Rig Review
The new Icom UHF CB, the IC-440.
This is not an advertisement for Icom. I do tend to feature Icom in these technical pages, but that is because I work for an Icom dealer, so I have access to technical information about Icom's. Radio Rampage would be happy to advertise any brand of UHF CB radio, should any of the manufacturers care to make an offer...
I have a login to Icom's (Japan) website from which I download service manuals. This is not my login, it fell into my lap by accident. I'm sure that I'm not supposed to be using it, but I do anyway. The other day, I logged in to get the service manual for an old Icom amateur radio that I had in for repair. As the manual was downloading, I snickered to myself about the fact that I have been getting away with using this login for years now, and Icom seems to be completely unaware that I am stealing their proprietary information.
As I sat there snickering, there was a knock at the door. I answered it, and the man standing there said "Hello, I'm from Icom Australia.".
ARRRGH !! I screamed, and slammed the door shut. How did they find me? How do they know? I peered out between the curtains, and he was still there, smiling at me and waving. I opened the door again.
He had come to demonstrate Icom's upcoming new UHF CB radio, the IC-440. After I snapped these pictures, I commented that I would put these on the website that night. "No, you can't do that!" he said. He said that the IC-440 wasn't due for release yet, and Icom haven't even announced it, so no publicity allowed. I've never been one to follow the rules, so here we are.
The IC-440 follows the same channelling arrangement as the Icom handheld UHF CB, the IC-41S. This channel arrangement does away with the need for a 'duplex' button. Stepping through the the channels 1 to 8, the display shows - 1,R1,2,R2,3,R3... etc. This corresponds to - 1 simplex, 1 duplex, 2 simplex, 2 duplex, 3 simplex, 3 duplex... etc. As we have all experienced trying to explain duplex to a newbie, perhaps this will make it easier (or maybe make it more confusing?).
All the controls are on the handheld controller, there is none on the base unit. The two up/down buttons function as channel selector, volume control and squelch control with the CH/SQL button toggling the function. The handheld controller is not just a microphone, but speaker as well. The audio quality from the speaker was a lot better than I have become used to from Icom radios. The speaker/mic is light in weight, 210 grams, and the Icom man tells me that it will come with a 2.5 metre extension lead, so the base unit can be mounted under seat or on the roof of a vehicle.
The base unit is pretty small, measuring 125mm x 25mm x 161mm, not including the mounting bracket, and weighs 560 grams. There are no switches or controls on the base unit. The only socket is the extension speaker. The antenna socket is a standard SO-239 (UHF) on a flying lead.
The radio operates on 12 or 24 volts, no converter needed for truck or machine use.
The Icom man tells me that this radio is a firmware-modified Japanese 10 watt commercial radio (IC-UM2005CTM), so that should tell you how much power you can expect to push this radio up to. There is room for 128 channels in the memory, so with the 40 simplex channels, and 8 duplex channels, that leaves 80 RX-only channels for user programming. The extra RX channels will be programmable from the controller in the same manner as the IC-41S. Icom will provide free user programming software. The dealer software will be able to program the selcall settings and password functions. No, the RX channels cannot be made to TX.
The IC-440 is designed to compete with GME's new TX-3440.
The TX-3440 will be $495, and the IC-440 will be $545.
The main unit is about the size of a couple of Winfield 25's cigarette packets, and is shown here in it's slide-on bracket. Ideal for mounting under the car seat.
The controller mic has all the same buttons and display layout as the Icom UHF CB handheld, the IC-41S. There was no owner's manual with the unit, so I could not examine it's functions, but I assume that this radio will have identical, or near-identical, functions as the IC-41S. I didn't have an IC-41S owner's manual handy to test the functions with.
Overall it looks like a sexy unit. I'm sure it will sell well.
A final note, to all you who love the IC-400PRO. As we all know, the IC-400 is really a commercial radio (IC-F210) disguised as a CB. The other commercial radio dealers have been pretty miffed that the IC-400 sells cheaply, because Icom dealers just program the IC-400 up as a commercial radio and undercut them. I wouldn't be surprised if once the IC-440 comes out, the IC-400 gets dropped. If you want one (or two), get it now.
