Had a talked with 9W2WKR (Kareemi) few days ago, he claimed that he was really fed-up with his MIC problem. It was a common problem for ICOM 2200H and no one would ever deny it. Sometimes i'm also faced the same problem but due to time constraint, i'm not able to rectify further. Obviously, it was a challenge to me to discover and rectify the problem as this is a process of gaining a knowledge. Tried to surf and dig all informations from websites and forums but not really helpful.
I'm not able to rectify it on my own, then of course what's friends for? By gathered all informations from their own experience i believe we manage to get the root cause and avoid problem from recurring.
I'm using what ever resources i have and below are the findings.
Station : 9w2pro & 9w2wkr
Date tested: 14 November 2008
Transceiver set : ICOM 2200H (mobile rig)
Year of Manufactured : April 2008
Warranty : ??????
Comment:
Wonderful rig and performance plus the cheapest price in open market.
Most annoying problem:
- No signs of Tx power appeared when triggering PTT. During QSO, when it happens, the other station will wait for a while waiting for your Tx but received no signal and audio at all.
Findings and observations based on setup station:
Mobile station
Perodua kancil
- Battery NS40 Fluid Type ( 2 years old )
- Fluid level - low
- Power Supply direct tap from battery
- First year - overall OK
- Second year - Oftenly occured
Pajero
- Battery NS70 Fluid Type ( 1-2 year old)
- Fluid Level- low
- Power supply direct tap from battery
- More than 5 times occured.
Base station
- Regulated switching power supply 12V
- No problem encountered.
Suspected root cause:
- PTT ( switch )
- Cable from rig to Mic
- Power output from rig
- Battery defects
Action taken :
- Change to another mic - problem persist
- Smash down to floor - still persist
- Re-fill battery water - no problem encountered until today
Theory but no facts:
- Based on my personal experiences and secondary informations from friends & radio forums, it is not because of the PTT problems as what an ordinary people thought but technically because of power supplied to Microphone. For Yaesu FT8800, its only need 5vdc to operate compared with ICOM 2200H which need at least 8Vdc to operate. A supply voltage from battery is sometime fluctuated depending on battery performance. It is true that this type of transceiver has been tested but why the complaints keep increasing not declining.
- It does happens when a supply current to rig insufficient and failed to distribute stable current flow to MIC (max 10mA).
- By re-filling battery water and ensure battery is running well and supply enough current to rig, it will definitely may provide sufficient current supply to rig.
How to overcome this problems ?
- voltage stabilizer - provide sufficient voltage and current supply
- Buy new battery
- Battery performance voltage checking e.g monthly or weekly
- Last option - buy a new mobile rig except ICOM 2200H.
I'm not offering solution but only a recommendation. Try with your own risk. If this can make a change, it is my pleasure for you to share your testimonial or comments. At least, better from yesterday.
73 CUAGN
references/sources:
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/support/forums/tm.asp?m=5567
http://planetkris.com/archives/wp-185
