Mobile Monitor for IC-7000

If you don't own, or plan to own, an Icom IC-7000, this article may not be of interest to you. However, I'm sure there will soon be other radios with video outputs, and perhaps it may be of use in the future (excluding the IC-7800 et. el.).

Whether or not you have done the TV mod to your Icom IC-7000, and tried to display it's front panel on a large monitor, you would know how poor it looks. I'm sure Icom never intended for it to be compatible with an HDTV monitor, but they sure could have made it better than it is. With the TV mod, it looks a little better on a larger monitor (5 or 7 inch), but not by much. The bottom line is, if you're going to remotely view the display, it behooves you to use a similar sized (as in stock), 2.5 inch display.

Problem is they're sort of difficult to find, so a lot of amateurs have opted for a 5 or a 7 inch monitor like those available for mobile video players meant to keep the kids happy on long trips. The 5 inch monitor you see below came from All Electronics, and was intended for that exact purpose. It sells for $95.

After looking high and low, I did find a company who sold 2.5 inch displays, and that is Superdroid Robots, located in Faquay-Varina, NC. The link takes you to their web page which lists the three different sizes of displays they sell. I opted for the $70 2.5 inch (left photo) as I plan to mount it in my car as soon as my remote mounting cable arrives from Icom. The 5 inch is just to large, at least for my installation.

It is difficult to see the quality difference between the two displays as shown here (a digital camera does have a few drawbacks in this regard). In person the difference is very noticeable. Neither of the monitors look good with the alternate display colors, as their only adjustment is their contrast setting. I've been told there is a way to adjust the video output settings (color and hue) on the IC-7000, but I don't have a copy of the Icom repair manual which tells you how to do it. Personally, I don't think it would help much.

Both of the monitors shown have built in audio amps and speakers. The one in the 2.5 inch display is worthless for mobile work, and the stereo one in the 5 inch display is just passable. I wouldn't want to rely on either one of them. They both use mini (1/8 inch) jacks for the AV input. The video in on the tip which makes cabling an easy task.

The Audiovox unit comes with a 9 VDC wall wart, but the instructions say it will operate safely on vehicle current (13.8 VDC). Its done so on my bench for several weeks without any problems. It draws about 750 mils, weights 15 ounces, and comes with a 3 foot AV cable.

The Pustom unit comes with a 1.2 amp, 12 VDC switching wall wart, and a 3 foot AV cable. It draws just over 1 amp, so I wouldn't power it from the Icom's accessory socket. At just one ounce, the Pustom unit will be easy to mount, and it's bright output should make daytime viewing easy unless the sun is directly on the display.

If there is anyone out there using a remote display with an Icom IC-7000, please add your comments below.

Alan Applegate, K0BG

Addendum

I have made the TV mod referred to above. I don't have the necessary test equipment to check for sure, but it appears Icom only outputs half of a standard NTSC picture, but displaying it twice. In other words a nominal 240 lines of video.

When attached to the composite port of my Hitachi plasma HDTV, the TV dutifully reports the signal as NTSC 60 Hertz, 3.58 MHz, but the video quality is worse than some of my 20 year old VHF tapes. This is what leads me to the 240 line conclusion. It's a moot point because I didn't buy the radio for its TV capabilities. However, it'll be nice listening to NPR's All Things Considered.