Icom IC-706MKIIG 15/17 Meter Instability Fix
Phil Salas – AD5X
Some IC-706MKIIG transceivers experience instability problems on 15- and 17-meters,
generally when the SWR is above 2:1. Icom recognized this and put out Service Bulletin
#928 which addresses this problem by having you solder a ground spring (MP5) to a
specific location on the filter board as shown below.
Cover
Mounting
Post
Fan
Besides the hassle and cost of ordering this ground spring (shipping is many times the
cost of the spring), I found that soldering this tiny spring in place so that it makes good
contact with the adjacent aluminum wall or cover is not easy, at least for me. So I came
up with a simpler way. I just mounted a #4 solder lug under the left fan screw (looking at
the picture above), and bent the solder lug around the wall as shown in the photos below.
Then I soldered a short piece of 18-gauge copper wire from the solder lug to the pad on
the printed circuit board. The easiest way to do this is to extend a long piece of the wire
through the solder lug and solder down the end to the pc board pad. Then solder the wire
to the solder lug and cut off the excess length. Very easy to do and takes just a few
minutes. Results? No more instability problems.
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