ACOM 1010: From (K7)C to Shining (WRT)C
The ACOM 1010 amplifier was an important part of
both the K7C DXpedition to Kure Atoll (www.cordell.org/
KURE/) in September and October 2005 and my recently
completed WRTC 2006 operation in Brazil (www.wrtc2006.
com) as PW5Q with Chris Hurlbut, KL9A. In both cases,
the amplifier gave a very good account of itself and proved
to be reliable and tolerant. Even though operated in conditions stressful to the amplifiers (hot and sandy on Kure) and
to the operators (quick setup and new antennas for WRTC)
there were no failures.
The ACOM packs a lot of punch in a reasonably sized
package. For DXpedition travel, the amplifiers fit in a single
shipping case and could be easily transported. The amp
meets the size and weight requirements for checked bag
gage, even with a shipping case. The 700 W output is only
half an S-unit down from a full gallon. This power level
proved to be perfectly sufficient for controlling pileups from
Kure and starting pileups from Brazil. Over the 12 days of
nearly continuous operating from broiling tents on Kure, the
amps put out full power at all times.
Tuning the ACOM is greatly assisted by the
tering” indicators (TRI feature) and the LED forward/reflect
ed power output displays. At WRTC, quick band changing
was very important. After we marked the
presets on the front panel, it was a simple matter to switch
and touch up the
ful of times we transmitted on the wrong antenna or did
some other dumb thing, the protective circuitry prevented
any damage to the amp, taking it off-line and reactivating it
a few seconds later.
LOAD control in a few seconds. The hand-
LOAD “cen-
TUNE and LOAD
-
-
JAN-ERIC REHM, SM3CER
Figure A — Chris, KL9A, operating at PW5Q with the compact
ACOM 1010 amp located between the run (left) and multiplier
(right) stations. Aluminum foil on the shelf provided a
temporary RF ground for the amp and filters.
Anyone who has set up a portable or temporary station
knows that compromise antennas are often required or
the circumstances of installation may cause uncomfortably
high SWR at times. The ACOM’s ability to tune up and
operate with a significant amount of reflected power (up to
250 W) was important at both K7C and PW5Q. We did not
have to spend valuable time trying to move an antenna’s
low SWR point — we just operated!
While at home I’m an enthusiastic low-power or QRP
operator, on contest or DXing expeditions it’s important
to put out a strong signal to be heard clearly. The ACOM
1010 allows you to accomplish just that without breaking
the bank or your suitcase arm. — Ward Silver, NØAX
as well as a simplified schematic diagram. According to the manual, detailed schematics are
available from ACOM upon request.
The manual offers quite a few warnings
and cautions, and they’re well worth reading
to avoid hurting the amplifier or yourself.
The only thing I found a little surprising is in
the Tube Replacement section. The manual
notes that tube replacement is a “complex
and potentially dangerous operation that in
volves adjustment of the plate idling current.
This should not be attempted by the user.”
Parting Thoughts
The ACOM 1010 performed very well
in my home station. The 1010 seems to loaf
along at its rated 700 W on SSB/CW and
500 W on RTTY. I’d rate the fan noise as
average. Although it isn’t bothersome, it is
more noticeable than other ACOM ampli
fiers I’ve used.
At first I was a bit skeptical of using
rows of LEDs rather than analog meters for
tuning and operation. With the 1010 tuned
up according to the procedures outlined
in the manual, I used the service mode to
check grid current and plate current. The
parameters were always within the normal
ranges outlined in the manual, so after a
while I realized that I should just oper
ate and rely on the LEDs and protection
circuitry to let me know if anything runs
amok. When one of the yellow LEDs on
TRI
indicator starts to flicker, it’s time
the
-
to touch up the
LOAD
control or readjust the
antenna tuner.
Of course the 1010 really shines away
from home. QST Contributing Editor Ward
Ø
Silver, N
AX, describes his experiences in
the sidebar “ACOM 1010: From (K7)C to
Shining (WRT)C.”
US Distributor: ACOM International,
4 Marc Rd, Medway, MA 02053, tel 508533-7665; fax 508-533-7707; www.hfpower.
com
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.
ICOM IC-91A Dual Band Handheld Transceiver
Reviewed by Dan Henderson, N1ND
ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist
Small enough to fit in your coat pocket,
the IC-91 comes in two flavors. The model
reviewed is the IC-91A, a traditional analog
dual band handheld FM transceiver with 5
W of power on transmit, a wideband receiver
and a host of other features. ICOM also
offers the IC-91AD, which incorporates
D-STAR digital voice and data features.
An IC-91A can be upgraded to a D-STAR
capable ’AD version with the optional
UT-121 digital unit. See the June 2005 Prod
uct Review column for more information on
the D-STAR system.
3
W. Silver, “D-STAR Digital Voice and Data — An
Overview,” Product Review, QST, Jun 2005,
pp 67-69. This column also includes testing of
the UT-118 digital voice module with an ICOM
2 meter handheld. QST Product Reviews
are available on the Web at www.arrl.org/
members-only/prodrev/.
3
Charge it Up
-
Like most modern handhelds, the IC91A uses a compact, high capacity lithiumion battery pack. A full charge for the
7.4 V, 1300 mAh battery pack takes about
6 hours with the included BC-167A/D wall
charger. If you want something quicker, try
the optional BC-139 drop-in charger for a
full charge in about 2.5 hours. The battery
also charges whenever the radio is connected
to a 10 to 16 V dc source, and ICOM offers
From December 2006 © ARRL
several optional cigarette lighter adapters
100 800
Snd
245
Audio Output (mW)
250
50
T-R
194
Tx-Rx Turnaround Time (ms)
70 cm
2 M
Key:
† Off Scale
60 110
Img
Image Rejection (dB)
60
110
IF
40
70
I
3
Rx
I
3
Rx
ChRej
50
90
59
Adjacent Channel Rejection (dB)
0.25
0.12
55@20 kHz
73@10 MHz
101
95
0.1
SINAD
Receiver Sensitivity (12 dB SINAD, µV)
60
90
Receiver 3rd-Order Dynamic Range (dB)
Receiver 3rd-Order Dynamic Range (dB)
IF Rejection (dB)
0.14
65@10 MHz
56@20 kHz
59
119
94
194
†
pr014
245
and dc power supply cables.
The IC-91A operates at 5 W on high
power and 0.5 W on low power and incorpo
rates several features to conserve battery life.
Radio specs call for approximately 5 hours
of battery life during normal analog opera
tion on VHF and 4.5 hours on UHF. Subtract
about half an hour for the D-STAR version.
Those figures are based on 10% high power
transmit, 10% receive and 80% standby and
will vary with actual operating habits.
The N1ND Reality Test
As noted in previous reviews, my very
first “reality test” for a new radio is “how
quickly can I get on the air with it and have
some fun?” Options and features are nice,
but the bottom line for any radio is the ease
with which you can use it to communicate.
The IC-91A has the usual assortment of
function keys that allow you to program and
operate the radio. There’s a dual function
knob on top of the unit and PTT and squelch
buttons on the left side. Even for basic op
eration you will want to spend some time
familiarizing yourself with the most com
monly used buttons and combinations.
After spending a couple of minutes
reviewing the manual, I powered up the
radio and set out to access a
local repeater. First, I selected
144 MHz as my active VFO
by pushing the
MAIN button
located directly beneath the
PWR button until the main
display showed the desired
band. Then I used the larg
er dial on top of the radio,
turning it until the desired
frequency was displayed.
A quick adjustment of
the
VOL control (a real
knob that turns instead
of up and down push
buttons) and I was
ready to give the IC91A what my
From December 2006 © ARRL
-
Elmer jokingly referred to as “the smoke
test.”
I keyed the mike, gave my call sign and
-
waited for a reply. As you would hope, I
got a quick response and enjoyed a brief
chat with a friend who gave the audio
-
good marks. After the initial operation on
2 meters, I tried 70 cm with similar results.
I was pleased with the
received audio of the
radio. The quality of the audio was solid
— very acceptable for a small speaker built
into a handheld.
I was struck by how comfortable the
IC-91A felt to operate. Some of the hand
helds on the market have an almost too-
-
delicate feel, almost like razor-thin cell
phones. Others really seem bulky in my
hand, similar to the handhelds of decades
ago. This radio fit nicely into my hand
without an awkward feeling. With the belt
clip attached, its light weight didn’t leave me
needing to hitch up my pants frequently.
The IC-91A passed the initial test with
flying colors and it was time to move on to
-
examining the more detailed operations of
the radio.
-
Digging Deeper
Most modern handhelds in a particular
category offer nearly identical “bells and
whistles.” That said, the ease of selecting
and using the particular features important
to the user becomes a key component in
choosing the right radio.
One thing I look for is the ease with
which I can navigate not only the radio, but
also the instruction manual. ICOM does an
excellent job of presenting the information in
its 124 page manual, along with clear illus
trations and good step-by-step instructions.
The only addition I would make is an index.
A PDF version of the manual is available for
free download from www.icomamerica.
com and is worth a look to understand all
that this radio offers.
ICOM has included a useful and intuitive on-screen programming system for ac
cessing the special features in the IC-91A.
It takes more effort to explain the process
than it does to actually select and set up the
features from the
MENU screen.
DTMF and tone squelch (CTCSS/
DTCS), once considered an option in VHF/
UHF FM transceivers, are now the norm.
More and more repeaters require a tone for
access to reduce interference and to allow
frequency coordinators to accommodate
more repeaters in an already tightly packed
spectrum. The IC-91A makes programming
these subaudible tones easy using the onscreen
MENU function.
You needn’t worry about having enough
channels for memory storage, as you have
some 1300 available. Memory channels
-
-
Bottom Line
The ICOM IC-91A handheld
transceiver packs good perfor
mance, ease of operation, wide
receive coverage and optional digital
voice in a convenient package.
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