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Reviews For: Icom IC-T90A

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

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Review Summary For : Icom IC-T90A
Reviews: 108MSRP: 319.95
Description:
Tri-ban FM transceiver, Wide-bad 495Khz - 999.990 Mhz, Dynamic Memory Scan, Lithium-Ion technology, Rugged palm sized, weather-resistant construction, DTCS & CTCSS ton squelch. Simple to Operate !
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001083.9
KD4UXQ Rating: 2002-11-27
As good as expected. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After that last review I felt compeled to offer my experience with the IC-T90A. When I purchased this radio I had expectations that it would probably be prone to intermod due to it's size, but it is less prone than the IC-R2 and about the same as the VX-5R I had.

I really liked the VX-5R but I use a mini HT as a CTCSS capable scanner as well as an HT, and the VX-5R is so slow decoding CTCSS tones that it is useless as a scanner. The IC-T90A decodes CTCSS very fast and so far I am very pleased with it's performance as a CTCSS scanner with the added benefits of being a Dual Band HT.

The TV Channel capability as well as it's ability to receive many other broadcasts makes it a nice travel radio. When used without a mobile or base antenna it performs quite well rejecting intermod, but with an external antenna it is fairly prone to interference. I fully expected this and am quite surprised at how well it actually does. In comaparison to other Mini HTs I have owned and used, it is actually one of the best so far.

I have measured 4.75 watts on 2M and 2 watts on 70cm. I do not have a meter for 6M. I suspect that when I am able to connect it to an 11 volt external source the power output will be better. Just like everyone else, I am still waiting for the Cigarette Lighter Adapter. I plan to build an adapter over Thanksgiving using a high current LM317 regulator.

Overall I find the IC-T90A to be a really good value, especially for all that it does. Certainly, I wish it were less prone to intermod, but it's performance really should be expected compared to all the attempts by other manufacturers to make an ultra-wideband receive/Dual Band HT.

Regarding the review prior to this one, that unit had to be either damaged or defective from the factory as the reviewer's experience is vastly different from mine.

If you are wanting an HT note prone to intermod stay away from the Mini HTs. Even some of the large units get bad reviews for intermod, read reviews about the IC-W32! The best HT I have used so far for rejecting interference has been the Kenwood TH-G71A. The worst was the first HT I had which was an Alinco DJ-580.

Wit so much paging and cell phone these days, it is quite a challenge to reject unwanted signals. My PRO-93 scanner does quite well rejecting intermod, but it is also much larger, has additional front-end filtering for each band and less frequency range than the IC-T90A.

My prference would be for the manufactures to make larger units with the capabilities of these Mini HTs and the performance that we desire. I did not buy the IC-T90A for it's size, if there were a larger unit with it's frequency range and channel/scanning capabilities, then I would have tried that instead.

I would recommend this radio to anyone who is considering a like unit, and realizes they must expect some intermod problems.

KC9BHT Rating: 2002-11-07
not even close to the Kenwood TH6FA Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought the Icom T90A -had to put my ear up to the receiver to my ear to hear it, icom has a lot of work on this Radio Kenwood so far I have had no problem--Yesu forget it
KC2IHD Rating: 2002-10-31
Late but Outstanding Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I THINK ICOM HAS CHOSEN TO PRODUCE THIS HT LATE IN THE HT RACE. BUT AT LEAST THE GOT IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME AROUND. ARE YOU LISTENING YAESU/KENWOOD.
K4JDF Rating: 2002-10-19
Great Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This radio works great. Biggest problem is waiting for the ICOM options to come out. I don't like having the one battery and then waiting 15 hours to charge it. One option I need is the 12 volt adapter. While the manual states never connect over 11.5 volts directly into the DC input, how about 6 volts? Wonder if you could connect a small 6 volt gel cell to the radio without damage?

All in all a great radio from Icom!

Bernie
K7FD Rating: 2002-10-13
SWL ok! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Picked up the 'T90A a couple of days ago...fun! After a full charge on the battery (over night on slow charge), I tested the unit on 5 to 20MHz. Right off the bat, I was listening to China Radio Int'l on 13MHz band...nice n' solid on the stock rubber ducky during the afternoon. Also picked up 15MHz WWV...

Tonight I loosely coupled a 20 ft piece of wire by wrapping it around the ducky...and found 9MHz and 15MHz SW bands teaming w/ stations! Voice of Russia on 12.000MHz easy copy...

The plan is to replace the SMA connector with a BNC adapter so I can directly connect a wire antenna into the radio. I expect to hear much more...& maybe requiring the attenuator.

So, the rig does do HF! VHF worked as advertised...radio is easy to operate. After a half hour, I had all the functions down pat. There are a lot of bells n' whistles, but menu'ing is a snap. Easiest multi-function multiband handheld I've operated in sometime...

73, John K7FD
W7RJR Rating: 2002-10-05
Wise choice Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The new ICOM T90A handheld transceiver appears to be a wise choice when choosing among the VX-7R and TH-F6a. As with all of these complex miniaturized rigs, none are perfect, but this one comes close.

Out of the box: Composed of what seems like a ruggedized aluminum case, it is a dark silver in color. The rear half that holds the battery is black. The SMA connector seems to be fairly sturdy. Only one multi-purpose knob on the top, which is used for not only changing frequency but setting a few other things such as the squelch level, scan banks, etc. Compared to the VX-7R (see my other review) this rig has a nice finished look and feel to it. A mic/speaker jack is located on the top and protected with a rubber grommet. Charger cable connects on the right side, also protected with a grommet. The keypad is composed of white keys that protrude a bit farther than most. While the keys are small they seem easier to push than those on the VX-7R. Volume control is accessed by pushing a larger set of up and down arrows on the keypad. The belt clip is of the new improved swivel type and is great. The backlighting is somewhat DIM as compared to the VX-7R.

Battery/Charging: If the T90a has a weakness at all, this might be the area. It took a full 15 hours to charge this Li-Ion battery to full capacity, with the supplied charger. The onboard charge indicator is nothing more than a *small* flashing icon. Once charged, the indicator is a much larger CHG-F. At this writing, the fast charger, which promises a 2.5 hour full charge is not available, nor is it apparent what it will cost (probably around $90). I would say that purchasing the fast charger will be essential.

Transmit: Power output choices are limited to 5 watts or .5 watt. I would have liked to have seen more choices. With the supplied rubber duck antenna, I was able to hit the usual variety of repeaters without trouble. I monitored the signal on my 736R and noted the audio was loud and clear and crisp. Unlike the VX-7R which had very low, muffled audio. The PL tones were not overdriven and barely discernable (good).

Receive: Sensitivity was quite good. I was able to pick up stations on the aircraft band w/o trouble. Wonderful reception of the public service bands. The scanner, while not especially that fast, was quite adequate. I enjoyed the bank scan capabilities. The squelch needed to be tightened up a bit. I hooked the rig up to my Comet GP6 antenna and of course noticed a pronounced improvement in performance, albeit, some intermod was noted. Shortwave performance was somewhat disappointing but not unexpected. I was able to receive at least a few shortwave stations with the supplied duckie antenna. I was unable to receive anything on the VX-7R. An external antenna made a big difference.

Programming: I also purchased the software and cable to program the T90a. The software is designed for Windows and was easy to install and use. I programmed about 300 different frequencies in about an hour or so. Cloning process took about 2 minutes to complete. I was impressed with both the software and the results. The cable to do this was nothing more than a 4 foot cable with a DB9 connector on one end and a 1/8 sub-miniature stereo jack on the other. HRO (and others) charge $45 for this cable (a ripoff). Build your own, if you can.


Bottom line: Somewhat simplified with fewer bells and whistles than the VX-7R or the TH-F6a. Excellent performance on the amateur bands. The extended receive seems to work quite well. Better suited for new hams as this rig is easy to operate. I mastered the controls in about 30 minutes and no longer need the manual (which was quite good). A pocket cheat sheet is included for those that may need it??

I highly recommend this rig due to it's intuitive menu system, excellent performance and reasonable price. Be warned however that accessories are expensive for this rig, when compared to its competition. You will enjoy owning and using this latest rig from ICOM.

W7RJR
K1MF Rating: 2002-10-03
Very Good Choice ....! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hey Fellows I am back with another review on nice rig. This one in ICOM’s latest entry into the tri-band radio market. It is the IC-T90A.

I had to put my Field and Stream magazine in the rack this time and concentrate on reading the manual. Not that it is complicated to program and get it up and running, but it is a requirement since this rig is packed with many features. This required many trips to the john and many cups of coffee to digest the manual. Like I said before we hams can figure out anything, however do read the manual and take some time to get familiar with it. ICOM was smart enough to include with the rig a handy little manual on ham radio operator terminology. It makes the actual manual easier to understand with those little acronyms we run into so often. A BSEE is not required here.

First off if you have sausage fingers like myself the keypad is a little hard to work with because of the physical spacing of the keys. About the same size as Yaesu’s VX-5R and Kenwood’s TH-F6A. I did manage to hit two keys at once from time to time and screw up the entries.

The ladies will find it to be very comfortable to handle and keep in their purse. For me it fits nicely in my jacket pocket. Must remember it is there when going through metal detectors. Might be a good reason to have that extra copy of your license on hand while you are being searched at the airline counter. Having to explain it to security helps with the license on hand.

Onto the rig. Once you have programmed a couple of your favorite frequencies you will find that you can put the manual down and really move on. I put in about 65 frequencies on the 3 bands, plus some AM & FM Broadcast stations in about 20 minutes. Programming is a breeze. There is a handy little cheat sheet in the back of the manual to keep with that license.

The overall performance on the ham bands matches up to the other rigs and I cannot complain about that. Lab testing proved that it does live up to the manufactures specs and then some. I can say that for the TV frequencies though ICOM’s IC-Q7A was a bit more sensitive. I am about 35 miles from WTNH’s transmitter (Channel 8 for those in CT), and I could not detect them using the supplied antenna. The IC-Q7A was much better in this area giving be about a half scale on the bar graph. Adding an external antenna helps out here. The AM and Short Wave bands are adequate for these types of rigs. For serious DX’ing though I would look for something else. However when you have to travel light and on the run, well all I can say is it works for me.

The rig is well made and claims to be water resistant, like most of the new rigs out in the market. I wish that they had given the competitor’s a real test and not just in a mop bucket of water. You know the test I mean guys. Just remember the time your son tossed it into the toilet while you were shaving.

Last was the price which is very competitive in this arena. The backlighting changes colors also, so you can have some personal choice here. The life of the battery is as expected. The alkaline battery pack is not available at this writing. Plan on getting that just incase you need a back up.

All in all I think that that ICOM has a great little product here and I think that you will enjoy this one. Of course personal preference might have you choose another rig. With all these new rigs it seems like someone is really listening and asking the right questions before the marketing guys get to it.

Happy DX and Happy Hamming

This is K1MF signing clear.
WD5BJQ Rating: 2002-09-01
One of the first 200 Units Shipped. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased my IC-T90A at the Shelby NC Hamfest a few days ago. I have been undecided since Dayton Hamvention, and was leaning in the direction of the Yaesu VX7, but the reviews have been rather mixed on the unit.

I am no expert in the VHF Handheld arena, but I guess from an un-experieced person, I had it programmed very quickly after reading the manual on my first pass.

Since the rig is so new, there were not to many accessories available.

The Amateur VHF/UHF/6M works great in my opinon.
I am really enjoying the Memory Bank functions where you can save your favorite frequencies in groups. I have VHF, UHF, TV, AM Broadcast, Aviation, etc. Group so I can keep each of them organized.

Output power is 5 watts, the battery charged quickly, and I am testing today to see just how long it will last. Book states about 6 hours.

I plan on ordering th Desk Charger, AA Battery pack as soon as there available.

I am glad to be one of the first to start this Review, and will post a follow up once I have more time with the radio. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.