INSTRUCTION MANUAL HF/VHF ALL MODE TRANSCEIVER i746PRO This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. FOREWORD We understand that you have a choice of many different radios in the market place. We want to take a couple of moments of your time to thank you for making the IC-746PRO your radio of choice, and hope you agree with Icom's philosophy of "technology first".Many hours of research and development went into the design of your IC-746PRO. Rather than completely redesigning all areas to create a new radio, the engineering team at Icom decided to follow in the footsteps of the IC-746 (one of the best value transceivers in the marketplace) with the new "PRO." Focused on real world improvements compiled over the last few years from letters, phone calls, EMails and newsgroup postings, the engineering team at Icom is proud to say "many of these changes were compiled from a list of suggestions from you, the amateur radio operator!" PRECAUTIONS R WARNING RF EXPOSURE! This device emits Radio Frequency (RF) energy. Extreme caution should be observed when operating this device. If you have any questions regarding RF exposure and safety standards please refer to the Federal Communications Commission Office of Engineering and Technology's report on Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (OET Bulletin 65). R WARNING HIGH VOLTAGE! NEVER attach an antenna or internal antenna connector during transmission. This may result in an electrical shock or burn. R NEVER apply AC to the [DC13.8V] jack on the transceiver rear panel. This could cause a fire or ruin the transceiver. R NEVER apply more than 16 V DC, such as a 24 V battery, to the [DC13.8V] jack on the transceiver rear panel. This could cause a fire or ruin the transceiver. FEATURES · 32-bit Floating point DSP and 24-bit AD/DA converter · DSP IF Filter creates 102 types of filter · All mode capability covering 160­2 m · 100 Watt continuous duty cycle · All mode digital modulation and demodulation · RTTY demodulator and decoder · Twin Pass Band Tuning · RF speech compression with selectable pass band · Microphone Equalizer · SSB/CW synchronous tuning R NEVER let metal, wire or other objects touch any internal part or connectors on the rear panel of the transceiver. This may result in an electric shock. NEVER expose the transceiver to rain, snow or any liquids. AVOID using or placing the transceiver in areas with temperatures below ­10°C (+14°F) or above +60°C (+140°F). Be aware that temperatures on a vehicle's dashboard can exceed 80°C (+176°F), resulting in permanent damage to the transceiver if left there for extended periods. AVOID placing the transceiver in excessively dusty environments or in direct sunlight. AVOID placing the transceiver against walls or putting anything on top of the transceiver. This will obstruct heat dissipation. Place unit in a secure place to avoid inadvertent use by children. During mobile operation, DO NOT operate the transceiver without running the vehicle's engine. When the transceiver's power is ON and your vehicle's engine is OFF, the vehicle's battery will soon become exhausted. Make sure the transceiver power is OFF before starting the vehicle. This will avoid possible damage to the transceiver by ignition voltage spikes. During maritime mobile operation, keep the transceiver and microphone as far away as possible from the magnetic navigation compass to prevent erroneous indications. BE CAREFUL! The heatsink will become hot when operating the transceiver continuously for long periods. BE CAREFUL! If a linear amplifier is connected, set the transceiver's RF output power to less than the linear amplifier's maximum input level, otherwise, the linear amplifier will be damaged. Use Icom microphones only (supplied or optional). Other manufacturer's microphones have different pin assignments, and connection to the IC-746PRO may damage the transceiver. IMPORTANT READ THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL CAREFULLY before attempting to operate the transceiver. SAVE THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL. This manual contains important safety and operating instructions for the IC-746PRO. EXPLICIT DEFINITIONS WORD R WARNING CAUTION NOTE i DEFINITION Personal injury, fire hazard or electric shock may occur. Equipment damage may occur. If disregarded, inconvenience only. No risk or personal injury, fire or electric shock. TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ........................................ i IMPORTANT ........................................ i EXPLICIT DEFINITIONS ..................... i PRECAUTIONS ................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................... ii QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE ........ I ­ X I Installation ....................................... I I Operation ....................................... III I Your first contact ........................... IV I Ready to call CQ? ......................... IX I Electronic keyer functions ............ 29 I Operating RTTY (FSK) ................. 35 I RTTY functions ............................. 36 I Operating AM ............................... 40 I Operating FM ............................... 41 I Repeater operation ....................... 44 I Voice squelch control function ...... 70 I Scan set mode ............................. 70 I Programmed scan/Fine programmed scan .............................................. 71 I Memory scan operation ................ 72 I Select memory scan ..................... 72 I F scan operation and Fine F scan ...................................................... 73 I Tone scan/DTCS code scan operation ...................................... 74 5 FUNCTIONS FOR RECEIVE ........................................... 47 ­ 54 I Simple band scope ....................... 47 I Preamp/Attenuator ....................... 48 I RIT function .................................. 48 I AGC function ................................ 49 I IF filter selection ........................... 50 I IF (DSP) filter shape ..................... 51 I Noise blanker ............................... 51 I Meter peak hold function .............. 51 I Twin PBT operation ...................... 52 I Noise reduction ............................ 53 I Notch function .............................. 53 I Dial lock function .......................... 53 I Voice squelch control function ...... 54 1 PANEL DESCRIPTION ........... 1 ­ 12 I Front panel ..................................... 1 I Rear panel ...................................... 7 I LCD display .................................... 9 I Multi function switches .................. 11 I Microphone (HM-36) .................... 12 9 ANTENNA TUNER OPERATION ............................................ 75­77 I Antenna connection and selection 75 I Antenna tuner operation ............... 76 I Optional external tuner operation . 77 10 DATA COMMUNICATION ..... 78 ­ 80 I Connections ................................. 78 I Packet (AFSK) operation .............. 79 I Adjusting the TNC output level ..... 80 I Data transmission speed .............. 80 2 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS ................... 13 ­ 17 I Unpacking .................................... 13 I Selecting a location ...................... 13 I Grounding ..................................... 13 I Antenna connection ...................... 13 I Required connections ................... 14 I Advanced connections ................. 15 I Power supply connections ............ 16 I Linear amplifier connections ......... 17 I External antenna tuner connections .................................. 17 6 FUNCTIONS FOR TRANSMIT ........................................... 55 ­ 61 I VOX function ................................ 55 I Break-in function .......................... 56 I TX function ................................ 57 I Monitor function ............................ 57 I Speech compressor ..................... 58 I Transmit filter width selection ....... 58 I Split frequency operation .............. 59 I Quick split function ....................... 60 I Measuring SWR ........................... 61 11 SET MODE ............................ 81­89 I General set mode ......................... 81 I Tone control set mode .................. 89 12 OPTION INSTALLATION ..... 90 ­ 91 I Opening the transceiver's case .... 90 I UT-102 VOICE SYNTHESIZER UNIT ... 90 I CR-338 HIGH STABILITY CRYSTAL UNIT ..................................................... 91 3 BASIC OPERATION ............. 18 ­ 25 I When first applying power (CPU resetting) ............................. 18 I Initial settings ................................ 18 I Selecting an operating band ........ 19 I Selecting VFO/memory mode ...... 20 I VFO operation .............................. 20 I Frequency setting ......................... 21 I Operating mode selection ............ 23 I Volume setting .............................. 23 I Squelch and receive (RF) sensitivity ...................................... 24 I Basic transmit operation ............... 25 13 MAINTENANCE .................... 92­94 I Trouble shooting ........................... 92 I Fuse replacement ......................... 93 I Tuning dial brake adjustment ....... 93 I Resetting the CPU ........................ 94 I Frequency calibration (approximate) ..................................................... 94 7 MEMORY OPERATION ........ 62 ­ 68 I Memory channels ......................... 62 I Memory channel selection ............ 62 I Programming a memory ............... 63 I Memory clearing ........................... 63 I Selecting the call channel ............. 64 I Programming the call channel ...... 64 I Frequency transferring ................. 65 I Programming scan edges ............ 66 I Assigning memory names ............ 67 I Memo pads ................................... 68 14 CONTROL COMMAND ......... 95­99 I Remote jack (CI-V) information .... 95 15 SPECIFICATIONS ...................... 100 16 OPTIONS.................................... 101 4 RECEIVE AND TRANSMIT .. 26 ­ 46 I Operating SSB ............................. 26 I Operating CW ............................... 27 8 SCANS ................................. 69 ­ 74 I Scan types .................................... 69 I Preparation ................................... 69 SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES The transceiver comes with the following accessories. Qty. q DC power cable (OPC-025D) ............................ 1 w Hand microphone (HM-36) ................................ 1 e Spare fuses (FGB 30 A) .................................... 2 r Spare fuse (FGB 5 A) ........................................ 1 t CW keyer plug (AP-330) .................................... 1 q w e r t 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. ii QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE I Installation 1. Install a ground system for DC noise suppression and RFI suppression 2. Install your DC power supply 3. Install lightning protection. This will help protect more than your gear. 4. Install and connect an antenna system for the appropriate bands of operation 5. Connect other peripheral equipment. This includes microphones, headsets, TNC, amplifiers and any other equipment necessary to make your shack complete. 1. Grounding your Shack Although your radio will operate by connecting the DC power supply and antenna, it is necessary to have a good ground system in your shack. A ground connection is the electrical contact between the common point of an electrical or electronic system and the earth. A good earth ground is necessary to prevent electrical shock, eliminate problems from RFI and DC noise. With more electronic devices being used today, it is also important to reduce RFI and EMI. Although you may not see interference in your shack, without a grounding system, your neighbors may experience interference. Even though many of these devices are Part 15, where they must accept interference from their surrounding environment, it is best to eliminate as much of the possible interference from your shack. If you do not have a grounding system for your shack, depending on the location of your shack, basement or ground floor, a good ground system can be as simple as a couple of ground rods driven 6 to 8 feet into the soil. When installing your IC-746PRO to your grounding system, the shortest most direct connection is recommended. NOTE: There are many publications covering proper grounding techniques. Check with your local dealer for more information and recommendations. R WARNING!: NEVER ground station equipment or antennas to house gas lines. NEVER attach ground lines to plastic ( ...