R8600 Tips & Tricks

I've presented some of the "anomalies" and "niggles" in other threads here regarding the Icom R8600. As I explore the receiver functions in greater detail, perhaps I (along with others here who would like to contribute) can offer some Tips and Tricks that may help others utilize the full potential of the receiver.

On the the topics often mentioned in some of the YouTube videos is the somewhat quirky process of getting a frequency up and running via the display. In this thread, I will start with one topic that should be somewhat helpful to R8600 users.

Mike's Tip / Trick# 1: Short Press/Long Press

Here is one of the items that can help listeners do a quick evaluation of vast swaths of frequencies with minimal effort.

The frequency display is divided into three sections, which we will call "megahertz", "kilohertz", and "hertz". For example, a typical frequency will read out, for example, as 453.123.500. The "453" represents the megahertz, the "123" represents the kilohertz, and the "500" is the hertz.

We are concerned here primarily with a "long" press on the display on the megahertz area. A short press in that segment of the display brings up the 'F-INP" (Frequency Input) screen. But a LONG press on that segment does something very interesting--- it places a small cursor over the last digit in the megahertz segment, thus permitting the user to tune in full, one megahertz increments.

This LONG press, in conjunction with the use of the spectrum scope, (which should be set at it's greatest width, +/- 2.5 MHz) allows for quick tuning across vast portions of the spectrum for observation of areas of signal concentration. This is a great feature of the receiver.

A Little More "Confusion"

In the "kilohertz" section of the display, something different occurs with Long Press / Short Press. A short press places the cursor over the last digit in the kilohertz area, allowing the user to tune in the steps he/she has define and focuses the radio on kilohertz tuning. Another short press and the cursor disappears, thus giving the radio's tuning focus to the hertz section of the display. A LONG press brings up the 'F-INP" (Frequency Input) screen-- the opposite of what happens in the megahertz area.

In the "hertz" section of the display, either a short OR long press gives the tuning focus to the hertz steps. Interestingly, there have been some complaints that the radio does not normally tune down to the final hertz---- the last digit in the display remains "0", unless certain functions like F-INP or PEAK are utilized. Perhaps at some point, a firmware update will allow a LONG press in the hertz area of the display to control that final digit while tuning.

In conclusion, for this particular TIP / TRICK, the main focus is to alert you to the LONG press function in the megahertz area. This entire ordeal is actually less confusing when you have the radio in front of you to experiment-- with a few repetitive manipulations of the presses on the display, you should master this fairly quickly.

All this information is based on Firmware version 1.33. This could change with future firmware updates.

If you have others Tips or Tricks that you would like to share with fellow R8600 enthusiasts, please contribute to this thread.

Some interesting ones here maybe?

1 ... Press and hold the 'P.LOCK' button for 1 second to activate the screen saver.

2 ... Tap once on the clock (located top right of the screen) to activate the dual clock feature which will display the current time and UTC time below.

3 ... When listening below 30MHz (i.e. HF frequencies), press the 'FUNCTION' button then press and hold the 'AGC' icon -- Tap once on 'FAST' and using the main tuning dial, rotate anti-clockwise until the AGC FAST is set to OFF. You might need to turn down your volume to less that 5 as the audio will be very loud -- however, you'll hear weaker stations with AGC turned off.

AOR-262 said:

Some interesting ones here maybe?

1 ... Press and hold the 'P.LOCK' button for 1 second to activate the screen saver.

2 ... Tap once on the clock (located top right of the screen) to activate the dual clock feature which will display the current time and UTC time below.

3 ... When listening below 30MHz (i.e. HF frequencies), press the 'FUNCTION' button then press and hold the 'AGC' icon -- Tap once on 'FAST' and using the main tuning dial, rotate anti-clockwise until the AGC FAST is set to OFF. You might need to turn down your volume to less that 5 as the audio will be very loud -- however, you'll hear weaker stations with AGC turned off.

Click to expand...

Thanks for this! There seems to be many small hidden tricks in this radio!

MStep, thanks for this thread and your other ones. They are important and I hope this thread loads up with lots of stuff like your tips in post #1 and AOR-262's If I catch anything on mine I'll stick it here too.

ridgescan said:

MStep, thanks for this thread and your other ones. They are important and I hope this thread loads up with lots of stuff like your tips in post #1 and AOR-262's If I catch anything on mine I'll stick it here too.

Click to expand...

Hey Ridge!

It sounds like you are really having fun with your new R8600!

I know I love mine. I was hesitant as my old Icom IC-R9000 always did all I ever asked for but I was simply amazed at how well the R8600 worked after I played with mine for a day or two!
They are nice radio's.

I also have an old R71A sitting here collecting dust right now. It still works though, just not enough room to have it running in this cramped apartment.
Hopefully you can get your old R71A running again. They are old but still good plus fun radio's. My R71 had similar problems as yours as did my R7000. I ended up going through and performing all the upgrades or fixes I could find on both receivers. They both work fantastic to this day!

My ears can handle several V/UHF receivers at the same time but when doing HF stuff, listening to more than one HF radio can be a chore. The exception is if I can actually squelch one radio that is maybe sitting on a government or military frequency for example and waiting for a transmission.

Have Fun!

Importance Of Documentation

One of the reasons that I want to share the information in this thread, along with those in my other threads, is so that fellow Icom R8600 enthusiasts can gain as much pleasure from the operation of the receiver as I do. The 8600 is a real workhorse. Most folks should be running it 24/7-- when you're not sitting in front of it operating it, it should be serving you by doing automatic search & store, recording functions, and more. (I'll expand on this in another post in this thread at a future time.)

But there is another important reason to document these tip & tricks, along with the anomalies and niggles that I have thus offered--- we can never tell when future firmware updates may inadvertently change some of the operating characteristics of the receiver.

Many of these lesser or poorly documented features could fall by the wayside, so it's important to have a record of the receiver's more obscure features and functions.

Incidentally, when posting your comments, please indicate which version of the firmware you have in play.

Thanks again all for contributing.

Thanks Guy's for thread and contribution from all. I'm still going through the manual a little bit everyday.
I have now unplugged my NetSDR for HF/UHF. I didn't realize after unplugging how dirty that switching PS was.
One question. I thought there was a "auto" mode? Switching to the mode of the received signal?

vince48 said:

Thanks Guy's for thread and contribution from all. I'm still going through the manual a little bit everyday.
I have now unplugged my NetSDR for HF/UHF. I didn't realize after unplugging how dirty that switching PS was.
One question. I thought there was a "auto" mode? Switching to the mode of the received signal?

Click to expand...

There is some confusion about an "Auto" mode (not talking about the Auto Search & Store here folks)-- in this case, speaking about a function that would be similar to the very excellent "Digital Auto" (DA) mode on the AOR DV1, which automatically detects and switches in the proper algorithms for decoding.

This does NOT appear to be the case with the R8600, and I should add that to my "Niggles" thread. The confusion is caused in part by the instructions found in the operating manual on page 11-4, under the topic of "Digital Set -- Digital Monitor".

I attempted to follow up this issue in a thread that I posted here on September 3rd (see: https://forums.radioreference.com/icom-receivers/376209-ic-r-8600-digital-monitor.html). Thus far, there seems to be no solid information.

The R8600 receiver will differentiate and automatically switch between D-Star and FM signals when you are in D-Star mode, providing some advantage on the ham bands.

But at this time, it appears that when tuning on the R8600, the receiver has no ability to automatically switch to the correct digital mode, at least as of Firmware version 1.33.

Perhaps Icom can come up with a way to accomplish this in future firmware updates.

MStep said:

There is some confusion about an "Auto" mode (not talking about the Auto Search & Store here folks)-- in this case, speaking about a function that would be similar to the very excellent "Digital Auto" (DA) mode on the AOR DV1, which automatically detects and switches in the proper algorithms for decoding.

This does NOT appear to be the case with the R8600, and I should add that to my "Niggles" thread. The confusion is caused in part by the instructions found in the operating manual on page 11-4, under the topic of "Digital Set -- Digital Monitor".

I attempted to follow up this issue in a thread that I posted here on September 3rd (see: https://forums.radioreference.com/icom-receivers/376209-ic-r-8600-digital-monitor.html). Thus far, there seems to be no solid information.

The R8600 receiver will differentiate and automatically switch between D-Star and FM signals when you are in D-Star mode, providing some advantage on the ham bands.

But at this time, it appears that when tuning on the R8600, the receiver has no ability to automatically switch to the correct digital mode, at least as of Firmware version 1.33.

Perhaps Icom can come up with a way to accomplish this in future firmware updates.

Click to expand...

Your findings are spot on with my observations MStep!

The printed manual for the 8600 is pretty vague when it comes to some of what it says.

I know when I'd tune a digital signal with my R8600 and a signal actually appeared at the radio, the Mode indicator in the 8600 display would just blink at me if I had the wrong mode selected. Usually it blinked to mode I'd set and alternate that with FM.
I'd switch to FM but that also was not the correct mode. Once I set the correct mode on the radio, it would receive just fine as long as it was not a DMR signal
The 8600 seems to know the mode is wrong but it does not have the ability to automatically switch to the correct mode.
Heck, even the current Uniden models will usually switch to the correct mode if you program a frequency as conventional but leave the audio type set to both or digital. One would think this could be done in the R8600 also but I guess not. Who knows if this is a limitation of the chipset in the R8600 or some limitation in firmware though.

Thanks MStep, kruser
Seems a bit odd for no auto mode detection. I have plenty to learn and discover. My 8600 reminds me of my AOR 5000+3 in regard to "learning curve".

kruser said:

Your findings are spot on with my observations MStep!

The printed manual for the 8600 is pretty vague when it comes to some of what it says.

I know when I'd tune a digital signal with my R8600 and a signal actually appeared at the radio, the Mode indicator in the 8600 display would just blink at me if I had the wrong mode selected. Usually it blinked to mode I'd set and alternate that with FM.
I'd switch to FM but that also was not the correct mode. Once I set the correct mode on the radio, it would receive just fine as long as it was not a DMR signal
The 8600 seems to know the mode is wrong but it does not have the ability to automatically switch to the correct mode.
Heck, even the current Uniden models will usually switch to the correct mode if you program a frequency as conventional but leave the audio type set to both or digital. One would think this could be done in the R8600 also but I guess not. Who knows if this is a limitation of the chipset in the R8600 or some limitation in firmware though.

Click to expand...

Very good Kruser, and I don't want to get too far afield in the Tip & Tricks thread with the technicals. One would think that Icom would have the technology to implement an Auto Detect function, but it's also possible that they could not overcome the AOR propriety algorithms which govern the process. There is no doubt in my mind that competing corporations carefully dissect each other's products in an attempt to learn how many of the "trade secrets" were accomplished.

In this case, Icom probably knows how AOR did it-- they just can't figure out their own method which would not conflict with AOR's process.

Incidentally, my recollect is that Icom got caught at least once before gleaning a competitor's technology-- I believe that they were forced to remove the Pass Band Tuning function for a while on the Icom R71A over a dispute involving proprietary rights.

I guess once bitten..... as the saying goes. So getting back on topic--- anyone else with any more Tips & Tricks for the R8600 ?

kruser said:

Hey Ridge!

It sounds like you are really having fun with your new R8600!

I know I love mine. I was hesitant as my old Icom IC-R9000 always did all I ever asked for but I was simply amazed at how well the R8600 worked after I played with mine for a day or two!
They are nice radio's.

I also have an old R71A sitting here collecting dust right now. It still works though, just not enough room to have it running in this cramped apartment.
Hopefully you can get your old R71A running again. They are old but still good plus fun radio's. My R71 had similar problems as yours as did my R7000. I ended up going through and performing all the upgrades or fixes I could find on both receivers. They both work fantastic to this day!

My ears can handle several V/UHF receivers at the same time but when doing HF stuff, listening to more than one HF radio can be a chore. The exception is if I can actually squelch one radio that is maybe sitting on a government or military frequency for example and waiting for a transmission.

Have Fun!

Click to expand...

Thanks kruser I am having fun every day with it. I use it primarily in HF as I did with the R71a. These other guys are on the proverbial "freeway" with theirs where I'm still tooling around in the driveway with mine, but what a ride it is even at that. But in time I will expand the horizons-given time and reading up on stuff like these threads.

ridgescan said:

Thanks kruser I am having fun every day with it. I use it primarily in HF as I did with the R71a. These other guys are on the proverbial "freeway" with theirs where I'm still tooling around in the driveway with mine, but what a ride it is even at that. But in time I will expand the horizons-given time and reading up on stuff like these threads.

Click to expand...

Hi Ridgescan-- just a word of encouragement-- keep your operating manual close at hand. And be prepared for some surprises, because menus and options change depending on various operations and modes.

I'm happy to hear that you are using it on HF-- because of some antenna limitations right now, I'm pretty much VHF/UHF oriented, although I do some tuning around the HF bands.

And glad you're here with us on Radio Reference--- you will not find any greater collection of experts in various fields of communications then you will find here on RR-- continue to enjoy that R8600. -Mike

Thanks Mike keep your thing going building a knowledge base on this R8600. It's still a new thing and frankly, the only other place to go for this that I've seen is the io.groups and it aint that great. Pretty dead in there.

Some more little tips 'n tricks for the IC-R8600

Firstly ...

Something else worthy of a mention here which only applies to those just about to take their brand new IC-R8600 out of the box -- it's unlikely due to overwhelming excitement to want to power the unit up would that person read the manual and in particular Page 10-1 where is says ...

NOTE: The backup battery for the internal clock. The IC-R8600 has a rechargeable Lithium battery to backup the internal clock. If you connect the receiver to a power source, the battery is charged and it keeps the correct clock setting. However, if you do not connect the receiver to a power source for a long period of time, the battery will discharge. In that case, the receiver resets the internal clock. If you do not use the receiver for a long period, we recommend that you connect the receiver to a power source at least once a month. The charging period is two days whether the receiver’s power is ON or OFF.

The important 'bit' here is where it says "The charging period is two days whether the receiver’s power is ON or OFF"

This means when you first connect your IC-R8600 to the power supply, keep the power on for a minimum of 48 hours. Do not switch the mains power supply off -- to turn off the device, press and hold the 'POWER' button for 1 second. The message "Powering Off" will appear on the screen and the receiver powers off -- however, power is still going into the unit and charging the internal lithium battery.

-------------------

Secondly ...

There's a PDF file attached to this message.

It's called "SPECTRUM SCOPE" Adjustments. You can alter your Spectrum Scope settings to match those as detailed in the PDF Document. I started off using the settings as described in the document but have altered mainly the colors of the Waterfall -- however, if you put in the settings as described in the document, it'll give you a much better Bandscope/Waterfall than the default IC-R8600 Bandscope/Waterfall settings.

Thank You AOR-262

major difference and a better scope/display outcome for me with these settings

I have two very simplistic observations to add to this base; the first one is, I find the touch display to be so touch-sensitive that I can ever so lightly "tap" the digits with the index fingernail in a "backfinger" (think backhand) fashion and it takes. This prevents fingerprints and smudges that have to be cleaned
The second thing I found is strange: last night I had the 8600 running and it runs through my Sony A/V receiver for big sound. But I switched the Sony from the 8600 to my computer to listen to a couple videos. After about 5 minutes, the 8600 went into a "sleep mode"! The display went off and the blue power light flashed once per second. As if it recognized I was not listening to it. So I went to hit the power button and the 8600 fired back up as soon as I merely touched, but not actually pushed the button. I gotta look that one up. Didn't know it had a sleep mode.

Mike's Tip / Trick# 2: Half-Smart Digital Mode

Thus far, it appears that no one has learned the secret (if indeed there is one) to get the radio to automatically recognize and switch to the proper digital or analog mode while tuning around.

The AOR DV1 has a very excellent "Digital Auto" mode, with built in algorithms that do just that--- they quickly and effectively will switch to the proper FMn or digital mode almost instantaneously as a signal is recognized. Very smart.

In D-Star mode, which is Icom's proprietary digital mode used primarily for amateur radio, the R8600 will automatically switch from D-Star to FM. But that's where the good news ends.

The R8600 is somewhat "half-smart" in other digital modes, and this has been observed when the radio is in P25 mode, although I suspect this works in other digital modes as well. When tuning around in the P25 mode, if you tune to a signal which is not P25, the P25 annunciation/mode indicator in the upper left hand corner of the screen will flash between P25 and FM--- the radio is "suggesting" that you switch to the FM mode, although this might be DMR or some other mode that they radio does not recognize. If you happen to land on a P25 signal, the P25 mode indicator remains constant. The can be helpful while manually tuning portions of the band searching for P25 signals.

The opposite is not true--- if you are tuning in FM mode (technically FMn), and you wonder across a digital signal, be it P25 or otherwise, the radio gives no indication via the annunciation as to the proper mode.

One can only imagine why Icom could not have the radio switch automatically into the proper mode. I have theorized, in another thread, that Icom has been unable to overcome AOR's propriety algorithms to have this occur.

There is also the "mysterious" Digital Monitor settings which appear in the Digital Set section of the operating manual (page 11-4). I asked about it in another thread (see: https://forums.radioreference.com/icom-receivers/376209-ic-r-8600-digital-monitor.html), but thus far, no one seems go know exactly what those settings actually accomplish. While the "Auto" setting would suggest the radio switch modes automatically, this does not occur, at least on my particular copy of the 8600.

This information is based on firmware version 1.33.

Mike's Tip / Trick# 3: Group Up - Group Down

And here is a quick tip that took me a while to figure out. The function of the Group Up and Group Down buttons are slightly different, depending on whether you are in the VFO or Memory Mode.

When in VFO mode, a press (or holding down) either of the Group Up or Group Down buttons and you step through ALL of the memory banks, including the banks which are "Blank".

However, in MEMO (memory) mode, the same press (or holding down) of either the Group Up or Group Down buttons and you step through only the banks which are NOT blank, that is banks which have at least one channel stored in that bank's memory.

I realize that for some these little "Tips & Tricks" are things they've already figured out, but I hope that others will benefit.

P.S. My Tip & Trick # 2 (Half-Smart Digital Mode) is just an expansion on kruser's excellent comments and observations in his posting further up in this thread. Credit where credit is due kruser