Icom R-8500 Relay Noise

[burrdt]

When I use the 8500 as a VHF/UHF scanner (believe me I know it makes a lousy scanner), when it goes back and forth between channels in the 400Mhz range and the 800Mhz range, it sounds like there is a relay clicking inside the radio. It uses the same antenna for both freq ranges, so I am stumped as to what the thing is doing in there and why there would be a loud relay. The reason why I am posting about it is that I can't believe anyone would think this is acceptable, so maybe I am missing something - it's pretty common to scan freqs in both ranges within a single bank, so is Icom saying that it's okay that their $1200 radio sounds like it has hamsters fighting inside it if you use one of its core functions?

 

[K2KOH]

My R7100 does the same thing...you can hear the relay click when it changes over to 800 MHz, and then again over 1.5 GHz. It's normal...no sweat...

 

[burrdt]

My R7100 does the same thing...you can hear the relay click when it changes over to 800 MHz, and then again over 1.5 GHz. It's normal...no sweat...

Thanks. I think the thing that makes me sweat is that it IS normal. It shouldn't be. Who needs all the constant "clacking"? Other radios don't do that. Heck, I can't stick an earplug in and listen with my wife right beside me. I guess I will just have to use another radio or get her to become a scanner buff and get rid of the earplug!

 

[runslow]

I have both the R7000 and the R8500 receivers and it's an ICOM "thing". It's very irritating to listen to the constant clicking. I finally put all of the R8500 800 frequencies in a separate bank. Not the most desirable way to monitor but I do most of my serious scanning with other equipment.

 

[burrdt]

Icom Thing

I agree that normally you could eliminate it by segregating the freqs but as you know, with this radio you can't select the banks to be scanned other than one bank at a time. So if local PD is on 800 Mhz as well as other freqs, you're out of luck if you want to monitor them all unless you are a glutton for punishment and will tolerate continual clicking. OTOH, as we all know, the thing makes a lousy scanner.

I guess it has some other attributes that keep in my home, but not many! My R-75 is a better HF receiver and my soon-to-be-in-my-hand BCD396T will make for a better scanner. I also have an R-20, which is probably as good as my "commercial grade" 8500. It's an Icom without the click. Now how do you suppose Icom managed that?(!)

The R-8500 guys just were lazy.

 

[Declared_Hostile]

I wouldn't go so far as to say lazy in this particular case. (other aspects of the Icom I agree they were lazy or shortsighted)

Many of the high end communication receivers do this. My R-8500 does it as does my AOR AR-5000+3. It can be quite annoying. There is an engineering reason behind it however. I asked ICOM or AOR about it and they told me this (I made a note of it) :

"The clicks are caused by internal relays, diodes have not been employed for critical RF signal paths in an attempt to reduce signal loss and minimize intermodulation products."

I've heard another more in depth explanation from an engineer about the whole relay issue but I don't recall where. Maybe someone here with more knowledge on the subject can further enlighten us on the subject.

Also check to make sure you don't have the record feature activated on different channels. That can make noise too if I remember correctly.

One of the many annoyances we live with when we buy high end gear. When folks say they aren't good scanners it means just that.