Lab599 Discovery TX-500
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| Frequency | TX 1.8-54 MHz (160-6 m amateur bands; the band table includes 60 m, subject to regional rules), RX 0.5-56.0 MHz (general coverage) |
| Bands | 160m, 80m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m |
| TX power | 1 / 10 W (Adjustable output from 1 to 10 W on HF, 7 W on 6 m (measured at 13.8 VDC). Final amplifier is SWR- and temperature-protected: above an SWR of about 3 it automatically reduces power, and it inhibits transmit above about 60 C until it cools. No internal battery and no built-in tuner.) |
| Modes | SSB (USB/LSB), CW (and CW reverse), DIG (audio data: FT8, RTTY, PSK and similar), AM, FM |
| Weight | 550 g (19.4 oz) |
| Year | 2020 |
| antenna | BNC (female), 50 ohm |
| power | GX12 2-pin: 9-15 VDC (3 A max), pin 1 GND and pin 2 DC+; reverse-polarity protected and inhibits transmit above 15 V |
| mic speaker ptt | GX12 6-pin (MIC/SP): external speaker or headphones (pins 1 and 4), microphone, PTT and electret-mic power. There is no internal speaker |
| rem data | GX12 7-pin (REM/DATA): audio data in and out for digital modes, the receiver I and Q outputs for PC SDR use, and PTT-in plus an open-collector PTT-out for keying an external amplifier; one 7-pin GX12 plug is supplied |
| cat | GX12 4-pin (CAT): Kenwood-protocol CAT at 9600 baud through the supplied CAT-USB cable (FT232 or PL2303 chipset); the USB adapter supplies 3.3 V to the port |
| cw key | GX12 5-pin (CW KEY): paddle or straight key through the supplied 3.5 mm CW adapter (dot, dash and ground) |
| note | Every external port is a sealed GX12 aviation-type connector, which is the basis of the weatherproofing. The speaker-mic, CAT-USB cable, 3.5 mm CW adapter and 3.5 mm headset/mic adapter are included in the box. |
| power req | 9-15 VDC through a GX12 2-pin connector, drawing 1 to 3 A on transmit and as low as about 100 mA on receive (backlight on, preamp off, no signal). No internal battery; an external 9-15 V supply or battery with a 3 A fuse is required. |
Built to operate in weather that stops plastic radios: a sealed, milled-aluminum body with gasketed controls and aviation connectors, at 550 g and 21 mm thick. Receive current near 100 mA is among the lowest of any all-mode HF radio, so a small battery runs it for days. The software-defined receiver adds real DSP (noise reduction, auto-notch, equalizers) and a 48 kHz spectrum display in a field radio, and the box already includes the speaker-mic, CAT-USB, CW and headset adapters. It covers 160 through 6 meters.
Output is 10 watts (7 on 6 m), and there is no internal battery, no built-in tuner, and no internal speaker, so audio needs the hand mic or a headset. The sealed GX12 connectors mean any extra cabling depends on Lab599's adapters, and the antenna jack is BNC, so SO-239 antennas need an adapter. The display is monochrome with a spectrum trace but no waterfall, and the current price has drifted well above its 2020 launch.
The Discovery TX-500 is a rugged, ultra-portable 10-watt all-mode HF and 6 m SDR for operators who go out in bad weather. It pairs a sealed, weatherproof aluminum body with very low receive current and a clean software-defined receiver, in a package lighter than many handhelds. The trade-offs are real: 10 watts, no internal battery or tuner, GX12-only connectors, and a price that has climbed since launch. For serious field and expedition use, little is built to the same standard, while operators who want an internal battery and tuner look at the Elecraft KX2 and those who want a color panadapter and wider features look at the Icom IC-705.
The Lab599 Discovery TX-500 is a 10-watt, all-mode HF and 6-meter SDR transceiver built for field use in harsh conditions. Its body is a single piece of CNC-milled aluminum about 207 by 90 by 21 mm and 550 grams, with no holes through the case and gasket-sealed controls, so it resists rain and dust in a way plastic-cased portables do not. Lab599 does not publish an IP rating, so it is splash- and dust-resistant rather than submersible. Rear folding kickstands set the viewing angle and aid cooling.
It transmits 1 to 10 watts on HF (7 watts on 6 meters) across the 160 to 6 meter bands and receives from 0.5 to 56 MHz. The software-defined receiver uses a quadrature down-sampling mixer and 32-bit floating-point DSP, with a switchable preamp and attenuator, four digital filters, auto-notch, noise reduction and blanking, and 3-band receive and transmit equalizers; its specified MDS is -136 dBm. A notable figure is receive current, as low as about 100 mA, which lets a small battery run it for days. The 256 by 128 monochrome LCD shows a 48 kHz real-time pan-adapter, which is a spectrum display rather than a scrolling waterfall, and stays readable in bright sun.
The defining detail is its connectors: every port is a sealed GX12 aviation-style connector rather than the usual 3.5 mm jacks or a USB socket. Power is a 2-pin GX12, the speaker-mic a 6-pin, the data and I/Q port a 7-pin, CAT a 4-pin, and CW a 5-pin. There is no internal speaker, so audio comes out the speaker-mic port to a headset or the supplied hand mic, and the antenna jack is a BNC. The box does include the speaker-mic, CAT-USB cable, and 3.5 mm CW and headset adapters, so basic operation does not require extra purchases. There is no internal battery, no built-in tuner, and no VHF/UHF.
It is a deliberately focused field radio rather than a do-everything box like the Icom IC-705 or a budget color-screen QRP like the Xiegu X6100. Against the Elecraft KX2 it trades an internal battery and optional tuner for a weatherproof body and a real spectrum display. Designed by Lab599 in Altai, Russia, it now sells well above its 2020 launch price.