New IC-91A but no software

[futureman]

The soft ware package hasn`t cleared customs yet. e-mail from icom.

Good Morning.....

Thanks for your e-mail.

We are also waiting for this software. It has been on backorder from the home company in Japan and we are still waiting for the order to hit the shore and clear customs. I don't have a projected date to give you at this time, so all that I can ask is that you continue to be patient. If we had our way, the software would have already been in stock, but it was not up to us.

Best Regards;

Well, since I do not have the easy to do software I have to program it manualy. The manual does not use the same language as my other scanners. When I enter a frequency I`m used to pressing E to enter it into the scanner. With the 91A there is no E to enter input the frequency. Is it entered automaticaly? I may have a few more questions if we have an answer man.

I think the radio is GREAT. IC- 32A has been replaced.

 

[wesct]

The soft ware package hasn`t cleared customs yet. e-mail from icom.

Good Morning.....

Thanks for your e-mail.

We are also waiting for this software. It has been on backorder from the home company in Japan and we are still waiting for the order to hit the shore and clear customs. I don't have a projected date to give you at this time, so all that I can ask is that you continue to be patient. If we had our way, the software would have already been in stock, but it was not up to us.

Best Regards;

Well, since I do not have the easy to do software I have to program it manualy. The manual does not use the same language as my other scanners. When I enter a frequency I`m used to pressing E to enter it into the scanner. With the 91A there is no E to enter input the frequency. Is it entered automaticaly? I may have a few more questions if we have an answer man.

I think the radio is GREAT. IC- 32A has been replaced.

I didnt know the IC-T91a was a scanner.

wesct

 

[futureman]

Its not only a scanner, Its a dual scanner !!!!!! Plus it does all the regular 2-way radio stuff.
I think its a great package for $350. This is a step up for me as I`ve never had a 2-way. It ads alittle to the confusion. I have alot to learn.

 

[rescuecomm]

I was wondering about the new Icom dual band portable. My W32A is long in the tooth. Needs a new speaker and some audio output IC's or something. About all I use it for now is to tune duplexer cavities. Does the IC-91a have narrowband and D-star capability?

 

[futureman]

Its advertised as a broadband receiver:

Icom IC-91A from the advertising material:

The Icom IC-91A transmits on 2 meters and 440 MHz with a big 5 watts on either band (or 0.5 watts on low setting). It features extended receive from 495 kHz to 999.990 MHz (less cellular) and boasts 1304 memories. The A band (top) has wide reception from 495 kHz to 999.990 MHz in FM/WFM/AM (excluding cellular). The B band (bottom) receives from 118.000 to 174.000 MHz and 350.000 to 470.000 MHz in FM/FM-N/AM/DV modes. A combination of the A band and the B and can be received simultaneously, so V/V, V/U and U/U can be utilized. Available tuning steps include: 5, 6.25, 8.33 (only in air band), 9 (only AM radio band), 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 100, 125 and 200 kHz. The digital voice and data mode conforms to the JARL's (Japanese Amateur Radio League) D-STAR standard.

The model IC-91A is analog/digital upgradable (with optional UT-121) and the IC-91AD is analog/digital ready (UT-121 already built-in). With the 91AD in DV mode, you can record 30 seconds of audio into memory (or 15 seconds into 2 memory slots, or 10 seconds into 3 memory slots). It will also play a recorded message (up to 10 seconds) in response to a call directed to the user's callsign. Audio messages can even be forwarded.

With an external NMEA 0183 format GPS attached (not supplied), your own and other people's position information can be sent and received

The rugged chassis is designed for the most demanding environments with JIS-4 specification for weather resistance. With SMA type FA-S270C antenna, BP-217 Li-Ion battery pack, MB-105 belt clip and charger. 2.4 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches (58.4x103x34.2 mm).
_______________________________________________________________________

I was going to get the 32a but I`m glad I waited. I left the IC-91a on all night, accidently, It was still running in the morning.

 

[emeth]

Icom Id-91a

I was wondering about the new Icom dual band portable. My W32A is long in the tooth. Needs a new speaker and some audio output IC's or something. About all I use it for now is to tune duplexer cavities. Does the IC-91a have narrowband and D-star capability?

The ID-91A does NOT have the D-STAR installed but it does have the socket for the module so D-STAR (UT-118) can be added later. It does have narrowband FM capability. It is basically the replacement for the W32 and the T90. It uses the T90 accessories.

 

[cwerntz]

Can IC-T91a do P25 Digital?

I know that the IC-T91 can be made D-Star compatable using the UT-118 card. However, Icom also advertises that they have a UT-122 decoder card for APCO P25 for their high-end scanners. One of their scanners can take either card (does this imply that they use the same connector, pinout, etc ?), and a newer scanner can take both cards simultaneously.

My question is: can you install a UT-122 card in a IC-T91 and decode (and perhaps even encode) APCO P-25 audio?

I know that the radio will not follow a trunking system, but I occasionally monitor several conventional systems that have recently gone P-25, and this would be a big bonus.

Thanks, Carl - WA3ZZU

 

[jonny290]

I know that the IC-T91 can be made D-Star compatable using the UT-118 card. However, Icom also advertises that they have a UT-122 decoder card for APCO P25 for their high-end scanners. One of their scanners can take either card (does this imply that they use the same connector, pinout, etc ?), and a newer scanner can take both cards simultaneously.

My question is: can you install a UT-122 card in a IC-T91 and decode (and perhaps even encode) APCO P-25 audio?

I know that the radio will not follow a trunking system, but I occasionally monitor several conventional systems that have recently gone P-25, and this would be a big bonus.

Thanks, Carl - WA3ZZU

We wish

Won't work - not compatible. Maybe in the future?

 

[fineshot1]

I know that the IC-T91 can be made D-Star compatable using the UT-118 card. However, Icom also advertises that they have a UT-122 decoder card for APCO P25 for their high-end scanners. One of their scanners can take either card (does this imply that they use the same connector, pinout, etc ?), and a newer scanner can take both cards simultaneously.

My question is: can you install a UT-122 card in a IC-T91 and decode (and perhaps even encode) APCO P-25 audio?

I know that the radio will not follow a trunking system, but I occasionally monitor several conventional systems that have recently gone P-25, and this would be a big bonus.

Thanks, Carl - WA3ZZU

Hey fellas - just to clarify. The D-Star module for the IC-91A is a UT-121 and NOT the 118.
Also the UT-122 P25 module is not compatable with the IC-91A. I have the software and like it but it has some quirks to it that are very disapointing comming from icom. I think the Japan design engineers should pay more attention to the USA market cause some of the quirks appear to be things overlooked for the USA. The one item that has be bothered is the tuning step size for vhf narrow band(7.5khz) is missing. So the 6.25khz for uhf is included but not the one needed for vhf-hi band.

 

[n9upc]

I have wondered and started to ask some of the same questions based on the following:

1.) If you look at the IC-V82 it is very similarly looking to the commercial version of the Icom radio that is P25 capable.

2.) They make a board to plug into the scanner shwoing that audio routing is heading to these boards and it is not an embedded type circuit. Remember that the UT-108 board (DTMF Decode) plugs into the same socket.

3.) And finally the commercial version of radios to go P25 just need to have a board installed and toggle it on via software, same as how D-Star needs to be toggled on and off.

I guess the main thing to figure out right now is what do the pinouts and layout of the board (where the connector is located) look like. Just because the board may look the same the routing and toggling of the board maybe different.

In addition checking with Bearcom and some other radio places the P25 board (for Tx & Rx) is only around $225.00 not much more then a D-Star board so it makes me wonder??

Also remember that now there are 2 different P25 boards out by Icom for usage and about 3 or 4 boards for d-Star usage. I guess the main thing right now is to see if anyone can get their hands on some pinouts of the boards???

Let me know if anyone gets results, and pls feel free to e-mail me at: n9upc@yahoo.com

 

[mam1081]

I had a friend that asked ICOM if the P25 boards would work -

ICOM's reply - "why would anyone want to do that??"

Jeez - get a clue, huh!

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one thinking these things!

 

[fineshot1]

I guess the main thing to figure out right now is what do the pinouts and layout of the board (where the connector is located) look like. Just because the board may look the same the routing and toggling of the board maybe different.

Well - I originally purchased the 91A and later installed the UT-121. Its located under a metal plate underneath the battery pack. The UT-121 is so small you almost cant even see the contact pins(and there are many of them extremely closely spaced together) on either end of the pcb. I dont think it would be possible to do any soldering to the socket as the pins are too tiny to see. When I installed the UT-121 module I could not tell whether it was seated correctly because it is so tiny. The only way I knew I had installed it correctly was to program a simplex channel and set it up as DStar and see what I heard on my scanner.
Anyway - you would have to have a seperate socket in order to experiment with and not sure where you could obtain one as this technology is so new. Perhaps if you could locate a doa 91A that someone was selling.....

 

[n9upc]

I did some looking on the internet and found a few pics of the UT-120 and UT-119 P25 board.

It almost looks like the UT-119/120 boards are the same pin set-up as the UT-118 or UT-114 boards for the IC-V82 and IC-2200H.

I know some people were working on an issue with the R2500 and the P25 board in the scanner on radios from Japan.

I checked with Bearcom and the P25 digital boards for Icom mobiles/portables are aprrox $225.00 each and the UT-120 requires some sort of software key to unlock the digital functions. I am unsure about the UT-119 board.

I am still going to be doing some checking as I would love to have a digital capable radio (P25 that is) in the ham band that is field programmable. Right now I have to use a bank in my PS portable to do P25 ham, and of course my PS portbale is not field programmable, and I am not going to carry around a laptop just to program for other ham systems when I am traveling. That is nuts and the wife would kill me!