Help programming Icom IC-F4S-4

[teedee911]

Hello Radio Reference family, I'm wondering if anyone can give me tips on programming my Icom IC-F4S-4. I have tried several
different versions/revisions of F3/4 software and a few different cables with no luck (serial and USB). Also tried Windows10/Vista/XP.
I have the Icom OPC-478UC-1 cable as well as an older serial cable.

Thanks!

-Thomas

 

[WA3ZZU]

I have several of the sister IC-F3S-3 & -2 radios. I keep a Windows-98 laptop around to program these using a cable from the actual serial port. I think that the software needs to handshake with the radio via the serial port, and the really fast processors in modern computers with the USB serial port simulators are just not able to slow down enough to handshake and then communicate with the radio.

I do know that this solution works, I do not know if there is a workaround with modern computers that works.

Best of luck, Carl

 

[jeepsandradios]

The F4 was programmed in DOS. You need a true serial cable. Without both you wont program it. We still have a box of them for SAR that we had used for years. Solid radio but not narrowband compliant so put them in storage. I use a toshiba toughbook CF25 in pure dos 6.0

 

[teedee911]

I have several of the sister IC-F3S-3 & -2 radios. I keep a Windows-98 laptop around to program these using a cable from the actual serial port. I think that the software needs to handshake with the radio via the serial port, and the really fast processors in modern computers with the USB serial port simulators are just not able to slow down enough to handshake and then communicate with the radio.

I do know that this solution works, I do not know if there is a workaround with modern computers that works.

Best of luck, Carl

I have several of the sister IC-F3S-3 & -2 radios. I keep a Windows-98 laptop around to program these using a cable from the actual serial port. I think that the software needs to handshake with the radio via the serial port, and the really fast processors in modern computers with the USB serial port simulators are just not able to slow down enough to handshake and then communicate with the radio.

I do know that this solution works, I do not know if there is a workaround with modern computers that works.

Best of luck, Carl

Thanks for the reply, I just happened to see it today, I had been checking every few weeks but hadn't seen any replies. I have an old Windows 95 laptop but the power supply died, I'll poke around ebay and see if I can find one. I also have the original Icom serial cable and software. I'll let you things work out. Thanks again!

 

[teedee911]

The F4 was programmed in DOS. You need a true serial cable. Without both you wont program it. We still have a box of them for SAR that we had used for years. Solid radio but not narrowband compliant so put them in storage. I use a toshiba toughbook CF25 in pure dos 6.0

Awesome, thanks for the reply, I have the original serial cable and software but I'll probably need to poke around ebay for an old DOS machine.
Thanks again!

 

[mmckenna]

Awesome, thanks for the reply, I have the original serial cable and software but I'll probably need to poke around ebay for an old DOS machine.
Thanks again!

You don't necessarily need a full DOS machine to make this work.

I run a laptop that has Windows XP on it. Probably a 2005 era laptop.

Search on the web for a program called "RUFUS". Download that onto a thumb drive. Add your Icom software on the thumb drive also.

Set up the computer to boot off USB as the first choice. Plug in the USB stick and rebootify your machine. It will come up with DOS using the RUFUS program. You should be able to open your Icom software on that.

Been doing that for years with old Motorola, Kenwood and I think my old Icom gear. Never had any issues with it.

 

[teedee911]

You don't necessarily need a full DOS machine to make this work.

I run a laptop that has Windows XP on it. Probably a 2005 era laptop.

Search on the web for a program called "RUFUS". Download that onto a thumb drive. Add your Icom software on the thumb drive also.

Set up the computer to boot off USB as the first choice. Plug in the USB stick and rebootify your machine. It will come up with DOS using the RUFUS program. You should be able to open your Icom software on that.

Been doing that for years with old Motorola, Kenwood and I think my old Icom gear. Never had any issues with it.

Okay thanks!, I was just gifted an old Toughbook CF-27 in beautiful condition that has Windows XP on it, I'll tinker with it this weekend.

 

[mmckenna]

Okay thanks!, I was just gifted an old Toughbook CF-27 in beautiful condition that has Windows XP on it, I'll tinker with it this weekend.

Nice score. Those are good machines, especially for radio programming. Not cheap for the new models. I have one at work that I ordered late last year, spec'd out with a 'real' serial port for the older stuff I still maintain.

 

[teedee911]

Nice score. Those are good machines, especially for radio programming. Not cheap for the new models. I have one at work that I ordered late last year, spec'd out with a 'real' serial port for the older stuff I still maintain.

Yeehawwww!

So I installed the supplied Icom IC-F4/3/S software onto my newly gifted Toughbook CF-27....or should I say 'copied' the software. I didn't see any 'Install' or 'Setup' option in the entire directory so I just copied it from the CD to the hard drive. There are several .EXE files (more than several actually) but I chose the 'CSF3.EXE' file and then opted for the 'Clone' / 'Read' choice in the line menu, and POOF!! There it was, the entire programed data for the radio. Dang! I've been trying to crack this thing M-O-N-T-H-S......Thanks to you all for the help! I'm still curious though, for any of you Icom gurus out there, what are the other .EXE files intended for?

Thanks again!!

-Thomas

 

[mmckenna]

Those were the radio programming programs. There are different ones for different models, different functions, etc. Been a while, the last Icom software I bought came on a 3.5" floppy and ran in a dos window.

 

[jeepsandradios]

Depending on what other exe files you are talking about there were specific programs for the option boards in those radios. There is also an adjustment exe for aligning the radio. For most purposes the only exe you need is the csf3 exe. The option boards are hard to find used and NLA from ICOM. Someplace I have a pile of 2 tone boards and MDC boards.

 

[ElroyJetson]

It's been YEARS since I dealt with those radios. They were old when I stopped working for the radio company in 2014.
And as I REMEMBER, the F-4S takes F-4S software. Regular F4 software will not work. That's a different radio.

I could be wrong, my memory is not perfect and I've ignored this stuff for almost a decade. But that's how I remember it.

It works better when you use the right software.

 

[ElroyJetson]

F3/S / F4/S Downloads - Icom America

www.icomamerica.com

 

[teedee911]

It's been YEARS since I dealt with those radios. They were old when I stopped working for the radio company in 2014.
And as I REMEMBER, the F-4S takes F-4S software. Regular F4 software will not work. That's a different radio.

I could be wrong, my memory is not perfect and I've ignored this stuff for almost a decade. But that's how I remember it.

It works better when you use the right software.

Thanks for the reply, I've had a lot of success with the my newly acquired Toughbook CF-27 running Windows XP. The least 'glitchy' version of Icom software for the F3/4 is version 2.2 although I'm sure if I were to go back a few DOS OS's I'd get some different options but I'm content with what I have..... and Thank You!