blog for both the desk and field versions
Gilbert Villanueva says: When I ordered a TX/PA frame and asked if it would hold the radio without the amplifier Ed offered to send me a TX stand at no charge in exchange for an honest posting here.
I received both the TX/PA frame and TX Stand and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the the components. After snapping the radio side of frame on the radio I screw on the TX Stand with the provided hex bolts. This took no time but did require me to add a little pressure on the internal part to insure the bolt caught on. The stand works well on a desk environment. It holds the radio well and the angle at which the radio stands is adjusted easily by holding the radio firmly and changing the angle of the stand. Keep in mind this is a “desk” version, while the radio will stand, operating buttons is possible if you provide backup support for the radio while you press the buttons or turn the tuning dial. You can do this with one hand if you “pinch” the radio with 4 fingers behind the radio and press the button with your thumb. Now to operate the tuning dial, which is a bit stiff on the TX-500, you do need to hold the back of the radio with one hand and tune with the other.
I think this is to be expected, the frame is labeled as a “non-militay grade” it is stiff enough to hold the radio up at most practical angles but it is not reasonable to expect one can operate the radio with this stand unsupported.
I took the TX-500 with the TX stand out to a resent POTA activation. Since I work from a table that slides out of the back of my vehicle the “desk” designator for the TX stand works for me. The TX stand worked very well. Once set the angle at which the radio stood did not move, it was solid. I operated the radio in the matter explained above and I was able to activate the park (24 contacts) in no time. The TX-500/TX Stand combination were solid.
The TX Stand does greatly improve the viewing angle of the radio over the radio’s legs. That coupled with the quality of the 3D printed stand makes this an easy “buy” recommendation.
Tell me if you see anything you like or think I need to improve upon. The field version will have an extended platform to be stable when the radio is more horizontal with a bunch of wires hanging off.