ICOM F4 - Narrowband

[Barny]

Hi Guys,

I have a few ICOM 4F's (Model No IC-F4S), that are all programmed with wide band (25khz).

Australia is now going to narrowband (12.5khz) and I need to change them. The spec's for the radio looks like it they can do narrow band....

Mode : 16K0F3E (wide)
8K50F3E (narrow)

However I do not know how to change them and can not see any setting on the programming software to change the mode (I have versions v.2.2 and v3 of the "IC-F3_F4" software).

Any help would be appreciated.

[wind in the antenna]

These radios are made as either a wide or a narrow bandwidth version I'm afraid. With Icom radios of that period which support dual IF bandwidth, the toggle parameter appears on each line of the Memory Channel screen as W/N and as an assignable function in the Key and Display Assign menu.

[Jon_D]

As wind in the antenna states, radios of that period were "wide banded". I think this is a timely reminder for potential buyers that the older radios such as the Kenwood TS700, and similar Yaesus covering the 144 band were all 25K/cs channels and do not have CCSS tones.
I know some new comers to the hobby have bought these and been disappointed with that.

[wind in the antenna]

As wind in the antenna states, radios of that period were "wide banded".

That's certainly not what I meant to say.

In the UK, the current 12.5 kHz channel bandwidth has been in use with PMR for around 30 years. Many radios even to this day have switchable I.F. filtering (and associated TX deviation) to interoperate with legacy systems even though currently it is not used with voice systems.

The IC-F4S does not support this although for instance Icom's mid tier IC-F410 at the time did support dual bandwidth which could be programmed as required on a channel by channel basis or by assigning one of the front panel buttons to perform this function.

The IC-F4 was produced with a fixed bandwidth which was determined at the time of manufacture. The IC-F1000 series mobiles (which included the IC-F1010 & IC-F2010) incidentally had three variants, a wide, a narrow and a wide/narrow version.

You're right though Jon, it is very important to get the correct model for your interface requirements rather than one of the same series which, although it might look the same, is in effect useless and worse than that, an antisocial nuisance. This can be difficult when sellers on eBay tend to typically describe their offerings as " A UHF High Band Taxi CB on VHF L@@K" and then proceed to tell you that they "no nuffink abt it" or even if it works correctly.

[Barny]

Thanks for the feed back guys.

Wind in the Antenna, you mentioned PMR uses 12.5khz spacing, I note the ICOM software has PMR & LMR options, which I though was just different frequency ranges for US & EUR models - could it be possible that if I programmed as PMR it may set the bandwidth to narrow (12.5khz) ?

PS - I used to live near Brighton (Haywards Heath in fact)

[wind in the antenna]

The receiver bandwidth is determined by the actual component choice in the I.F. strip. There are in fact 3 variants 16K0F3E (W-type), 14K0F3E (M-type: F3/S only) and 8K50F3E (N-type). There is no way that the programming software can change internal components in order to change one type into another. It is, however, using the Adj software, possible to reduce the TX deviation so that at least the emissions are within specification. This, naturally, does not get over the problem of listening to three channels at once.
The difference between the PMR and the LMR versions is the firmware. This mostly revolves around the fact that the US use 2-tone signalling and in Europe and Australia / NZ, 5-tone is used.

Are you absolutely sure yours are the 16K0F3E type ? Certainly if they were originally sold in the UK, they are most likely to be 8K50F3E.

I thought you were down under mate rather than the Wealden as this question was presumably about narrowbanding of the CB band. I'm visiting a little cold war bunker in Cuckfield on Sunday.

[Yeti]

Turn the volume up and hold the mike further away....

[Barny]

Hi Tony,

Yes I am in Australia. OK looks like I am stuck with wide band unit. I do have the the ICOM "ADJ" program, but not really certain how to adjust the deviation. RX is not a problem as the freq I use are mostly dedicated repeater channels using CTCSS, so I would not hear much 'noise'.

Speaking of War Bunkers, I went to primary School at St. Joseph's in Haywards Heath (late 1970's), as did my mother. My Mother has always told me, that the School had a bunker underneath the tennis courts/playground, and the entrance was covered over after the war, when the nuns ran the school. Anyway, went back to the school in 2004, and had a tour by the Dep Head Mistress, I mentioned about the bunkers and she thought I was mad and didn't really believe me. I guess one day when the dig up the tennis court, they will have a surprise !

If you are into war stuff, my Jeep may interest you : http://www.caloundracity.asn.au/Jeep/index.html

[wind in the antenna]

Is it true that you have to put your aerials upside down in order to achieve the correct polarity ?
I'm a happy UK Codan user and I've never experienced this problem myself.