| KC4YLV |
Rating:  |
2015-12-22 | |
| Solid 90s rig! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
What a nice little dual bander. Solid, still-available batteries (I was fortunate enough to get a BP-90 6xAA pack so I'm good forever), and built like a tank.
Cool red-orange backlight (that you can turn on momentarily OR toggle - nice), crisp controls (yay squelch knob), BNC connector.
Tested it on a local simplex net and my audio was actually richer and fuller via the 24AT than via my 271 big rig! Granted, I was using a (genuine) HM-46 speaker mic, but still. Oh, i'm not dinging a point for this because I don't think it's fair, but the RX audio's a little quiet on here. I daily drive a speaker mic though so it does not affect my review.
I found mine for $30 with a pile of accessories and no power on. Stared at the service manual until it hit me that if the 3v lithium rechargeable inside failed short, the CPU could never see 5v on Vcc. Pulled the dead battery, CPU reset, boom working radio. Tip: The replacement cell is a VL2020, commonly used in early 2000s BMW remote key fobs. Very available.
Even though I have the 6xAA pack, I'm thinking of reloading the extra dead packs it came with. One's a hilariously tall old school Periphex pack, and if I squint I think I can fit two stacks of 6 AA's inside.
Classy, solid, good looking little dual bander. If it's in working power-on shape I'd pay up to about $75 for a clean one. Throw $20 at a dead one, snip the lithium battery line, and if it resurrects, order a new one and go nuts.
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| N4RAH |
Rating: |
2013-02-01 | |
| 20+ Years and still in service! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I bought mine new in 1992. It was an upgrade for me from my Yaesu Brick (model# long forgotten...) My eyes were better back then at reading the small lettering on the tiny keys, but tiny is what I was looking for at the time! Small print is part of the price we pay for small gear! I used it for many years as my mobile phone through various autopatch repeaters. Solidly built with cast aluminum case. It now resides in my glove compartment, with a cigarette lighter plug, external speaker/mic, and BNC/SO239 adapter. I also use almost exclusively the AAA battery pack with rechargeable lithium batteries when not plugged into the car. Still a solid performer! |
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| WB6CSH |
Rating: |
2010-08-09 | |
| low audio output |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I had the IC-24AT for several years when it first came out (~1989?) and couldn't wait to sell the junker. The audio output was really poor! When using the HT outside or in an environment with some traffic (auto) noise, hearing was nearly impossible. It was programmable to a wider frequency receive function, and analog cell phone calls could be heard on the earlier models. Cells are mostly digital now, so that would not be true anymore.
UNIT IS NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION!
Best Regards,
Mike |
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| KM5VI |
Rating: |
2009-05-13 | |
| Reliable & Easy to Operate |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The IC-24AT is an early generation 2m/70cm dual band transceiver. It is not dual watch, but switchable between VHF and UHF. My unit was acquired second hand in the mid 1990’s and is still in service despite much use, abuse, and occasional droppings. My experience with reliability has been excellent. The unit was purchased for $200 and was modified by the previous owner for extended receive, a feature I have little use for but it is tunable from MF up to 1.3 Ghz. I do not know if the mod was hardware or key programmed, but appears permanent. The unit supports the various modes of tone squelch and DTMF. Maximum power output is 5W.
I particularly like this HT because it is very easy to operate and maneuver. All functions are indicated on the faceplate and can be accessed though a naturally intuitive menu system. The transmitter and receiver both perform very well and it my HT of choice for on-the-go. The shortcomings of this model are high battery discharge rate (about 2 hrs on Ni-Cads, better with NiMH), and the display contrast is poor unless viewed at a nearly perpendicular angle. |
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| WA3LWR |
Rating: |
2008-07-25 | |
| Great Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Have had the unit for more than 10 years. Super radio, excellent receiver but one has to agree the BNC antenna connector and battery connection are the weak points. Gave the old radio away a year ago and bought a new radio. Miss the IC 24 to the point where I am buying another one. |
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| DY1CHB |
Rating: |
2003-08-13 | |
| fantastic handheld |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| having the 24at was a blast travelling around the philippines really was easier and u made a lot of friends on vhf. uhf was used to monitor vehicle traffic in manila and the provinces. the antenna proved to be bothersome though. kept hitting me here and there when slung on my belt. are there any good after market antennas? preferably small ones. power could be raised if possible. are there more functions with the buttons? i'd like to have one more of these if your selling. take note im not rich. i got my rig from an US expat for around 20 dollars and a song. it's appearnce was decent. with some paint chipping from the back but the rig is great. again can someone care to offer another 24at for a song? i live in the province of laguna where the telephones are really bad. we plan to inistall a rig in the house and ill carry my old one. linusmlopez@hotmail.com drop me a line. welcome to the philippines. :) |
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| VA3GXA |
Rating: |
2003-01-07 | |
| Worth the money ! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have owned this little dual-band since new in 1991. It has given me years of faithful sevice. It can be simple to operate or complicated, depending if you read the owber's manual or not. The weak point is the BNC antenna connection on the case, Mine cracked around the lock ring, but one drop of crazy glus solved the the loosening of the lock ring, and the crack in the case all at once. It has been fine now for the past 5 years. I use the 'AA' Nicad battey pack that hold s 6 AA cells ( more than enough for local simplex and repeater operations ). I do however have a dislike of the internal mic. It is not sensitive enough, and I find myself having to almost shout into it, to be heard, even when it was new. Perhaps it is time to have the mic changed on mine. My radio has been very reliable radio over the years, and it was definately worth buying it when I did. I have since passed on to my wife, who uses it more as a scanner now that the mic is worn out. But I still would not part with it. |
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| SIERRAHOTEL |
Rating: |
2002-08-29 | |
| Great Handheld! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have had mine almost 11 years now, and I like it so much better than some of the other HT's I have bought and played with. The only problem I have had with it, other than a new battery every so often(usually because I drop it, and snap the rails off it!) was when the BNC connector came loose, and broke the antenna lead. It cost about 15 bucks to fix. The keypad is getting worn out, and the display has a couple of dots in it where it should be "white", so I will be retiring it soon, and probably get an Icom W32, the closest thing I've been able to find so far, performance wise. |
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| N6NCT |
Rating: |
2002-05-01 | |
| Good small dual band |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Owned this radio for about 10 years. Got it when it first came out. Had many third party batteries and found 12 volt 1200 mH ones large for easy carying but lasts a long time both in use and shelf life. Now using niMh AAs in spare battery pack which I would suggest you use. Good receive on ham bands and out. Good receive in 800 MHz as I scan local trunk public safety. Main problem which occured twice in 10 years was BNC connector getting lose. I tried fixing but difficult as no professional equipment and certainly lack skill. Cost me about $40 to fix. If you can get one at a "good" price, get it knowing that BNC antenna connector tends to be weak and is not a twin band -- though cross band is possible. One more thing, you can open up receive range via key sequence found on web if yours doesn't already receive OOB. |
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| WD4MSM |
Rating: |
2002-03-27 | |
| Durable and Versatile |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have had my Icom 24-AT for 6 years. It has never given me a problem. It's been to South America, Europe, and all over North America. The features rival those of some of the newer HT's. It has very wide coverage (even cellular), a nice memory setup, ability to store long telephone numbers of phone patches, backlighting when needed, and a body that is built to withstand decades of use!
I use mine with an amplifier in the car, at home to check into local nets, and as an all-purpose scanner (police, fire, security, railroad, weather, etc.). The 24-AT does it all. I use an earphone with it most of the time so as not to disturb others (any "Walkman-type earphone will work). The new NIMH batteries available for it reduce battery size and increase battery longevity to ranges that Icom never thought possible when they built this little rig. I wouldn't sell mine in a million years! |
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