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Reviews For: Icom IC-208H

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

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Review Summary For : Icom IC-208H
Reviews: 137MSRP: 319.95
Description:
2M / 70cm mobile with 55 watt VHF and 50 watt UHF xmtr. CTCSS/DCS encode and decode, tone scan, detachable and remotable control head, 500 ALPHA-NUMERIC memories, etc
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
151374.4
KE5JBE Rating: 2008-06-14
Great first radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got this after I passed my test. I was attracted to the detachable control head and supplied control cable. I read about how loud the fan ison the base unit, I cant hear it with it mounted under my driver seat. I was also attracted to the supplied external speaker that came with it, love it. Yes if I want a better one I can always buy a different one when I so choose to. I was also attracted to the hand mic and how all the functions, except power on/off can be done by it as well as the buttons on the control head. Lots of extra features, easy to set up to hit repeaters, easy to install in your truck. Great price for all the features this radio has with it. Yes, you can spend allot of money on other dual bands with more feature, BUT, if your not sure you are going to be interested in the hobby, or just want a radio that is above middle class, then this is the radio for you. I bought this as a first radio and have stayed with it. I think you will agree, give it a try.
W5SDC Rating: 2008-05-30
Advisory on this Rig Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
If you live in a hot climate like I do in Texas the mobile gets pretty hot inside when parked in open sun. The IC208H fan kicks on and runs needlessly once the vehicle gets toasty inside.

The radio will activate on a 2 minute timer anytime you transmit and also when the external temperature exceeds a certain amount.

I had to get used to turning it off before I depart the mobile.

Otherwise, I really love this rig and think it's the best dual band value on the market today.
KJ4AGA Rating: 2008-05-07
I love this radio already! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this radio at the Birmingham Fest in 08 along with the programing cable. It's a great radio so far. I found the software was easy to use. The only problem I had was the remote mount head cable was screwed onto the face and I lost the screw. I emailed Icom about a replacement, and guess what? They are sending me some extras free of charge! How about that! I'll even say I cut my teeth on Yaesu but Icom is coming up there and I like both brands now. I don't believe I'll ever regret this purchase. Thanks Icom.
KD0BEP Rating: 2008-03-23
This baby's been cooked and still works! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I got this radio about 6 months ago from a group of hams that wanted to solve my vx-2r problem. so 2 nice hams got together on this one. one of which the origanal owner cooked the radio by using too much power through the wrong antenna (at least that is the guess) and melted all the solder connections. the other ham that fixed it up told me that the solder had receded so there were no improper connections. Personally i find no problems with the radio and ive been told by non hams that it is a sleek radio. well it is quite nice no problems after 6 months and i enjoy it. i had only one problem when i got it i heard that i was a bit hard to hear through the mike but i solved that by changing the mic gain. Personnaly i love yaesu but ill make an eception to this one.
KC0RRS Rating: 2008-03-22
nitpicking aside, an excellent choice Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The IC-208H was my first piece of amateur radio gear. I paid $349 for it back in March of 2004. I liked the single VFO, because as a new ham, I could only understand one QSO at a time anyway. Additional reasons for selecting this particular model were many, including that I would be mounting it in a Honda Civic DelSol, and no other mobile radio has as small a remote control head.

Double stick tape and Velcro failed miserably, and in the end, I hand-carved a wooden block to match the contour of the dash, and epoxy glued the control head to an aluminum bracket, which was epoxy glued to the wooden piece, then epoxy glued to the dash. So much for easy removal, but now it stays put all year around.

Yes, there was a lot to learn at first, and the manual was far from perfectly translated into comprehensible English.

Yes, I would have liked to receive the 1.25 meter band. While coverage on mine extends through the military aircraft band, it only receives FM there, so it will not receive the AM transmissions of military aircraft.

Yes, I wish the programming software was free, like Kenwood’s software. Better yet would be open source, so we could write our own to download off a common database.

Yes, my fan was very noisy whenever below about 50 degrees F, and I never got warranty coverage for that, because it was always warmer than that whenever I could try to demonstrate the noise for my dealer.

This radio is used nearly every day, often for over an hour at a time, during a long commute that forces me to high power settings for extended periods of time. The main unit is mounted vertically between the two seats behind me, so the bottom firing speaker actually fires forward. The unit does not ever get noticeably hotter than ambient. If I leave the windows up, I can hear even with my roof stored in the trunk, so obviously I have not bothered with a remote speaker. The radio is mounted right behind me, so the mic cable is long enough.

Except at great distances with my $16 quarter wave antenna, I never get complaints about my signal, and generally if I can hear the other station, the other station hears me with no complaints. Reading what others have written, perhaps I am a loudmouth? I do hold the mic to my lips.

I didn’t know what inter-mod was until I bought an IC-2720 for my XYL.

I have had to replace the PTT switch in the HM-133 microphone about every 10 months, but after the first time, this became routine, and all my other Icom radios have had exactly the same trouble with the PTT switches.

All radios have their pro’s and con’s.

After three years, the main unit has finally failed – it will not power-up. The control head, mic, and cable are fine. There is no apparent cause for this failure. It will cost me nearly $100 to have it repaired. I may instead decide to buy another IC-208H, now that the price of a new unit has dropped to less than $260, and have spare parts after the new warranty expires.

In hindsight, this has been the best performing mobile radio I’ve ever used, period.
CT2IPG Rating: 2008-03-13
great rig!!! outstanding!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
i buyed my ic 208E a few months ago in 2nd. hand and i have it installed at my shak. until now, i do not have complaints about it. very easy to handle, the scan is very fast and the modulation is outstanding, according the ham's who listening me. but what i really like is the super sensitive receive...the best i can get!!!! so.....i give it a 5!!
G4ICB Rating: 2008-03-09
OK FOR ME ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been using this little rig for nearly four years,both mobile and in the shack and it's worked fine. For the price you can't do better,i'm about to buy another one to install permantly in my car. OK the fan is noisy but not too bad. The instruction manual could have been written better,it took me some time to fathom it all out but I got there in the end.
I can recomend this little tranceiver.
KC9LII Rating: 2008-03-06
Out-Stinking-Standing!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I love it... I love it.... I love it.
This is the first radio I have bought brand new. I bought this radio from the great people at AES in Cleveland. It shipped very quickly and they even included some nice posters for the shack.

I love the fact that this radio has a remote head. I mounted the radio under my dash. The remote head is just above my AM/FM head unit. It is very small and looks almost like an XM or Sirius Satellite receiver. The mic DOES NOT connect to the head unit. It connects to the RADIO. This may cause a problem for others, but it was no problem for me. In fact... now I find that characteristic VERY NICE! It helps the radio stay "Low-Profile”. I don’t think a thief would brake into a car for a satellite radio receiver, but would brake in for a two-way radio. Besides, if I need to extend the mic cable, it's an RJ-45 connection. That's EASY to extend!

The programming is NOT easy. I see this issue has two sides.
1: The radio can be as easy as a Yaesu and have less options, or,
2: It can have a TON of options, but be somewhat difficult to learn.

I used the Icom CS-208 program that is made for this radio. I found the programming software online and bought a programming cable. There is no way I would program this radio any other way. The radio can store over 500 memories. I am using about 200. Who in there right mind is going to program that many memories into a radio manually?!

Occasionally, I will edit the program at home or work. Then, when I have an update I am happy with, I write it into the radio with a laptop. The software really compliments the radio.

Power Puppy! I am using a 5/8th dual band NMO antenna drilled into the center of my roof. This radio loves it! It is performing VERY WELL. I read a review before buying that screamed about having an SO-239 instead of “N”, I am Having NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.

So, here is my recommendation;
If you are NOT familiar with programming radios and being able to figure out new electronics easily, do not buy this product. However, if you want a challenge that will pay off... you can not go wrong with this rig.
K8APS Rating: 2008-03-04
Super little rig..... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I did a lot of research comparing reviews and prices and decided to go with the 208H. I picked one up used online (don't remember where) and it has been running GREAT. I did pick up an extended separation cable, but that was the only expense I put into it. This is mounted in my company vehicle and I have it on every day at work and talk a couple two or three times a week on it. Not heavy use but constant use. I love the PC programming ability and alpha-numeric memories which can be stored in banks. The mem banks can be turned on/off as needed when traveling to different areas. I am not fussy on TX/RX issues... for me it either works or it doesn't, and this little radio works great. I highly recommend this rig as long as you don't need to cross band repeat.
I also love the ability to change the backlight colors and brightness. No bugs and no problems... very strong radio.
K2TJR Rating: 2008-03-03
Masterpiece of Simplicity Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
For a first time HAM operator like me this rig is da BOMB baby!

Seriously though, I did a lot of research before buying the 208H and based on that and the reviews here I can safely say I made a very good choice.

Does it have ALL the bells and whistles? No, it has all you NEED...that's just the point! It's very simple to operate if you take the time to study the manual. I did this on-line before I ever bought the radio. It follows a logical sequence with no surprise steps or hoops to jump through.

Will you forget some steps to accomplish a given task?..Yes if you don't do it often enough but, like riding a bike, a quick review and it all comes back to you, so hang on to the manual.

I've had some mixed signal reports...somedays I sound real good some not so good. I've set the MIC sensitivity to high and have had good results, but it wasn't until I put a good SWR/Power meter on it that I have assured myself that it's putting out all 55 watts VHF and has a favorable SWR. I am reasonably sure that propagation is playing a part in reception and transmit.

I have it married to a Diamond X30A and in this rural area 40 miles from our repeater. I can reach repeaters much further and be heard clearly and have discoved a twenty mile simplex range. My station is at 750 feet but lies in a little valley so I might be better off with a higher gain antenna...but I can be heard well anyway so I may be inclined to get a more sensitive antenna later but for now...I'm good!

All around it's nice rig. I am looking forward to hooking it up in my Explorer and taking advantage of the nice remote face and included cable.

So...

Great features and power for the price.
Removable faceplate and cable a plus.
Nice looking (a factor from the start for me).
Good signal reports for the most part.
Simple operation, even for a new HAM.

KE7QFM Ted