ICOM IC-T10 Expanded Version Questions

[climberbenj]

Hello! I recently purchased a ICOM IC-T10 to use as a secondary VHF/UHF during water rescue along with my issued APX. Primarily, I wanted a radio that could transmit on CALCORD (California On-Scene Emergency Coordination) and marine channels. Upon racing my radio, I realized that the USA version (the version I purchased) will only transmit in the 144.000 ~ 148.000 MHz range. Due to this, I won't be able to transmit on either CALCORD or marine channels.

It looks like there is a EXP (expanded?) version of the IC-T10 that will transmit in the 136.000 ~ 174.000 MHz range. Does anyone have experience with this version of the radio and do you know where it can be purchased from? I appreciate any help and suggestions!

 

[KevinC]

This is a ham radio and isn't type accepted for Part 90. And the export version probably has no FCC type acceptance at all.

 

[mmckenna]

Right, that's an amateur radio and can only be legally used to transmit on amateur radio frequencies.
Even if there are modifications that will let you trick it into doing what you want, there's a couple of issues that you'll run into:
-It will never be legal, and an agency that is paying attention should call you out on that.
-It's not, and never will be, the correct tool for the job. If you are doing search and rescue, that means others lives depend on you and your equipment. Using hacked amateur radio equipment is not responsible, legal, or appropriate.
-It will not do narrow band FM, and that is -required- on CALCORD. Your wideband signal will sound like crap on everyone else's radio and any radio guy worth his beans will know exactly what you are doing and should call you out for it.
-It does not have the Part 90 FCC certifications for use on CALCORD, and it does not have the Part 80 certifications for use on Marine VHF.

You need the correct tool for the job, not a hacked amateur radio toy. There are plenty of radios that will do what you need. Talk to your agency about what they recommend, what they support and work from there.

I do this stuff for a living. Please, do not use hacked amateur radio gear for this sort of application. Legal/liability issues will get you eventually.

 

[climberbenj]

Right, that's an amateur radio and can only be legally used to transmit on amateur radio frequencies.
Even if there are modifications that will let you trick it into doing what you want, there's a couple of issues that you'll run into:
-It will never be legal, and an agency that is paying attention should call you out on that.
-It's not, and never will be, the correct tool for the job. If you are doing search and rescue, that means others lives depend on you and your equipment. Using hacked amateur radio equipment is not responsible, legal, or appropriate.
-It will not do narrow band FM, and that is -required- on CALCORD. Your wideband signal will sound like crap on everyone else's radio and any radio guy worth his beans will know exactly what you are doing and should call you out for it.
-It does not have the Part 90 FCC certifications for use on CALCORD, and it does not have the Part 80 certifications for use on Marine VHF.

You need the correct tool for the job, not a hacked amateur radio toy. There are plenty of radios that will do what you need. Talk to your agency about what they recommend, what they support and work from there.

I do this stuff for a living. Please, do not use hacked amateur radio gear for this sort of application. Legal/liability issues will get you eventually.

Thank you so much for the information. I'm just starting to understand more of the communication side of public safety. You definitely make very good points, so thank you for explaining!

 

[mmckenna]

Thank you so much for the information. I'm just starting to understand more of the communication side of public safety. You definitely make very good points, so thank you for explaining!

Happy to help.

There's some technical details that you should consider.
Ideally, you should be working with your agency on this. CALCORD is for suitable agencies to use, not a free channel for everyone to program in their radio. Make sure you have approval to do that.

Most new radios on the market, and a lot of the more recent used ones, will force narrow FM on all frequencies with a few exceptions. That will make programming in VHF Marine channels problematic, as they use wide FM. Programming those channels incorrectly will result in poor audio that may jeopardize communications when you need it most.

I'd really recommend a purpose built marine VHF portable for that part of the job. It'll be ready to go out of the box, most are waterproof, and you won't have to diddle around with programming issues. It will have the appropriate FCC Part 80 certifications and won't cause you any problems. It's pretty hard not to find one for in the $120 range at West Marine if you keep your eyes open for a sale. Often you can find them much cheaper.

If you really need CALCORD, and you have approval, I'd probably look at something like a used Kenwood TK-2180. Very well respected radio and available on the used market for a reasonable price. Accessories are easy to find. It will require programming software and cable, but as programming software goes, the KPG-89D software is probably one of the easier ones to learn.

Ideally, your agency should have someone who programs radios and it would be considerably cheaper to buy whatever radio they use, as they'll likely already have programming software and cables. They may have a file that they can put in the radio for you, and that can save some headaches.

 

[MTS2000des]

The NX-220 is also a good choice. It is also part 80 certified in addition to part 90.

 

[kf8yk]

Hello! I recently purchased a ICOM IC-T10 to use as a secondary VHF/UHF during water rescue along with my issued APX. Primarily, I wanted a radio that could transmit on CALCORD (California On-Scene Emergency Coordination) and marine channels.

You might consider a marine radio with LMR capability. Inexpensive, rugged, waterproof and type accepted for marine & LMR:

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