Thank you for an interesting review. I first heard about the Icom IC-r30 in October last year when a friend of mine mentioned a fully featured hand-held receiver had been available for some time of excellent quality with an excellent feature set. I was anxious to find out more so I asked about and it didn’t take me long to discover that the Icom IC-R30 was already very well regarded and a star in its own right when it comes to handheld receivers which I had little regard for until this time. It seemed therefore fitting that I should make an attempt to get to know a radio such as this so I bought one for my Birthday. I echo many of the points by Gordon and I also agree that the IC-R30 is not a radio I will fully master overnight. The equipment is feature rich without a doubt, like a car whose every nook and cranny is in occupation. Some of the functions I think worth notting concern the wide variety of control the user has over the radio. The IC-R630 has a 3.5MM jack above the USB socket on the right-hand side. By default this jack will accept a standard pair of stereo headphones but that’s just the beginning. The socket can be programmed to do several different thinks: act as an external speaker or line-out connection, as an external antenna connection etc. Those who read Gordon’s review will know that this radio is able to receive the standard AM Broadcast Band, not a necessary quality perhaps in a receiver of this calibre but convenient all the same. So what if I told you that Icom had actually gone a step further by including a lipstick aerial for the AM Broadcast Band inside the radio? How Icom managed to get anything extra into such a small body is beyond me but they managed and thus one can easily tune to and send to memory any frequency on that band. The lipstick itself can be toggled on and off so the ability to isolate the lipstick and use a dedicated AM Broadcast antenna loop for example awaits the curious. Internal speakers of such small devices are usually tinny and unpleasant to listen to, this isn’t the case with the Icom IC-R30 which has one of the best sounding speakers for a device of this size I have ever heard. The volume by default is controlled by a pair of up/down buttons on the left-hand side of the radio, I say default because this can be changed. The dial on the tip of the radio can be toggled with the up/down pair of buttons, a neat arrangement as I have already discovered. Some times one might prefer to use up/down button tuning rather than the dial to move between frequencies or memory’s, its all dependent on what you are looking for. If held down when the buttons are in tuning mode the radio races through the frequencies at 2000 spots a second, that’s moving so thank Goodness one can change the frequency step easily down to a fine 10HZ.
> On 6 Jan 2020, at 8:36 am, Gordon Smith <gor...@mac-access.net> wrote: > > Good evening everybody. > > You may remember Dane writing on list about this device some time ago. I had > been doing some research into similar devices for some time on and off, so it > tweaked my interest. That, of course, is the precise reason that this E-Mail > list exists and whilst I’m on, please feel free to spread the word amongst > your friends that this group exists. Always nice to have a good circulation > and helps to stimulate conversation. > > Anyway, to the point. Just before Christmas, I decided to take the plunge, > and I bought one of those radio receivers. I have not been disappointed in > what my money bought for me. My only slight gripe, and it really is a slight > one, is that I never discovered until today that there is a version of that > receiver which also has a 3G LTE modem, so that you can use it with wireless > broadband. But then again, it may not be accessible anyway, so perhaps it > isn’t really an issue at all. > > I managed to locate some adapters which have allowed me to hook up my > existing VHF/UHF Colinear antenna to the device. Since doing so on Friday, > the performance of the device has greatly impressed me. > > It comes with a 27-inch metallic telescopic whip antenna which, depending on > your location, may or may not be adequate. In mine, it is not adequate, I’m > sorry to say. But the external antenna made the receiver sound like a totally > different device. Thus, I have a few comments to make here and now, but will > do so in extensio in our Blog, in due course. > > Those of you who have been amateur radio enthusiasts for some years may > remember the old 1980s lineup of Kenwood handheld transceivers. Actually, I > stil have one in a cupboard here, but haven’t tried using it in years. Guess > I must do so. Anyway, to the point. This receiver is the absolute business > when it comes to versatility. It handles just about every mode of emission > known to mankind, including, but not limited to, FM, (Wide and narrow), AM, > (wide and narrow), Lower Sideband, Upper Sideband, CW, CW Reverse, (I’l > explain what that is in a moment), as well as just about every digital mode > of communications in use across amateur and commercial communications > networks. I’m being very specific about using the words “Communications > Networks”, because I don’t want to give anybody the impression that it > handles systems like DAB or DAB+, as used by many broadcasters across the > world. > > Undoubtedly, if one could obtain the right codec, and compile it into a > compatible firmware update, one could probably enable those modes too, as the > device is an SDR device. > > The device has mobile apps available for it in the Google Play Store and the > Apple iOS/iPadOS App Store. However, as yet, despite the fact that I do have > a working Bluetooth pairing between my iPhone and the IC-R30, for whatever > reason the app refuses to connect to it. > > For those with vision, the device has a high resolution 2.8-Inch display, and > I’m told that the menus are very clearly visible. With practice, I dare say > that the menu structure will become navigable for a blind person once you > spend a lifetime going through the Advanced (Power) user’s guide. I’m in the > process of transcribing both the basic and advanced manuals into Braille > actually. Anyway, that’s beside the point for the moment. > > I have absolutely no complaints regarding the audio that the device kicks > out. Given its very low profile speaker, it’s actually extremely easy on the > ear. With a decent antenna system, resonant at or around the frequency range > you wish to listen too, the device is also remarkably sensitive – by far > out-performing other receivers and scanners (the two ar very different in > nature), which I’ve been fortunate enough to try over the last couple of > years. As I said, it’s a market I’ve been looking at for a couple of years > now and I’m happy that I’ve finally found a device which fits my needs, in > almost every respect. Actually, in some respects, it easily surpasses my > expectations, so that too came as a pleasant surprise. > > The receiver is marketed as a “Wide Band” receiver – and that is exactly what > it is. Indeed, it has absolutely no gaps anywhere between 100 KHz and 3.999 > GHZ, with only digital mobile phone reception being beyond its capabilities, > as you’d expect, of course. > > In general, there is not quite the same sensitivity at the lower end of the > spectrum But, again, I do not currently have an antenna which is resonant on > HF and lower, so perhaps that isn’t too surprising. > > What is surprising is that this device is capable of not only dual-band > simultaneous reception, but it also sports 2000 memory channels, programmable > into groups so that you can easily sequence your memories in whatever order > you wish, and just attach the specific memories to specific groups. > > Battery charge cycle is quite impressive. The manufacturers state that you > can get around 8.5 hours of life per charge. But my tests have only produced > around 6 hours per charge. That said, I have both the GPS and Bluetooth > functions enabled. So perhaps, I shouldn’t really be too surprised about that. > > The numeric keypad and other buttons are quite low profile, so it is > necessary to have a good sense of touch in order for a blind person to use > the device. But I personally have no problem there, having been a Braille > reader for the best part of 55 years. > > The telescopic antenna is, somewhat unusually, double-jointed. Meaning that > you can change the elevation and polarisation angles as independent facets. > This can be very useful indeed at times, as I have found. Unfortunately, > however, the joints on my antenna have become somewhat loose, and it’s quite > an achievement to get the antenna to stand vertical. I’m going to contact the > dealer I bought the device from about this, as it’s surely not within the > design specifications that this should occur after so little use. > > The antenna uses SMA connectors, rather than the more common BNC – as in the > case of the IC-R20 – it’s predecessor. Again, I don’t consider this to be an > issue really, and in fact, it’s quite a plus actually. SMA and F-connectors > are frequently used on equipment designed for use at UHF, EHF and above, > because they’re more efficient than BNC. So personally, I applaud Icom for > the way they’ve implemented their antenna system. Producing a device whose > frequency coverage is as expansive as this receiver’s is, and only suffering > slight drop-off at the lower end of the spectrum, is quite an achievement. > Indeed, in the pre-SDR era, it would probably not have been possible at all. > > This device is partially accessible right out of the box actually, as it does > incorporate basic speech output. On demand, one cab always be notified of the > current frequency and mode one is using. Sadly, I don’t think the speech > synthesis goes any deeper than that. So I’m not sure whether it’s possible to > know when one switches between memory and VFO mode, between main and > sub-band, etc. That would have been quite a nice touch and, you never know, > Icom may decide at some point to expand on this aspect at some future point > in time. Firmware updates are quite frequent, as I’m given to understand it. > The hardware interface is obviously already present, so it would only require > software development to make this happen. > > The build quality of the device is exceptional. Rather than the cheap and > flimsy plastic cases which I’ve seen on, for instance, some of the recent > Yasue transceivers in the handheld device market, Icom has used a very tough > and rugged exterior cover. I could break it, I’m sure, if I deliberately set > out to do so. Although I can assure you that I have no such intentions, not > even to satisfy either my own curiosity or that of a reader. ;-) > > In fact, Icom hasn’t really missed a clue when it comes to this device. It’s > possible to very the frequency step rate from 25 KHz to 10 Hz, right across > the spectrum. Modes of reception change automatically to accommodate the > frequency band plans across the entire spectrum. That said, there are gaps. > For example, on the VHF and UHF amateur bands, the mode does not change quite > as accurately as I’d have liked to see. But that’s really only quite a minor > issue, as changing modes manually, as well as via the control software on > either a mobile device or desktop computer (I’ll deal with that next), is > really easy to accomplish, even without vision. > > I have been able to accurately tune to both single sideband and CW signals on > HF and VHF with no difficulty at all. Actually it’s possible to set up the > main and secondary band to receive within the same frequency band, > simultaneously. Again, another almost unique feature of this device. Although > as I understand it, it is not possible to use different modes within the same > band at the same time. But again, that’s not an issue at all for me. > > There are, by default, multi-tone beeps which occur when pressing keys on the > keypad. Indeed, when an operation is successfully completed, a double-length > beep sounds to advise you of that fact. If you press keys which do not have a > function within the parameters you’re using at the time, a lower tone beep > sounds. So again, you can’t really go wrong there. > > As yet, I haven’t found any way to backstop through a keypad entry to correct > errors, etc. Although, undoubtedly, this is possible. I think Dane would > agree with me when I say that I would be guilty of grossly misleading the > reader of this mini-review by saying that I’m familiar with the device’s > every function. Absolutely not! That’s why there are two extensive and > well-compiled user documents outlining it’s use – the “Basic” and the > “Advanced” guides. > > The device can also be connected to an external power source In a couple of > different ways. Either the micro-USB interface, or via an optional AC supply. > The device also supports voice recording, saved in Wave format on to an > FAT32-compatible Micro-SD card. From memory, I believe that the device > supports SD, SD-HC and SD-XC formats. This, if true, would allow you to use > up to 2TB Micro-SD media. Such media is now available, although it’s > extremely expensive at the moment. Undoubtedly that will change as > technologies advance. > > The device is supplied with quite a flimsy-looking hand strap, and with a > heavy-duty belt clip. I would be hesitant to walk down the street with this > thing visible. But I’d certainly not have any qualms about going on a hiking > expedition, for instance, with the belt-clip in use. That said, I would > recommend the addition of one of the optional carrying cases, probably one > which supports a larger battery. Although it is possible to buy a case which > will allow you to power the device using 3 AA batteries, if memory serves, > although it’d be interesting to see how the device fairs when powered by just > 3 1.5 volt batteries, which deliver somewhat less power in terms of both > voltage and current than either the standard battery or the optional > heavy-duty battery deliver. > > Finally, for the moment, there’s just one thing I think that Icom missed > regarding accessibility. The ability to have an audible indication or voice > output allowing the user to be informed when the battery level drops to a > certain poin. But I wouldn’t like to say that this functionality is not > possible. It may very well be that I simply haven’t encountered it yet. > > There is much that I could say to continue this discussion. But, perhaps, I > should pause for breath at this juncture so that I can continue learning, and > also present anybody better informed than I to contradict anything I’ve > stated so far. I’m not above admitting that I may be mistaken, of course. ;-) > ------------------------------ This post, like all posts to the Techno Chat E-Mail group has been scanned by our server-side antivirus/malware solution. This should not, however, be viewed as a substitution for your own security strategy. We assume no culpability whatever, implicit or otherwise, for any compromise to your systems as a result of opening any post to this group. Suffice it to say that we remain vigilant within the boundaries of reason. We strongly urge you to do likewise! You have been warned!!! 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