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Reviews For: Icom IC-28A/H

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

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Review Summary For : Icom IC-28A/H
Reviews: 26MSRP: ICOM IC 28H
Description:
mid 80's vintage 2 meter FM mobile, 21 memory channels, ctcss encode, optional D.Sql
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15264.7
W5FZY Rating: 2023-03-16
Best $10 I ever spent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this radio on a whim at what I know now was the estate sale of an SK. I recognized it was not a CB and so I bought it. I was not licensed at the time, but it was a start on the path. That was ~2015. I received my license in 2020. Although this was not the first radio I transmitted on, it went on my desk. The only problem I had with the radio was the mic needed to be replaced. I think it was run over as it was held together with JB Weld. Always get good reports on the signal clarity. Hits my home repeater 5 watts from 30 miles away without a problem.

My only issue is what some others have mentioned. The tones are numbered. You either print out a cross sheet and keep it with the radio or you keep the manual with you.

This radio now lives in a portable box for emergency communications for public services during SkyWarn events.
KC3SWL Rating: 2022-05-03
Best 20 dollar radio I bought Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Found this little itty bitty radio on the junk shelf at HRO as is with a microphone. Took it home hooked it up to a PS430 with solid jumpers and was actually kind of surprised it came right on. Tuning around found some guys talking on frequencies not associated with repeaters in my area so Tropo must have been kicking in. I wasn't paying attention to the callsigns. I did manage to talk for an half hour on my club repeater with no hiccups whatsoever and no noise either. I am near a high traffic area with lots of RF . Figuring out how to make it work and program in a repeater was as easy as downloading the manual from ICOM.
This is my first Icom rig and it looks like it was built like a tank. Really small too. It ought to fit in my hip pocket.
VA3CK Rating: 2021-11-24
I bought it when my IC-27A let me down in the big city Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The ICOM 27A was my first mobile after I bought my first ever new car just after graduating from engineering school in the 1980s. I loved it until my job took me into the densely populated area of downtown Toronto, Ontario. There, it was nearly useless with off-channel stations breaking the squelch constantly.

ICOM must have realized this because they soon came out with the IC-28 A/H which was equipped with what ICOM called "Agile Helical Resonators" on the front end to keep strong, off-channel signals from breaking through. I sold the 27A and bought a 28H which worked like a charm, keeping silent except for on-channel signals even in the busiest areas of the city. I also liked the design and display of the 28H much better than the 27A. I used the IC-28H for many years, outlasting several cars I wore out commuting, with no complaints.
KC3RT Rating: 2019-04-30
Great mobile rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased the IC-28H new in 1987 and it is still going strong. The only problem I experienced was a troublesome volume pot. Cleaning the pot helped a little but I recently replaced it with a similar pot from Digi-Key.

Though the replacement pot does not have the 'push on / push-off' switch feature it does provide a rotary switch that works just fine.

I was able to reuse the small circuit board attached to the volume pot by redrilling the holes for the switch pins and adding a jumper. The end result was a nice clean install while still using the original mounting hardware and knob. The replacement volume potentiometer part number from Digi-Key is PTR901-2015K-A103-ND.
KC4YLV Rating: 2015-11-14
Carved of granite. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
$25 at a hamfest. With a spare parts unit. You better believe I snatched it up. I hadn't owned one before, but I knew that these were good.

What a well-built, great performing monobander. I did a little parts swapping to clean up the more functional unit and though I normally grab these cheap rigs to clean up and donate to new hams stuck on Baofengs, I can't seem to let this one go.

7 low, 52 high, great audio in and out. Only goofy thing is you have to pick your 3 favorite PL tones. It's a bit low on memories though, so that's not really a bottleneck anyways. Great RX up through NOAA weather band.

Keeper. Clean shape, I could see them being worth 60, 75 bucks at the hamfest table.

Now i want the 38 and 48 to go with it.
W1WM Rating: 2015-04-21
Bad luck from the get-go... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
First radio received from dealer had a display that would fade out and reappear intermittently. Second radio dealer supplied had whine on transmit near the high end of the band. Third radio supplied by dealer lasted just over a year before the backlighting failed on one side of the display; the other side failed shortly thereafter.
I loved this radio's ergonomics and my purchase was based on others' favorable reviews. Sadly, this whole experience soured me on the brand.
KF5BTY Rating: 2010-10-21
Awesome Radios Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the 28A/38A/48A. Bought them when I first got my tech license back in 87. Have never had issues. Since then I picked up 2 28H(s) and another 38a. I just picked another 28a up on EBay. Paid 200 for it as it is new in the box. Figured I would probably never see another new unsed one still in the original packing...
All I can do is echo the comments that go before me.
I recall working a disaster back in the day and there was a guy next to me that had a different brand 2m rig. IMD was tearing him up but I never even saw it on my meter much less heard it...
LW8DJI Rating: 2010-10-14
a tank Time Owned: more than 12 months.
excellent transceiver. receiver without interference. no IMD. built like a tank, I have one of them for years, never problem, much better than modern FM transceivers. if you can get one in good condition buy this without fear, prices in Argentina from 100 to 120 usd
KI4HFR Rating: 2010-08-12
Super Quality Rig from ICOM Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this radio at a hamfest two years ago for $35. I wasn't expecting much, but I was wrong. This rig has been in my jeep wrangler since then and on occasion has been rained on.

Both of the backlights for the LCD don't work and I haven't gone to the trouble to replace those yet.

I have an 50 watt audio amp running to my overhead speaker bar and can carry on conversation on the highway with the top down. The audio is superb and I get good reports back.

This is a solid rig if you can pick one up. It has never given me a minutes trouble. and if I ever find another, I'll probably get it.
James H. Lincoln Rating: 2010-07-12
Superb Quality and Performance Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned a 28H for many years and throughout that time it has been subjected to various operating conditions that surely would have been fatal to many rigs.

The 28H performs still exactly as when new and has always been faithful. It still occupies a place in the shack next to much newer equipment. I have plans in the near future to dedicate it to Echolink use full time.

The 28H is an example of one of Icom's great designs and it is built to extremely tough standards. This radio refuses to die!

The 28A and H radios are a great value on the used market. It wouldn't surprise me if this old rig outlasts my new 2200H.

If any rig is worthy of a '5' rating, this one surely is in my opinion.