Icom IC-R71a low audio.....

[RANGERDALEXP]

Back in the mid 80s I purchased A Icon-R71a to replace my unrepairable and warn out Hammerlund HQ120. The icom has very low hours and was stored for about 15 year and thought the other day about setting it up again. I decided to bench test it before getting into running a new permanent long wire antenna so i ran a temporary 75 foot run and found out that for some reason the Radio now has very weak audio. even when tuned into local AM with the audio gain turned all the way up it is very low in volume and barely hear the stations. It did not have this problem when it was put away and now I think It needs to go into repair. Also I am not sure if it is worth the repair cost since you can get the IC-R75s used for the $350 range and a new one for $700. The questions I have are below.

1) Is this a known problem on this radio?
2) Does anyone know of a good radio guy in the Palmdale, Lancaster area in California. Or even the S.F. Valley
3) Anybody have an idea what the problem is?
4) Is it worth fixing? and how much should be spent on the repair?

 

[SCPD]

Yes this is a known problem with this radio. You will find that the capacitors in your unit have "dried up" and are in need of replacement. You can find on Ebay a seller selling all the required parts. Just do a search on "Icom (Receivers)".

It is a fairly extensive project to do all the required work ...

Hope this helps ...

 

[RANGERDALEXP]

I did find out about the guy on E-bay several days ago with a re cap kit but since the radio has less then 50 hours on it I kind of ruled it out due to the fact it has been powered down most of its life and not used. I did open the case and did a visual inspection of the capacitors and none were leaking or bulging and look like new. I may be wrong but I thought capacitor life was determined by the number of hours they get run for and not on storage life? but again this may be bad information.

I would hate to put hours into this thing and replace all the caps and still have the same problem. I also would not want to spend hundred of dollars on it when a new one cost $600. Even when this unit was new I was a bit disappointed with the audio compared to the Hammarlund that I had built in the late 30s or early 40s......

I really could use a guy that knows this radio to look at it and give me an idea on what it would take to get it working again. Maybe it is only a half hour job or it has now become a boat anchor if the repair cost becomes to much.......

 

[nanZor]

If you want to restore that unit, STOP until you find a skilled R71 tech.

When the memory-board batteries fail, the logic for the whole radio goes away and had to be reprogrammed at the factory. Some were lucky to replace the battery by paralleling a new one while removing the old one so that the factory programming didn't go away.

AND, some units were prone to hot-running voltage regulators and display noise. I'd hate to see you recap the unit, and then later have the battery fail losing all logic, or the regulators go kaput in 6 months.

I'd suggest finding someone who is really into restoring R71's and selling it, or keep it as a vintage restoration project, rather then using it as your workhorse receiver of today. You weren't happy with the sound back then - if you do decide to restore it, you may want to consider sending it to KIWA electronics for an upgrade of the audio circuitry, ie metal-film resistors, bipolar hi-fi caps etc.

I hate to say it, but I think you'd be better off purchasing a new radio, and perhaps sell/keep the R71 with vintage restoration / showcasing in mind.

 

[RANGERDALEXP]

I am starting to think this thing is a boat anchor now. Not sure why Icom would back up there firmware with battery back up since the technology was available at the time using none volatile memory storage.

I have a number for a guy given me by Ham Radio Outlet and will call him but I am thinking this will cost to much to repair. I am now kicking my self in the butt for not buying the Kenwood unit back then I looked at.

I was thinking of saving up some cash and purchasing the Icom IC-R75 but I am now a little put off on Icoms engineering at this point.

Any good suggestions on a new replacement for under $1000 that is still in production?

 

[SCPD]

I had the same problem with my R71A ... and eventually sold it for $20. It was a dead radio with no audio and am now using a Yaesu radio for HF (amateur) operating. I was sad as I know that the R71A is a good radio .. but it does have these problems, as you are finding out.

Wish you well .. in your quest.

 

[RANGERDALEXP]

I think I will at least change the battery's to save the firmware and put it away till I can decide what to do with it. How do i know if the firmware has gone bad because when I ran it the other day I was getting local am and faint DXing but only the lack of volume was the problem at the time?.

I also started a Q and A thread in the shortwave section for some expert input on a new radio. I would like to make a better choice this time around.....