R8600 8600 repair

[fasteddy64]

It seems that I have injured my 8600. Sensitivity has dropped to nearly zero.

It is out of warranty so where should I send it? Has anyone had one repaired recently?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[prcguy]

There is an R8600 group io.groups that is pretty active and some have reported a bad relay that causes weak receive in the 30 to 1100MHz range. Apparently the relay is no longer manufactured and everyone is buying up spares wherever they can find them. I got several just in case.

If that turns out to be your problem you can fix it yourself if you have some time and good soldering skills.

It seems that I have injured my 8600. Sensitivity has dropped to nearly zero.

It is out of warranty so where should I send it? Has anyone had one repaired recently?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[fasteddy64]

There is an R8600 group io.groups that is pretty active and some have reported a bad relay that causes weak receive in the 30 to 1100MHz range. Apparently the relay is no longer manufactured and everyone is buying up spares wherever they can find them. I got several just in case.

If that turns out to be your problem you can fix it yourself if you have some time and good soldering skills.

I have plenty of time and mediocre soldering skills!
I will check out the group, thanks.

 

[ArloG]

Icom Michigan service center treated me well with my under warranty R8600.
I suspected poor sensitivity. They checked it out and swept it. Provided a report. It was good.
On my end. A swap out of old Belden 9913 for LMR-400 fixed the problem.
During the Covid slowdown it took 6 weeks out and back.

 

[Ubbe]

I haven't read the io.group but RF relays of lesser quality can get dirty contacts when there's no current going thru them. Sometimes they can be cleaned by adding 12v thru a 100 ohm resistor to let a current flow thru the contacts. A preventing method could be to add a 1000 ohm resistor to 12v and a 1000 resistor to ground at the other contacts, if the contacts are free from a DC connection to other circuits, as they seem to be if they fail. A schematics might be handy to look at before trying to current clean relay contacts.

/Ubbe

 

[prcguy]

These seem to be sealed 2.6GHz rated relays where you don't have access to the contacts and they are cheap if you can find them, something like $8 each. I just checked several parts suppliers and they are all out of stock. The contacts are gold plated and I'm not sure what the failure mode is.

I haven't read the io.group but RF relays of lesser quality can get dirty contacts when there's no current going thru them. Sometimes they can be cleaned by adding 12v thru a 100 ohm resistor to let a current flow thru the contacts. A preventing method could be to add a 1000 ohm resistor to 12v and a 1000 resistor to ground at the other contacts, if the contacts are free from a DC connection to other circuits, as they seem to be if they fail. A schematics might be handy to look at before trying to current clean relay contacts.

/Ubbe

 

[Ubbe]

It could be that Icom use this relay in several receivers and they have built up a stock, vacuum cleaning the market, to be able to produce their receivers.

It could also be as with the SDS100 battery clip, that Uniden doesn't want to sell as a spare part as they need all of them in production.

I would think that most users have separate antennas for HF and VHF/UHF and the relay contacts could then simple be bridged by a jumper lead?

/Ubbe

 

[fasteddy64]

Anyone have a photo of where this relay is inside the receiver? I pulled the covers and could not identify it.

 

[Ubbe]

It looks to be on other side of the circuit board, or if it's a daughter board there, where the antenna connectors are.
The block diagram shows that the 1100MHz-3000MHz range use a complete whole receiver of it's own and needs that relay to switch to the antenna as (cheap) switch diodes might not be suitable. That extra high performance receiver might explain some of the high cost for the receiver.

Fenu-radio.ch has a photo of the bottom side. It's a relay in metal housing at the 17 number at the back of the receiver that probably are the antenna switch relay. Fenu-Radio - Icom IC-R8600

/Ubbe

 

[fasteddy64]

Thanks, I am not going to fool with it, I will just send it in for repair.