UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Icon IC-H10 VHF Transceiver

SiriusHardware · 24th Sep 2019, 6:46 pm

Hello Paul - you need the DOS programming software and a PC which can run DOS software and has a serial (COM) port. You also need an RS232 to TTL-level converter interface / cable for which I believe I have the diagram somewhere. I've sent you a PM.

Although these radios officially cover the VHF high band they will reprogram to cover 2m. They were part of the first generation of PMR radios which used varactor tuning of the RF 'tank' circuits, so they effectively auto-retune themselves to whatever frequency (within their operating range) they are programmed to.

As far as cloning goes, cloning (from one radio to another) and the PC programming software use the exact same protocol, such that the radio does not actually know whether it is being programmed from another radio or from a PC. If you already have one H10 programmed the way you want, a simple connecting cable is all you need to transfer the settings of that radio into any others you may have.

As you've pointed out, 2m is a little bit beyond the edge of their official coverage, but the auto tuning may well track down that little bit further and it may work perfectly well on 2m without any further adjustment. These radios do also have CTCSS as standard, which is pretty helpful in the modern amateur environment.

24th Sep 2019, 6:46 pm	#3
SiriusHardware Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 11,548	Re: Icon IC-H10 VHF Transceiver Hello Paul - you need the DOS programming software and a PC which can run DOS software and has a serial (COM) port. You also need an RS232 to TTL-level converter interface / cable for which I believe I have the diagram somewhere. I've sent you a PM. Although these radios officially cover the VHF high band they will reprogram to cover 2m. They were part of the first generation of PMR radios which used varactor tuning of the RF 'tank' circuits, so they effectively auto-retune themselves to whatever frequency (within their operating range) they are programmed to. As far as cloning goes, cloning (from one radio to another) and the PC programming software use the exact same protocol, such that the radio does not actually know whether it is being programmed from another radio or from a PC. If you already have one H10 programmed the way you want, a simple connecting cable is all you need to transfer the settings of that radio into any others you may have. As you've pointed out, 2m is a little bit beyond the edge of their official coverage, but the auto tuning may well track down that little bit further and it may work perfectly well on 2m without any further adjustment. These radios do also have CTCSS as standard, which is pretty helpful in the modern amateur environment.