[ICOM] IC-245 Help Needed..

[Jim Hargrave]

Scott,

What you are seeing is a common problem with the IC-245.

I have owned several of these in the past and they all have a two common
mechanical/electrical problems, both related to the synthesizer module and
both affect the display and synthesizer lock-in. You have to remove the SSB
module to gain access to the synthesizer module. Its a self contained silver
can with umpteen wires coming out. It is help in place with 4 screws.

1) If you have the early vintage the Synthesizer module is hardwired into
the radio harness. This is accomplished with very small gage wire and is
subject to breaking off at the feed thru connectors. I would check that
first. You may have some broken off. If you have the later model the
Synthesizer has a connector. This version is much easier to work on.

2) Now the big problem. All IC-745, IC-22s and some other Icom radios of
that vintage used steel pins for feedthrus between the double sided circuit
board. These steel pins are readily identifiable. The pins are typical
sewing straight pins. They have a round head on the top of the board and the
pins were snipped off on the lower side of the board. The boards were copper
lands, the Pins Steel and the solder...who knows. What happens over the
years is a typical reaction between dissimilar metals, They corrode. The
biggest problem is the corrosion is hidden by the solder glob, so you don't
know which ones no longer have connectivity. If my memory serves me correct,
the IC-745 synthesizer module has 13 of these feed thru pins and I would
suggest they all be replaced with a short piece of copper wire between the
two sides. Having replaced the pins the problem becomes history. The best
approach to replacement is to heat the pins on top and pop them up using a
flat spade dental tool. A small diameter solder sucker helps. The
synthesizer is very compact and is inside a can.

Good luck.
* 73's Jim W5IFP *

>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>  [mailto:icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of KBØNLY
>  Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 7:37 PM
>  To: icom at mailman.qth.net
>  Subject: [ICOM] IC-245 Help Needed..
>
>
>
>  Anyone using one of these old rigs yet?  I got one here that I
>  am working on
>  it and its acting kinda weird.  Transmit and receive is perfect,
>  on both SSB
>  and FM, but the frequency display isn't working right.  The Mhz
>  digit and
>  decimal point light up, using a frequency counter it moves up
>  and down just
>  fine, I can tune from 144-147 and the Mhz digit changes, full
>  power output
>  and stable on transmit and receive, but the Khz digits, all three digits
>  after the decimal point on the display, will not light up.
>
>  I poked and prodded but nothing appears to be loose or
>  intermittent.  All I
>  can find online for it is the IC-245E manual and this is not the
>  E model.
>  It appears to be the IC-245 with the SSB adapter as the manual I
>  was able to
>  find online refers to it.
>
>  Anyone got a clue here?  It seems to me there was a common problem that
>  wiped out the display like this but I can't find the info
>  anymore, I think
>  it was a discussion on eham a year or so ago.
>
>  73,
>
>  Scott KBØNLY