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write your own review of the Icom IC-245 (with SSB adapter).
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K6LO
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Rating: 3/5
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Nov 2, 2009 17:41
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There are better choices.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had one of these in the 80's. I remember one thing above all. Crank, crank, crank, crank... I don't know what I would have done without the clip on spinner. Performance was fine on FM. SSB performance was eclipsed by my TS-700A. And like the other reviewers, often a pcb feed through rivet would fail. Unacceptable considering the arduous duty my particular radio had: sitting on a desk in a temperature controlled room. They do look kinda cool, but there is plenty of nicer stuff out there. I could write this review all over agian for the IC-211, but I will save my fingers.
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K0KN
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 7, 2005 06:16
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Great rig!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought my IC-245 in 1999. I was looking for a 2 meter all-mode rig to use as part of my satellite station. Up to that point, I could only use the FM satellites. I was interested in trying RS12-13, which was a CW/SSB only bird.
I was a little disappointed that the IC-245 only had USB available. This meant that I could not use SSB on the Fujisat birds (FO-20 and FO-29). The reason being, the FO birds used an INVERTING transponder. If you uplink USB, the resulting downlink would be LSB. The convention is to uplink so that the resulting downlink is in USB.
I had plenty of fun operating RS12-13 until it perished, at which time I started thinking about having LSB on my IC-245 again. Shortly thereafter, I began working on a receive setup for AO-40, and again forgot about adding LSB to my old rig.
I participated in Field Day 2003, where I met another ham who owned a IC-245. He, too, wanted LSB on his rig and had a copy of the mod - from Icom! Please see my web site if you are interested in this mod, it is described in great detail. http://www.qsl.net/k0kn
My IC-245 has done a great job for me, especially considering it's low cost. If I were wanting to use it for CW much, I'd have to add a sidetone oscillator but that's about all I'd do. My 245 still puts out about 10 watts - not bad for a 30+ year old rig.
If you own one of these rigs, or are considering buying one, please join us at the Icom 245 group on Yahoo at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ic245
The group is free, of course, and we would like to have you as a member!
73,
Kyle Yoksh
K0KN
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KD2E
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Rating: 4/5
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May 4, 2003 21:06
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Fun rig!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I got one of these a year or so ago. It was in the original box, unused. So, mine works. I understand it may be a rarity!!
It is a bit of a clunker to use, but I suppose its' age is the reason for that. Fun radio to use. I guess I should use it more often...before it craps out!!!
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KU4QD
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Rating: 1/5
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May 3, 2003 05:19
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Unreliable, relatively poor RX, best avoided
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I, too, had an IC-245. I could not honestly recommend it to anyone. First off, anyone who had to hardwaire the feed-throughs (eyelets) for the double sided boards will tell you that is a long and painstaking repair. They became flaky on every last IC-245 out there. If someone has an actual, working IC-245 (which is a rare item indeed) this repair had to be done by now. Otherwise the radio will have problems.
The CMOS IC chip was prone to failure. In 1985 Icom wanted $90 for that chip. Today it is simply not replaceable. That was the death of my IC-245. Spares are about impossible to get.
Finally, the receiver was NOISY. Not what you want from a 2m SSB rig for weask signal work. Early synthesizers in many Icom rigs suffered from digital and/or phase noise, and the IC-245 was no exception.
There are many older, mobile Icom 2m all mode rigs , such as the IC-260 and the IC-290A/H that are much better than this old dud. Avoid it!
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KC5UN
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Rating: 4/5
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May 2, 2003 21:24
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Not that bad
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought mine in '77, right after I was licensed. Pretty much state of the art at the time (e.g., among first amateur rigs -- with the '211 -- to use optical choppers and LSI chips), and had ability to use USB (only) as well. I had a great time working stations up and down the east coast while hilltopping from the car.
They did have a problem with connections between boards and it did get sent back for repairs a couple times. My recollection is that most 2m rigs were not as reliable back then as they are now. That was a bit inconvenient; however, at the time there was nothing else like it.
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W6PMR2
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Rating: 1/5
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May 2, 2003 18:38
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NOT GOOD !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had a couple of these back in the 80's and both were problematic and poor performers.
Many probs with the boards going bad, problem was the eyelets that go from one side of the board to the other. Big brother 211 had the same
problems but when it worked it was a better radio.
You can pick these up cheap for a reason, not one of Icom's better ideas.
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