KC7RYN IC-2100H Review
An in-depth look at the Icom IC-2100H 2m mobile transceiver's features and performance.
Description
Examines the Icom IC-2100H 2-meter mobile transceiver, detailing its operational characteristics and user experience. The review highlights the clear, easy-to-read display with internal labels, the button-filled microphone's functionality, and the rig's physical construction, including its weighty heat-sink and lack of a cooling fan. It also discusses memory programming, the unique amber-to-green backlight color options, and the radio's performance against intermodulation in urban environments, noting it performs "pretty darn good" compared to other rigs.
The analysis delves into a significant low-voltage cutoff problem, where the microphone ceases to function below approximately 12.6 VDC, rendering the radio receive-only or causing it to stick in transmit. The author describes testing the voltage cutoff, observing it fluctuate from 12.38 VDC to 12.69 VDC. An update from Icom involved a "factory update" to the CPU's control code, which is strongly recommended for early-serial number units to prevent operational failure in low-power emergency scenarios.