LDG MC-7610 REVIEW

EXTERNAL ANALOGUE METERS

Who doesn't like big analogue meters?? No one! There's just something a little magical about them and when I am using the Icom IC-7610, I love to switch to the big VU-style meters on the display but then I lose my expanded scope and waterfall.

The answer of course, is to use an external meter and thankfully, LDG have made a unit containing two analogue meters in a single steel case. There's one meter for each receiver in the IC-7610 and they can be set to indicate Signal Strength, Power, SWR, ALC, Compression, Current or Voltage.

 

Straight from the box, the LDG MC-7610 looks pretty impressive. It looks and feels like a quality bit of kit, unlike some of the MFJ meters I've seen (and owned). Each meter measures around 75mm wide by 35mm tall and the case itself is 220mm x 85mm x 85mm (WxHxD). There are four feet which add another 5mm to the height.

The meters are illuminated and have adjustment on the rear panel for individual brightness and colour. Also at the back is a Power Button, a Power Connector (12V+/- 15%) and a Radio Interface socket. The supplied interface lead is a simple 3.5mm stereo jack-plug to jack-plug. It's rather short, so unless you're planning to sit the meters right on top of the radio, you'll want to buy a longer lead.

Strangely enough, the meters don't work unless you supply the unit with power. I thought that the power connector was for illumination purposes alone, but it's not.

I strongly suspect that these meters will work perfectly well with the IC-7600 and maybe even with some other dual-receiver Icoms that have the external-meter connect. You can see on a close-up of the meter itself, the word M-7600.

So apart from looking fabulous, what do these meters offer ? They give you a nice easy to read meter for each receiver and permit you to place them in a location which suits you. They cost around £190 new I believe.

Am I happy with the purchase? Yes, for sure! They look so cool and are really easy to read from my operating position without the need to reach for my glasses. 

Thanks for visiting the blog!

73, Tom, M7MCQ.