Yesterday, I got a phone call from HRO in Atlanta. I cashed in my reservation and placed an order for an Icom IC-7300 MK2. The MK2 has recently beed FCC certified so it will not be too much longer until they start shipping.
Many of you know, I have been a long proponent for the IC-7300. I had one since 2016 and only recently sold it to get the new MK2. I still believe it is one of the best bang for the buck radios out there. It is still the one radio I recommend to folks looking for their first HF radio. In fact in my region Army MARS, it is by far the most popular radio. The MK2 is an improved version of the original. Some of the features are USB-C connectivity with dual usb (+audio) ports, HDMI, lower power consumption, reduced heat generation, CW decode, and better receive performance. All for $1499 USD. That’s a very reasonable price.
I have been busy. I have shifted my radio focus to Army MARS and SHARES so that is where I am spending a lot of my time. Besides radio, I enjoy shooting sports and I delve into emergency preparedness. I would not call myself a doomsday prepper, more of a concerned citizen for my family, friends, and neighbors. I am in the process of setting up a GMRS repeater on my property for my neighbors to use. I still like to get out and take my radios to the field. Even though the things I do now, are mostly base related activities, I am an NCS on several nets, I still maintain skills and equipment for field operations. I have been there and done that; I have seen what a lack of preparation and experience does during an actual field operation. It is not pretty.
If any of you are interested in emergency prep, let me know. I can do some articles on it and maybe even some YouTube videos. I am retired and not young so that will reflect how I do things. One of the hardest adaptations I have had to make is convincing my mind which still thinks like its 30, that it is living in a late 60’s body. Let me know what you think, leave a comment and until then 73 de Scott
KK4Z 
Scott, I’m right there with you: 30 year old mind, 70 year old body. Kinda cramps my style. I can imagine stuff that I dare not do any more!
Yes, more emergency prep stuff would be appreciated. I’ve been working on local preps and practice with my neighborhood CERT group. We bought GMRS HTs for all of the team. Yesterday morning we had our first CERT Radio Practice Net. It was a smashing success, especially for a bunch of oldsters who aren’t into radio. A friend and I practice and use Winlink every day as part of our preparation for CDM, or our Community Disaster Messenger work. When our communications grid goes down again like it did for 2 weeks following Hurricane Ian, we can send health and welfare messages on behalf of our neighbors to loved ones who live outside of our area and want to know the status of their loved one here in SW Florida. I also now have battery backup power plus a propane generator to charge it back up for the next 24 hours in about 1.5-2 hours of runtime. I should be good to go for about 2 weeks when the grid goes down after our next hurricane. Anything you want to write and share about your emergency preparations, I’ll gladly read! I’m still learning.
73, Paul
N4FTD
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