Icom IC-A14S, IC-A14 User Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

VHF AIR BAND TRANSCEIVER

iA14
iA14S

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the condition
that this device does not cause harmful inter­ference.

YIC-A14 YIC-A14S

SAFETY TRAINING INFORMATION

W ARNIN G

CAU TIO N

Your Icom radio generates RF electromagnetic energy dur­ing transmit mode. This radio is designed for and classified
as “Occupational Use Only”, meaning it must be used only
during the course of employment by individuals aware of the
hazards, and the ways to minimize such hazards. This radio
is NOT intended for use by the “General Population” in an
uncontrolled environment.

This radio has been evaluated for compliance at the distance of 2.5 cm with
the FCC RF exposure limits for “Occupational Use Only”. In addition, your
Icom radio complies with the following Standards and Guidelines with regard
to RF energy and electromagnetic energy levels and evaluation of such levels
for exposure to humans:

• FCC OET Bulletin 65 Edition 97-01 Supplement C, Evaluating Com
pliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radio Frequency
Electromagnetic Fields.

• American National Standards Institute (C95.1-1992), IEEE Standard
for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency
Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz.

• American National Standards Institute (C95. 3-1992), I EEE Recom
mended Practice for the Measurement of Potentially Hazardous Electro­magnetic Fields– RF and Microwave.

• The following accessories are authorized for use with this product. Use
of accessories other than those specified may result in RF exposure lev­els exceeding the FCC requirements for wireless RF exposure.; Belt
Clip (MB-94/96F) and Rechargeable L i-io n Battery Pack (BP-230N/
232N).

To ensure that your expose to RF electromagnetic en­ergy is within the FCC allowable limits for occupational
use, always adhere to the following guidelines:

•

DO NOT operate the radio without a proper antenna attached, as this
may damage the radio and may also cause you to exceed FCC RF ex­posure limits. A proper antenna is the antenna supplied with this radio
by the manufacturer or antenna specifically authorized by the manufac­turer for use with this radio.

•

DO NOT transmit for more than 50% of total radio use time (“50% duty
cycle”). Transmitting more than 50% of the time can cause FCC RF ex­posure compliance requirements to be exceeded. The radio is transmit­ting when “ ” appears on the function display. You can cause the
radio to transmit by pressing the “PTT” switch.

•

ALWAYS keep the antenna at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) away from the body

-

-

when transmitting and only use the Icom belt-clips which are listed on
page 36 when attaching the radio to your belt, etc., to ensure FCC RF
exposure compliance requirements are not exceeded. To provide the re­cipients of your transmission the best sound quality, hold the antenna at
least 5 cm (2 inches) from your mouth, and slightly off to one side.

The information listed above provides the user with the information needed
to make him or her aware of RF exposure, and what to do to assure that this
radio operates with the FCC RF exposure limits of this radio.

Electromagnetic Interference/Compatibility

During transmissions, your Icom radio generates RF energy that can possibly
cause interference with other devices or systems. To avoid such interference,
turn off the radio in areas where signs are posted to do so. DO NOT operate
the transmitter in areas that are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation such as
hospitals and blasting sites.

Occupational/Controlled Use

The radio transmitter is used in situations in which persons are exposed as
consequence of their employment provided those persons are fully aware of
the potential for exposure and can exercise control over their exposure.

i

FOREWORD

WORD

DEFINITION

RWARNING

CAUTION

NOTE

Personal injury, fire hazard or electric shock
may occur.

If disregarded, inconvenience only. No risk
of personal injury, fire or electric shock.

Equipment damage may occur.

q w

t y

e

r

SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES

Thank you for purchasing this Icom product. The IC-A14/S
VHF AIR BAND TRANSCEIVER is designed and built with
Icom’s state of the art technology and craftsmanship. With
proper care this product should provide you with years of
trouble-free operation.

IMPORTANT

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS carefully and completely

before using the transceiver.

SAVE THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL— This in-

struction manual contains important operating instructions
for the IC-A14/S.

EXPLICIT DEFINITIONS

The following accessories are supplied with the transceiver.

Qty.

q Flexible antenna ............................................................. 1

w Battery pack ................................................................... 1

e Belt clip .......................................................................... 1

r Hand strap ..................................................................... 1

t Battery charger .............................................................. 1

y AC adapter ..................................................................... 1

ii

PRECAUTION

R WARNING! NEVER hold the transceiver so that the

antenna is very close to, or touching exposed parts of the
body, especially the face or eyes, while transmitting. The
transceiver will perform best if the microphone is 5 to 10 cm

31

(2

⁄32 to 315⁄16 inch) away from the lips and the transceiver is

vertical.

DO NOT using or placing the transceiver in direct sunlight

or in areas with temperatures below –10°C (+14°F) or above
+60°C (+140°F).

KEEP the transceiver away from the heavy rain, and
NEVER immerse it in the water. The transceiver construc-

tion is water resistant, not waterproof.

R WARNING! NEVER operate the transceiver with a

headset or other audio accessories at high volume levels.
Hearing experts advise against continuous high volume op­eration. If you experience a ringing in your ears, reduce the
volume level or discontinue use.

NEVER short the terminals of the battery pack. Also, cur-

rent may flow into nearby metal objects, such as a necklace,
etc. Therefore, be careful when carrying with, or placing
near metal objects, carrying in handbags, etc.

NEVER use of non-Icom battery packs/chargers to prevent

the loss of the transceiver’s good performance and warranty.

DO NOT allow children to play with any radio equipment

containing a transmitter.

DO NOT operate the transceiver near unshielded electri-

cal blasting caps or in an explosive atmosphere.

iii

FCC caution: Changes or modifications to this transceiver, not
expressly approved by Icom Inc., could void your authority to
operate this transceiver under FCC regulations. (U.S.A. only)

Icom, Icom Inc. and the logo are registered trademarks of Icom Incor­porated (Japan) in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France,
Spain, Russia and/or other countries.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SAFETY TRAINING INFORMATION ������������ i

FOREWORD ����������������������� ii

IMPORTANT ����������������������� ii

EXPLICIT DEFINITIONS ����������������� ii

SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES ���������������� ii

PRECAUTION ���������������������� iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ������������������ iv

1

PANEL DESCRIPTION ��������������� 1–5

n Panel description ������������������ 1
n Function display ������������������� 5

2

ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT ������������ 6–7

3

BASIC OPERATION ���������������� 8–11

n Setting a frequency ����������������� 8
n Setting a squelch level ���������������� 9
n Lock function �������������������� 9
n Receiving �������������������� 10
n Transmitting ������������������� 10
n Side tone function ����������������� 11
n LCD backlight ������������������� 11
n Low battery indicator ���������������� 11

4

MEMORY OPERATION �������������� 12–17

n Memory channel selection ������������� 12
n Memory bank selection (Available with the IC-A14 only) 12
n Programming a memory channel ���������� 13
n Memory names ������������������ 15
n Copying memory contents ������������� 16

n

Clearing the memory contents (Available with the IC-A14 only)
�������������������������� 17

5 SCAN OPERATION ���������������� 18–20

n Scan types �������������������� 18
n COM band scan ������������������ 18
n Memory scan ������������������� 19
n Weather channel scan (Available with the IC-A14 only) � 19
n “TAG” channel setting ��������������� 20

6

OTHER FUNCTIONS ��������������� 21–26

n Home function ������������������ 21
n Accessing 121.5 MHz emergency frequency

(Available with the IC-A14 only) ����������� 21

n Key touch beep tone ���������������� 22
n ANL function ������������������� 22
n Weather channel operation (Available with the IC-A14 only)

������������������������� 23

n Duplex operation (Available with the IC-A14 only) ��� 24
n Set mode setting ����������������� 25

7

BATTERY PACKS ���������������� 27–31

n Battery charging ������������������ 27
n Charging the battery ���������������� 29

8

CLONING �������������������� 32–33

9

TROUBLESHOOTING ���������������� 34

10

SPECIFICATIONS ������������������ 35

11

OPTIONS ��������������������� 36

12

OPTIONAL HEADSET CONNECTION ��������� 37

iv

q

w

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e

!0

Function
display (p. 5)

o
i
u

Microphone

Speaker

!1

t

y

1

PANEL DESCRIPTION

n Panel description

q ANTENNA CONNECTOR [ANT] (p. 6)
Connects the supplied antenna.

w KEY LOCK SWITCH [ ] (p. 9)
 Push to turning the key lock function ON.
 Push and hold for 2 sec. to turning the key lock func-

tion OFF.

e LIGHT SWITCH [LIGHT]
Push to toggles the LCD backlight ON and OFF. (p. 11)

For IC-A14S only
During memory mode, push and hold for 2 sec. to turn

the “TAG” setting ON and OFF. (p. 20)

r PTT SWITCH [PTT]
Push and hold to transmit; release to receive.

t SQUELCH UP/DOWN KEYS [SQLY]/ [SQLZ] (p. 9)
Push either key to select the squelch level.

• 10 squelch levels, 1–10, and squelch open, 0, are available.

y UP/DOWN KEYS [Y]/[Z]
 Push to change or select the operating frequency,

memory channel, set mode setting, etc. (p. 8)

 While scanning, push to change the scanning direc-

tion. (pgs. 18, 19)

For IC-A14S only
Push and hold for 1 sec. to start scanning. (pgs. 18, 19)

1

PANEL DESCRIPTION

Jack cover

NOTE: Attach the jack
cover when the optional
equipment is not used.

1

1

u KEYPAD (Available with the IC-A14 only; pgs. 3, 4)

i MEMORY MODE/MEMORY WRITE KEY [MR]/[MW]

Push to select memory mode. (p. 12)

For IC-A14

 Push [FUNC] then push this key enters select memory

write mode. (p. 13)

 During memory mode, push [FUNC] then push this

key to copy the memory content into frequency mode.
(p. 16)

For IC-A14S

 Push and hold for 1 sec. to enter select memory write

mode. (p. 14)

 During memory mode, push and hold for 1 sec. to

copy the memory content into frequency mode. (p. 16)

o CLEAR/HOME SWITCH [CLR]/[HOME]
 Push to select frequency mode. (p. 8)
 Push and hold for 2 sec. to resetting the transceiver

into the user-default condition without memory con­tents (home function). (p. 21)

!0 EXTERNAL SPEAKER AND MICROPHONE JACKS

[MIC/SP] (p. 37)

Connects the optional speaker microphone or a headset

using with the optional OPC-499 HEADSET ADAPTER, if
desired.

NEVER connect an optional speaker-microphone,
headset adapter, etc. while the transceiver power is
ON.

!1 VOLUME CONTROL KNOB [VOL]
Rotate to turn the transceiver power ON/OFF and adjusts

the audio level.

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

2

PANEL DESCRIPTION

1

D KEYPAD (Available with IC-A14 only)



Inputs digit “1” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “1,” “Q,” or “Z” during memory name pro­gramming.

 After pushing [FUNC], turns the ANL (Automatic

Noise Limiter) function ON and OFF. (p. 22)



Inputs digit “2” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “2,” “A,” “B,” or “C” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], starts the scan. (pgs. 18,

19)



Inputs digit “3” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “3,” “D,” “E,” or “F” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], selects memory bank

mode, during memory mode. (p. 12)



Inputs digit “4” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “4,” “G,” “H,” or “I” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], turns the weather alert

function ON and OFF. (p. 23)

(p. 15)

(p. 15)

(p. 15)

(p. 15)



Inputs digit “5” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “5,” “J,” “K,” or “L” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], enters duplex transmit

frequency programming condition, during NAVI
band operation. (p. 24)



Inputs digit “6” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “6,” “M,” “N,” or “O” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], selects duplex operation

during NAVI band operation. (p. 24)



Inputs digit “7” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “7,” “P,” “R,” or “S” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], selects weather channel

mode. (p. 23)



Inputs digit “8” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “8,” “T,” “U,” or “V” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], key touch beep output ON

and OFF. (p. 22)

(p. 15)

(p. 15)

(p. 15)

(p. 15)

3



Inputs digit “9” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “9,” “W,” “X,” or “Y” during memory name
programming.

 After pushing [FUNC], toggles scan tag setting

ON and OFF. (p. 20)



Inputs digit “0” for frequency input or memory
channel selection, etc. (pgs. 8, 12)



Inputs “0,” “space” or “–” during memory name
programming. (p. 15)

 After pushing [FUNC], selects the emergency

frequency, 121.500 MHz. (p. 21)

 Completes the numeral input for frequency or

memory channel number, etc. Enters consecu­tive zero into the following digits.

 After pushing [FUNC], push and hold for 1 sec.

to entering into set mode.

 Push to call up the function indicator, “F”, then

push another key to access its secondary func­tion.

(p. 15)

(pgs. 8, 12)

(p. 25)

PANEL DESCRIPTION

1

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

4

PANEL DESCRIPTION

q w e r t y u i o

!1

!0

1

n Function display

y DUPLEX INDICATOR (IC-A14 only) (p. 24)
 Appears when the duplex function is activate.
 Blinks while setting the duplex frequency.

u ANL INDICATOR (p. 22)
Appears when the ANL (Automatic Noise Limiter) func

tion is in use.

i WEATHER ALERT INDICATOR (IC-A14 only) (p. 23)
Appears when the weather alert function is in use.

-

q FUNCTION INDICATOR
Appears when

w MEMORY INDICATOR (p. 12)
Appears when memory channel mode is selected.

e TAG INDICATOR (p. 20)
Appears when the selected memory channel is set as a

TAG channel.

5

r RX INDICATOR (p. 10)
Appears when receiving a signal or when the squelch

opens.

t TX INDICATOR (p. 10)
Appears while transmitting.

[FUNC] is pushed.

o LOCK INDICATOR (p. 9)
Appears when the lock function is in use.

!0 LOW BATTERY INDICATOR (p. 11)
 Appears when the battery is nearing exhaustion. The

attached battery pack requires recharging when this
indicator ON.

 Blinks when battery replacement is necessary.

!1 FREQUENCY READOUT

Sho ws the op erat i ng fr e quen cy, me m ory c h anne l

number, memory name, set mode item, etc., depending
on the selected condition.

ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT

q

w

2

D Antenna

Insert the supplied antenna into the
antenna connector and screw down
the antenna as shown at right.

CAUTION!

•

NEVER carry the transceiver by
the antenna.

DO NO T t r a n s mit w ithout an

•
antenna. Otherwise the transceiv­er may be damaged.

D Belt clip

Conveniently attaches to your belt.
Attach the belt clip as described below.

q Release the battery pack if it is attached.
w Slide the belt clip in the direction of the arrow until the belt

clip is locked and makes a ‘click’ sound.

- When detaching the belt clip

q Release the battery pack if it is attached.
w Pinch the clip (q), and slide the belt clip in the direction

of the arrow (w).

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

6

ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT

q

w

Battery release button

2

D Battery pack attachment

Turn the transceiver power OFF with [VOL] before attach­ing or detaching the battery pack.

Slide the battery pack in the direction of the arrow (q), then
lock it with the battery release button.

• Slide the battery pack until the battery release button makes a
‘click’ sound.

To release the battery pack:

Slide the battery release button in the direction of the arrow
(w) as shown in the illustration at right. The battery pack is
then released.

NEVER release or attach the batter y pack when the
transceiver is wet or soiled. This may result water or dust
getting into the transceiver/battery pack and may result in
the transceiver being damaged.

For your information

If the transceiver power cannot be turned ON when replac­ing with the fully charged battery pack, perform as follow.
Detach the bat tery pack and wait for a while (approx.

10 sec.), then attach the battery pack then turn power ON.

7

BASIC OPERATION

[VOL]

[FUNC]

[Z]

[ENT]

[CLR]

[Y]

Keypad

3

n Setting a frequency

D Using [Y]/[Z] keys

q Rotate [VOL] to turn power ON, then push [CLR] to se-

lect the frequency mode when memory CH number or
WX CH number appears on the function display.

w Push [Y]/[Z] to set the desired frequency.

- For IC-A14 only -

• 1 MHz tuning step is available with the IC-A14; push

[FUNC], then push [Y]/[Z]. Push [FUNC] again to re-

turn the normal tuning.

D Using keypad (IC-A14 only)

q Rotate [VOL] to turn power ON, then push [CLR] to se-

lect the frequency mode when memory CH number or
WX CH number appears on the function display.

w Push 5 appropriate digit keys to input the frequency.

• Push [1] as the 1st digit.

• When a wrong digit is input, push [CLR] to clear, then repeat

step w again.

• Push [ENT] to enter consecutive zero digits.

• Only [2], [5], [7] and [0] can be entered as the 5th and final
digit.

[EXAMPLE]

• 111.225 MHz: Push

• 117.250 MHz: Push

• 120.000 MHz: Push

• 125.300 MHz: Push

[1], [1], [1], [2], [2]
[1], [1], [7], [2], [5]
[1], [2], [ENT]
[1], [2], [5], [3], [ENT]

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

8

BASIC OPERATION

[SQLY]

“SQL-- 0”; Squelch open

[SQLZ]

[ ]

Appears while key lock

function is activated.

3

n Setting a squelch level

The transceiver has a noise squelch circuit to mute unde­sired noise while receiving no signal.

q Push [SQLY] or [SQLZ] to select the squelch level.

• ‘SQL--0’ is open squelch and ‘SQL--10’ is tight squelch.

• “

w

” indicator appears while the squelch is open.

Wait for 1 sec. to return to the previous indication.

n Lock function

The lock function prevents accidental frequency changes
and accidental function activation.

q Push [ ] to turn the lock function ON.

• “
w To turn the function OFF, push and hold [ ] for 2 sec.

• “

” indicator appears.

” indicator disappears.

9