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Reviews For: Icom IC-3SAT

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

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Review Summary For : Icom IC-3SAT
Reviews: 4MSRP: No longer in production
Description:
Icom hand-held 220mhz radio
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0045
SWL377 Rating: 2014-02-05
very solid radio, good rcvr too. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Construction quality is great and size is very small, especially for its vintage. User interface is pretty good for an ICOM and I was able to use and program it without constantly referring to the manual. There are a variety of battery packs that will work with this HT. The holy grail is the BP 90 which will allow you to use individual AA cells, but its long out of production and commands a very high price used, often more than you can get a used IC-3SAT for. China mfrs should make an aftermarket BP 90, they could sell many and could make a very good margin if they retailed for say $25. Its just plastic and metal, no batts. Someone with a 3D printer might be able to make one home brew. Sensitivity of the rcvr is very good, outperforms my various scanners (eg RS PRO 2004 and ICOM R 20) on 220. Now that dirt cheap Chinese HTs are available that cover 144 and 220, the price that used IC-3SATs command is even lower than before. Buy one, you will be very happy with its quality and performance.
N4LGH Rating: 2005-10-30
Great Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I recently picked up a pair of 3SAT handhelds on EBay. While the seller did not accurately describe the condition of the radios, I was able to get them cleaned up easily and they are a pleasure to use. I saught after them because I wanted to get on 220 and have an IC-2SA that I also adore.

The 3SAT is feature packed for such a small handheld built in 1989. This series of 2m, 220 and 440 handhelds are top notch and keep up with even the most modern monoband rigs. And, to contrast one of the other reviewers, with 47 memories this radio has plenty of storage for 220.

I would reccomend anyone to pick one up for an inexpensive and quality entry to 220.
NE0P Rating: 2003-09-18
Classic 222 HT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have owned 2 of these units in the past year, as I have been changing HTs like some people change socks. I can pretty much echo what the previous reviewer said. This HT is a very nice sized unit, and built like a tank, with a metal case. You can run it directly off of 12 volts, where it will put out 5 watts. It also has 4 different power levels (wish Icom would do this on their new radios) and plenty of receive audio. Comes with CTCSS tones standard, and should work for anyone who needs a 222 mhz rig, unless you need one with 100 memories-and can't see why you would for a 222 monobander.

These HTs have been popping up regularly on ebay for a decent price. You can still find batteries and accessories for them, and it is a great little unit to play with. As good as any 222 mhz monobander on the market today.
KG6DNJ Rating: 2001-10-23
A true jem... Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The Icom IC-3SAT is an EXCELLENT radio. I've got no complaints about it whatsoever. The transmit and receive audio are both crisp and clear and a delight to listen to. I've got a friend I talk to regularly, and he always comments how nice this radio sounds. Another thing I love about this radio is the batteries. Unlike most radios, the 3SAT has an INTERNAL battery as well as the removable external battery (both, of course are rechargable). This means that I can charge them both up, and take the radio out with me, and if I happen to expend the external pack, I simply remove the external battery, and the radio operates off the internal battery. Granted, it does work at 1 watt on the internal battery, rather than the 5 watts on the external, but it is definately a nice feature to have available, when out doing RACES/ARES activities, etc.
The included BA-11 cover slides over the external battery contacts to protect them when the external battery is not in use.

About the only thing this radio does not have, that I wish it did, is alpha tagging; however it is understandable that it would not, as the radio was produced in about 1989-1990.

I would say the 3SAT is definately a catch. If you're looking for a 220mhz Monoband HT, the IC-3SAT is definately one you should consider.