ICOM 401 - Ch 16

[jools]

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]

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

[seafariskye]

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]

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]

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]

Mike

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-

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]

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

[Jelly]

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]

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]

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.