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fastened somewhere in the trunk or rear of the
vehicle.
The front 01 Interface B contains a removable
panel that allows interconnection of
the various band units, and there are plenty to
choose from, according to the owner's
manual. When I received the test unit, the only
module available was Ihe UX-29A 2 meter
module. Since then, other models have been
introduced for operation on 28 MHz, 50 MHz,
220 MHz, 440 MHz and 1260 MHz. A small
joint cable is needed between the selected
band unit and Interface B. A front-panel LED
verifies that power is on.
Finally, the UX-29A and other band units
nestle atop Interface B and can be secured to
it with the supplied brackets . Incidentally,
these brackets look as if they'll allow up to
three band units to be chained logether, so
more brackets would be required to enable
additonal bands. As I mentioned, the short
ribbon cable connects the first band unit to
Interface B. Each ad ded band unit daisychains
to the preceeding one with a similar
jumper. Finally, a srort length of coax with
either type N or UHF connectors mates with
the antenna of your choice.
Impressions
Still trying to make sense of all the previous
paragraphs? I'll adm it I spent a few
hours staring at all of these interface units,
wires and lots of hardware trying to make
sense of it. After all, I reasoned, why would
anyone want to spend the extra money to
wire all of this into their car just to get on 2
meters? Deb Davis at ICOM said , however,
there is, indeed, a demand for a remote, hideaway
multi-band FM transceiver, and ICOM
has tried to satisfy this market in their best
fashion.
I installed the rc-sco in a brand new 1987
Toyota Corolla LE Sedan. Careful study of the
Corolla interior revealed a path through which
to route all the cables without drilling any
bores. The key was the fold-down split seatback
in the LE, which allowed access to the
trunk .
Interface B an d the a-meter band un it
snugged alongside the left rear wall very well.
However, I did loop the remainder of the fiber
optic cable alongside the combination and
tied it with a twist tie. Interface A nested under
the driver's seat, left unsecured since the
area around the unit prevented any lateral
motion. The microphone extension attached
to the transmission housing with the supplied
bracket, and the speaker fit all the way to the
rear of the lower map/change tray.
Figure 2 shows the end result. The microphone
rests inside the lower compartment
and the controller sits on the dashboard. Nothing
else is visible. An alternate postion for the
controller is atop the dash directly behind the
steering wheel-not in the line of vision, but
easy to get at.
My wife Gayle KA9ESB at first suspiciously
regarded the IC-900 cont roller. She soon discove
red, however, thai she could pre-program
ten different repeater and simplex channels
for instant access-just by tuning the
large black knob. One need not know much
Photo B. Interior view of the 198 7 Toyota Corolla LX, showing the IC-900 control head and
microphone. The main interlace lies underneath the driver 's seat. The rest of the system is in the
trunk.
about the radio to perform that function! Most
of the time, we use four or five channels for
local work.
When one of the repeaters nearby went to
subtone access to alleviate a co-charmer interference
problem, she used the SET key to
select the 151.4 subtone and load it into that
memory channel. Piece of cake.
Receiver produces PLENTY of audio volume
for even Ihe loudest interiors. The catch
is remembering where it's set, since the operator
has to depress the volume buttons to get
the displayed increment. The same goes for
the squelch-ordinarily lelt alone-during
tropo conditions. The memory channels are a
must in heavy traffic. There's no time to look at
the display and program all of the necessary
buttons for the seiecnon.
The pushbuttons themselves are somewhat
difficult to read unless the operator sits right
in front of the controller. The backlighting
doesn't make it any easier at night.
I used the 1e-900 on several long trips last
summer and received excellent audiO reports
through et least 10 different repeaters. The
receiver is on a par with any FM mobile
transceiver I've ever used, and the signal
stre ngth indication is fairly honest. After many
miles on both smooth highways and a lair
amount of bumpy roads, the trunk-mounted
Interface B and UX-29A band unit don', appear
any worse for wear. Power output at
146.000 was measured at 25 watts when I
installed everything, and it was still 25 watts 3
months later.
One feature not tested here is the dual receiving
mode, whiCh allows stmunanecus listening
to both main and subband units. Of
course the operator can mute the subband
receiver when the main band is in use. Any
two-band unit combi nation is configurable
this way from the controller. An accessory
duplexer is available for simultaneous 1461
440 MHz operation with one antenna.
Conclusions
The road tests showed the IC-900 receiver
to be as good as many contemporary mobile
transceivers I've had the chance to use.
There are a lot 01 credits to the IC-900. One
of them is the ability to hide the bulk 01 Ihe
radio in the trunk . On the other hand, comparable
small-sized as-watt mobile transceivers
abound on the market for considerably
less money than the lC-900. Budget-minded
folks shOuld check out the next paragraph.
SSS Comparison
The interface units and cont roller sell for
$590 list, according to a Fall '87 catalog from
one of the largest retailers of ham equipment .
This is just the set-up sans band units! That
kind of money can buy an IC-28A with a few
accessones.
The UX-29A 2 meter band unit sets the ham
consumer back another $295. This adds up to
$885 just to get on 2 meter FM with 25 watts.
The cost per bal"ld decreases, however, as
additional band units are added. With four or
more band units, the IC-9OQ may make economic
sense. Besides, most people haven't
room in their car for two, much less four radios,
and the IC-900 can fill their needs.
The le-900 is, indeed. a clever radio design
and very reliable. It' s easy to use once configured,
but I don 't recommend dialing up frequencies
or programming while driving' The
keypad is difficult to read under most conditions.
The main tuning is easy to use and the
display rates very highly as far as information
and readability.
Should one buy an IC-900? If multi-band FM
operation and rig inconspicuousness are priorities,
then the IC-900 is worth consideringif
price is no object.
The IC-900 represen ts a quantum leap in
amateur transceiver technology, and is probably
the ultimate FM operating system ever
seen in this country.
73 Amateur Radio • April,1988 35