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| Reviews Summary for Icom IC-2iA |
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Reviews: 6
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Average rating: 4.2/5
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MSRP: $372.00
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Description: 2 meter Handheld HF transceiver
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://
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KB0XR
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Rating: 2/5
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Jun 14, 2009 05:17
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I didn't like it
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought one of these on closeout at a hamfest. I was attraced by the small size, and of course, by the closeout price.
I found it to be a nightmare to program/utilize all the "Features". Big fold out sheet of instructions with a flow chart full of arrows and obscure(to me) directions. I threw it in a drawer and forgot about it for years after the battery pack failed. Someone here on EHam posted a "Want" for one of these and I happily got rid of it for about 20 bucks.
I guess the concept was okay but for an appliance operator like me, it was just too much of a hassle.
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W8LHT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 13, 2009 21:01
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Best HT I've ever owned
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought this radio new in 1994 when my Icom 2AT burned up (melted the batteries inside), and it's been my primary 2M rig in the house, in the vehicles, and on my snowmobile (yes, I've logged over 100 hours on the snowmobile with the 2ia for sled dog and ski races, sweep, etc.). I was able to get the battery packs rebuilt by the NiCAD Lady (found on internet), and got Nickel Metal Hydride replacements, which work fine with existing chargers, and gives much longer life. I have a 5W in, 25W out amp in the vehicles with a mag mount on the roof, and a speaker mike. Very portable, very easy to use (once programmed), and very durable.
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WD8AQS
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 3, 2007 17:18
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A radio ahead of its time.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Been looking for a cheap 2 meter HT and picked this up for 20 bucks, bought the hard to find AA battery pack for $10 (thanks to R&L Electronics).
This is my first Icom HT and I am really impressed with the quality and performance of this little rig. It has many, many bells and whistles, I believe it was ahead of its time when it came out in the mid 90's.
Programming is not easy in the multi-function mode but it is well worth the effort! Never did get the aircraft mod to work. The connector for charging is a little strange, a coaxial with a center pin. After much searching I did find a modern replacement (Philmore #255).
Does 2 watts with my 6 AA battery pack, 5 watts with 12 volts. Overall a great little HT.
The tech notes can still be downloaded from the Icom japan site.
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NE0P
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 13, 2005 20:18
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Neat mini HT
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This was one of the first really small HTs to come out, and it did a pretty good job performancewise. Glad I had the chance to own one for awhile. Only drawback was that it was the most difficult HT to program that I have ever seen. Not very intuitive at all. Guess that comes from not having a Keypad, though. However, once to get it set up, operation is pretty simple. Batteries are difficult to find for this model, but they are out there.
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KU2S
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Rating: 5/5
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May 18, 2004 16:11
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Way ahead of its time!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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First handheld I ever bought was a second-hand IC-2iA. When I lost it, I went on a quest to locate another. Got a great deal on 2 of them, and snapped them up faster than I thought was possible. 100 memories, DTMF, CTSS, group paging feature, extremely good performing transmitter, sensitive receiver, wide-band receive (including Aircraft AM band for the airshows!). All of this with only 5 buttons on the front panel! The user's manual and tech notes are a MUST when using this radio as everything is menu driven and the tech notes explain just how to activate all the features. I'd happily buy this radio again if I were looking for a handheld.
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KI5DR
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Rating: 4/5
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May 29, 2003 01:06
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Feature-packed Micro HT
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought my 2ia brand new from the Toy Store in Wheaton, IL in 1995.
At first, I was confused about it's Simple mode vs. it's advanced user mode. Simple mode allowed 10 memories, and few basic features. If you changed it to advanced mode, it allowed you 100 memories and everything from CTCSS encode/decode to DTMF paging.
Imagine a radio this small with 100 memories and 5w (with 13.8v). It would get warm quickly though. Fits in your shirt pocket! standard battery was 120mA 7.2 volt, lasts quite awhile!
My only issue was with how the battery was inserted into the bottom of th radio. The battery is held in with two plastic tabs, which would wear out over time, causing the battery to fall out randomly. Using the leather case would solve the problem.
Otherwise, great audio, excellent receiver, loads of features, good power. Too bad it apparently did not sell very well.
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