[ICOM] Re: IC746 746 Pro no output

[jeff partington]

why do you people keep buying a radio with a flawed and defective design, this is not directed towards you at all, but why do you think they're are more 746 pro's on the used market than any other radio?..it would seem that somebody here would post and say, "this 746 pro line of radio's has a major engineering defect, stay away don't buy, especially when icom said they fixed it in a later production run and did not, stay away do not buy...

--- On Sat, 8/30/08, Alan Zack <k7acz at cox.net> wrote:
From: Alan Zack <k7acz at cox.net>
Subject: [ICOM] Re: IC746 746 Pro no output
To: IC746 at yahoogroups.com
Cc: "Icom" <icom at mailman.qth.net>
Date: Saturday, August 30, 2008, 6:52 PM

I kept the attached emails in case the problem ever happened to me. 
Today it did.

On 8/30/2004 I purchased an Icom IC-746PRO S/N 02028XX from HRO.  I 
promptly registered it with the Icom Warranty web site.

This series of serial numbers supposedly had the
IC-151 power output problem corrected.  However, today I have 
experienced a problem that I believe is the IC-151.  The receiver works 
fine.  On RTTY with the TRANSMIT button depressed I get no power out on 
the Transceivers' LED screen.  My dummy load shows maybe a watt or 2. 
The linear amp switching relay is OK as with my AL-80B turned on the rig 
will key the amp and the amp's meter shows maybe one watt of power. 
This problem started between QSO's.  I had just worked a 5B station in 
the YO Contest with no problem.  I saw a YO station spotted and QSY'd 
down the band to work him.  I keyed the mic as always and there were no 
voice peaks.  I then tried transmitting on CW and RTTY and there was no 
power out.  There were no power surges, lighting strikes, etc.

I have an older IC-746 non pro as a back up rig.  All the connections 
for the PRO and non PRO are the same.  If I connect the non PRO using 
all the same coax, power supply, etc, connections as the PRO the older 
rig works fine.  Since the older non-PRO works fine but the newer PRO 
does not that tells me my power supply and coax connections must be OK. 
I took the covers off and did not find any burned parts or other 
problems.  Does any one have a trouble shooting guide for this problem?

Since it was purchased in 2004 it is well out of warranty unless Icom 
has extended the warranty for IC-151 problems.  The web site Bill 
referenced is now down.  Guess Icom was getting too much grief over this 
problem and shut it down.

TIA for any suggestions you may have.



_______________________________________________________
Alan Zack
Amateur Radio Station K7ACZ
Official USCG Auxiliary Comm Station
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Aviation Chief Warrant Officer,  U.S. Coast Guard, Retired


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill McLaughlin" <bmc at wonderwave.net>
To: <IC746 at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 8:57 PM
Subject: Re: IC746 746 Pro no output


Dave has it correct,


Reference this if they give you grief about the repair:

"http://www.icomamerica.com/products/amateur/746pro/ic746prodiodefix.a
sp"

It is a known "issue"

Bill N9DSJ

--- In IC746 at yahoogroups.com, Dave NØRQ <n0rq-lists at ...> wrote:
>
> I agree with the other comments.
> 027XX is definitely old enough to be subject to the so-called
"ESD"
problem.  When it hits, power output drops to essentially zero on all
bands and all modes.
>
> My advice would be to send it to Icom directly, ask them to fix it
at no charge since they admit on their own web site that it is a
known problem.  I suspect they will do that for you.  You shouldn't
have to pay to fix a real defect.
>
> Any of you other guys will older serial #s (746PRO only) should
send your rig to Icom to get the "ESD diode mod" (?) done, which
should help avoid this problem.  Further details can be found by
searching the archives.  All it will cost you is shipping to
Washington.
>
> -- 
> Dave N0RQ
> http://www.powerlinenoise.com






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