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Reviews For: ICOM IC-2800H

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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Review Summary For : ICOM IC-2800H
Reviews: 55MSRP: 500.00
Description:
VHF/UHF Mobile w/ 3" LCD Screen.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00554.4
KE3WH Rating: 2001-06-15
No complaints Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Only had it a few days, best UHF/VHF I have had.
Little hard to get used to it, but if you take the time to learn the functions you will be ok.
KB9WPV Rating: 2001-06-04
Excellent dual band Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got a new IC-2800. Although a little pricy, it is a performer! Lots of extras for those who likes the bells and whistles! The display is probably what commands the high price but has a video input jack for use with a video game,camcorder or digital camera! A neat rig, going to keep it for my base unit rather than use it mobile. My results with ICOM products has always been positive. Fine job on this rig ICOM!
KG4GVQ Rating: 2001-05-24
Good radio; could have been great. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am currently on my 3rd IC-2800H (only because I keep thinking I want to run mobile HF, so I sell the 2800 only to change my mind later and purchase another 2800) and have never experienced any major failures. My first unit did eventually develop a problem with PTT switch on the MIC, but Icom's service department was quick to fix it.

Overall I feel this is one of the best mobile, dual-band, radios currently available. Following are a few of the reasons:

*The screen is very easy to read and I've even hooked a VCR up to it so my wife can watch movies on long trips and I can still utilize the radio to carry on QSOs

*I've always received excellent signal and audio reports when talking on the 2800

*The radio can be easily modified for extended RX/TX

*I actually like the fact that the Microphone cable is attached to the radio and not the control head. I have the head mounted on my auto's dash and the microphone sits in a center bin when not in use. This creates a much cleaner look than a microphone attached to the control head.

*The menu is far easier to navigate when compared all other mobile units that I've tried

*And, though not officially a feature of this radio, cross-band repeat works very well

To make this radio perfect, I believe Icom would need to do the following:

*Decrease intermod problems in the 70cm band (though it isn't too bad unless your in the city)

*Allow V/V, U/U, and U/V

*Increased sensitivity on the civil air bands would be nice, but certainly not a necessity.

As I stated earlier, overall this radio is one of the best. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a mobile, dual-band rig.

Note for current owners seeking longer control or microphone cables:

You can use standard, 6 wire, CAT-5 or CAT-6, ethernet cable in place of the Icom issued microphone cable. Concerning the control head cable, since the Icom cable is cross-wired, you can't just use the an RJ-14 line in its place. You can, however, create an extension for it by using an RJ-14 coupler and the proper length of RJ-14 line (looks like a standard phone cord but has 4, instead of 2, wires). Just connect the Icom issued cord to the radio and then use the coupler to attach the RJ-14 cable.
N3SKO Rating: 2001-05-10
Nice Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I use it IC-2800H in a base configuration. Nice radio, like the display (sits net to my 756PRO :-)

Only 2 annoying properties - programming is a pain (although the computer software alleviates that problem) and the mike is attached to the transceiver rather than the control head, which is a pain in the neck.

If they would move the mike connection, I would probably give it a 5...
KC8NOX Rating: 2001-04-18
Great Radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is a great moblie rig with lots of nice extras. It has a nice color display that is viewable in practically any light conditions and it can also be used for other purposes. A friend recently hooked his up to a portable DVD player in his car and I was amazed at the picture quality, if a bit small. The programming and general operation were fairly easy to figure out and once all of the options are set is very easy to operate. It has a packet modem in it, although I have never used it. Only a few things that I dont like. First, the cords. I have mine currently in a truck mounted under the seat right below me and the mic cord just barely reaches while the display cord is ample. This can be fixed with a little CAT-5 and some ends... Second, no VHF/VHF or UHF/UHF which was a major disappointment. Even my W32A does that and its an HT! Third, and the largest, the output power. Icom says approx. 50W on high power. Mine however only does approx 35W and has never done over 40W even on multiple antennas, and ones with 1.1-1 matches or better. Even many different power meters and SWR meters were used just to make sure, but to no avail. I have tried different power supplys, different mounting locations, everything. No success. I know 2 other people that have this radio and they have the same problem as well. Icom has been less than helpful in this matter. All and all though, this is a nice radio well worth the price.
KV4BL Rating: 2001-04-16
Overall, really great radio with a few irritants. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I would have given it a 4.5 if that had been an option. I have owned this radio for about 9 months and it has performed very well thus far. I do worry about the reviews that mention display trouble. So far, all is well here with regard to that problem. Pluses include cross-band repeat with ease (compared to a TM-V7A), and good intermod rejection. The attenuator in the squelch control really helps on the occasions when you do encounter intermod. Minuses are (as already noted by others) short mike cord and short remote head cord (How Retarded!) and lack of V/V and U/U rx. The short mike cord was solved with an extension handset cord for a Motorola bag phone with the female end mounted to the driver side of the console in my 2000 Hyundai Elantra. The control head is mounted on the passenger side of the console via a swivel ball mount. The short contol head cable problem was solved by my friend (a Land Mobile Radio tech) who did the install for me.I had wanted the radio in the trunk but he had a better idea. Put velcro (the side that mates with most auto carpet) on the bottom of the radio and put the transceiver under the passenger seat. Works Great! The added advantage of this is that the air conditioner helps keep the radio cool in hot wx. Also makes for very easy removal for adjustments and all. One problem I have encountered in cross band mode and do not have a fix for is that you cannot use one tone on the VHF side and another on the UHF side. You either have to use the same PL tone on both sides or a PL tone on one side and no PL on the other. Don't know why they made it that way, either. VHF has wide rx range which covers High band public service and aircraft out of the box. Radio had to be "moded" for UHF land mobile band RX. Overall I have been very happy with this radio so far and would reccomend it to others. I hope Icom reads this and addresses some of the more common and annoying issues that others and myself have brought up. 73,
KG6BNS Rating: 2001-03-26
GREAT MOBILE RADIO !! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Have owned this radio for about 2 week and have nothing but good things to say about it! All of the reports I get back state, "Great Audio". The display is very easy to look at when installed in a car. The full function microphone operates very well. My only concern was going through the channel programing process. I solved that when I bought the computer software to program the radio with my PC. Now my "HT" and mobile are have the same "freq's" on the same memory chanels. Overall, I am very happy with this new radio and would recomend it to anyone looking for a high-performance mobile radio.
KD5MAW Rating: 2001-03-21
I like it! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I tend to agree with W4HGG's assessment, although I'm running mine as a fixed station through a Diamond X200A mast-mounted antenna on the roof. Easy to use, easy to program, very nice rx audio, very good to excellent intermod rejection, and the display is purty [:~) Four tx power levels are nice - I set mine to 5w for local repeaters, 10 or 20w for the distant ones, and crank it up to 50w for simplex to that station out in the weeds. The only nit to pick is the cooling fan, which seems a bit on the noisy side. But what the hey, I would sure notice if it quit working. For mobile installation, the short mike cord could be an irritant, but that's an easy problem to solve. For what it's worth, I'm thinking of selling my Alinco 605TQ mobile unit and replacing it with another IC-2800.
W4HGG Rating: 2001-03-21
Greatest mobile rig ever made! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This awesome rig has every bell and whistle imaginable. The band scope works great. The audio tx/rx is great. I have owned this rig for two weeks now and love it. All of the features are great and it is very easy to operate. I really thought that the manual was well written. The ease of use out of box is great.
M1XCG Rating: 2000-11-27
display? Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The radio display on my 2800 has given up for the third time. I have sent the displays back to Icom and they have replaced them firly rapidly.

However i do believe this to be a fault as the display surly shouldn't break coonstantly.

Have to say though that whilst the display is working it is a great radio.