| ZL4TE |
Rating:  |
2014-08-08 | |
| A real leap forward |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had been thinking about dstar for some years and never got around to it. Was not really grabbed by any of the other radio's on offer, but then I thought I'd take the plunge and see what all the fuss was about. Call to Icom NZ about current prices, and the ID-5100 was in and only marginally more than the 2820. So I took the leap.
The radio has exceeded all of my expectations. The cost of the radio is fine for what you get. The brackets, I cannot see the fuss - if I want one, I buy one (I did). Icom were up front and told me, so it is no issue, and make no mistake, the cost of the mobile bracket that comes with the radio offered by other manufacturers will be factored in, it won't be free!!
Icom NZ are provide a free 5 year warranty, which given labour costs, if it needs a repair in that time, will far exceed the cost of a mobile mount. It also tells me that Icom really do believe in this radio.
The radio itself is packed with features, useful features. I love the bluetooth headset. I can do stuff around the shack and am not "tied" to the radio by a mic cord. I love the key on/key off feature, great for mobile. It is easy to programme and the audio reports are great. The touch screen is a pleasure to use.
I'm still learning Dstar, and not having a massive hf system, bands in ZL can be very quiet. I love being able to chat world wide whenever I want.
Looking through the manual, I can see I have loads yet to learn about this awesome radio. It really is a leap forward.
Icom NZ customer service was second to none, they actually delivered the radio before the scheduled date.
I looked around for some time at other VHF/UHF radios, nothing comes close. |
|
| KI8R |
Rating: |
2014-07-23 | |
| I really like it! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
OK, full disclosure, I won this radio. That said, I really like it.
I know that it doesn't include the brackets and I had to make my own. I listed to Ray Novak from Icom explain why Icom didn't include them. I know it is an expensive radio. But...
Honestly if you can get past the cost, it functions like a 21st century VHF/UHF rig should. In the age of smart phones and touch screens, why don't more rigs have these features?
It may not be for everyone, but if you are on DStar or have an interest, then this radio is an excellent choice. It also is a great rig on FM as well.
I liked it so much that I bought the matching HT - ID-51 which I also like a lot! |
|
| VK3TQ |
Rating: |
2014-07-23 | |
| Great Radio...but |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This is a really great radio, that just is in another league to the 2820 or another D-Star Radio.
You do need to read the manual (RTFM) , and get familiar with this radio before putting accolades on it or bagging it. I have have the radio for two weeks now and have installed in the car and I am learning every day. If you do lots of night driving don't mount it with an MBF-1, Firstly the display is too big and maybe a distraction, the backlights needs to go down a couple more levels it is too bright still and don't use auto dim it will send you mad
Yesterday i did 600Km with the 5100 and these are my observations, Not negative points Maybe mount it in the dash, and use a serial GPS. The receive sensitivity is good and I worked analog repeaters further than anything else that Ive used. If you used it in urban areas you would need to use the attenuator as a couple of 148Mhz pagers TX's came through, two in one day wasn't bad, no different to my TM-D710
There are so many plus's about this radio that just make all the whinging and whinging insignificant. The user interface is so easy to use compared every radio I have used in the past 34 years. Just That is why I would buy another one. Memory management is so good, SD cards, you can export to CSV files, D-Star Repeaters are all on file and you can save to SD and clone another radio. Some body was whinging about comparing it to a TM-D710, its far ahead of that, I have one, programmed it used it, even the Icom software is more user friendly that the Kenwood software.
I like the near repeater function, you have the ability to edit it
I have programmed all 140+ Analog repeaters in our state and that is now part of the file The files will be posted in ICF and CSV our our national D-Star site for everyone to download
There are no microphone issues, its a good informative microphone , I use functions on it while mobile, it has VERY good audio, the reports validate that, I used to think probably the best was the ID-1 but the ID-51 and the 5100 are crackers
Changing the main band and sub is just great...one button, to separate and only have one band....one button very good
In DR this is so good, touch to select which repeater, out of ALL the D-Star repeaters, around the world, in groups by country, then turn the dial to select how you want to work the repeater, whether gateway, reflector, local etc This radio is amazing READ THE MANUAL it is not a normal dual bander, if you want that go buy a Wouxon because thats your level.
It's not even that its new, Icom have really thought about this rig and it just excites me what are we going to see in the next 5 years
With regard to Bluetooth, got the board haven't put it in year but I have seen it work on a friends Samsung tablet and well.... unbelievable.
I understand why Icom put it out to Android, development costs and 30% royalties of any purchase to Apple...I don't think so So well done I am a devout iOS user but eventually it will come
Now my gripe, I am an ex Icom Manager, for the life of me, I do not understand why the Japanese marketed this radio with a ridiculous plethora of accessories. Just STUPID...I can say that now Seriously the magnets as an accessory Just embarrassing !!!!
Every radio should come with head and body mounting and SCREWS
Power Cable extra ferites etc Everything to mount it in a car and the customer YOU would be a lot happier Put an extra $100 on the price and don't infuriate people and don't waste their time
I am happy the CS 5100 was there and the manuals on CD great
Yes a few disappointments but the awesomeness of this radio I will STILL give it a five Go use a ID-800 by hand and get a 5100 shoved at you.... thats awesome
All I can say, be prepared to buy the piddling plethora of accessories and just add it to your expectation it will still out shine,everything else ... nothing on the market compares to this rig
PS Its awesome on Analog too, |
|
| K9MHZ |
Rating: |
2014-07-10 | |
| Review of great radio, NOT the missing brackets, etc. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
This is a fabulous radio. I replaced a 2820 with this rig, and am I ever glad I did. It's lightyears ahead of the 2820 and very similar in design concept as the ID-51A handheld, although it does include quite a few more features.
While some (why is it always U.K. hams especially?) trash this radio and Icom because of lack of included brackets and mic plug-in point on the radio body rather than the control head, they're misleading the readership by steering them away from the tremendous capabilities of this new radio. Merely repeating those here is silly.....that information is readily available and better presented than I could ever do.
People fail to realize that all manufacturers do market surveying to find which way they can push new products. What Icom has found is that most hams do NOT mount their mobile radios in traditional ways, so they decided to test the waters with making the bracket an option. The pushback from the ham community was understandable and probably warranted....but trashing this rig in its own right due to the brackets issue is absolutely ridiculous.
I can recommend this rig without qualification to anyone. It's solid, classy, easy to use, and full of features.
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|
| K7BMG |
Rating: |
2014-06-26 | |
| Just a responce. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I agree that the ID-5100 is the best mobile rig out there as well. So I bought a second for my home station. Yes I had to build mounts for both.
I have no complaints about the Mic myself as I get top notch reports and sounds like I am in the room comments every time I get on the radio.
I was curious on one part of the mic as the tiny mic opening was white inside. So I did open it up to find the internal silicone cover's opening and the mic hole will never line up. You will see what I mean if you look inside. So I trimmed the silicone and my audio output was much better. As I have not done this to my base unit yet people can tell when I am in my truck VS my home rig. Some thought I did one of the many mic upgrades that are available out there.
I was told that the Android VS I.phone issue is two fold, one, cost! Apple has huge fees they are triple than there Android competition. Secondly The Android platform (Microsoft) is more conducive for the developers to create the software to run with the radios hardware. Don't hold these comments as 100% facts as I have not done the research to prove them. Just passing on info I have received from what I consider reliable sources.
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Earlier 4-star review posted by K7BMG on 2014-05-23
Out of the box the rig works and works well.
You have to be actively registered on the Dstar network and you have to program your call sign into the rig prior to use. (on Dstar anyway) but after that I was making contacts without any repeater pre programing on both Dstar and FM repeaters right away.
IMO This makes for a top of the line honest to goodness mobile rig. The hours of searching out repeaters and preprograming them in before a trip is now obsolete IMO. When in DR scan mode and all nearby repeaters is selected the GPS keeps the near repeaters up to date as you travel around. I am sure there are repeaters and reflectors not on the list so if you need something specific then that may/will need to be programed in.
The software or I should say the Repeater list will need to be updated regularly. This is also simple to do as it can be done via the SD card or connecting directly to your computer.
The internal Speaker was better than I was expecting but I still use an external as the radio is mounted under the back seat of my truck.
The display is also great. Easy to see and operate mobile. The default setting is way to bright for night driving. Sure I would like it to be in full color but it does the job and so far I have not had the sun or other reflections wash out the screen.
Another bonus is that the programing cable for my ID-51A works with the 5100. Still have to buy the RT Systems Software but its only $25.00 from RT direct.
The software that comes with the 5100 works well but is not as user friendly as the RT Systems.
I have gotten great response from hams listening to my Dstar and FM transmissions and have been told that the 5100 is the best sounding Dstar rig to date.
The price, well as with everything yes it is a lot of money. The functionality of the radio makes it worth more than rigs of the past IMO. I was way disappointed to find out no brackets at all are included. Mounting brackets are NOT!! Optional.
The cost of these "Options" is ridicules.
So I say the best medicine is let them sit on the shelves and collect dust. To complain to everyone but Icom and buy anyway is why they get away with gouging the customer.
For less than Ten bucks, a trip to the hardware store, and an hour of my time I made mounting brackets for both the Head and Body.
The Mic extension cable was made for about three bucks, using two RJ-45 ends and about 8 feet of Cat 6e and a LAN cable coupling. If you want to make one yourself just wire the ends straight through.
The Bluetooth portion is a cool feature but I have no need for it, but hey its there if I change my mind and want to buy the card. Maybe if they have a 50% off sale down the road?
One thing I did and recommend to others. I did not want to have the touchscreen damaged over time. I bought a screen protector for a tablet and trimmed it to fit using the protective film used for shipping the unit as a template. I bet Icom will be selling them soon.
So Icom you lose a point for making mounts an option, so the price IMO is way to steep for a rig missing them out of the box.
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|
| KF0X |
Rating: |
2014-06-22 | |
| A different take on the "shortcomings" mentioned by some... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
All of the great features and positive comments are well documented in many other reviews. So, I will not rehash them here. I am just surprised at all the nitpicking of probably the best and most advanced UHF/VHF amateur radio ever built. The 5100 is superior to any other radio (mobile UHF/VHF) even for those people still using only analog.
1. I look at the "missing" mobile mounting brackets as a smart decision by ICOM. MANY people never use them, so why make everyone pay for them? If you use this radio as a base, no real need for mobile mounting brackets. If you mount under your car seat, you likely will not need the brackets. I have used Velcro to mount on this any many other radios under the driver seat. Not once have I EVER used mobile mounting brackets in a vehicle. Again, if you really need them, you can buy them.
There is an optional suction cup mount for the control head. It allows you to choose between the suction mount (or homebrew), the traditional mobile brackets or nothing at all. I pay for the items I want and don't spend a dime for unneeded items.
2. There are comments about the "noisy" cooling fan. I live in Arizona. I need a powerful cooling fan, particularly because I mount my radio under the driver seat. We all know 'heat kills". We need to keep our electronic components as cool as possible. The 5100 is such a feature-rich radio and cooling is even more important than many of the lesser radios on the market. I also thought the 2820 was louder than many radios. It never bothered me at all. Plus, when it is under my seat, I barely hear it anyway.
3. The microphone is exactly the same body and mechanism that has been used in Icom radios for years. Only a few of the buttons have different functions in this mic. But the basic design is EXACTLY the same. There was a comment about it being cheap and flimsy. I have one of those types of mics on an IC-2200H, which I have had since 2004 and it has never been replaced. I think 10+ years is a reasonable test.
4. I like the fact the mic plugs directly into the main unit. My radio is mounted under the seat and it keeps me from having to make or buy a mic extension cable to the control head on the dash. That is a big plus for me.
NOW, MY ONLY COMPLAINT:
Why in the world would ICOM make an Android app and not have an iPhone/iPad app? Really? They ignore the single largest-selling phone model on the planet! That just does not make any sense. Heck, even my Kenwood car stereo has its own iPhone/iPad app. I am sure it must be in the works by ICOM. Oh well, I can live with that and certainly does not downgrade my review.
I like ICOM's a la Carte philosophy. You cannot include absolutely everything and still list your radios at a price point that generates sales. If all of these accessories were automatically included, we would have seen eHam reviews flaming the 5100 as being grossly overpriced. I MUCH prefer a la Carte. The 5100 is a LOT of bang for the buck without forcing me to buy things I will never use! Well-done ICOM!
This is a stunningly GREAT radio that puts the Grand Canyon (since I live in Arizona) between ICOM and any other Amateur radio mobile manufacturer. The bar has just been raised VERY, VERY high.
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|
| ZL2UFI |
Rating: |
2014-06-03 | |
| Great new radio for DSTAR... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased the ID-5100A locally here in New Zealand as it was the best option, having checked the imported price from the USA. The added advantage is that ICOM NZ is offering a 5 year warranty!
I like most people had to wait for the radio to become available, so downloaded the instruction manual PDF, and I cut to the chase and read all about the radio. It all seemed impressive, but like all the other reviewers here I was surprised that on unpacking the box that the mobile mounts were 'missing'. I then rechecked the PDF manual and found that they were never included! I missed this when reading the PDF manual as I wanted to see what the radio could do. Bit of a nasty surprise really. A quick email to ICOM NZ and they have offered to supply the main (radio body) mount for FREE!, but would have to pay for the other two options, the IC-MBF1 and the IC-MBA-2. Like other reviewers these are all on back order so the radio sits in the shack awaiting installation in the car when they are available. This delay is probably not a bad thing as when it goes in the car I'll be fully up to speed on how to use it.
The actual operation of the radio is fairly straight forward, and I was able to get on the air within minutes of opening the box. The various touch screen options seem to work well, and I only had to refer to the manual for some functions.
I have used the included programming software but have since gone to the RT Systems software. As far as the SD Card is concerned it operates much like the ones for ID-31. I use 4GB and 8GB cards. The programming files are very small, and even the recorded files take some time to really fill up the 4GB cards, so don't waste your time purchasing bigger cards in my opinion as you will probably never need that amount of storage capacity.
Audio reports both transmitted and received have been very good, including from the other side of the world from the UK via a Reflector, from another ID-5100D owner no less!
Since I have been on DSTAR for some three years now, and having used most of the various ICOM DSTAR radios I can see the evolution of the radios over time.
When getting into DSTAR I held off buying the IC-2820H as it was an outdated radio in my opinion and have waited all this time for ICOM to produce a replacement in the ID-5100A. I have used the IC-2820H for a six month period about three years ago so can see the changes and differences. It has been worth the wait!
I have scored my review higher than most, as I haven't marked it down for not including the various radio mounting options, I just wish they had advised they were 'extra' and not included.
I have compared the NZ price of the IC2820H to the ID-5100A (with all the mobile mounting options) to be almost the same, so not sure what people are complaining about here?
If getting into DSTAR for the first time, this radio is leaps and bounds ahead of previous models and is a great place to start from, while learning the in's and out's of digital radio.
I hope to talk to as many of you as possible when I get this into the car and go mobile. 73's and good DV..... |
|
| N3ORX |
Rating: |
2014-05-24 | |
| Technically a mile ahead |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Technologically, this radio is a solid 5. The reasons for the 3 rating are as follows:
No mounting brackets included, especially for the control head;
Mic plugs in to the body, not the controller, therefore in mobile use the need to buy/make an extension;
Fan noise in the body is excessive (after all the complaints to Icom about this on other units, you would think they would get the idea and fix it); and lastly, you cannot import your programming from an ID-51 into an ID-5100, or vice versa.....sure would be nice to have both radios have the same programming without having to do a lot of data entry.
I picked this radio up at Dayton last weekend. I am a fairly experienced D-Star user, but was blown away by how easy it was to set this up, yet how sophisticated it is. Especially like the DR button....makes for a whole new way of using repeaters while traveling.
Audio reports say it sounds great, and the receive audio is very good, although once I put it in the truck I will use a remote speaker.
Screen is nice and big, which makes it easy on these old eyes. The touch screen makes programming, finding repeaters, setting options, etc., a breeze...once you figure out what to do after you figure out what Icom's Manual means for real.
Overall, a great and fun radio, and I think I am going to really enjoy it. I'll get back in three months and see if I am still so happy with it. |
|
| KA0BBQ |
Rating: |
2014-05-23 | |
| Great Radio, Poor Marketing |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
As previously stated ICOM missed the boat.
This is the first mobile radio I’ve ever purchased that did not come with mounting hardware. I mean, who would have ever thought that someone would want to mount their new mobile radio in a vehicle! My ICOM IC-2400A came with a mounting bracket, as did my ICOM IC-281H and ICOM ID-880H. If I remember correctly so did my previous Kenwood and Yaseu radios!
Now to add insult to injury I purchased the IC-MBF1 for $79.95 thinking I would be able to mount my new ID-5100A Control head. Then I found out that I needed to spend another $39.95 for the IC-MBA-2 Remote head mounting bracket for ID-5100. Well like a lot of amateurs I also wanted to mount the main unit so let’s throw in another $34.95 IC-MBF-4 Mobile mounting bracket for the ID-5100 (Complete With Screws). Now that new $750.00 radio has cost us $904.85… OK I understand bean counters wanting to be sneaky.. but this is almost like lying/deceiving your customers making them think they are buying a radio at a good price point... let’s rape them with the accessories! Because were ICOM and were good at it.*
I was sort of OK with paying additional for the add on Bluetooth capabilities… so let’s throw another $99.95 Internal Bluetooth Board For ID-5100 IC-UT133 and $149.95 for the IC-VS3 Bluetooth pendant earpiece/microphone FOR ID-5100 (MUST HAVE UT-133 to use the IC-VS3 so some honesty here). Now that good radio price point of $750 now costs us $1154.75… a far cry from a good deal.. oh but wait… let’s not make the IC-MBA-2 control head mounting bracket available, that should really piss off the customers!
OH… one more thing… let’s use a 2.6mm X 5mm screw since they aren’t readily available like 2.5mm and 3mm screws so they have buy the screws from us. We know RT Systems won’t spend another $25K for screws like they did to fabricate a microphone connector for programming the IC-92A.
I would have much rather seen the radio priced around $1100 and included the mounting hardware, even if it was going to set on my desk and never mount it. After all is said and done I am using the mounting bracket from my ID-880H main unit and will mount the 880 using the MFB4 if and when it ever becomes available.
On high power the radio likes lots of juice. I first thought I was having an antenna problem so I broke out the MFJ SWR Analyzer. Although the antenna was below 3:1 (1.2:1) it kept shutting off on high power. A call to ICOM Tech support was met with an indignant response. SWR isn't all you need to think about, do you have coils on all the cables. Well it turns out after all the transmitter testing, antenna mount swaps, and new antenna I found if the vehicle battery fell below 11.8V the radio would shut off and reset. This only happened on HIGH power, never on medium or low power settings. The fix was to run the vehicle when transmitting on HIGH power (50 watt) setting.
The RS-MS1A application for the ICOM ID-5100A is plotting mobile stations with a significant error of about 101.5 miles at 89.5 degrees. When I am at my residence located at the coordinates 39.923704, -104.934293 the software plots my position as 39.926042, -103.072715 on the RS-MS1A Google Map. This is not the same position which the radio plots on APRS.fi via DPRS and all stations are plotting with similar error. I have included the actual calculated values in the two tables below if that will help the support personnel correct the software error.
Actual Transmitter Location – also position plotted by APRS.FI and transmitted on DPRS
Latitude 39.923704
Longitude -104.934293
Calculated Values - based on Degrees Lat Long to seven decimal places.
Position Type Lat Lon
Degrees Lat Long 39.9237040°, -104.9342930°
Degrees Minutes 39°55.42224', -104°56.05758'
Degrees Minutes Seconds 39°55'25.3344", -104°56'03.4548"
UTM 13S 505614mE 4419291mN
MGRS 13SEE0561419291
Grid North 0.0°
Maidenhead DM79MW71VQ25
GEOREF FJAK03945542
Plotted Position on RS-MS1A Map of my station some 101.5 miles east of my home location
Latitude 39.926042
Longitude -103.072715
Calculated Values - based on Degrees Lat Long to seven decimal places.
Position Type Lat Lon
Degrees Lat Long 39.9260420°, -103.0727150°
Degrees Minutes 39°55.56252', -103°04.36290'
Degrees Minutes Seconds 39°55'33.7512", -103°04'21.7740"
UTM 13S 664695mE 4421326mN
MGRS 13SFE6469521326
Grid North 1.2°
Maidenhead DM89LW12GG50
GEOREF FJBK55635556
Even with the mounting problems and inaccuracies of the RS-MS1A Android application I still find the radio to be amazing with features like the Bluetooth add on board. You can use the Android Application to send SMS like messages just like on a cell phone. Picture files, no problem. Take a picture or call one up from the Photo Gallery, crop it and send a 320x240 .jpg in High Resolution in about 3 minutes. The transmitting station can even transmit voice while the data is being transmitted. So you could key up ever so often to let others know that your sending a data file without ever disrupting the file transfer. Of course the receiving station has to wait for the end of transmission before responding. Now the coolest feature I think is the overlay of the Repeater List on Google Maps. You can scroll around on the map to find local repeaters, or select repeaters on another continent. Select the desired site and a box comes up with the call sign and available modules with their frequencies. Press on one and it asks if you want it to be TO or From. Select your choice and it is transferred to the radio from the map. Mobile stations are identified by their APRS (DPRS) SSID symbol, you can even call sign route to them! The software allows you to use the DR List and Your Call Sign lists to program the radio as well. You can change transceiver settings from the application, Import and Export files and view RX History with details. The radio will search for both DV and FM repeaters, however you will have to program in your FM repeaters you want to search for in one of the 1200 DR Memories available. The only problem I found with the Bluetooth was having the radio set to Digital Data instead of CV-I Setting so when trying to connect it would drop the connection after about a second. Just use the first setting and it's flawless. ICOM took the time to get the audio quality right. Both from the supplied microphone and the Bluetooth headset I received excellent audio reports. The internal speaker is lacking but I assume they felt you would use two external speakers on opposite sides of the vehicle. You can choose one or both audio outputs. Using Speaker 1 your get all audio on the external speaker. Using just Speaker 2 you get Main audio on the external and Sub audio on the internal speaker. Connecting two both Speaker 1 and 2 you get separate external audio muting the internal speaker.
The radio deserves a 5 - Great! but ICOM hosed it with not including any mounting hardware except a microphone hanger. You can't even mount the control head to the main unit like with the ID-880H and the ID-2820. Not even something as simple as a few VELCRO strips which could have been included in lieu of the control head mounting bracket(s)... yes two are required |
|
| N3CAL |
Rating: |
2014-05-21 | |
| ICOM’S NEXT LEVEL OF DISSAPOINTMENT |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The brochure states “Innovation and Mobility Taken to the Next Level”. This rig may have some nice features but get your wallet out because it’s going to cost you big time! The $750.00 base price gets you the rig, microphone, DC power cable with spare fuse, 11.4’ controller cable, and CD with instruction handbook. What you don’t get is mounting hardware or even any screws to connect anything to the front panel! I was very disappointed to find there was no mounting hardware for the main body and control head. I wanted to install this rig into my 2012 Ford F150 Super Cab Pickup and also take advantage of the Bluetooth capabilities so I ended up spending an additional $511.00 for the options listed below:
MBA-2 Controller Bracket - $40.00
MBF-1 Remote Head Bracket - $80.00
MBF-4 Mounting Bracket - $35.00 (Not Available yet)
OPC-440 16.4’ Microphone Extension Cable - $73.00
UT-133 Bluetooth Module - $100.00
VS-3 Bluetooth Headset -$150.00
SanDisk Extreme 32GB SDHC memory card- $33.00
This rig replaced my Kenwood TM-D710A with Green Light Labs GPS. The Kenwood has been a solid performer and has worked perfectly in a demanding mobile environment for the last two years. The new Icom has been in the truck for a full week now so this review is based on getting the rig installed, programmed and on the air with daily use compared to my previous Kenwood. Programming the radio was very easy and all the menu functions are easy to access and use especially DSTAR setup and use. The SD card feature works great and also the QSO recording and playback are really nice. I was able to connect my Dell Venue 8 Android Tablet via Bluetooth. The rigs TX Audio is very good, Bluetooth audio very good also.
Unfortunately there are several dislikes that over shadow the new features. Here is my dislikes so far:
1. No mounting brackets and no mounting screws!
2. Main body cooling fan is very loud even on the lowest setting. Just like the IC-880h!
3. Crossband Repeater function does not have any morse/voice auto ID function! (Kenwood does)
4. Crossband Repeater function only works for analog FM signals not DSTAR DV.
5. WX Alert blanks out received audio every 5 seconds. Very annoying! (Kenwood does not)
6. Internal GPS takes much longer to get a lock compared to Green Light Labs GPS. 4 min ++
7. Internal speaker sounds horrible. You will need external speaker if the cooling fan is on.
8. Bluetooth module will not stream audio to my Microsoft Sync car stereo system.
9. Handheld mic very cheap plastic, I doubt the PTT button will hold up very long in mobile use.
10. Handheld Mic only connects to main unit. You will need to buy an extension. None supplied.
11. RS-MS1A Android App mapping feature has a bug and is useless. It does not display/update my current position correctly and also stations heard . Although the GPS position is accurate the map display is way off to the east by over 50 miles??? Positions are way off on the map.
12. Optional accessories are actually required for most mobile uses. They are also very overpriced!
13. There is no night mode for the control head backlighting. You will have to manually turn it down to 1 or 2 every night and bump it back up to 6 or better during the day. I tried Auto Off for backlighting but every time you key up/tx the backlight comes back on.
I think Icom needs to address these issues. They have greatly dissapointed me. The $750.00 base price is too much and you will more than likely end up paying much more for options to get this rig up and running in your mobile. Buyer beware! |
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