• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

ICOM F21 programming problem

Status
Not open for further replies.

wwhitby

Member
Feed Provider
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
1,280
Location
Autauga County, Alabama
All,

I was recently given a ICOM F21 from a business that had recently switched to DMR. After charging the battery, I tried programming it with my USB programming cable and Windows 7 programming laptop that i've used to program ICOM and Kenwood radios. The CS-F11 software (version 1.2) isn't able to read or write to the radio. I keep getting a "check cable & comm port) type errors. I've used the same cable and laptop to program other ICOM radios, so I know they both work. In fact, I used the cable to program two other ICOM radios after I first tried to program the F21.

I tried an old Windows XP laptop with the same cable, and I get the same result. I've verified the COMM ports on both laptops match what is selected in the software. I haven't been able to get another USB or serial cable, so I haven't been able to eliminate the cable. Honestly, I would prefer not to spend the money, since my USB cable works for other ICOM radios.

The only thing i've noticed is that when I power on the radio, it emits a long tone. Not a beep, but a long tone that will occur until I power the radio off.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,617
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
It's been a long time, but when I was programming those, they only had RS-232 cables. Pretty sure the older programming cables/radios are not compatible with the newer stuff, but it's been years since I've done any Icom programming.
 

wwhitby

Member
Feed Provider
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
1,280
Location
Autauga County, Alabama
Just to close out the loop, and as an FYI for everyone.

The long beep on power up was caused by a bad battery. I replaced the battery, and the long beep went away.

I did have a lot of problems programming the F21. Both early 2000s vintage XP computers with serial ports wouldn't program the radio.

On a whim, I loaded the software on a Windows 8 box and used my USB programming cable. The F21 programmed right up without a hiccup!
 

jeatock

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jul 9, 2003
Messages
599
Location
090-45-50 W, 39-43-22 N
I have also fixed programming cable/computer/software compatibility issues by
1- scrubbing the battery terminals with a pencil eraser so the radio stays powered on, and
2- flexing the 3.5mm -gently- towards the back while reading/writing ... and holding my breath.

Edit: Out of habit I always twirl the 3.5mm as I plug it in to make sure it makes good contact. That's so automatic I didn't think about it at first.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top