME MIGHT QUESTION THE
UTILITY OF RECORDING YOUR QSO ONTO YOUR RADIOS SD CARD, BUT I IMMEDIATELY
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ