I've been so impressed with Icom's recent ID-31 and ID-51 handheld radios, that when news came out that they were releasing a new mobile VHF/UHF/D-Star radio with built-in GPS, I was immediately interested. Early reports indicated that the new ID-5100 would incorporate most of the same user interface concepts, including the SD card slot which made the decision to purchase even more compelling. I freed up some cash by selling a few items from the shack and when the radio finally showed in stock at my favorite retailer, I made the $750 purchase.
Upon receiving the package, i immediately tore into it like a kid during Christmas, took everything out of the package and laid it out for the obligatory de-boxing photo:
One thing you immediately notice about this package is that it is missing some typical inclusions: the mobile mounting bracket for the body is not included and neither is a way to mount the control head. Other than the main radio body, control head, and mic, the package includes the typical power cord, CAT 5 cable to connect control head to main body, mic hanger, manuals, and CD with PDF documentation and the radio programming software.
The first thing I was impressed with when I got everything hooked up is the size and quality of the touch screen display.
There have been a few preliminary posts by the ham community questioning the greyscale screen, but I can honestly say that this might be the easiest to read, best VHF/UHF mobile radio screen I have ever used. My day job gives me the opportunity to review many different software application user interface designs, so when I experienced the 5100's overall layout and menu design, I could immediately tell that a lot of thought has been put into optimizing the user experience.
I'm going to use this radio in the shack before taking it mobile, so I needed to decide how to overcome the lack of included head mounting bracket. Icom's desktop mounting accessory kit is almost $100 which seems excessive, so I started rooting through my radio junk drawers. I've always wondered why I hang onto dead equipment mounting brackets, and now I know why. Using a combination of old CB and Ham radio brackets, I fabricated a simple, yet effective desktop stand:
In the upcoming weeks, I'll shoot the whole stand with a nice black paint and it will look like I bought it from Icom!
Before I go much further in this review, I want to share some perspective on the size of main screen. Here is a photo comparing the ID-5100 to a standard iPhone 5:
As you can see, the touch screen on the radio is quite large, as is the text which should be easy enough to read by just about any operator.
Over the next several weeks, I'll continue to update this review by giving an overview of the major features, including D-Star operations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, or if you have your own contributions to this review, feel free to contribute!
Upon receiving the package, i immediately tore into it like a kid during Christmas, took everything out of the package and laid it out for the obligatory de-boxing photo:
One thing you immediately notice about this package is that it is missing some typical inclusions: the mobile mounting bracket for the body is not included and neither is a way to mount the control head. Other than the main radio body, control head, and mic, the package includes the typical power cord, CAT 5 cable to connect control head to main body, mic hanger, manuals, and CD with PDF documentation and the radio programming software.
The first thing I was impressed with when I got everything hooked up is the size and quality of the touch screen display.
There have been a few preliminary posts by the ham community questioning the greyscale screen, but I can honestly say that this might be the easiest to read, best VHF/UHF mobile radio screen I have ever used. My day job gives me the opportunity to review many different software application user interface designs, so when I experienced the 5100's overall layout and menu design, I could immediately tell that a lot of thought has been put into optimizing the user experience.
I'm going to use this radio in the shack before taking it mobile, so I needed to decide how to overcome the lack of included head mounting bracket. Icom's desktop mounting accessory kit is almost $100 which seems excessive, so I started rooting through my radio junk drawers. I've always wondered why I hang onto dead equipment mounting brackets, and now I know why. Using a combination of old CB and Ham radio brackets, I fabricated a simple, yet effective desktop stand:
In the upcoming weeks, I'll shoot the whole stand with a nice black paint and it will look like I bought it from Icom!
Before I go much further in this review, I want to share some perspective on the size of main screen. Here is a photo comparing the ID-5100 to a standard iPhone 5:
As you can see, the touch screen on the radio is quite large, as is the text which should be easy enough to read by just about any operator.
Over the next several weeks, I'll continue to update this review by giving an overview of the major features, including D-Star operations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, or if you have your own contributions to this review, feel free to contribute!
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