R71A battery

[ridgescan]

So I have been wondering if I should start thinking about getting a new lithium battery into this receiver before it dies on me? I have no clue how old the one in there is (do they print a date on them that I can see?) or is it ok to run this one till the CPU kills then get a new one? I have read around and there is no clear answer on this one. All they say is if the battery goes your radio won't operate.

 

[ka3jjz]

It really is that simple, Ridge. The battery backup keeps the operating system memory alive - when it dies, so does the radio.

Willco used to install a replacement board that supposedly worked quite well - I kinda have my doubts that the individual is still doing it - I understand the chips are now quite hard to find - and Kiwa does do a reinstall of a newer higher capacity battery. The links can be found here

IC-R71 - The RadioReference Wiki

I can't put my finger on it at the moment, but there was at least 1 other company doing this replacement board thing; perhaps a well structured Altavista search will turn it up, or perhaps a question on the R71 Yahoo board will

73 Mike

 

[W2NJS]

Piexx is the company that still makes the non-volatile Icom boards.

ICOMPROM ICOM Non-Volatile RAM Module - $59.00 : Piexx Company, Computers & Electronics

I have one in my R71 and it works fine. The radio has been back to Icom for retuning, etc.
and there were no problems with or objections to its having the aftermarket board installed.

 

[W2NJS]

Further to the above post, here are the installation sheets for the Piexx board. Note that the replacement board is the same for the 751 and the 71 radios.

http://www.piexx.com/icomprom.pdf

 

[jackj]

Hummm. Spend the money to buy a non-volatile memory board and replacing the battery on it every 5 years or replacing the battery on the one you have every 5 years? Which to do, which to do?

Leave the radio plugged in and turned on - then the button cell isn't used to keep the memory alive. Place some paper or other insulating material over the PC board, replace the battery and you should be good for another 5 years. Just be VERY CAREFUL not to short any of the PC board traces.

 

[ridgescan]

RAM Card Backup Battery Replacement Instructions
In the early 80s, the most cost effective way to implement data processing and
memory functions was through a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) to
control the CPU. This DRAM was a volatile memory integrated circuit which required
a lithium battery to retain its instruction set.
The lithium batteries in these units typically lasted about 5 to 7 years before
replacement was required. This was specifically noted in each of the Owners Manuals
for the products.
This lithium battery can be replaced by the radio owner if care is used. The following
is the recommended procedure.
Cautions
• Do not use an AC powered 3 Volt DC source, your grounded soldering iron tip
could short out the battery (+) terminal. Use a 3 Volt battery DC source only (2
alkaline cells for example).
• Do not solder the external DC wires directly to the lithium battery tab pads. If
you do so, you will not be able unsolder the battery without having the wires
drop off.
• If by accident you lose power to the RAM unit it must be sent to Icom America for
reprogramming.
• Be careful not to damage or bend the connector pins on the radio side while
removing or reinstalling the RAM card.
Procedure
1. Disconnect the power cable from the radio, and take the cover off.
2. Unplug the RAM board and remove it from the radio.
3. Temporarily solder a 3 V DC battery source across the existing battery terminals
(see the suggested connection points on the circuit board as shown in the
following pictures). If by accident you lose power to the RAM unit, it must be sent
to ICOM America for reprogramming.
4. On solder the original lithium battery and replace it with a new one. (BR2325 1
HC, Icom stock number 94503112.)
5. Desolder your temporary 3 V DC source.
6. Reinstall the RAM board into the radio.


Thanks for the rapid responses I got the above pdf from Icom themselves who told me that indeed the ram board would have to be sent to them for reprogramming in the event that the battery died and lost the memory. hey also told me that you must follow the above procedure which includes keeping constant power to the board as you change batteries. He said that the power system is recharging the internal battery every time I have the radio on and he has heard of these batteries lasting up to 15 years. Thanks again for your help and it's down to should I get that non-volatile because the one in there is in fact volatile. I appreciate all the data here and will use it when it's time to do the change

 

[scanchs]

If it ain't broke...

...
He said that the power system is recharging the internal battery every time I have the radio on and he has heard of these batteries lasting up to 15 years.
...

ridgescan,

I purchased my IC-R71A (along with a matching IC-R7000) brand new, with all the options, in the mid 80's. The only batteries I've changed have been the ones in the remote controllers (and that's almost 25 years)! Both receivers work as well as they did right out of the box. They do get a fair amount of use, so that may be why the memory battery hasn't given up yet. I've considered sending them in for a "tune up", but honestly, I don't know if I would notice any difference. I consistently find known frequencies right where they're supposed to be on both units, and they seem to be as sensitive as they were on day one. I guess my philosophy is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

Of course, having said this, I know I've just jinxed myself, and both units will probably go "belly up" in the next couple of days! :roll:

BTW, I remember reading somewhere that you had a mod of some kind in your R71A. I'm curious, what is it and what does it do? Thanks...

ScanCHS

 

[ridgescan]

Hey buddy no jinxies man
My rig has "EEB's HP option" which according to a member here and E-Ham consisted of an alignment, upgraded audio, and a swapout of filters with new Collins filters-plus mine has passband tuning ability on AM as well as SSB. That last feature is a great one in that I can trim an AM DX to sound much more tolerable than stock-I don't have that on the R75. That is all I know about it-does your pair have mods too? Wow two? You are a lucky guy

 

[scanchs]

No Jinxies...

Hey buddy no jinxies man
My rig has "EEB's HP option" which according to a member here and E-Ham consisted of an alignment, upgraded audio, and a swapout of filters with new Collins filters-plus mine has passband tuning ability on AM as well as SSB. That last feature is a great one in that I can trim an AM DX to sound much more tolerable than stock-I don't have that on the R75. That is all I know about it-does your pair have mods too? Wow two? You are a lucky guy

Hi ridgescan,

Luck had very little to do with it (these things were expensive, even in the mid-80's). I bought my receivers from EEB (Electronic Equipment Bank) in Virginia. I got every option that was available, except one. I passed on the temperature controlled oscillator (TCO) option, because it was rather expensive, and the sales guy told me I didn't really need it unless I was planning to use the receivers for standards or reference work. Since I wasn't, I passed on that one...

I did get their HP option, along with a pair of IC-SP3 external speakers (I never use the internal speakers), a pair of Icom HP-2 headphones, remote controllers (an IC-11 for the R71A, and an IC-12 for the R7000), the speech option (a female voice that "says" the frequency when you push the speech button), and an AH-7000 discone antenna with type-N connectors to hook up to the R7000.

The remote controllers are handy, because my computer is on the opposite side of the room from my radios (to reduce interference), so I use the remotes to operate the radios when I'm on the computer. The speech option also plays through the recorder output, so you can hear the frequency you were tuned to when you play back a recording. All I remembered about the HP option was the "special" filters, but the extra alignment makes sense, as that explains why I haven't felt a need to send the units off for a "tune up" after all this time. BTW, I also purchased the service manuals for both models, so that I could align them myself (with access to the proper equipment, of course).

I don't know how familiar you are with the R7000. It's the R71A's "VHF/UHF brother". It looks just like the R71A until you look a little closer, then some of the buttons have different functions (like priority scan, program scan, etc.). Check it out -> RigPix Database - Icom - IC-R7000. It has a frequency range of 25 MHz to 2 GHz to complement the R71A. And because it was manufactured before the cell phone frequency ban, no frequencies are blocked on the R7000. It's smooth sailing all the way through! Together, the two receivers make a very nice pair...

ScanCHS

 

[ridgescan]

The R7000 looks like one I need to own. I think the 71A spoiled me. Hey I was the lucky one and the guy who gave me the 71A also gave me the shop manual too! I have a multimeter but I think ya need a couple other testers to perform things. I got a question- at the intro part of the owners manual page two it says "The 71 is a general coverage receiver between 100khz and 30 mhz with 30 1mhz segments. the Up-conversion system using a high side IF and microcomputer control system make these capabilities possible.
In addition to these, the low-pass filters and band-pass filters selected by an electronic signal from the BAND UP/DOWN BUTTON make a no tune-up system."
Does this mean that I must use the band button to reach my desired band in order to activate all those filters properly-or am I reading it wrong?

 

[scanchs]

It is confusing...

...
I got a question- at the intro part of the owners manual page two it says "The 71 is a general coverage receiver between 100khz and 30 mhz with 30 1mhz segments. the Up-conversion system using a high side IF and microcomputer control system make these capabilities possible.
In addition to these, the low-pass filters and band-pass filters selected by an electronic signal from the BAND UP/DOWN BUTTON make a no tune-up system."
Does this mean that I must use the band button to reach my desired band in order to activate all those filters properly-or am I reading it wrong?

ridgescan,

I tried to look this up in the Service Manual, because that's what I was talking about in my post, but your page reference was actually in the Instruction Manual (a different manual)...

Anyway, the line you quoted is actually talking about the Band Up/Down "function". They called it a "button", but it really could be the tuning dial, or anything else that causes the band (i.e., the MHz digit) to change. What they're saying here, is that the filters are being selected "automatically" by an electronic signal whenever the band changes...

That's not to be confused with the "Band Select Function Switch" which is the button that selects what the tuning dial does when you turn it. When the switch is pushed in, the tuning dial changes the frequency in 1 MHz increments only. That has nothing to do with filter selection (other than it causes it to happen "automatically" when you change bands). Clear as mud?

ScanCHS

 

[ridgescan]

Thanks for the clarity on that. I figured the text shouldn't be taken literally. If you read thru the owners manual, you can detect an "accent" in the text but it is an accent with intelligence

 

[k9rzz]

FWIW Willco still makes his boards - I bought one last year and installed it - it was a snap. (different radio than you see on my latest videos). Unfortunately, something else went belly up on that radio so needs fixing - hopefully SOON! Anyway - yes, still available and very easy to install. (plus you get 3200 memories and reception down to 1khz).

 

[k9rzz]

Oh, get the R7100. I just sold one! Swap out the 230khz ceramic IF filter for WFM and put in a Murata or SNR 110khz wide one. You will be AMAZED at the FM DX you can hear with a good receiver.

 

[ridgescan]

Oh, get the R7100. I just sold one! Swap out the 230khz ceramic IF filter for WFM and put in a Murata or SNR 110khz wide one. You will be AMAZED at the FM DX you can hear with a good receiver.

Oh yeah I forgot to say I have the FM mod too. I catch a few hams up there around 29mhz but no DX yet.

 

[k9rzz]

No. That's regarding the R-7100, not the R-71a!

 

[ridgescan]

No. That's regarding the R-7100, not the R-71a!

Yeah I know that-but you reminded me by saying that. So k9 I guess I will go with one of those new boards-how much did i cost you?

 

[scanchs]

Decisions, decisions...

Piexx is the company that still makes the non-volatile Icom boards.

ICOMPROM ICOM Non-Volatile RAM Module - $59.00 : Piexx Company, Computers & Electronics

I have one in my R71 and it works fine. The radio has been back to Icom for retuning, etc.
and there were no problems with or objections to its having the aftermarket board installed.

FWIW Willco still makes his boards - I bought one last year and installed it - it was a snap. (different radio than you see on my latest videos). Unfortunately, something else went belly up on that radio so needs fixing - hopefully SOON! Anyway - yes, still available and very easy to install. (plus you get 3200 memories and reception down to 1khz).

Hi guys,

It looks like W2NJS recommends the Piexx board, and k9rzz uses the Willco board. Can anyone say if one board is better than the other? It looks like the Piexx board is less expensive than the Willco board (~$60 vs. ~$100), but if the Willco board is better in some way, then maybe it's worth the higher cost. Comments? Thanks! 73,

ScanCHS

 

[scanchs]

You're right...

Oh yeah I forgot to say I have the FM mod too. I catch a few hams up there around 29mhz but no DX yet.

ridgescan,

Yeah, I forgot the FM mode was an option, too. My R71A has it as well, but I can easily count on one hand the number of times I've actually used it...

ScanCHS

 

[ridgescan]

HA me too pretty desolate up there.