ICOM 401 - Ch 16

jools · 09 June 2003, 22:25

Anybody had this problem?

Out today - rather wet crossing the shipping lanes out by lands end. Radio set to Ch 77 (Dual Watch).

Every time I pick up the fist mike from the clip it switches to Ch16

Change it back to 77, go to talk and its back to Ch 16

Now... I think I've worked out whats happening - but how do you stop it! - The radio has a "feature" that if you connect the metal mic bracket to the ground of the amtenna whenever you place the mic back on the bracket the radio returns to Ch 16 (I do not have this connection made)

Now what I think is happening - when I grab the fist mic in my wet little hands I am making the contact between the metal knob on the back of the mic and "earth" and it switches to Ch16 - If I didn't touch the metal bit it seemed to stay on Ch 77

So anybody else had this problem (i suspect will only show if you and the boat deck etc is very wet!!)

Does anyone know how to turn off this feature?

Cheers
Jools

DJL · 10 June 2003, 00:03

I have had a look in the manual and there doens't appear to be anyway of turning this feature off.

seafariskye · 10 June 2003, 00:10

Jools

had this with my sets..........some prat at icom decided to put in a really shiete feature that they thought would be really good,,on a waterproof set that, when you put themike back in its holder it went back to 16...crap idea anyway, but this also happens when your hand is wet to pick it up....
Your best choice is.. choose a dry day, take a small phillips screwdriver and open the mike assembly up - there will be a blue wire going to the back, and is screwed by a connection to the backplate - undo this, so as the blue wire is free - and either cut the end off, or tape it up, so as it cannot earth out in the mike rear assembly - once this is done and you have realised that the inventor of all this is a complete arse, put some silicon grease round the seal ( or vaseline will do) and screw it back together----prob solved,
I went off my trolley with icom about this, and it does not affect your warranty and they are completely wrong.

Obviously this has never come up before as obviously not many others have icoms-----or they do not use their vhf when it is wet??

or do not use them at all?????

Hope this helps email me if you want.

Cheers

Pete F

Mike Garside · 10 June 2003, 05:42

Very interesting, Pete.

Exactly the same thing happened to me on an Icom handmike during the Around Alone in 98/99. The only time the problem arose was during landfalls at the end of legs of the race which invariably happened on moonless nights when it was pouring with rain. I would then keep grabbing the mike with wet hands when trying to answer calls from the race officials' boat on the finish line. The channel then always jumped to Ch16.

In the end I gave up and used a handheld assuming I was at fault. A tit who couldn't understand the handbook!

Any idea when this mod was introduced? My set, by the way, was sourced in France.

batfalcon · 10 June 2003, 05:54

If you don;t want this to happen, there are 2 ways. First you must unplug the earthing wire of mike's base and be sure that your hands are completely dry so that no circuit is closed via your body to the earth.
The other most radical way is to cut the wire that closes the circuit inside the mike. I am not sure for the color code at the present time, but I can find it during weekend. I 've done that after consulting the representative in Greece, so if you want I can open the mike and find the wire that I' ve cut some years ago.

seafariskye · 10 June 2003, 07:27

Mike

Quote:

Any idea when this mod was introduced?

I got my 1st icom after my simrad blew up - a 501 i think, so 3 years ago, but after annoying icom i recon its been around for a long time now - they just dont want to admit it?? must be a while now since your around alone?

Batfalcon-

Quote:

The other most radical way is to cut the wire

---- cheers for the echoeeeeeee - watch out -- you could be living on the edge to much if you are cutting a wire?

Pete F

Richard B · 10 June 2003, 07:31

Funny thing is, Jools, do a Google search on ICOM 401 - Ch 16 and see where it take you...

Jelly · 10 June 2003, 07:48

Icom introduced this feature as a safety item so if the metal back clip grounds out on something or even a wet human it looks like. I think it was back when the M58 was new or earlier.

There is a way of stopping this Icom added a feature in the programming software a few years ago where you could disable the feature. Get the dealer ( some one with the software) to plug the laptop in and tick the disable box. (make sure that you have all your private frequencies after this has happened as some people don't read the radio set in before making the change hence you loose the settings when the setup is writen to the radio and then charge to replace them which infurates me)

Don't connect the earth wire on the back of the mic holder as this will also reset to 16 as you are earthing the mic.

The other option as mentioned is to cut a wire in the mic. I know this has been done may times before on the M5* series radios as has main board jumpers.
IF you are going to do this it must be a dry day, use the correct size tools or you can damage it ( sucking eggs I know) and when you cut the wire put some heatshrink or similar over the end of the wire so it cant provide a stray circuit. A slight smear of silicone grease on the seal will help reseal it. You may well be invalidating the warentee doing this.

Rgds
James

wavelength · 10 June 2003, 11:33

Talking of ICOMs has anyone had trouble with the M45 fixed set?? This has a facility on the mike to change from hi to lo power and back again. Mine was brought back from the states, sat in its box for over a year and was eventually fitted in our ocean pro. When transmitting it switches itself to lo power all the time. Its not a battery power thing or limited to one channel. I can get it to switch back whilst talking but then off it goes to lo power again, to the extent that on a couple of coastguard jobs we have been involved with on the last two courses I have used the mobile to talk to the MRCSC. I assume its in the mike as waggling the flex as it enters the mike can help but can find no dry joints etc . Quite prepared to do without the hi/lo power switch on the mike if anyone knows which wire to snip as long as it does not stay permanently on low then!!

Lester McCarthy · 12 June 2003, 07:59

I also had the same problem with this radio.............

I was doing a night passage from Alderney to Poole and was overdue due to rough weather. My wife contacted Portland coastguard who then called me up on the radio around midnight. Contact was made on 16 and they asked me to swich to 67. Every I changed from 16 to 67 the set changed itself back to 16 when you transmitter. We had to converse on 16 all the time -giving my position, ETA etc to the coastguard.
I contacted Icom about this and the admitted to a fault with the set which shorts out when wet hads touch the metal on the back of the handset. To correct this is simple - unscrew the handset from underneath to open it up. Thendisconnect the wireinside the mike which goes to the metal catch and tape it up.
I have done this and not had a problem since.

Jelly · 12 June 2003, 08:10

Greetings Wavelength
Just looked it up and theM45 looks like the US flush mount of M5x range. I've got a spare mic with out the hi/low in black, if thats any use & it fits!
Jelly

Daniel · 12 June 2003, 13:13

Wow - a solution to a problem i did not even know i had!

My Icom M59 has even been into a repair shop for this and they said there was nothing wrong with it - sure enough it worked fine untill one very wet day voilar - same problem.

This also happened to me at the RIBnet meet in Plymouth when i decreed the M59 a peice of old cr** and got the handheld out...

I was even thinking of buying a new radio...

But thanks to RIBnet there is an answer! Now, pass the snips...

wavelength · 12 June 2003, 18:26

Thanks jelly. I have bitten the bullet and taken the thing out of the consol (which I have been trying to avoid having to do cos its a pain to get back in) and taken it in to the local lad who knows about these things! I'll see what he has to say tomorow when I go back for it. (thanks also for the e mail James-I have emptied some stuff out of my PM box now).
Dave

wavelength · 19 June 2003, 22:12

Think we have sorted the icom m45 lo power problem. stray rf from the aerial wire. When I put it in I thought the outer wire wrap was terrible quality on the coax - not so much wire more sort of bum fluff! Put emergency aerial on it out of the grab bag with some good coax on it and it seems fine now as long as the aerial is far enough away from the mike. put the mike near the aerial itself and its away again back to lo power. but being near the coax where it runs thru the consol no longer affects it. Oooooh i'm so happy!
so its a big apology to Icom cos it wasnt their kit at fault and a big raspberry to the deceased sowester whose aerial and coax it was (now both in bin). must go and buy good aerial and even better coax tomorrow.

jools · 23 June 2003, 22:56

Quick mail to Icom got this response

Quote:

Dear Julian,

Thanks for the E-mail. Yes, we have encountered this problem before and exactly for the reason you describe. If the CH16 revert facility is not required the easiest solution is to cut the wire inside the mic that runs to the hanger 'button'. Simply open the mic up by removing the five screws on the back and cut & tape the lead that runs to the back plate.

Hope this helps

Regards

Chris Ridley
Icom Service Support

I did mail back to ask if this ruined the warrenty but got no reply.... You can also turn off this "feature" by taking it to a dealer, but as mine is firmly mounted in the console its the snip for me!

But if anybody is buying a new Icom - get the dealer to turn this feature off when you buy it

Cheers
Jools