Recap a Icom IC-701.

[Alan Blackmon]

I bought this radio just after getting my general license. I used it awhile and had a good time with it. I noticed that the frequency readout was off a few kHz but didn't worry about it to much. I bought another radio to get into FT-8. I used that one awhile and then bought a ICOM IC-7100. The IC-701 was put in its box and stored in the garage for a few years. I pulled it down intending to loan it to a friend but noticed that it seems to have a really bad drift problem. The frequency readout is all over the place and I need to keep tuning to to hear stations properly that I am recieving. Tuning and listening to FT-8 signals reveals that there is defiantly some serious drift going on during receive.

I'm told this may mean I need to do a capacitor replacement. I have never done this to any radio. Maybe I could do it maybe I can't. I am curious just how much it might cost to have a recap done and the radio checked out? Would it be worth it? I am not nostalgic about the radio but it is a nice looking one and performed well. Who would I contact for such a job and what might I expect to pay IF I decided to get it done? OR is there any information on how to do a DIY recap on the radio?

 

[Alan Blackmon]

Original poster here. I have done a search and it seems this radio has little information online about how to do what I am wanting to accomplish. What I have found is a scanned circuit board layout. I can see the parts layout. I so far have not found a parts list. So it would be a matter of getting into the radio and looking at the capacitors directly and then ordering them.

From what I read on one site I am led to believe I would want to focus on the PLL unit circuit board and replace the electrolytic capacitors on that board. I may also want to replace the electrolytic capacitors on the power supply unit.

 

[Alan Blackmon]

I removed the top this afternoon. Just on the two boards at the very top was just over 50 electrolytic capacitors. Reading the specs was a challenge indeed. Some were so close to neighboring parts and some were pretty darn small. I can't find any source of cap kits. I can find caps but ordering them would be a logistical nightmare of what do you order and size and specs. So I think it is time to move on from this project. I have to much on my plate as it is.

 

[Klondike Mike]

The law of the jungle prevails. If manufacturers provide repair information, the product will survive. If not, it dies. The "right to repair" movement is a noble cause but if the manufacturer wants their product to die, it will do so.

The creation of this Icom is just before manufacturers started providing detailed repair documentation on their gear. As we now know, manufacturers no longer provide detailed repair documentation. So we have a time window of around 50 years of products that have a better chance of survival. Not saying that anything outside this window will not survive, its just that it is more difficult to keep them going.

In a way, my site is a cumulation of which two way radio/receiver/scanner stands a better chance of survival.

 

[Chevboy0167]

EB5AGV's Icom IC-701 schematics and board layouts

ICOM IC-701 Instruction Manual: 11"X17" Foldout schematics & Protective Covers! | eBay

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