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ICOM T90A COMMENTS BY W7RJR |
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Hello
Jim
Please feel free to use my review on
your website.
Thank you for asking.
73, Bob, W7RJR
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| The
new ICOM T90A handheld transceiver appears to be a wise choice when
choosing among the VX-7R and TH-F6a. As with all of these complex
miniaturized rigs, none are perfect, but this one comes close. Out of the box: Composed of what seems like a ruggedized aluminum case, it is a dark silver in color. The rear half that holds the battery is black. The SMA connector seems to be fairly sturdy. Only one multi-purpose knob on the top, which is used for not only changing frequency but setting a few other things such as the squelch level, scan banks, etc. Compared to the VX-7R (see my other review) this rig has a nice finished look and feel to it. A mic/speaker jack is located on the top and protected with a rubber grommet. Charger cable connects on the right side, also protected with a grommet. The keypad is composed of white keys that protrude a bit farther than most. While the keys are small they seem easier to push than those on the VX-7R. Volume control is accessed by pushing a larger set of up and down arrows on the keypad. The belt clip is of the new improved swivel type and is great. The backlighting is somewhat DIM as compared to the VX-7R. Battery/Charging: If the T90a has a weakness at all, this might be the area. It took a full 15 hours to charge this Li-Ion battery to full capacity, with the supplied charger. The onboard charge indicator is nothing more than a *small* flashing icon. Once charged, the indicator is a much larger CHG-F. At this writing, the fast charger, which promises a 2.5 hour full charge is not available, nor is it apparent what it will cost (probably around $90). I would say that purchasing the fast charger will be essential. Transmit: Power output choices are limited to 5 watts or .5 watt. I would have liked to have seen more choices. With the supplied rubber duck antenna, I was able to hit the usual variety of repeaters without trouble. I monitored the signal on my 736R and noted the audio was loud and clear and crisp. Unlike the VX-7R which had very low, muffled audio. The PL tones were not overdriven and barely discernable (good). Receive: Sensitivity was quite good. I was able to pick up stations on the aircraft band w/o trouble. Wonderful reception of the public service bands. The scanner, while not especially that fast, was quite adequate. I enjoyed the bank scan capabilities. The squelch needed to be tightened up a bit. I hooked the rig up to my Comet GP6 antenna and of course noticed a pronounced improvement in performance, albeit, some intermod was noted. Shortwave performance was somewhat disappointing but not unexpected. I was able to receive at least a few shortwave stations with the supplied duckie antenna. I was unable to receive anything on the VX-7R. An external antenna made a big difference. Programming: I also purchased the software and cable to program the T90a. The software is designed for Windows and was easy to install and use. I programmed about 300 different frequencies in about an hour or so. Cloning process took about 2 minutes to complete. I was impressed with both the software and the results. The cable to do this was nothing more than a 4 foot cable with a DB9 connector on one end and a 1/8 sub-miniature stereo jack on the other. HRO (and others) charge $45 for this cable (a ripoff). Build your own, if you can. Bottom line: Somewhat simplified with fewer bells and whistles than the VX-7R or the TH-F6a. Excellent performance on the amateur bands. The extended receive seems to work quite well. Better suited for new hams as this rig is easy to operate. I mastered the controls in about 30 minutes and no longer need the manual (which was quite good). A pocket cheat sheet is included for those that may need it?? I highly recommend this rig due to it's intuitive menu system, excellent performance and reasonable price. Be warned however that accessories are expensive for this rig, when compared to its competition. You will enjoy owning and using this latest rig from ICOM. W7RJR MORE ABOUT W7RJR |
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