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write your own review of the Icom IC-251A.
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26JLH
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 22, 2009 16:18
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good and old fashoned
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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looks ok, got it off epay..have only talked to my handies on it as i need to put up an aerial for it.Looks to be restored but who ever has done this knew what they were doing.It looks like new not 30 odd years old if only i had the box and paper manual i would be very happy..oh well i will get one by and by.. Good radio bloody well made, quality item puts the new plastic radios to shame even the front is metal as it should be, after all its a ham radio not a cheap vidieo..jeff m6-glh..somerset england..
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AH6RH
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 7, 2008 13:34
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I love my 251a
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I really like my IC-251A, quirks and all. First off, if you really want a top of the line 2m SSB rig, and you want a modern in-production radio, then the Icom IC-910H is your only real choice, and it's not a bad one.
But, if you choke on the $1,400 price tag, then I would consider a IC-251A in good condition. All the key controls are on the front panel, such as mic gain, RF power, etc. It passes the first test, because real radios have knobs and not push button menus. You can calibrate the internal SWR meter by opening up the top cover and using a screwdriver, but I leave mines in RF power mode.
The front end is very sensitive, and the radio tunes in 100 hertz increments in SSB mode, which is the second test.
On FM, you can get it to tune in 1 kHz increments, which is useful for working the ISS uplink. That is the third test. The button to the bottom and to the left of the main VFO knob is for selecting tuning step increments.
For FM, you can choose to operate the meter in signal strength mode, or center discriminator mode. Can't find radios with a center discriminator meter any more, because they don't make crystal mobile radios and walkies.
Now for the quirks. It has 3 internal memories that require external DC to keep alive. This is from the days before internal lithium batteries. If you don't like internal batteries, then you have to supply external DC to radios. This is one of them. It also comes with an internal AC power supply, and sometimes over the years people remove them so you might get a radio without the internal AC supply. This radio uses the 4-pin .093 inch Molex connector which you can get at Radio Shack, similar to the IC-22S radio and IC-ML1 amplifier.
There are two VFO's, A and B. You can tune each one independently, then use the RA-TB or RB-TA switch setting to receiver either on A or B, and transmit on the other VFO. If you change freq, the other VFO will change by the same amount. By default, the radio wakes up with A=145.0, B=145.60. This is the standard 600 kHz repeater split. If you use the RA-TB or RB-TA mode, you can tune the repeater split to where you want to make contacts.
There are no internal filter slots for add SSB and CW filters. There's not enough activity here to determine the filtering characteristics of the radio.
There's no provision for hooking it up to a computer for automated tuning. If you like Icom radios, I recommend you get one with a built-in CI-V interface, which are the IC-275, 820, 821, 910.
This radio uses the older pre-amplified mikes, with the phantom power hooked up to the mike audio pin. So, it uses the HM-7, HM-8 and SM-5 mikes. The more modern Icom mikes such as the HM-12 and HM-14 with a separate mic DC lead don't work well with this rig.
So, if you work straight SSB simplex, or are interested in using the radio for uplinks (or the downlinks) to satellites, it works great recognizing you and not the computer have to do the tuning. I look forward to using this rig when I come home from work each day. That lets me dedicate, configure and use my IC-910H for mobile satellite work. If you want a straight forward radio, consider the IC-275 (and be prepared to pay more). If you get a working IC-251A for $175 or less, it's a good deal.
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W6PMR
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 26, 2008 17:40
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Good but not perfect!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought this last week at our new local radio store here in Auburn. It was a consignment radio
and I needed an all mode 2 meter for the base as my 736 was being repaired. There was a Icom 211 there for the same money but my experience with that model was very bad so I thought for $100 what could I loose.
Here is my impressions after a week of using the radio.
Easy to use, the manual is available on Rigpix
but I only need it for reference.
Not bad reciever, not as sensitive as others I have owned but with a pre-amp it's OK.
Only 10 watts, needs an amp.
Clumsy to use on FM. No PL and only 3 memories.
I installed a Com-Spec 32 but it's just not a great radio for FM. I use it for SSB and for one hundred dollars it's a good fill in untill I get my main radio back.
If you can pick it up for cheap, go for it if you just need an all mode for not to much $$$
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N3WXW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 3, 2008 08:33
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HOT RECIVER
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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IF YOU WANT A HIGH PERFORMACE 2 METER ALL MODE . THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST.My station is a r-70,720a,551,251,451. Every one of these radios beats the performance of my Knwd TS 2000.But of course have lower power ,less options and take up alot of space.
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VK2HSV
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Rating: 5/5
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May 29, 2005 03:13
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Classic 2mtr Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought my IC-251A not that long ago, and absolutely fell in love with its performance. Awesome to be precise.
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KC7JDS
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 27, 2005 06:45
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Very good for its age
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Now if I was writing this back in the '80s when this radio was new, I would probably give it a 5/5. But it's over 20 years old and starting ot show some age. The speaker is starting to rattle. I've done a simple modification on it for an external tone box so I can hit the local repeaters (a good thing). Most adjustments are easily accessed if necessary, but it's usually not necessary. A real workhorse for it's age, design, and specs. I like it that I can use this at either the desk (110Vac) or mobile (12Vdc). I also like that Icom included 4 extra unconnected RCA jacks on the back panel for whatever. Just remove the top cover, and there they are, easily accessed. I used one for the tone box add. Good clean audio TX and RX. Simple controls, not too many extranious bells & whistles. A radio that is intuative and easy to use.
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KI3BU
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 19, 2004 08:54
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Excellent transceiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned this rig for about 18 months and have found it to be an outstanding performer. I originally bought the radio to have something with technology that I was more familiar with and that I could use on the air from time to time as well. After only having it a few days, I fell in love with the rig and it's performance and it has become my primary 2M rig in the shack. I have compared it's receive capabilities to a friend's IC-251A with a Mutek front-end and to my IC-746 and IC-706MkIIG and have found that it is real close in running with any of them. The IC-251A with the Mutek board was slightly better but not enough for me to be concerned about. This test was done with the same antenna (via a switch) and monitoring a distant repeater and a CW beacon about 60 miles away. Transmitted audio is crisp and clear with both the stock (HM7) mic or the SM5 desk mic. I use the rig primarily on FM simplex and local SSB and run it into an amp for a bit more RF output. There are no tones, only 3 memories and not alot of 'bells and whistles' but the rig is straight forward and is a top performer in my book. My Icom IC-251A will always have a permanent place in my shack.
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G4UDT
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 19, 2004 03:38
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IC-251E
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought this radio off eBay about 6 months ago primarily as it has the Mutek front end. I recently also bought a Yaesu FT-225RD with Mutek.
Both radios are similar in performance and the only possible downside with the IC-251E is that it has 100hz steps in SSB/CW whereas the FT-225RD has an analogue VFO.
The Icom also has a built-in switch mode PSU whereas the FT-225RD has a built-in linear PSU (heavy transformer).
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M0BTZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 4, 2003 20:38
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Excellent Rig!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I love my IC-251 rig. Have worked a lot of DX with this rig on SSB/CW. Mine has an mutek front end board fitted which makes the world of difference and transforms the rig into a low noise, bombproof DX machine!!.
My IC251 is showing signs of overuse as the legends on the front panel are begining to wear away. This rig has nice ergonomics, very easy to use. This radio is beginning to show its age a bit but for me it will remain a golden oldie!!
I have the variable power mod on this radio which makes driving an linear amplifier a doddle.
My minor complaint is that isnt any memories on this rig to program in beacon frequencies but it is an old rig and for its day with the mutek front end board, it is a superb performer!!
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KC0LRP
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 16, 2002 01:09
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got mine 1.5 mons ago
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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yea it has no bells or whisles, i got this at a local candy store. has a varable output on fm 1watt to 10watts,ssb is controled by mike,use a amp.on ssb as well as fm it be set as low as .200 watts with the trim pots have done this works great on fm using amp all& all very good older rig for someone just starting out .
73's kcolrp
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