ICOM-V85
My Radio Gear
Kenwood TS-430S
PS-430 Power Supply
SP-430 Ext Speaker
AT-250 Auto Tuner
MC-60 Mic
Old Brass Straight-Key
ICOM IC-V85
HM-158L Ext Mic
BC-167A/D Charger
FA-B2E Antenna (ducky)
SP-13 Earphone
CP-19R 12 volt charger
Comet BNC24 17" Antenna
Accessories
Angle Adapter w/BNC
Antenna Cable
Antenna Base (MFJ-332B)
Antenna Farm
40m Hamstick Dipole
50ft Wire Antenna (Rx only)
2m 17" Comet Mag-mount
(more on the way)
Misc Radio Projects
Morse Mouse
50ft Wire Antenna (Rx only)
2m 17" Comet Mag-mount
(more on the way)
Other
The Workshop
(more coming soon)
Links
ARRL
UARC
(and more to come)
Specifications: (information taken from the product brochure)
Compact body
While the IC-V85 provides a full 7 watts of output power, its 110mm* body height is compact enough to allow for easy carrying. * 411⁄32 in (projections are not included)
7W of high output power
Let the power of 7 watts extend your communications range. With its large capacity Lithium-Ion battery pack, BP-227, the IC-V85/E provides a practical 7 hours* of operating time. Reduced power (4W/0.5W) settings are also available for even longer operating time. * Typical operation with Tx: Rx: standby=1:1:8.
External DC power jack
An external DC power jack allows for operation when used with the external DC power supply (11.0V DC). Your IC-V85/E receives and transmits as it charges.
Water resistant construction
The water resistant construction, equivalent to IPX4 rating, provides reliable operation in wet conditions for practical outdoor usage.
107 memory channels and 10 memory banks
Up to 107 memory channels can be stored. Use the 5-character display capabilities to assign your own individual channel names, then store those channels in any of the 10 memory banks. The DMS (Dynamic Memory Scan) system allows you to scan selected memory banks by simply adding and deleting bank links.
Built-in CTCSS/DTCS
Built-in CTCSS/DTCS tone codes provide quiet stand-by and allows you to use tone-access repeaters. The pocket beep alerts you when a matching tone frequency is received. The tone scan detects the tone frequency used in the received signal.
DTMF memory and optional DTMF decoder
16 DTMF memory channels with up to 24 DTMF codes enable you to perform remote control operation. The optional DTMF decoder unit, UT-108, provides code squelch operation and pager function.
Other features
• Weather channel receive with weather alert* (* USA version only)
• Automatic repeater function* (* USA version only)
• Reversible control knob and up/down button assignment
• PC cloning capability
New 2 Meter Handheld (2M-HT)
I finally took the plunge and bought my first VHF radio. I have no regrets! Bob at Communications Products was very patient with me and my questions, but now it's done and I'm happy with my choice.
What I hope to accomplish here is to inform others of some of the things that influenced my choice and a few insights I gained since. First I present the specifications for the V85 followed by some of my thoughts about the unit.
My reasonings:
Why 2 meters?
If you've read my radio page or radio-blog you may have noticed that I set out to explore HF and CW (that's 3.5 MHz to 54 MHz and morse code). My introduction to VHF has been through my friend and co-worker Barrie. Not only is Barrie active in the VHF frequencies, but also in many activities in the VHF community.
Last winter Barrie invited me to the 2008 SkyWarn Recognition Day. That night (early morning) I spent some time on 2 meters using WinLink listening in to conversation in Europe. That was impressive, but what really amazed me was how much more 'clean' the signals were. HF is fun, but in this low part of the sunspot cycle it can be a challenge to get a clean signal on HF.
Another thing that that I found intriguing about VHF was the community support centered around amateur radio communications. SkyWarn was one of those, but there are many others activities offering community support and interaction among people with related interests.
Final was the realization that for a tinkerer VHF had some advantages over HF. I like antennas! HF antennas can get very large, very fast. For those unfamiliar with radio frequency physics, the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength; and the shorter the wave length, the shorter the antenna. For a city dweller this is great!
Why the Icom?
I'm a Kenwood fan. My HF rig is an older Kenwood. It looks like a radio, a substantial radio, and it reminds me of my introduction to the hobby as a kid (young kid vs. older kid). Many of the modern radios just don't strike me as radios, but as computers. I spend my days with computers and I like a traditional look and feel in a radio. Kenwood's newer radios (to my taste) are ugly. I feel rather strongly about this to the degree that I've been looking around for an older 2 meter Kenwood. The problem is that most older rigs have very limited capabilities when it comes to the available sub-audible tones required for repeater use.
I spent a couple of weekends using one of Barrie's Yaseau tri-banders and found it just too small for my taste. Everything else was great, just the size didn't work well for me.
These things being such an issue for me, I wanted to 'get my hands' on some other radios. The Icom V85 got my attention from the beginning. It's smaller than the older 'walkie-talkie' style radios, but at least 30% larger than most of the 'tiny' units so popular these days. It also had the advantage of 7 watts output and the larger capacity 1700mAh Lithium-Ion battery. When I saw it, I was hooked.
Handheld vs. mobile?
I was originally committed to the idea of having a mobile unit that I could use on my desktop, yet still transport it when I went camping. Of course in reality that would be a unit dedicated to my desk and being used only a few times a year in the field. The biggest advantage to a mobile (in my opinion) was the extra power. Of course when you live 3~4 miles from several of the repeaters that may not mean as much, since you'd be operating at low power most of the time anyway.
Originally, I hadn't given much thought about a handheld until I started thinking about the convenience of the extra mobility and learning of the HT's popularity among some of the emergency service groups. Ultimately, I could be operating much quicker given my circumstances with the handheld than with a mobile base station.
Besides, you don't buy just one radio, you just buy them one at a time, right?
The downside?
If there's a downside to this radio it might be the $200 price tag. I had read reviews and comparisons of all the 2008/09 HT models in the February 2009 issue of CQ and there are several HTs that can be had in the $100-$150 range. However, if you look at the available power output and battery configurations, you can easily see that these 2 features compensate for the extra price. Many of the less expensive model come with NiCad battery packs and compared to the newer Lithium-Ion cells, this alone settled a lot in my mind.
Other features worth mentioning...
One other key feature of the V85 missing from many other units on the market is the ability to receive AND transmit while charging. There's a small caveat here, but in my opinion a negligible one. You can only do this with the Icom 12v adapter (cigar plug, CP-19R). The 'slow' charger included with the unit is just not capable of this task (though I have used mine on receive). The 12v adapter is optional (at apx. $30) and has a higher charging rate than the standard charger (though slower than the Rapid charger) and has filtering to reduce/eliminate line noise found in the typical wall-wart type chargers.
Finally, Icom has a full line of accessories for the V85, many common to other Icom units. Most of these accessories are respectably priced, though a few (like the Desktop Rapid Charger) seem a bit over-priced to me. I'm reserving any hard judgement for now and until I can get the Rapid Charger and perform a few tests, but I suspect that part of the extra cost is the additional circuitry to monitor the rapid charging in a way that gets the job done quickly without risking long-term battery reliability.
I have already purchase the HM-158L external speaker/microphone which ran just under $50 and I'm very pleased with it. I will share more details on this accessory at a fure date when I share my V85 Desktop notes.
Summary
I like the V85 a lot. I think the size and design are near perfect for my taste. I was able to easily program the unit and able to easily change some of the default keypad functions to better suit my operating style. I also like the fact that the V85 uses a BNC connector for the antenna. For a more technical review of the V85 you might track down the June 2007 copy of QST for a full lab report and comparison to the V82.
Later, I will share some more technical details in my V85 Desktop notes and I plan to do some testing and comparison of a couple of different chargers and get to the bottom of a battery/charging controversy I've heard a folks tossing around.
Until then, enjoy!
