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Icom M88 - Land Mobile Use

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VE3WTV

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Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
34
Location
Ontario, Canada
I posted about this a few years ago, because I couldn't get my CS-M88 software working. I have tried off and on for several years, to no avail. A few weeks ago, after talking to a rude Icom engineer in Vancouver, I realized I had the wrong cable, which cost about $20.

I have since purchased the right cable - for $130 - and after spending countless hours looking for the right drivers to get this to work on Windows 10, everything is working perfectly now.

Just so you know, Windows 10 does not come with COM & LPT ports. You need to download a driver for that.

So, now for the programming part. My M88 is the IS version - intrinsically safe. That is supposed to mean that it comes with 22 land mobile frequencies. By holding down the CH/WX button, the radio scrolls through U/I/C/L modes. U is USA, I is international, C is Canadian, and L is Land. With this selection button, the readout should say LAND when it is selected. Mine does not. I'm thinking there must be a setting in the programming that allows the LAND function, but I can't find it.

When playing around with the two programs I have, I see no settings for the Land feature. I have posted the Land frequency list below, but nothing here has anything to do with enabling the Land feature. I want to use only amateur frequencies, but I don't know enough about the 2M band yet to know which ones to choose, or how to change the settings. I know I can enter a frequency I want to use, just by overwriting in a space, but I wouldn't know which ones to use. Looking over this page (http://wp.rac.ca/144-mhz-2m-page/) doesn't help me much. It would be nice to be fishing on a boat and be able to communicate on the marine band and the 2M band with the same radio. Two radios could ruin the fun, or a fishing buddy might get annoyed with my toys when he just wants to fish.

I am also posting an image from the M88 Adj program. The rude engineer in Vancouver also told me not to mess with this program. He said if I changed any settings, I would render the radio completely unusable. Those settings are way above my pay grade, but I thought there might be a setting in there to unlock Land/Mobile. If it's there, I don't see it.
 

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VE3WTV

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Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
34
Location
Ontario, Canada
I found it!

I had to click on the 'Common' setting under the file 'Common.'

I hope this will help other M88 users customize their radios.
 

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Sparkybc

Newbie
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Oct 5, 2017
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1
.

So did you figure out how to program it?

I activate the land and entered freq etc in the Free when I program it I still can’t see the new channels I made...
 

JASII

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Apr 29, 2006
Messages
2,985
I am still looking for a radio for when we are ATVing. Maybe this would be a good choice.
 

FKimble

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Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
501
Location
Newnan, GA
The program screenshot looks very similar to the Standard Horizon (Vertex) programing setup for the HX400 marine radio. It allows you to program up to 40 empty channel slots for anything from 136-174. It has all the Marine stuff pre-programed and it also has the U,C,I setup. I use it for 2m HAM. Since it's waterproof, I use it for foul weather events etc. Comes with a 3 year warranty.

Frank KK4YTM
 

VE3WTV

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
34
Location
Ontario, Canada
While I figured out how to reprogram the radio, I don't have my ham license yet, and therefore don't know what frequencies I would want to use, or what ham frequencies are in use in my area, so I left the frequencies as is. The only change I made was to unlock the LAND frequencies.
 
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