R9500 TFT LCD issue

[VK3RX]

Ever since new occasionally after power up the screen will remain dim or completely blank for a period of up to a minute or so, usually when the room temperature is low e.g. 5°C/40°F.

I know the issue is mentioned on page 3-2 of the manual.

The radio has been unused for some months, and now the issue is happening fairly often on power up, and does not seem entirely room temperature dependent. For example today the room temperature was 19°C/66°F and the screen remained completely blank for around an hour, then suddenly came on. I'd just started to think it was time for a visit to Icom - maybe that scared it into working

I've owned the unit from new, and its manufacture date is December 2010.

Has anyone else experienced this issue becoming more frequent and not necessarily room temperature related?

I'm a member of the R9500 groups.io but I'm not on FB if there is a group there specific to this model.

 

[bearcatrp]

I hope you have this plugged into a UPS to protect that gem. That radio is the cream of the crop. Can't help you otherwise. I envy you. That thing sells for $10,000 grand now.

 

[VK3RX]

It is a great radio. I had an Icom IC-7700 and the HF performance was the same, understandable given they are about the same vintage. The internal front facing speaker is amazing - only 3" diameter but it sounds great. No need for an external speaker.

Icom only ever released one firmware update and that was shortly after release and only a bug fix I think. It would have been nice to have the same receiver updates as the 7700 7800 etc. e.g. addition of waterfall display and mode decoding etc., but those can be had with external software of course.

I've been running the unit continuously over the past few days to see if that cures the display issue, as it was left powered down for about 6 months.

 

[VK3RX]

An update on this fault.

After a few days of use the display would not come up at all after power up, no matter how long the receiver was left on, so off to Icom it went.

2 driver transistors and the LCD module replaced, and so far all OK operating normally.

 

[bearcatrp]

Glad Icom fixed it for you. That gem was pretty much the standard for receiving. If I ever win the lottery, would get one in a heart beat. Has anyone did a comparison with this radio and the new 8600? Just curious.

 

[AK9R]

The IC-R8600 is 4th on Rob Sherwood's receiver rankings. The IC-R9500 isn't in the top 25.

Of course, you have to take Mr. Sherwood's rankings with a grain of salt because you may get different results in your receiving situation.

Receiver Test Data

 

[MDScanFan]

The link below has some useful comparisons between the 8600 and 9500.

N9EWO Review : ICOM IC-R9500 DSP Wide Band Receiver

Glad Icom fixed it for you. That gem was pretty much the standard for receiving. If I ever win the lottery, would get one in a heart beat. Has anyone did a comparison with this radio and the new 8600? Just curious.

 

[majoco]

Rob Sherwood's measurements only test the electronic parameters of the receivers - it says nothing about the physical factors such as "how easy is it to change the modes or bands","is it good to operate for a lefty", "how does the speaker sound", "connectivity","is the display easy to read and what does it show" and so on. These are the things that concern the operator more than the last dB of IP3. This review spells it our for the 9500 and another for the 8600....https://www.qsl.net/n9ewo/icr9500.html

 

[VK3RX]

The R9500 was released in 2006/7 so its not surprising the R8600 is a leap forward in technology and specs. The R9500 is about twice the size and with the additional controls I find it far more user friendly. It is about 3 times the price though -

I have a few receivers here, and to tell the truth my favorite for HF voice comms is a venerable Yaesu FR-101D

 

[n2pqq]

There is a io groups for the Icom r9500

https://groups.io/g/r9500

 

[majoco]

VK3RX said:

my favorite for HF voice comms is a venerable Yaesu FR-101D

Doncha just love older receivers - here's mine, a JRC NRD515.

 

[VK3RX]

Very nice - I had one of those JRC combinations, and regret selling it. They were used by our aviation authority here, replacing the Eddystone 1830/1 units (one of which I have).

 

[cistercian]

VK3RX said:


Doncha just love older receivers - here's mine, a JRC NRD515.

I bought a 515 recently with the matching speaker and the 8kc, 6kc, and 2.6 kc filters. It was very inexpensive given current
prices and I have wanted one for years. HOLY COW what an epic SSB utility rig it is! Mine has great audio and is a joy for HF air and
marine monitoring. The design is old...they started selling in 1979. It is amazing how well it performs. I will never sell it.
An incredible receiver. Super hot front end, epic grade control feel and function. I always wondered why owners of them gushed
about them...now I know.

 

[cistercian]

The IC-R8600 is 4th on Rob Sherwood's receiver rankings. The IC-R9500 isn't in the top 25.

Of course, you have to take Mr. Sherwood's rankings with a grain of salt because you may get different results in your receiving situation.

Receiver Test Data

People place enormous weight on where a receiver places on the list. This is very silly because it clearly says
"Sorted by Third-Order Dynamic Range Narrow Spaced - or- ARRL RMDR (Reciprocal Mixing Dynamic Range) if Phase Noise Limited"
This is critical if you want to work CW pileups. For SSB reception by the time a station is 2 kc away sideband energy is in your passband
already. Receivers quite low on the list are fantastic pieces of intercept gear still. Blocking dynamic range is a critical value to know if you
live close to a broadcast station. A receiver with very high sensitivity can be of advantage if you have limited room for antennas.
Nothing is said about audio quality either. A combination of receiver performance parameters come together to make or break it for your application. It depends on what modes you need and your particular use case. The 9500 is a fabulous radio. I wish I had one!!!
The list is great for seeing the sensitivity, ultimate blocking performance, phase noise, ultimate selectivity, etc. It also reveals which manufacturers
measure optimistically or in some cases hilariously understate their radios performance. It is a great resource.