Reprinted from December 2013
QST
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio
®
www.arrl.org
on D-STAR took some patience as there was
frustration with entries in fields changing
without operator knowledge, caused by some
of the early system and radio nuances. The
learning curve looked like a Nordic ski jump.
Numerous D-STAR radios have succeeded
the ’2200H for user-friendliness and function-
ality. Icom’s newest in this line is the ID-51A,
the first D-STAR radio I’ve used since the
’2200H. The evolution has been profound.
Major Innovations
For me, the single most significant enhance-
ment in the ID-51 is the incorporation and
application of a GPS receiver. The application
that is most useful is when the operator is
mobile and pushes the
NEAR REPEATER
button
in the D-STAR Repeater (DR) mode to find
and select the closest D-STAR repeater. With
access to it, the operator can then proceed
with the panoply of functions and networking
available to the system. With the DR mode,
programming is simplified with
UP
,
DOWN
,
and
ENTER
buttons to be pushed while scroll-
ing through the easy-to-read menus. In fact,
it’s the only way to go while away from your
home area and home access repeater. (While
in your home area, it’s easier to simply pro-
gram your local repeater and frequently used
commands — such as linking to your favorite
reflectors — into the rig’s memory channels).
Sooner or later, almost every handheld
will have a GPS receiver and an updatable,
onboard directory for all repeaters, digital or
analog. It’s just a matter of time before mo-
bile FM and digital operators will simply
push the “find nearest repeaters” button,
and start talking. (There’s an app on my
iPhone called
Freq Finder
that updates
its repeater listings periodically and
displays operating parameters for
machines closest to me — it works
great.)
Fun and Function
The ID-51A is laden (not burdened) with
the most functions of any radio I’ve ever
used. A bit daunting and intimidating at
first, the radio comes with two manuals:
A 54 page
Basic Instructions
manual, and a
whopping 369 page
Advanced Instructions
manual. But, the power is in the pushbuttons.
Six buttons and a “D-pad” in the middle of the
front panel under the large display are all you
need to control the radio. For the most part,
operation is intuitive, especially if the operator
already has D-STAR experience. The
MENU
key gives access to the comprehensive
menu selections, while the
QUICK
key
provides quick access to those func-
tions that are used more frequently.
The
QUICK
key is context sensitive for
what the user is doing at the time (for
example, character editing functions
when entering data).
A
MODE/SCAN
key changes modes and
starts scans. A
MAIN/DUAL
key selects
the VFO band and frequencies to be
displayed on the screen. A
V/MHZ/CLR/
LOW
button puts the rig in the VFO
mode versus the
M/CALL/S.MW
, which
selects the memory channels and
functions.
D-STAR-specific functions can be
manipulated with the D-pad in the
center of the face. Starting at the
Technical
by Mark Spencer, WA8SME
Icom ID-51A Dual Band Handheld
Transceiver with D-STAR
Analog FM, D-STAR and much more in a compact, dual-band handheld.
Product Review
Mark J. Wilson, K1RO, [email protected]
Bottom Line
Icom’s ID-51A dual band handheld is
a feature laden analog FM and D-STAR
digital transceiver with a GPS receiver
and a host of available options. This
is perhaps the most flexible handheld
available, and you’ll need to spend
some time learning the radio’s opera-
tion to get the most from it.
Reviewed by Rick Palm, K1CE
Contributing Editor
Just when you thought the ubiquitous hand-
held transceiver, a staple of Amateur Radio
since the early 1970s, had reached its evo-
lutionary limit, it’s time to think again. This
has certainly been the case with the protocol
Digital Smart Technology for Amateur Radio,
more popularly known as D-STAR, and the
parade of radios released by Icom over the
years to support it. The ID-51A is the second
in a new series of D-STAR capable handhelds
from Icom. A 70 centimeter model, the
ID-31A, was reviewed in the August 2012
issue of
QST
.
1
I was involved as a user early in D-STAR
development here in the southeastern portion
of the US, where it seemed to take off more
quickly than in some other parts of the coun-
try. This was probably due to a few dynamic,
enthusiastic individuals here who pushed it
through, conducting seminars at club meet-
ings and “Elmering” individual operators at
conferences and on the air. That was the case
with me as I drove down to my local ham radio
supply store in Orlando several years ago to
have a chip installed in my IC-2200H, which
would give me access to the D-STAR system.
Programming and operating the IC-2200H
1
S. Ford, WB8IMY, “ICOM ID-31A 70-cm Hand-
held Transceiver with D-STAR,” Product Review,
QST
, Aug 2012, pp 51-53. Product Reviews are
available to ARRL members online at
www.
arrl.org/product-review
.
