Icom Releases Firmware Update 1.03 for the IC-7300MK2

A quick one for anyone running the newer IC-7300MK2 — Icom has just pushed out a fresh firmware update worth grabbing.

Icom has released Version 1.03 firmware for the IC-7300MK2 HF/50/70MHz transceiver, bringing a set of operational improvements to the radio.

The update is available now from the Icom Global website - https://www.icomjapan.com/support/firmware_driver/4742/

As always with firmware updates, take the time to read through the installation instructions carefully before applying it to your radio — a rushed update is the easiest way to turn a routine improvement into an afternoon of troubleshooting.

If you're running an IC-7300MK2, this is one worth adding to the to-do list.

100 Years of the Yagi: Contest University Marks a Milestone Antenna Design

Some pieces of amateur radio kit never really go out of fashion, and the Yagi-Uda beam antenna is Exhibit A. This year marks its 100th anniversary, having first been invented back in 1926, and Contest University (CTU) chose to celebrate the milestone with a dedicated live webinar.

The free session, titled "The Yagi Turns 100," ran as a live Zoom webinar on Saturday 19th September 2026 at 1600 UTC (noon Eastern). There was no pre-registration required — viewers simply clicked the link at w3lif.org/yagi ahead of the start time to join. Questions posted in the chat during the presentation were collected and relayed to the presenter once the talk wrapped up.

If you missed it live, there's still good news: the session was recorded, and CTU plan to post the recording link on the Contest University website in the coming week — well worth a watch for anyone with even a passing interest in the antenna design that's quietly underpinned a century of DX chasing and contesting.

A century on, and the Yagi's still the reference point most of us end up pointing at the sky.

Sale Keeps Two More Ham Brands Alive

There’s quietly been a sale of Mirage and Ameritron to the Indiana company that acquired the Cushcraft and Hygain brands from MFJ Enterprises earlier this year. Mirage and Ameritron, which are known for their amplifiers, are to join the amateur radio portfolio of ITU Corporation. ITU's president, Dave Carpenter, posted both brands' logos on his profile page on the  LinkedIn business platform, referring to their recent acquisition.

This past April, ITU announced it would return Hygain and Cushcraft brands to the marketplace by manufacturing them at a 15-acre property that is the former home of a National Guard Armoury in Linton, Indiana. In a joint announcement that month, Dave and Kambi Carpenter, who own the electronics supply business TekShack, announced the deal with Martin Jue, K5FLU, who closed the MFJ business he founded in Starkville, Mississippi.