Icom 7610 Firmware Upgrade v1.42 Digital Pre-Distortion DPD
Understanding the Icom 7610 Firmware v1.42 Upgrade and its Impact on Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD)
The Icom 7610 is a high-performance, innovative HF transceiver that packs in a lot of power and functionality. It's a favorite among us Hams, and for good reason. The Icom 7610 offers a range of features that make it a versatile and reliable tool for Rag chewing and DX chasing. One of the most significant features of the Icom 7610 is its ability to handle distortion and with the recent release of the firmware v1.42 upgrade, this feature has been significantly enhanced.
Video - Don't Brick Your IC-7610
Digital Pre-Distortion is used in digital signal processing to improve TX audio distortion. The Icom 7610, with its advanced DPD capabilities, is designed to provide a clear, distortion-free TX signal, making it a powerful tool for amateur radio operators.
The firmware v1.42 upgrade for the Icom 7610 takes this a step further. This upgrade, which was released recently, offers a number of improvements and enhancements to the DPD capabilities of the Icom 7610. This includes improved linearity, which results in a cleaner, clearer signal. It also includes enhancements to the DPD algorithm, which allows for more accurate and efficient processing of signals.
But what does this mean for users of the Icom 7610? In simple terms, it means better performance and ease of mind. The firmware v1.42 upgrade enhances the DPD capabilities of the Icom 7610, resulting in a more reliable and efficient transceiver. This can make a significant difference in the world of amateur radio, where the quality of the signal can make or break a communication.
The firmware v1.42 upgrade is also easy to install. Users can download the upgrade from the Icom website and install it on their Icom 7610 using a simple process. This makes it easy for users to take advantage of the enhanced DPD capabilities offered by the firmware v1.42 upgrade.
In conclusion, the firmware v1.42 upgrade for the Icom 7610 is a must!
Thank You
I'll have a video soon showing exactly how to setup and use DPD. You will need to perform the DPD adjustment in the Icom 7610! Please comment below and if you have a recommendation or questions for me, I'd love to hear it. Whether it's about operating, equipment or anything else, I'd love to hear from you. To stay up to date with Mr. B and I on our travels, follow us at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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Currently no other OEMs are offering pre-distortion. Steve Hicks of Flex Radio said the new 8000 line will offer adaptive pre-distortion sometime in the future. Current 6000 rigs likely won’t be able to run adaptive pre-distortion without an outboard accessory. Static pre-distortion as with Icom DPD might be possible with a 6000 rig, but that solution isn’t likely to be considered. There isn’t enough processing power in a Flex 6000 to run Flex’s adaptive pre-distortion code.
Eric Swartz implied that whenever Elecraft will offer pre-distortion for the K4, it may well be static pre-distortion similar to Icom. While Flex has adaptive pre-distortion running in the lab, and has for some time, I don’t believe Elecraft currently has any functional pre-distortion code. It would apparently be executed in the K4 DSP chip.
Note: An Apache G2 transceiver can run all of Warren Pratt’s DSP code including PureSignal on the internal Raspberry Pi 4 under piHPSDR.
As far as I know, no other OEM has made any comments about offering pre-distortion. Only Flex and Elecraft were involved in the ARRL Clean Signal Initiative project. Apache was already the SSB IMD leader. I will guess that Flex will have pre-distortion in production before Elecraft.
Someone will likely do extensive lab testing of Icom’s DPD, but until their system with a PW2 can be hacked to work with third-party amps, the benefit of Icom DPD will be limited to 7610s running barefoot or driving tube amplifiers.
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- DPD ON
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- DPD OFF
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- Alpha 89 amp
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- ACOM 1000 amp
The ICOM manual states that the ICOM OPC-2510 cable must be used. The connections on both the PW2(I have one) and the IC-7610 are standard RCA plugs. So is there anything special about the ICOM OPC-2501 cable, other than the 10′ length.
Hi Ken, the ICOM OPC-2501 cable is specifically designed for communication between ICOM devices, like the PW2 and the IC-7610. The connections may look like standard RCA plugs, but there may be differences in wiring or shielding that are optimized for these devices. Using a different cable may lead to loss of performance, or potentially even damage. It’s always recommended to use the specified cables to ensure proper operation and to maintain the warranty.
If I couldn’t find any difference between what Icom sells and what I have on hand, I would use what I have on hand, but that’s just me.
Thank Ken!
So, as I understand it, the benefits of DPD are only realized if you are running the 7610 barefoot or with a pw2.
I have a icom ic-2kl 500w amplifier and am assuming that I lose the benefit of DPD when I use this amp.
Hi Michael, sorry for the delay in getting back to you and thank you so much for commenting. Great question and you’re correct in your understanding. If you’re using an external amplifier such as the ic-2kl 500w, the DPD won’t be able to correct any distortion. So yes, the benefit of DPD could potentially be lost when using this amp.
Maybe things will change with future updates.
73!
DPD won’t adjust 10M – 20M. Everything else works fine. Have disconnected antenna and disconnected AH730 communication cable. Have tried powering down. Dummy load is 1,000 watts. I’m stumped. Any suggestions
Hi Bob,
It’s nice to hear from you, and thank you for commenting. I don’t know why that is.
I would check the IC-7610 group on groups.io. That’s where I get a lot of answers to my questions.