My first D-STAR radio was the IC-91AD with the software and the cable (for free). GREAT radio except for the overheating while transmitting on 5 watts. I will never part with it. I use it in my mobile. It has all the features I could want and a great keypad layout to get to them fast and do all that I want to do. But I wanted a base radio to play with as well, and a local ham was selling his IC-2200H with UT-118 DV board at a very good price, so I snapped it up. Was this the same radio feature wise as my IC-91AD? NO!, not at all. Is it worth keeping and using? YES, once you learn how to use it to its best capability. Is it a good starter rig for someone getting into D-STAR for the first time? Yes, if you keep it simple and learn how to use the call sign and message features. They work, but you have to use them a little different than the higher end radios.
The biggest flaw with the IC-2200H is the low amount of repeater call sign memory Icom gives you. You get a total of
6 repeater call sign memories! That is not going to get you far. You have 200 memory channels, but with this shortage on repeater call sign memory you can only program three D-STAR repeaters before you run out of call sign memory (2 per repeater...basic operation). (NOTE: For basic operation, you would store R1 and R2 call signs into 6 repeater call sign memories and index them into channel memory for three repeaters. EXAMPLE...RPTR CH. 1 with R1C-1 & R2C-2, RPTR CH. 2 with R1C-3 & R2C-4, and RPTR CH. 3 with R1C-5 & R2C-6.) Now you are tapped out!
However, there is a feature that will allow you to capture the received call signs for slots R1 and R2, and write them to your repeater call sign memory on the fly...and use them on any repeater memory or even a VFO setting. Let me now say that you should TURN OFF all automatic call sign writing features (RCW-OF & RRW-OF) or you will start OVERWRITING what you have saved (not good...will mess you up!). The best way to handle repeater call sign memory is to pick two repeaters you want to have ready at all times and program them into the first four repeater call sign slots. R1 is the usual repeater call sign and node (see D-STAR calculator), and R2 is the repeater call with the gateway node "G".
Leave repeater call sign slots 5 and 6 open. Then you have "wild card" slots to program other repeater memory channels (or the VFO) on the fly. So your first two main D-STAR repeaters will use call sign memories 1 & 2, and 3 & 4, respectively. Any other D-STAR repeaters you program into channel memory should be saved with R1 indexed to R1C-5, and R2 indexed to R2C-6. These are your "wild card" slots.
Lets say you have a D-STAR repeater in memory channel 100 and you have no more repeater call sign memory to assign to this channel. When the repeater comes on air, the call signs will be read by the radio and saved in a special recall area until either a new call is received, or you turn the radio off (same is true for received individual station calls). I use the microphone buttons to access the menu options, so I press and hold BANK/OPTION for three seconds to access the digital menu. After that, step your way through by pressing the same key until you see R1CALL. Press SET to view the call of the repeater. Press MR/CALL to return to the menu and step back to R1C-#. Notice the "- #" indicating the indexed slot. Rotate the dial (or up down on the mic) to memory -5. If you programmed the channel right, it should already be at 5. Press and hold S.MW MW on the radio for 2 seconds. The first RPTR call sign is now stored in slot R1C-5. Press BANK/OPTION and step up to R2CALL. Do the same as you did with R1CALL but store that in R2C-6 (again...if you did it right it should be at 6). And no, this is not 6 memories per menu item (R1 or R2). At first I did not realize that. Now I "get it"...you get just 6 TOTAL. Press CLR on the mic to return to normal operation. Now the radio SHOULD be ready to access the repeater, BUT in my trials with this instruction from page 64 I noticed a problem. Hold up...there is a simple fix. I needed to go back into the digital menu to R1C-5 and step (or dial) the up/down to 4 and back to 5 for it to actually take. This is a glitch! But it now works. The same has to be done with R2C-6 (down to 5 and back up to 6). Then you will be sending the correct call to the repeater.
Pain in the butt?
Well yes, but look what you paid for this otherwise awesome radio. It works! This radio has a great receiver and puts out some juice! It looks nice and sounds good. But this shortage of RCS memory is a drag. This was my way to cope with it because the manual left allot to be desired.
As I mentioned in the other 2200 thread, you can view incoming call signs (RXCALL, then SET), and you can view incoming messages (RXM-C1 to 6, then SET). You can send a message too, BUT you have to keep going into the digital menu and keep turning MES-ON to get it to send on each transmission. Icom did not give this radio the option to KEEP IT ON.
The scan is super fast, but it will lock up on analog signals even if you have that memory channel programmed as digital
. Overall it is a good little radio. It CAN DO what needs to be done. If you have just a couple of D-STAR repeaters you use on a regular basis, and want to do D-STAR simplex (with very good range!), this radio will work fine. I myself would love an IC-2820H to match the features of my IC-91AD, but the price on that with the OPTIONAL digital board is WAY OUT OF LINE!
No can do!
I hope this may have helped others get the most out of this IC-2200H radio. It will get you on D-STAR!
Phil
