Icom F70s Programming

[TabascoTX]

So i got our Digital Radio figured out. But i cant seem to get these F70S' down. They arent anywhere near as easy as Vertex's. Does anyone have the "Help File" for the version 2.2 software. The link in mine refers to a web page that doesn't exist. I've trying to set them up where you can put them on "silent" or "off duty" until our tones hit and set of the bell sound. But the verbage for the icom program isnt the same as Vertex or Motorola's. And the help file is missing so i cant get it to tell me what some of the options do.Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[12dbsinad]

Set up your tones in the 2 tone section. You can have up to 10 sets of tones, and you can select how the radio responds when correct tones are heard.

In the memory screen, under 2 tone RX C.No, select which tone you want on that channel (1-10). Once that is selected, the radio will automatically mute until decode of the tones. To monitor on that channel, all one needs to do it depress the PTT (With TX disabled on page channel) and it will open, speaker icon will appear.

There is no AND/OR setting on these, like the newer icoms, or Motorola's etc...

 

[TabascoTX]

Set up your tones in the 2 tone section. You can have up to 10 sets of tones, and you can select how the radio responds when correct tones are heard.

In the memory screen, under 2 tone RX C.No, select which tone you want on that channel (1-10). Once that is selected, the radio will automatically mute until decode of the tones. To monitor on that channel, all one needs to do it depress the PTT (With TX disabled on page channel) and it will open, speaker icon will appear.

There is no AND/OR setting on these, like the newer icoms, or Motorola's etc...

I really appreciate your help. Hopefully this works on the next tone out. Thanks a bunch. These radios have been a pain in the butt. They work great, just hoping we can get these in a sleep mode.

 

[12dbsinad]

I really appreciate your help. Hopefully this works on the next tone out. Thanks a bunch. These radios have been a pain in the butt. They work great, just hoping we can get these in a sleep mode.

Once you select a 2 tone in the memory screen, it will mute.

Good radios indeed. One of the best receivers I've seen in these. Blows the doors off of many others.

 

[TabascoTX]

Man i feel like a noob messing with these Icom's. We had a call last night and the radio froze. Come to find out, i had set the "Stun" to enable..wtf?!..Why would that even be an option?..lol...I had to turn the radio on and off again to get it to unlock...geez. and i cant request too many test tones or people get irritated.. 2 steps forward, one step back...

 

[12dbsinad]

Man i feel like a noob messing with these Icom's. We had a call last night and the radio froze. Come to find out, i had set the "Stun" to enable..wtf?!..Why would that even be an option?..lol...I had to turn the radio on and off again to get it to unlock...geez. and i cant request too many test tones or people get irritated.. 2 steps forward, one step back...

Yeah you don't want to enable that as you found out. Hopefully you've got it working.

 

[DJ11DLN]

Poor man's tone generator

Man i feel like a noob messing with these Icom's. We had a call last night and the radio froze. Come to find out, i had set the "Stun" to enable..wtf?!..Why would that even be an option?..lol...I had to turn the radio on and off again to get it to unlock...geez. and i cant request too many test tones or people get irritated.. 2 steps forward, one step back...

Presuming that you're setting up regular analog 2-tone alerting, here's a helpful trick I found for dealing with 2-tone gear. Set up a channel in an H-T that can drop tones, for your tones on the repeater output freq, set the output to low, and thread on a dummy load in place of the antenna. It will leak enough signal to set off a pager or radio in close proximity but won't bother anything more than several feet away. You verify that the radio is programmed to open on the correct tones and nobody gets aggravated. I have this in my TK-2312 for when I have to set up a new pager or radio, or reprogram one that's acting up. The dummy loads can be found on Amazon (or your radio shop may have one) for a few bucks with the correct antenna connector.

Sorry if this is misplaced advice, just trying to be helpful.

 

[12dbsinad]

Presuming that you're setting up regular analog 2-tone alerting, here's a helpful trick I found for dealing with 2-tone gear. Set up a channel in an H-T that can drop tones, for your tones on the repeater output freq, set the output to low, and thread on a dummy load in place of the antenna. It will leak enough signal to set off a pager or radio in close proximity but won't bother anything more than several feet away. You verify that the radio is programmed to open on the correct tones and nobody gets aggravated. I have this in my TK-2312 for when I have to set up a new pager or radio, or reprogram one that's acting up. The dummy loads can be found on Amazon (or your radio shop may have one) for a few bucks with the correct antenna connector.

Sorry if this is misplaced advice, just trying to be helpful.

Agreed. The Icoms he's programming will TX the 2 tone. I was thinking about suggesting it, but... I figured maybe he should get used to the programming and get decode to work before dropping tones

 

[TabascoTX]

Oh no get this. So I set the P0 button to call. Thinking like maybe a calling mode or paging mode...Nope..Hit the button and dropped the tones..And of course, i'm at the station, so it kicks to the repeater and eDispatch so everyone's phones go off...smh..fml... Thanks for the dummy load idea. I might have to do that. I thinking about buying a disc i saw on eBay for $20, maybe it'll have the help file i need.

 

[toastycookies]

Oh no get this. So I set the P0 button to call. Thinking like maybe a calling mode or paging mode...Nope..Hit the button and dropped the tones..And of course, i'm at the station, so it kicks to the repeater and eDispatch so everyone's phones go off...smh..fml... Thanks for the dummy load idea. I might have to do that. I thinking about buying a disc i saw on eBay for $20, maybe it'll have the help file i need.

Why don't you just buy the correct software from an iCOM dealer?

Glad I am not within your fire district! Playing lives for pennies.

 

[TabascoTX]

Why don't you just buy the correct software from an iCOM dealer?

Glad I am not within your fire district! Playing lives for pennies.

It is the correct software,V2.2, but the help file links to a iCom web page that doesn't exist. We don't take them to "Dealers" because twice at two different shops they've locked down the programming on radios we own outright, not leased. We picked up 3 of these iCom F70S for about $900. I've been able to program every other radio we have from Motorola's, to Midlands, to Vertex, this radio has been a pain in the butt.

 

[DJ11DLN]

It is the correct software,V2.2, but the help file links to a iCom web page that doesn't exist. We don't take them to "Dealers" because twice at two different shops they've locked down the programming on radios we own outright, not leased. We picked up 3 of these iCom F70S for about $900. I've been able to program every other radio we have from Motorola's, to Midlands, to Vertex, this radio has been a pain in the butt.

I would suggest contacting Icom directly about the help file. Those radios are yours and presumably you purchased the Icom CPS to program them. Don't let a shady dealer who locks customer's radios become a problem, go over their heads. If the CPS help tab leads back to a web page that isn't there anymore, Icom may have a problem on a server that they need to look into. I would insist that they either get it working within a reasonable amount of time, or else send you a text of the help file so that you can figure those critters out.

 

[TabascoTX]

I would suggest contacting Icom directly about the help file. Those radios are yours and presumably you purchased the Icom CPS to program them. Don't let a shady dealer who locks customer's radios become a problem, go over their heads. If the CPS help tab leads back to a web page that isn't there anymore, Icom may have a problem on a server that they need to look into. I would insist that they either get it working within a reasonable amount of time, or else send you a text of the help file so that you can figure those critters out.

Thanks a bunch for all your help. I've got most of the program hammered out now with trial and error.
I'm going to contact our radio dealer and see if they can send or attach the programming help file. With all the money we've spent on radios,mobile reapers,inter-op patch equipment and sat com's, the least they can do help me out. I'm beginning to think we should've just broke down and bought the XTS3000 P25. We already have all the stuff for those since we have 10 of them for EMS.Oh well, no one listens to the guy behind the monitor trying to program stuff..

 

[DJ11DLN]

Thanks a bunch for all your help. I've got most of the program hammered out now with trial and error.

Sorry I couldn't do more. Icom just doesn't have much of a presence around here. The state insists that only Moto and EFJ are allowed on the TSYS so it isn't likely to change, though that's an impressive little radio you are working on. Our VHF gear is all Kenwood, they have things sewn up pretty tight around here, except for some Moto and Swissphone pagers. I've never had a chance to poke around in an Icom CPS.

I'm going to contact our radio dealer and see if they can send or attach the programming help file. With all the money we've spent on radios,mobile reapers,inter-op patch equipment and sat com's, the least they can do help me out. I'm beginning to think we should've just broke down and bought the XTS3000 P25. We already have all the stuff for those since we have 10 of them for EMS.

Hold their feet to the fire. Dealers can be a blessing or a curse, sounds like you may have one of the latter. If the guys I deal with locked one of our VHF radios, they'd have to move to the moon unless they wanted to have my boot removed surgically from somewhere they really don't want it. And they're aware of this. But thankfully not an issue, good folks. Still, don't let 'em give you the run-around about a simple help file, play the go-direct-to-Icom card if you have to.

Oh well, no one listens to the guy behind the monitor trying to program stuff..

That's why we get to have the gray hair before everybody else!:lol: