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You can
write your own review of the Icom IC-211.
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W3DBB
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 30, 2007 07:01
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mine runs 24/7
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I picked up my IC-211 at the 2006 Frederick MD hamfest for $90. It came with the original hand mic, operating manual, service manual, and addenda. It was very nice of the seller to include all of the service documentation. The rig is in very good cosmetic condition but was giving it's owner fits.
The previous owner correctly diagnosed faulty electrolytic capacitors in the PLL compartment, affecting alignment and causing phantom signals to appear. Initially I had trouble with the oscillator dying, resulting in no receive or transmit. It was beginning to look as if I had invested in a $90 doorstop.
I had done my research and learned about ICOM's use of double-side PC boards using staked nickel bushings in lieu of plated through-holes to connect top and bottom of the circuit boards. I did an exploratory and removed the top and bottom covers and blew the dust out with Aero-Duster. I noticed at least one modification had been done to the IC-211 in years past. I reinstalled the top and bottom covers and turned the rig on.
My next move was partly intuitive. I had noticed sometimes with the rig powered on and no oscillator action, after being left on for a period of time the oscillator would start running and the rig would work. I also recalled when I initially brought the rig home from Frederick MD to Lewistown PA in a Kia Sportage (one rough riding son of a gun, excellent vibration test!) the rig performed flawlessly. Even the alignment was perfect and there were no phantom signals on receive. I was beginning to wonder what the previous owner was talking about, but as the days and weeks went by I noticed the problems he referred to, and then some.
As the title of my review says, the fix for my IC-211 was to let the rig powered up continuously. I have no issues with excessive heating of the power transformer. I have the transceiver plugged into a cheapie surge supressor. If lighting comes up, I disconnect the antenna and screw in one of those Japanese-made Radio Shack dummy loads. Only if the lighting gets very close will I pull the plug on the IC-211, and that has yet to occur.
This 'fix' has cured nearly all of my IC-211's ills. Alignment is still 20 kHz high 146 to 148 mHz and 40 kHz high 144-146 mHz. No biggie, I just compensate by subtracting the appropriate number of mHz, depending on which PLL range I'm on, to know the correct frequency. Following this method I have no problem being 'on frequency', even on SSB. There is some 120 cycle hum in the receive audio. I've solicited reports and have yet to receive a report of hum on my transmitted signal. This hum, and the remaining alignment issue, probably goes back to the bad electrolytic capacitors in the PLL compartment. If I get bold I may change those someday, but it isn't a major issue for me.
I use the rig 95% on FM and occasionally on SSB. I have yet to try the IC-211 on CW. On FM I run the power at 50% (5 Watts) and the audio gain control at about 10 o'clock position. I use the stock ICOM hand mic.
I enjoy the receive audio of this transceiver, even with the 120 cycle hum, which is pretty low- probably modulates the receive audio approximately 5%. It is more enjoyable to listen to this transceiver than my ICOM IC-2100HN25. I use external bookshelf hi-fi speakers on both rigs and the audio from the 30 year old IC-211 is superior to the receive audio from the 3 year old IC-2100HN25 mobile rig.
If you are having problems with your IC-211, try leaving it powered up continuously, with the proper safeguards of course!
73
Doug
KA3TGV
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N6KYS
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Rating: 0/5
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Jan 29, 2007 22:09
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What a nightmare
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I am a diehard Icom fan....(Pro III, V8000, 2200H, V82, A24), so it pains me to be so negative about the 211. It was the worst rig I've ever owned...intermittent power, problems with the PLL, you name it. I think it was developed and produced during a time when Icom was cutting its teeth on the technologies that went into the 211. DO NOT casually buy this rig....make sure you first know what you're getting and only then take the plunge with your eyes wide open. Otherwise, buy something newer....the aggravation you save yourself will be worth it.
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W6PMR
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Rating: 2/5
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May 31, 2006 21:31
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Great, Not.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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These had a number of problems, the biggest was the through-the-board eyelets that Icom used on this vintage. They became intermittant and you had to chase your tail fixing all the failed solder joints.
When it worked it was OK for it's day and it is a cheap radio now because of the well deserved reputation of these radios to start failing afer a while.
I think if you want to go old and cheap in a 2 meter SSB radio you are MUCH better off with a Kenwood 700 or a Yaesu 221, they go for about the same money and if they work they usually stay that way.
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KE7AAQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 15, 2004 16:33
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cheap excellent multimode
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I received my 211 well before I received my ticket. After fixing a few broken switches, cleaning pots, etc, it is a great performing radio. After the well published mods and a tone board, I use this rig daily without a problem. The only shortcoming with the unit is it's vulnerability to intermod in congested areas. While it only has about 10 watts of output, (plenty for repeater use) it is plenty to drive an amp. The receiver is sensitive, but slightly noisy (phase noise?). Overall, for about 100 bux, you can't beat this multi mode rig, even if it spends it's life on FM and not on the other modes.
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VA3MJ
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Rating: 2/5
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Sep 24, 2004 16:41
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Worked great until the soldering became intermittent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Purchased this radio back in 1978 and it worked well until the darned soldering opened up and became intermittent.
Traced the problem to the VCO board and the through board eyelets were the cause. I re-soldered everything in the VCO to no avail so I did it again!! Finally worked for a while then quit again. (Guess I only got a couple of bad soldering joints and missed some elsewhere.)
Ended up trading the unit on another 2 M all mode unit. I just couldn't spend any more time soldering and re-soldering this radio as I wanted to operate it for a change. Pretty poor show for ICOM.
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KY4Z
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 31, 2004 12:43
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1970s workhorse keeps running ...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned my Icom IC-211 for 16 years, and it's performed well during this period. I bought it for $40 as a non-working unit at a hamfest; I sent it in for repair and it hasn't missed a beat since.
It's primary use in my shack is as my main 2-meter rig, which until recently was mostly FM. It's been on SSB more in the past few months than it ever was before, and I've enjoyed working new grids with just 10w and a Ringo Ranger. You can't compare the IC-211 to current offerings on the market, they'll usually run circles around it. The receiver is adequate, though my Yaesu FT-1500 outperforms the IC-211 on FM. With no memories and only 10 watts out, you have to be willing to accept the limitations when you own or buy period ham gear. The IC-211 was state-of-the-art in 1978, not 2004.
In this day and time, the IC-211 is something of a VHF boat anchor. Weighing in at 15 lbs, the handle on the rig is there for a reason! As long as I can keep my IC-211 running I'll continue to use mine. The Icom rigs of this period have a bad reputation (and mostly deservedly so) for failing. I would be inclined to replace it with another if the price was right. For high-performance SSB/CW work there are newer and better rigs out there, but none with that distinctive 1970s Icom style.
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K7VO
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 28, 2003 19:06
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Much better than it's reputation
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Here is another rig, much like the IC-701, that takes a thrashing on eHam and some online forums. The problems described are, indeed, real, but a good working Icom IC-211 is an excellent radio.
The rig puts out anywhere from under 1W to 10W, adjustable, SSB, CW, and FM. There is no allowance for AM. No memories, but you can set the two VFOs to track if you want to tune around the FM/repeater portion of the band. This rig really wasn't built with repeaters in mind, and for the cost of an external tone box with a switch you can buy a good, used FM rig. This radio is really for the SSB/CW weak signal operator. The receiver is outstanding for a radio of the IC-211s vintage, and much better than some fairly deaf 1980s Kenwood or Yaesu rigs. A preamp is not really necessary with an IC-211.
The main reliability issue were the eyelets/feedthrougs on the two sided boards, as others have commented. Here's the good news: if the radio is still working that repair was almost certainly done, probably years ago. If you have to do the work it's more time consuming and painstaking than difficult. With some coaching I did manage to repair an IC-245/SSB with the problem, and if I can do it anyone can if they know which end of a soldering iron to hold.
The only show stopper for the IC-211 is if the CMOS LSI chip fails. There are no spares. This is the sort of problem facing ALMOST ALL 25 year old radios which have at least one proprietary chip, even the ones rated as 5s.
The bad reviews have depressed the price of this rig. You can often find a good, used one in the $150 price range. Mint ones are only a little more. If you can verify that the rig is working and problem free the IC-211 is a very good way for a ham on a very limited budget to get on 2m SSB/CW.
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SM7UYJ
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Rating: 3/5
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Aug 1, 2003 12:30
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Ok rigg if modified!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This was my fist 2m radio (in 1996), and I have had a couple off them since. Do NOT use the radio with an amplifier if you have'nt done the mod for the VCO! You will cause splatter and located in a crowded area you will not be popular! I would also recomend a new input stage if you are planing on using the radio for loong haul SSB/CW work. Put in a BF981 in mine and it made a big differance. So as previously mentioned you should not be a stranger with your soldering iron if you plan on owning this radio. But if you put in some work, you get a cheap 2m allmode that works ok!
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VE6XX
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Rating: 3/5
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Apr 20, 2001 01:16
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only for the technically apt
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Greetings: The IC-211 was a late 70ies offering from Icom, paralelling the IC-245, IC-22A, IC-22S,
IC-701 etc. These radios were notorious for a series of problems mostly related to the eyelets on the PC boards, that connected one side of the board to the other. The radios all worked well when they worked, but few were without problems.
Since these radios are all 20 or more years of age, I am amazed that any are still in operation.
Their design was good, only the implementation
was lacking. If the boards have been repaired properly, I expect that they will work a long time
I personally would not recommend any of this series to anyone who is not capable of carrying out their own repairs. I doubt Icom still supports them. Brian, VE6XX
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WA6STC
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 19, 2001 21:19
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Got my used IC-211 off of Ebay. Radio works satisfactory.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Picked up the all mode 2 meter off of Ebay. The radio works fine on FM and USB. The first thing you will need to do is install a Tone Encoder. The Communications Specialists outboard TE-32 works nicely. Tone input is to the vertical coated end of R162. If there is no manual or schmatic, they are available on Ebay on CDROM. The power output of this radio is variable from 1-10Watts on FM and full 10Watts out on SSB (Not adjustable). The radio has 2 VFOs so you can setup whatever offset you need for FM. If you are looking for a 2 mtr allmode that won't cost you a ton of money, I would recommend the IC-211. Its kinda old, but its performance is more than satisfactory.
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