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Reviews For: Icom America Repair

Category: Amateur Radio Equipment Repair

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Review Summary For : Icom America Repair
Reviews: 100MSRP:
Description:
Icom's amateur radio and receiver repair service
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001003.8
PU1-MLL Rating: 2004-03-26
Poor end - IC-2700H Time Owned: more than 12 months.
IC-2700H was a dream became a nightmare. Using about 1 year and a half, suddenly the audio had gone. I tried everything here in Brazil. At last, I send a message to Icom Service. The answer: Unfortunately the board is no more available. And an IC-2700H, now is nothing but sadness and ash. My mistake, I bought an ICOM transceiver.
former_W3BL Rating: 2003-08-19
poor Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Had 746 pro for 3 monthe and 5 watts output. Called and was told to send in for repair. After 4 phone calls it is still in line and has not been repaired. 6 weeks ansd waiting.
KA4P Rating: 2003-08-19
Slow Time Owned: more than 12 months.
5 weeks turn around time on my 756PRO. Seems a bit slow to me. Last time I send a Kenwood to the factory it was about 10 days.
N4VNV Rating: 2003-07-28
25 days and counting! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
My ICOM 746PRO has been gone 25 days and still counting! I called them on the 24th and they still didn't have my rig on the bench yet. From what I have been reading on the web sites, both the 746PRO & the 756PRO have "Quality Control Problems". I recommend not buying any more for about six months, to give them a chance to get the "backlog" worked off and fix their production problems.
WI7M Rating: 2003-07-28
New radio for the old one Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I recently submitted a review mostly concerning the poor reliability of MY 756Pro2 radio. I still feel that my experience with the two failures in the first year is VERY POOR. However, by meeting the right person at a hamfest namely Pat M. I was sent a brand new radio. This is the optimum in customer relations. However, the person I talked to at the Icom repair depot badly needs some education in dealing with customers. Happy camper with a new radio. WI7M
AB0UK Rating: 2003-07-11
Sixteen days door to door! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My new IC-746PRO would put out only 3 watts after being in my shack only 3 weeks. Called ICOM in Bellevue, WA and received courteous treatment and simple return instructions. Said turn around time was 4 weeks not including shipping time.

My pride and joy was gone only 16 days door to door.

Paperwork returned with the radio indicated a final RF driver IC was defective. Not the final power stage but the stage that drives it. Sounds like it was not the usual problem with the IC-746PRO.

Not pleased that the radio died after only three weeks but the warranty service was outstanding.

73,

Jim, AB0UK
VE1CHS Rating: 2003-07-10
Came through at crucial moment, but turn around slow Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought a 756 Pro II, and after two months, the Xmit chain failed on transmit. The Rcvr continuted to work OK. Icom was back-logged, and after two calls, it still took 6 to 7 weeks. The turn-around was slow, but in fairness to Icom, it was post-Xmas season, and they really did have big demands on the service department. They did respond amicably to my phone calls urging them on.

The Xmit chain failed again a second time after one day of use. The warrenty period was up. They said: "send it in" on the phone, but I said I would send a fax in 3 hours, and to please read it carefully, and then let's talk on the phone.

In the fax, I carefully organized documents and arguments and requested a complete refund. It took me a couple of hours to think through my arguments, get advice from another ham buddy up the road, and write it out in Microsoft Word. I had to find the first repair notes, note the time frames, etc. I recommend thinking it out, writing it down, and sending in a fax before talking on the phone to the service department.

Then I called again. The head service manager talked with me this time, and expedited return of the rig to Texas Towers for a complete refund. Texas Towers was also very cooperative, and are a fine group to work with.

I was a very lucky man. I cannot commend Icom highly enough for recognizing the disaster I faced, and working quickly with me to arrange the refund. They really treated me well when big money was on the line, despite the slow turn around time on the first repair.

As it turned out, this was a turning point in my ham hobby, as you will see later on.

I had $2500 in the rig. Two failures meant the rig was a dog and doomed. Though the service department notes claimed static damaged the Xmit chain the first time, there is little evidence of this, since the Rcv chain was working fine after the supposed static hit. One would expect FETs in the Rcv chain to go first. Also, the Xmit chain failure the second time happened in a perfectly clear blue sky! After discussion in several forums, other hams and I conclude that defective parts were actually the most likely cause, and that somehow defects remained even after the first repair. Of course, when I do a review of the 756 Pro II, I will give it a 1. It just did not stand up for me.

I have since been using a QRP+ and Norcal 40A, cheap QRP second-hand HF rigs I bought on Eham. I've gotten back to simplicity and fun. That Norcal 40A has as much selectivity and sensitivity as the $2500 Pro II! It weighs 7 Oz. And with the chip that provides an audio report of frequency, it is user friendly and easy to use. If I need another HF rig, I will build an Oak Hills 100A for the band I want, at a cost of $129. If any one of these rigs dies and can't be repaired, I got my money's worth: I'll toss it and build another. The QRP+ here at 9000 feet up in the mountains, with a loop and 8 watts, does fine on SSB though the Rcvr lacks selectivity and gets overloaded easily. Who cares. It cost $300!

I'm roller sking 35 KM per week. I'm loosing weight. I'm swimming 40 minutes at a time. My gut is shaping up. I'm getting back toward the marathon physical fitness I had in my 30s. My wife and I bought a new tent. I'm hiking miles per week. I'm re-designing my portable GP for backpacking. I'm planning a high altitude QRP backpacking expedidition for late August in Colorado, and Utah canyon country in October.

Repeat this after me: I will never, ever buy an expensive, heavy, complex, menu intensive HF rig again.
K8LEA Rating: 2003-06-13
Great Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's been a few years, but my ancient Micro2at popped it's BNC connection inside the radio.

Icom turned it around about as fast as UPS could handle it....

I asked them to check the battery while they were about it - it'd been giving me some minor problems. They said that it was OK. Less than six months later the battery died, but a replacement insert was a lot cheaper than a new pack. I think Icom did me a favor on that one. 'Course it does help when you're qualified to make repairs like that. I just don't think the tech could admit it [grin].

I could have done the BNC repair, too, but I still don't know how to get the fool thing apart. (The "mods" site on the web didn't exist then. Come to think of it, I'm not sure the Web existed then.)

I've got Icom, Yaesu, and Kenwood gear (all 2M) all over the place here, with service experience with Icom and Kenwood (about four years ago). Both rate well with me. I used to have a friend working at Yaesu repair, too....

Time was we'd fix all our own gear, or find an Elmer, but at 57, I can't even _see_ some of those parts.... But you don't build a VX-150 with quarter-watt resistors and hand-wiring, either....

Stu.
N2DY Rating: 2003-06-13
Super Service Experience Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have an Icom 756ProII that I have used exclusively on HF. One day my friend Bill, N2FKF, suggested that we try it out on 6 meters. I had always used my older Icom 756 Pro as my dedicated 6 meter radio.

Well, much to my dismay, the ProII did not transmit on 6 meters properly. The internal antenna switch appeared to have a problem switching in the transmitter on 6 meters. Unfortunately, I had discovered this problem about 6 months after the warranty ran out.

I sent the rig to Icom with an explanation of the problem and situation. There was a high liklihood that the problem had always existed but the warranty had run out a while ago. Well, bottom line, Icom looked at the radio and concluded the same thing. They realized that it was a defective part that caused the problem and that the part was possibly defective from the time it left the factory. They honored the warranty even though they did not have to.

The rig reached me here on the East Coast about a week after Icom had received it in Washington State. This means that they turned the rig around almost immediately.

It's nice to know that there is a company out there that stands behind its equipment. I have always been a big Icom fan and this experience only solidifies that fact. So when is that IC-7800 coming out? I'm going to have to buy one of those. Thanks Icom.
K2KOH Rating: 2003-05-16
Quality service.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently bought a used Icom R7100 receiver...found out it had a VCO problem, buttons were sticking. Physically OK, but a little on the abused side. Called Icom, they said send it in, though they did say they were backed up on repairs. Called Icom after they received the radio, and was told a date for completion. Well, called on the completion date, and was given a FULL report on what was wrong with the radio, what they did to it, and what it was going to cost (I had already given permission to do what they had to do). Total cost for a lot of work was $189. Got the radio back today...repaired and cleaned up, and it looks like it was just built today! Stays on frequency, does not heat up like it used to, buttons all work. Icom did an excellent job on the receiver, but the five is more for the attitude of their repair people. They do not blow you off...they were extremely helpful, and informative. Five stars to Icom! *****