Concepts Don’t Excite Me — Innovation Does

HamVention is over, and the “release” of Icom’s “new” X-026 radio has been, in this writer’s opinion, a major disappointment. But while it was disappointing, it was certainly not unexpected (see previous article).

I found it puzzling that a company would tease a major new release, only to unveil little more than a concept asking operators to tell them what they want — while providing no meaningful way to actually give that feedback. It was puzzling, to say the least.

So, in the absence of a way to provide feedback directly, and with little indication of what this new radio might ultimately become, I figured I would use this article to offer my own “two cents” on the kind of radio that might actually convince me to spend my hard-earned money.

To begin with, the concept radio featured a detachable head. I genuinely love this idea and strongly encourage manufacturers to continue down that road. A detachable head allows operators to hide the radio body under a seat, in a trunk, or — in a home shack — under a desk. It gives us access to the controls and display where we need them, while keeping the bulk of the radio tucked away.

But what if the detachable head was more than just detachable? What if it was truly modular?

Imagine a detachable control head that was compatible with several different radios. For example, imagine an operator who wants:

• a VHF/UHF mobile rig for the vehicle,
• an HF radio for POTA, SOTA, Field Day, and portable operations,
• and a “shack-in-a-box” radio for the home station.

Now imagine each radio body costing somewhere in the $600–$700 range. Yes, that sounds inexpensive — but remember, that price would only include the radio body itself. The detachable control head could make up the remaining cost at perhaps $400 or so. (These are arbitrary numbers, of course, but stay with me.)

The idea is simple: one premium control head, multiple radio bodies.

You could move the same detachable head between your mobile rig, portable HF setup, and home station. The head unit would recognize which radio it was connected to and automatically configure itself for that platform.

Suddenly, instead of buying three complete radios with three displays, three control surfaces, and three sets of duplicated hardware, you would invest in a shared ecosystem.

The operator saves money over time, while the manufacturer builds long-term customer loyalty as hams continue purchasing additional radio bodies to expand their capabilities. Everybody wins.

And honestly, this feels like the kind of innovation many operators are actually looking for. Not another slightly updated mobile rig with marginally better specs, but a smarter, more flexible system built around how modern hams actually operate today — mobile, portable, and at home.

Ham radio operators are often willing to invest in good equipment. But increasingly, we want equipment that feels thoughtful, adaptable, and future-focused. A modular ecosystem built around a shared control head would not only stand out in a crowded market, it might actually change the way many of us build our stations.

Now that would feel like a real release.