Users

Adam Ellis (Australia)
Cor Pootjes (Netherlands)
Mike Swift (UK)
Steve Bowler (USA)
Antonio Rivera (Spain)
Rune Tapper (Sweden)		 Joost van Stuyvenberg (Netherlands)
Remco Broekhoff (Netherlands)
Duane Park (USA)
Brian Lee (USA)
KK5EO (USA)
Avo Ohanian (Australia)

"Superbly when it comes to reaction tuning"
by Adam Ellis, Australia, S/N 01377

I purchased the R10 as soon as it became available here in Australia, some 18 months ago. Saw an Icom advertisement for it in Popular Communications. I had purchased an Optoelectronics scout. This wonderful little instrument had me driving everywhere around my city snooping out all manner of things. A friend had purchased an AOR AR8000 which we used to reaction tune. I found the scanner suffered badly from intermod/overload and image problems. It was also over the AUD$1000 mark....so I decided to see what the Icom price would be.

Some months later....I went to the local Icom dealer....he had been overwhelmed by orders for the new ICR10. I had to wait 3 months for it to arrive. When it did.....I was both surprised and disappointed. It cost me AUD$699...cheaper than the larger/bug prone AOR.
 


BUT....


Overall for the reason I purchased it...Reaction tune, it works superbly. I have invested in other radios for scanning. Our Motorola Smartnet trunking network on 800Mhz requires multiple highspeed radios to monitor effectively, so this rules out the R10.

For your interest- other radios I currently have are Relm HS200 H/held, Icom ICQ7A, Yaesu FT50R, UNIDEN UBC9000XLT (2of), ICOM F4 (Commercial UHF 2way 450-480Mhz), Philips FM900 commercial mobiles (locally produced 99ch), UNIDEN UBC3000 for backup.
 

"A receiver that can scan, not a scanner"
by Cor Pootjes,  Netherlands, S/N 03687

My first scanner ever was a Regency crystal scanner; don't know the exact type. From then I have owned many computer scanners; depending on my needs I chose a portable or a base version. I've had many different models like the AOR AR8000, Alinco DJ-X10, Bearcat 9000 and 3000, Realistic PRO2042, Icom IC-R2 and IC-R10.
In most cases I bought a scanner out of curiosity; when I knew all the ins and outs of a model I lost my interest. Funny, though, that this never happened with the IC-R10. I do not consider the IC-R10 a scanner; in fact I think it is a receiver with scanning functions. The pros and cons of the IC-R10 have been described by many others but I'd like to highlight one topic: the VSC, that can limit unwanted (digital) signals, is very useful here in the Netherlands, especially with the Alex (a Dutch police network, JvS) and trunking signals. Even the more recent AOR AR8200 lacks a data killer as good as my IC-R10 has. Which makes me accept the slow scanning speed.
 

"A good workhorse scanner"
by Mike Swift, UK, S/N 08174

I bought my IC-R10 mainly to listen to VHF/UHF stuff - public utilities, airband etc. I had also hoped to use it for SW  broadcast listening when traveling, but I find the filters are *way* too wide for this purpose. It may as well not cover HF as far as I'm concerned. Scan speed is also a little slow, and the inability to select combinations of banks for scanning is pretty ridiculous. That said, it has some great features like alpha tagging.

I have replaced the supplied rubber antenna with a Nissei RH-9000 Super Gainer. These cost approx £17 in the UK and make a HUGE difference to performance. I strongly recommend this antenna to anyone who owns a hand-held scanner, and it seems particularly well suited to the R10. I never used to hear anything on 2m ham band, now I hear plenty. Also on 70cm.

In conclusion, my overall opinion on the R10 - well, it has faults, but it's a good workhorse scanner. I'm glad I bought it.
 

"Average to good"
by Steve Bowyer, USA, S/N 02918

I wanted a top of the line rig, small size.  Must have computer interface as I absolutely hate entering freqs on a scanner keypad.  I also wanted to be able to demo hands on before buying and there were no others in this class available to demo in my home area. I listen to ham, aircraft, State Police, marine, railroad.  I live in an area that has all these close by. No big antenna needed. My overall rating of the IC-R10: average to good.  Speed is too slow.  Eats lotsa power.  NAVI and VSC functions not very good. Software is poor to average.  Hope someone writes a good Win program soon.  Like all those memories, EASY scan function, auto search is nice too.
 

"Because of its size and range"
by Antonio Rivers, Spain, S/N 01084

I own several radios like R9000 and NRD545, for portable use I choose R10 to scan VHF/UHF I like the R10 because its size and range I run it also at home with an external antenna (discone) and with ScanCat Software.
 

"Icom should do better with their battery design"
by Rune Tapper, Sweden, S/N 03133

I earlier had an Icom R1 with lousy RF capability, no selectivity at all and a battery lifetime that was ridiculous (less than 1 hour). I was very excited when I first heard about the R10 and went out to get one as soon it was available in Sweden.

I'm using it for listening to almost everything. Police (79 + 410 MHz), marine (156 MHz), air (118 MHz), ham radio (144 + 432), cell phones and some other land mobile radio, I work professionally in this field...

I have built my own CI-V interface including two transistors and a few resistors, working fine. The software was "found" on the Net :-) I also replaced the NiCd batteries for Ni-MH which give me double listening time, about 5 hours, still not enough I think. I'm working at Ericsson with mobile telephones with 20 - 40 hours duty time with much more advanced logic and smaller batteries, i think icom should do better!

Pros and cons:

+ Nice design, size, buttons and display
+ Excellent RF capabilities and good selectivity
+ Nice features
+ Good price compared to AR8000 (in Sweden)
- Sloooowww scanning
- Channel label not shown at scanning
- Battery life could be better
- Expensive accessories
 

"I needed computer control. I got a lot more than that!"
by Joost van Stuyvenberg, Netherlands, S/N 04053

The first scanner I bought about two years ago was a Commtel COM203. Programming it with the small 'rubber' keys wasn't that much fun but it performed OK, was pretty fast in scanning and when you don't have another scanner to compare audio quality with, you don't complain. The lack of more sophisticated scanning possibilities and the dead feeling in my fingers after programming another 100 channels made me look for another scanner. This scanner would at the very least have to support offline programming using an ordinary PC keyboard...

After reading a test description in both a popular Dutch radio magazine and on Peters pages, I decided an IC-R10 would become mine very soon. Now I'm not particularly poor but its price still gave me some doubts. Nevertheless, after seeing its small size and hearing some comments from the shop owner, I bought my IC-R10 and both the fun and the pain started.

First of all, I thought of the IC-R10 as an easy-to-operate scanner. Not true! Even a computer programmer/technician can have problems with the unclear instruction manual. However, after a few months you're pressing the keys without really thinking, but it definitely takes time to learn how operate this scanner!

The fun really started when I got the OPC-478 cable and CS-R10 software. This software isn't really a masterpiece but it definitely works. So when I programmed the Easy mode, Auto mode and added more than 400 channels in just a few hours I was all set for evenings of fun.

What else can I say? I still have my COM203 and will set it up for the more common signals (police, aviation, etc.) while my IC-R10 will perform the more complex tasks. I started developing some software for it, but time is a limiting factor. You can download one of my first trials.
 

"Finest scanner I've ever had!"
by Remco Broekhoff, Netherlands, S/N 04849

I started my scanning hobby with a Bearcat, switched to the smaller IC-R1, and eventually bought an AOR-8000 because of its alphanumeric capability. However, when I heard that the IC-R10 features a built-in data killer I immediately changed my AOR-8000 for an IC-R10. I had been looking quite a while for a scanner featuring a data killer, since I frequently listen to Dutch police services.

I mainly listen to police transmissions in the 84.0125 to 87.1125, 466.4900 to 468.7700 and 469.0700 to 469.4300 MHz frequency range. Besides this I listen to medical & fire services (167.7100 and 167.7900 MHz). Since I don't understand a single thing of aircraft communications, I simply don't listen to it :-) My neighborhood features a lot of portable telephones (31.0375 to 31.3125 and 46.6100 to 46.9700 MHz range) and sometimes it's nice to listen to it.

The IC-R10 is a perfect scanner! Operating it is quite difficult to learn but the fact that I had used an IC-R1 before made it easier for me. An important deficiency is that one cannot link two or more banks, which is possible on my AOR-8000. I read a lot of criticism on using the IC-R10 with rechargeables. When I charge them well, the IC-R10 lasts for about six hours which is often long enough. Another point is that the channel description does not appear during a bank scan. Its reception is fine, in my opinion even better than the AOR-8000 and the Bearcat! This is the finest scanner I've ever had!
 

"Because I'm familiar with iCOM quality"
by Duane Park, USA, S/N 02921

One thing that convinced me to buy an IC-R10 is the fact that I am familiar with Icom quality since being a HAM. Also the fact that it had a PC interface and its price were factors. I listen mainly to local Police and Ham Radio transmissions. Generally I like the R-10, it's fit and finish is good, for a triple conversion however, I hear quite a bit of intermod using the stock antenna (I live in the L.A. area). The scanning takes some getting used to, when comparing it to my other scanner, a Relm HS-200, but I realize this is a wide band receiver more than a scanner. I don't mind the slow scan speed, I'm using it right now mainly on the SW bands being in Korea, so the BBC, VOA on AM come in good using a 15ft. wire for a antenna. Also, I listen to CW on the Ham bands which seem to do fine for me. The DOS software is lacking in my opinion, A windows version would be nice. I think a slide-on battery would have been a good idea, with a drop in rapid charger.
 

"Ever did SW tuning with the dial?!?"
by Brian Lee (VE7MLG), Canada, S/N 02451

You can find my opinions of the R10 on Rich Well's scanning site. I mainly use my scanner to listen to police and other public service in the 140Mhz and 450Mhz ranges (FM). I also use it to listen to aircraft in the 118Mhz AM aviation band. With an external antenna, I use it to listen to shortwave (2-40Mhz AM) although I find it very hard to tune through the band using the dial. I also use it to listen to ordinary AM/FM/TV broadcasts.
 

"As long as it's lightweigth!"
by KK5EO, USA, S/N 01237

I bought my Icom R-10 because I am kind of a small gadget freak. I have three other amateur radio HT's: Yaesu 50R, Yaesu VX-1R, and Kenwood TH79AD. I also have a Sony ICF-SW-100, a super tiny SW/LW/MW/FM portable. I also owned an Icom R-1, a Radio Shack scanner, and several other portable SW/MW/LW/FM receivers. I do a lot of camping and hiking and am fascinated by small size and portability.

I am not a big scanner person, but I use the capability to listen to frequencies where I work, police, fire, river boats, locks and dams, but also require access to MW, FM, weather, amateur, and SW. The capability to tune in SW in addition to pretty good multiband capability and decent (not great) scanning capability was what interested me in the Icom R-1 and R-10 radios.

The SW is really not too bad on the major broadcasters if you have the right antenna and such. I listened to the BBC WS, Radio Netherlands, HCJB, Radio New Zealand, on long auto trips using an ear piece or a cassette adapter that allows the audio output to be put to the car tape player. I can also listen to weather with a touch of a key or scan if I get bored.

I have always been fascinated by radio, since I was a small child and built my first crystal set at around age 6. I am a licensed amateur operator in the US and am active on HF and FM VHF/UHF. I got started by listening to SW, but got bored and moved to scanning and then amateur. I still do all three.

BTW: My Icom R-10 died. During a thunderstorm I was listening to the US National Weather Service frequency here where I live (162.565 NFM) and gradually the background static began to increase until it completely overwhelmed the received sound. I checked some local WFM frequencies and others and they all had the same problem. I changed batteries and tried all the reset modes to no effect. The receive sensitivity seems to have gone as well; strong local stations only open the squelch when it is almost all the way open - and then the static! I am still under warranty, so I sent the unit to Icom in Washington State. I haven't checked on the status yet.
 

"Thank God it's not a Yupi..."
by Avo Ohanian, Australia, S/N 04333

I had an IC-R10 before and loved it's mature receive characteristics (sensitivity vs. image rejection). It is nearly as good as my AR3000A between 40 to 900MHz except in selectivity and is much better than my old MVT9000 (I was very disappointed with the 9000)

I listen mainly to Police and GRN (800Mhz Trunk). Of course I wish the scan was much faster! Also listen to Air, 2m Amateur, Broadcast FM and Broadcast SW.

The IC-R10 needs faster scan. Search is not bad. Also needs better Selectivity. Sensitivity and Image Rejection are excellent. I live in very bad RFI area from TV, FM and pager. Only 3 scanners out of around 9 i've had have been able to handle this: the AR3000A, ICR-7100 - note, both base units - and the ICR-10. The others (XLT200, MVT7000, MVT7100, MVT9000, Standard AX400, AR8000) had quite bad RFI problems - the Yupiteru's were plain shocking, even the MVT9000! The size is great, features are adequate and the unit has been very rugged (kicked around in my backpack many a times and never missed a beat). I like the look of it over the Alinco DJX10.

I must say that I am, however, seriously looking at the AR8200. Seems good. But is it going to be s good in RF performance as my ICR-10? So far I have not found a handheld as good........

Last updated March 6, 1999