THE ICOM IC-R20 Nightmare
Gizzard Puke
Pro 2005 Having being new to scanners n such it took me a few days with the
help of the manual to learn how to enter freqencies, scan channels, search
between 2 frequency ranges, Program channels in to banks, how to use banks
etc etc whereby the manual was only reffered to occasionaly as the pro2005
worked in a logical way........Great..
Fast Forward 20 years To the much advanced technology & user friendlyness of
todays Scanners. & gizmo's ???
Enter the ICOM IC-R20 Super fabtastic wide ranging singing dancing wet dream
of a handheld scanner........Yeah Right
For The the Ripp off sum of �314.95 this is what you get as well as the
above.
A total load of bollocks, Not one peice of logic went into the design, If
you expect to get into all the action without missing anything, Well think
again!!!! for a start youll need to go through a deep meditation session
each time you face the user manual youi wont progress or understand anything
its trying to tell you but it might help you n stop you thowing the thing at
the wall at the sheer frustration of trying to grasp atleast a modicum of
what you are doing when you press one of the many multifunctioned 1 sec or 2
sec's time pressed has different funtion nuttons...Im on my second week
now.............Still no further understanding this �300 rubiks cube,,,And
now im thinking of setting up an ICOM IC-R20 Self help n Recovery group//
I gave up trying to understand it now i just press a button to see what
happens if i pick something up its a bonus, but holding my head in
different directions i dont know whick is best the ICOM or one of my amalgum
fillings...
IanT
"Gizzard Puke" <m...@work.com> wrote in message
news:avOWm.82325$QH6....@newsfe28.ams2...
> Well during the late 80's n early 90's I bought my first Scanner =
> Realistic Pro 2005 Having being new to scanners n such it took me a few
> days with the help of the manual to learn how to enter freqencies, scan
> channels, search between 2 frequency ranges, Program channels in to banks,
> how to use banks etc etc whereby the manual was only reffered to
> occasionaly as the pro2005 worked in a logical way........Great..
>
> Fast Forward 20 years To the much advanced technology & user friendlyness
> of todays Scanners. & gizmo's ???
>
> Enter the ICOM IC-R20 Super fabtastic wide ranging singing dancing wet
> dream of a handheld scanner........Yeah Right
>
> For The the Ripp off sum of �314.95 this is what you get as well as the
> above.
>
What is the problem you are having with it? Is it entering the frequencies
or
channels? You might find in 20 years that a lot of what you used to listen
to
has vanished to "o2-Airwave" or other digital and/or data systems. I got a
Pro34 when it was first sold in 1988 and used that for 20 years non-stop.
It
was brilliant, but as the years went by the number of things that could be
listened to also went. First it was mobile phones, they vanished from
800+MHz
and then things like PMR services went. Finally a few years ago all the
emergency
service traffic vanished. So the only thing the scanner was good for was
aircraft and PMR446 and the occasional POCSAG pager data using a
modification
and also computer program. I would say that about 5 years ago if you bought
a
scaner you would think your aerial was faulty or the scanner was broken.
Now even the TV audio has gone! So mine is sitting in the original box in
the
loft as it's useless. In November 1988 it cost �249 from Tandy.
Even taxis have gone digital and with the cheap cost of mobiles it has put
the
PMR business "out of business".
So I am not sure if you are disappointed with not being able to master a
function as described in the handbook or whether you are annoyed at
possibly being misled in to thinking there was still anything you would be
able
to listen to.
If I paid that much for a scanner now I would also be annoyed to monitor
frequencies that are no longer used.
Gizzard Puke
the problem as Im also interested in Shortwave listening....marine ship to
ship, n ship to shore comms,radio hams, Transatlantic airband plus still
some interesting stuff on the HF bands...........The problem is with the way
the scanner/reciever works & the dire attempt at a explainable user
manual.... The problem is with the confusing terms Icom use for simple
things like Channels = Icom version = memory mode numbers, then theres
search from-to = Icom version = Scan edge A, Scan edge B....not search a-b
but scan edge a-b???? Preset frequency ranges are called bands but are
not really preset as are changable.....Then theres user programable bands
that are in fact "scan edges" and cant be accesed from the bands button, but
from the memory mode button......Then theres the scan button,,,,,,
scan-band, scan-bank scan-all, scan programmed band or bank..... Icom keeps
refering to VFO Mode & Memory Mode but no icon on the display lets you know
what mode your in!!! To actually stop the scanner when scanning on a channel
you want to listen to before it carries on, is also a challenge for the
unawares,,,,,,,instead of a stop or monitor button, Icom thinks its better
to open the squelch by holding the side buuton down,,,,,Took me a few day to
realise there is a button to stop the scanner on a channel,,,,,Its Called
"duel watch" ok i though just press duel watch again to carry on scanning
form last listened channel? WRONG,,,,,,,,,,,,all u get is a bleep....You
have to press mode scan, as long as you didnt touch any thing before that
that should restart the scan? A total confused mess of a design...I might be
lucky i may have sussed it out before everything transmitted is digital
LOL...Oh yes Im looking forward to tackling how to put a set of frequencies
into one of ICOMS 26 dynamic Banks that go from,,,, Have a guess 0-25? NO NO
NO 1-26? NO NO NO But yes you guessed it A-Z so logical,,,,,unless you live
in China where they have god knows how many letters in their
alphabet...........anyway time for some more OMMMM OMMM OMMM Meditation as
the thought of the next task is making me ill....
"IanT" <noe...@email.co.uk> wrote in message
news:hggqnn$fjg$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Greg
Gizzard Puke
has used thinks was great & superb value....
Then there's the Name Snobs, Ya know those who think if something says ICOM
Yeasu Kenwood etc its got to be good......... so they buy one & like saying
how much it cost them....but not admitting their disappointment after
comparing to stuff much cheaper........ So If i was going for a Hf 0-30mhz
Comms receiver Id go for a Realistic pro 394 Same with the scanner Id go for
a realistic pro 2006,,,,Save all those dollars/Pounds n buy a better antenna
system instead of a NAME
So lets here some positive things about the ICOM IC-R20 from anyone out
there to maybe alter my opinion.... Perhaps no one out there who bought one
doesn't want to admit that its lost them as far as driving it....Oh another
little titbit computer control??? forget that to nothing works without hours
of tweaks searching for the free software that no one can find without
paying for it,,,,& not to mention software that is supposed to be compatible
not or ever working........
There is one thing that seems to work as one would expect, n that the built
in digital recorder.....As to record you press record HALLELUJJA & that what
it does.....But setting it to record on an open squelch or changing the
record quality now that another matter I haven't even looked at yet....
Dont get me wrong if ICOM or someone could write a user manual that helped
you understand what the thing was doing & how you could make it do what you
wanted to do that would be so much better...I'm not stupid I know there are
folks out there with one of these who have gave up on it, or use it the best
way they can, but without the superdupa functions it has being used..
What with the multi function buttons n useful features hidden in the
extended menu This only leaves you either looking at the manual or trying
to suss it out yourself either way while you doing this,,,,,your not
enjoying your scanner/receiver for the intended purpose you bought it....And
that is to Listen to it........End of Nuff said
"Greg" <nos...@noreply.com> wrote in message
news:Tu8Xm.13752$U5.2...@newsb.telia.net...
Brian Gregory [UK]
The first scanner I bought, around 25 years ago, I had to return it because
I simply could not understand how to work it (I'm afraid I can't remember
what it was called). I swapped it for a Yupiteru which was much easier.
--
Brian Gregory. (In the UK)
n...@bgdsv.co.uk
To email me remove the letter vee.
Steve
>reading the manual I nearly had a seizure!!! I dont think I will ever be
>able to figure out how to programme in memory banks and edge scans, I was
>really hoping someone had done a YouTube video showing how to use the R20,
>but unfortunatley not.
Well i'm going to keep trying work it out, and keep hitting the factory
reset button when I make a mess of it LOL.
Steve.
Gizzard Puke
imagine if those functions wasnt there,,,,,,I think a warning for anyone who
may have a nervous disposition, Or sufferes bouts of manic depression should
stay away from the Icom ic-r20 as im sure if i wasnt on prozac three
occurances may have taken place, 1. i would have been found in the dark
crying curled up in a ball 2. The thing would have been launched through the
lounge window & broken into thousands of pieces while im doing the irish jig
punching the air shouting die you B****rd. LOL or 3. Joined my fellow ex
owners amongst the whimpers n whispers of "scan edge a, scan edge b, vfo
mode, memory mode" in treatment n recovery at the local padded cells. With
the aid of some relaxing & theraputic reading matter..."how to change a
light bulb" Ahhhhhhh Bliss
"Steve" <bl...@blank.com> wrote in message
news:SgvZm.2349$0I7....@newsfe16.ams2...
Steve
write the user manual, they should employ goldfish IQ folks like me to write
the manual, then all folks could understand it LOL.
The good news is after about 24hrs of brain storming, I finally find I am
begining to learn how to do a few basic things with the R20, its all about
pressing a button and turning a dial and giving a frequency a channel number
before moving it around,thats what ive found.
=======================================
"Gizzard Puke" <m...@work.com> wrote in message
news:5txZm.430$yf6...@newsfe11.ams2...
Tony
I must say I agree with you. I had one here last year (not my own) but it
was here because the owner had no idea how to use it and set it up. I did
master it, and sucessfully entered over 150 memories including some that
were splits etc, and I even managed to enter name tags and little logos for
the various services. However this was no easy task and it took me several
nights to do the job. A few weeks later the person who owned it called
round to ask me if I could 'DO IT AGAIN' as they had reset it somehow by
mistake. I wont be doing it again!!!! It was not a job I would want to do
twice.......
I understand that it can be set up using a USB data cable and a PC. Maybe
that would be your best option maybe?
I wont be exploring this option though as I have no interest in getting
involved with it anymore.
