New Icom X60 Mystery Radio - What Could It Be?

Announced at Dayton Hamvention 2024 - @IcomAmericaInc showed off a new "Icom X60" concept model leaving many to wonder - what could it be?
Let's have a look to see if we can find any clues.

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[haxwithaxe]

This is the best X60 coverage I've seen so far. Everyone who was there obviously didn't have time to do this much analysis so you've got one good thing out of not going :)

[mikesradiorepair]

I have been saying on all the other videos that it's a 7851 replacement. 200 Watt output, dual receiver circuits, 4 antenna ports. On the antenna board there are actually 8 relays. 4 big black ones and 4 smaller white/cream colored ones. The connector you couldn't name is a Taiko Denki TMP connector. The only thing that throws me for a loop is the accessory board with snap out daughter boards. They only show 4 controls, 2 double controls with push button, one double control and a rotary encoder, headphone jack board and SD card board. That's basically what a 7300 / 9700 have. I "assume" they just are not showing anything else to keep people guessing. They are also not showing the tact switch boards (push button) circuit boards. If we could see how many push buttons it has that would be a huge giveaway as to how big the faceplate would be.

[ethzero]

The one thing it will definitely be is expensive.

[roger_VKVRK]

Id like to think this was indeed a deliberate exercise to engage in some discussion with ideas from other amateur operators to gauge some extra input into design. Car manufacturers do something similar with concept cars at motor shows.

[Tjlopez]

Here comes the 4-5 thousand dollar Icom radio!

[AndrejaKostic]

For the transistor not having HF info in datasheet, well, that's sort of the norm. If you take a look at the datasheets for transistors in IC-7300, they also don't have much HF info. My guess is that the actual HF frequencies aren't really all that interesting to the RF world in general any more.
For the missing markings on the chips, well, those chips look like they have the RF shielding material on top of them. Such material can be also seen in IC-7300 and IC-9700 too, but there they have larger pieces, instead of the smaller ones covering only the chips.
Also, the IC-7851 has been discontinued in Europe for a several years already.

[michaelross-ajfgvkrz]

That board with 4 large coax connector lands needs a big rear panel like the 7850.The 7850 was the 50th anniversary model released a decade ago. My bet is that this is its refresh, likely called the IC-7860. It will be the 60th anniversary model to tackle the hugely popular FTdx101.

[cappaculla]

No signs of Yaesu coming up with an SDR qrp rig yet.... More chance of seeing Half Life 3 at this point.

[DonzLockz]

HDMI can supply the radio with voltage back and can blow stuff up. There was a video on it a while ago from one of the manufacturers... apparently. Lol

[BalticLab]

7:32 That "only one" might be two. There's plenty of LDMOS devices that incorporate two into a single case. ST makes a few of those like the RF3L05150CB4. This won't be the device used in the X60 but its datasheet is nice and includes interesting pictures and descriptions for this technology.

[TyeMorrisVlog]

It’s the ic705mk2 QRO Edition.
With the optional tuner, MSRP 26, 999.95. With the optional expansion board you can insert your credit/debit card right into the radio (don’t worry you won’t be needing it anymore) and it’ll siphon your monthly subscription right off your account (Icom will be using this model to introduce their new Ham Radio As A Service pricing model…)
😛 /s

[Only_Hams]

I can't believe I didn't see this at Hamvention 🤦‍♂️. I spent a lot of time talking to Wayne Burdick N6KR and him taking apart the radio to show me how much he squeezed into that tiny radio (the KH1)..
Thanks for doing this deep dive into the x60. Interesting stuff.

[ehsnils]

Modern displays and computers are using Displayport. HDMI is on the way out, DVI is grandfather level and VGA is Great Grandfather level.
A supercap is only good for a while but could help you keep your settings while changing battery.

[GlobalFlyer]

To solve that mystery around the DVI Port. Icom has a strict and fundamental rule not to pay ANY licences fees. In reality, the licence for HDMI costs 20$ct, whereas the DVI connector costs significant more. But, japanese companies have strict rules with no exclusions

[haxwithaxe]

The HDMI organization is a real PITA. They like to make life hard for manufacturers. Even if it was free (as in gratis) to use it would still be unappealing. If you need to use HDMI you can use a cheap adapter.

[Yavor]

OK, I'm placing my bet that is the following: It is a direct competition for the Flex 8000 and Anan 7000/G2 radios. It is an 18 bit dual ADC chain stand-alone 200W SDR. Yes, a black box. Beyond the circuit boards, you have to look at the market. They are fully capable of matching or beating Flex and Anan at their own game. They recently added pre-distortion to the 7610 and it will be in this radio. The only area where they will need to really work is the noise blanker and the DNR circuits. Anan is the leader in this and it will be hard to beat. I think price class will be between $2700-$3200. On the upper end with an ATU. A control head with knobs may be offered like the Maestro...but later. Bet I'm right!

[taylorkaie]

IC-X60. 200w 160m-6m, 100w VHF/UHF, 25W 1.2GHz, all mode, 10k MSRP. 9100 replacement with optional D-Star module $1k USD. Or maybe I’m just hopeful lol

[rickrobinson]

The button battery is the size of a 2032, much bigger than the tiny battery in the 7300, and this is easily replaceable.

[ramdor]

I would love it to be a 7100 update, with remote head like a 705/905, sdr tech etc etc. However 200w, dvi, and 4 multiantenna ports make it unlikely... hmmm

[MySuperhappyfuntime]

Yaesu said the same thing about HDMI, but even incredibly small volume devices have it. I think its like 50 cents per unit. There really is no excuse for it these days