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Reviews For: Icom IC-V86

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Hand-held

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Review Summary For : Icom IC-V86
Reviews: 13MSRP: 130.00
Description:
Two Meter Hamdheld
Product is in production
More Info: http://https://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/handheld/v86/default.aspx
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
14134.5
N6JPG Rating: 2022-12-25
Lot of Performance for the Money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
While I have only had the V-86 for a few days, I am truly impressed with the performance. As other reviews note, the display is small and the menu sometimes a bit clunky. I can't say the instruction sheet that comes with it is laid out in the most logical manner but does contain the info necessary to get the unit up and running. I downloaded it onto my laptop and iPad from the Icom USA website so I don't have to carry it with me always.
The complaints being over, I'll start on the meat of the review. I purchased this unit as a portable to carry with me while using my wife's car, i.e. no antenna holes, mounting brackets, etc. allowed. I thought that with the extra 2 watts of power, this would be an ideal unit to use on the road in that vehicle along with a mag mount antenna. I like the BNC antenna connector that allows me to easily switch between the rubber ducky and an external antenna. So far, the included 2250 mAh Li-ion battery life is impressive having made a few transmissions at full power and leaving the unit on for many hours. The drop-in charger that comes with the radio is a nice feature as well. The inability to plug in a car charger/PS is a negative.
As far as performance goes, the unit receives my local repeater well although not with the amount of quieting as compared to my Motorola XPR7550 but certainly more than acceptable. Audio output is impressive as well with 1.5 watts of power. Transmitting is the big difference. The extra two watts of power really make a difference. I live approximately 15 miles from my club's repeater in a very hilly area, one of which I am behind in sight of the repeater. Reports I receive while sitting in my living room from everyone I have spoken with have indicated full quieting into the repeater.
The bottom line is this: while the display and menu take a bit of maneuvering to master, the performance of this little radio is impressive and all at an extremely competitive price. I plan on adding the AA battery pack and external mic in the future. For the money, this radio is hard to beat.
KB1NIJ Rating: 2022-02-11
Replaced my Alinco DJ-196 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am a RACES member in Vermont, the first HT suggested to me was the Alinco DJ-196, after 14 years of service I wanted to replace it with an equivalent HT, Icom was one of the few to offer a tough as nails 2m, waterproof, shockproof with a BNC connector and long battery life, this radio has power and long-range. I would have purchased another Alinco 2m HT, however, none I've found have 7 watts transmit power. If you want a solid 2m analog for serious work outdoors this is the one. One drawback is the battery cost, approximately $80.00 seems like a lot.
N7HO Rating: 2022-01-30
Best mono-band HT I've used Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this HT for a very specific purpose, I work on a remote property by myself, and wanted an inexpensive but rugged HT to carry on me incase I need to call for help, and cell service is spotty, and I do not want to beat up my more expensive dual banders. This is perfect. Drop in charger, Li-Ion battery that lasts for days, takes a beating, and I mean it's been dropped, smeared in mud, scraped across benches and doorways, rolled on, and it still looks good even. 7 watts is a big bonus because of my situation. Built like it's commercial counterparts, it is rugged and well built. This has become my favorite mono-band HT, and I take it everywhere. Yeah the power button is small, yeah the display could be better, but don't care, it's a great HT.
KC4NUN Rating: 2022-01-28
Great Basic Commercial-Grade Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had numerous handhelds over my 30+ years of being a ham. I've felt let down by the quality of flimsy-feeling amateur-grade radios in the past, and always desired a sturdy, robust, gets-the-job done radio. I used to buy commercial radios and have them programmed on the ham bands to satisfy my need. (I previously worked at a Motorola repair shop, so I could easily buy obselete radios from the owner and then program them at work.) I was so glad when Icom came out with this solid-as-a-rock radio. In my opinion, it rivals the build quality of many of the commercial radios, and I am so glad to finally have a true ham radio to fit my needs. Well done, Icom!
N4ZTA Rating: 2020-10-25
Utilitarian 2 meter HT with stellar performance Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This radio will not win awards for beauty but it does what it does well: transmits and receives FM with a respectable battery life. While it lacks a DC power jack unlike what it replaced (IC-V85), it makes up for it with a super long life LiON battery that can go all day on full power.

The bottom line is the V86 has rock solid RX and TX, excellent sensitivity and unlike Chinacom specials, won't shut down because your wireless access point is nearby. Like all Icom rigs, Japanese built which is surprising at a sub $130 price point. The BNC antenna connector may seem dated, but I think it's a plus if you want to use this with a roll up J-pole while traveling, in an apartment, etc.

Now where this radio lacks as others have mentioned is the display. It's horrid if you want to use channel names. 5 characters. That's it. Can't even put in a 2 by 3 call sign to ID a repeater. That being said, it's not hard to program stuff in from the keypad. Scan is very fast. The rig has 1.5 watts of AF output on paper but it isn't as loud as my APX8000 (which as a 3 watt AF). But it's louder than most HTs.

Chirp supports the radio (as of 10/14/2020 build) which is how I programmed mine. You get the HT, a stout 2250mah battery, standard Icom rubber duckie and a drop in charger for $125 for a JAPAN made current production HT. I think it's a bargain for a QUALITY radio that people won't cringe when they hear you on it, and they will hear you!
W5RKD Rating: 2020-10-19
Good Concept - Horrid Display Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Seriously Icom? If this was a Baofeng, I wouldn't think twice about it. But from Icom? You guys came out the gate strong with this radio and then fell flat on your face 2 feet from the finish line with that horrid display. 5 digits crammed into the right side, and frankly looks like crap. Nearly impossible to decipher any meaning from any of the menu items. And what is this mess of having to hold down 2 buttons plus the power button to access the menus? Ruggedly built, good audio, yes, but if your looking to buy this radio based on the 7 watt output, don't. As with most HT's you're only going to get 90% of that, so 6.2 maybe. That's not enough wattage to make any difference. You're not going to get any repeaters that your 5 watt radio can't. If that's your reason for buying this radio, go get yourself a Kenwood TH-K20A. You will be a lot happier. But that display on this radio....Seriously Icom....Icom is that really you?
K9OBX Rating: 2020-10-02
Well Built. Rugged. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First things first......I paid under $100 for this thing straight from MTC radio. After receiving it (in less than 4 days) I opened the box to find all kinds of extras for my money. It comes with a huge battery and a desk charger. BNC connector for the antenna is a plus in my book and I'm glad to see it. With very little experimenting I was able to program it with the front panel and no software. Now things got even better. The sound coming from this little speaker is LOUD!!!!! I mean hurt your ears LOUD!!! The quality of sound is superb. The Receiver is HOT!!!! I don't know what Icom did differently this time, but on 2 meters this thing will receive things that my Kenwood TH-D74A will not. Couple all of this with a monoband antenna and 7 watts, and you have an EDC radio for even the most experienced ham
deleted_user_20210718 Rating: 2020-09-21
Rugged Ht Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I was looking for a solid ht with a bnc connector so when I came across a youtube video with Ray Novak showing of the radio I said this is the one I know it's not a dualband but I really don't care.
Things I love about the Radio.
# 1-rugged quick disconnect BNC connector
# 2-Long battery life & a solid 7 watts of power
# 3-well laid out keyboard for my big hands & easy to operate no computer needed
# 4-Great Rx audio loud speaker and Tx audio as well
# 5-No intermod I'm using it at home as well with a GP-1 & 65 feet of LMR-400 coax using one watt I'm able to talk to my group at base
Great job Icom it also brings back memories of my IC-2GXAT & my Yaesu FT-23R simple but reliable just like 80's radios.
Always be prepared have a reliable radio that will get you through a wort case scenario this is my EDC radio.
This is my personal experience about with this ht.
W9SA Rating: 2020-05-28
Very Solid HT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received this Icom HT today from DXE. I already have another Icom dual band Ht that has batteries that can be used on this one. Easy to program and great audio. I checked into the net tonight with no problem and the repeater is at least 20 miles (air miles) away. I really like this HT and can highly recommend it for a 2m analog HT.
N8PMG Rating: 2020-05-05
A mixed bag Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
What I like: Charger ability to extend battery life, solid build, good size, easy to push PTT button.
Don't like: Call sign display hard to read, a mixture of upper and lower case and only 5 characters, Pushing both arrow keys and power button to get into menu not for adult fingers, cover with small screws for mike jack.

On the net yesterday I used it and compared reports to my Heath HW6205, which is from the early 80's. The 6205 was 100% quieting on both transit and receive, the V86 had noise both ways. A test against my GP2000 had similar results. All three radios had full charges and were running at the 5 watt setting. It is better than the ccr radios I have used but does not match up in ease of menu access, display readability, and performance to my older radios.