<i>Icom</i> <i>IC-9100</i><i>Tranciever</i>
<i>Icom</i> <i>IC-9100</i><i>Tranciever</i>
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  • © 2023 Neil Austin Contact Me 0

Icom IC-9100Tranciever

About the Icom IC-9100

This model of transceiver first made its appearance in 2011.

The Icom IC-9100 is a versatile transceiver that is designed for amateur radio operators who want a high-performance radio that can handle a variety of different operating modes and bands. The IC-9100 is a transceiver, which means that it can both transmit and receive signals, and it includes a range of features that make it a powerful tool for communication.

One of the key features of the IC-9100 is its wide frequency coverage. The radio can operate on a range of different frequencies, from 0.03 MHz to 200 MHz in the HF and 6 meter bands, and from 144 MHz to 440 MHz in the VHF and UHF bands. This wide frequency coverage makes the IC-9100 suitable for a variety of different operating modes, including SSB, CW, AM, FM, digital modes, and satellite communications.

Another important feature of the IC-9100 is its power output. The radio can deliver up to 100 watts of power on the HF and 6 meter bands, and up to 75 watts on the VHF and UHF bands. This high power output makes it possible to communicate over long distances, even under challenging conditions.
The IC-9100 also includes a range of advanced features for filtering and signal processing. The radio includes a built-in automatic notch filter, which can help to eliminate interfering signals, and a digital signal processing (DSP) unit, which can help to improve the clarity and quality of received signals.

In addition to its powerful transmitting and receiving capabilities, the IC-9100 also includes a range of features for controlling and operating external equipment. The radio includes built-in USB, RS-232C, and CI-V interfaces, which can be used to control external devices such as amplifiers, tuners, and rotators. The IC-9100 also includes a built-in antenna tuner, which can help to match the radio to a variety of different antenna configurations.

Overall, the Icom IC-9100 is a powerful and versatile transceiver that is well-suited to a variety of different operating modes and bands. Its high power output, advanced filtering and signal processing capabilities, and built-in interfaces for controlling external equipment make it a valuable tool for amateur radio operators who want a high-performance radio that can handle a variety of different communication scenarios.

Modes of operation

As I have already mentioned, with the IC-9100 you can chose many modes of operation. Here are some links to Wikipeadia for a general and technical insite into the various modes of operation. Click on the appropriate mode ie. CW,RTTY etc.

  • CW Morse Code
  • RTTY Radio Teletype
  • AM Amplitude Modulation
  • FM Frequency Modulation
  • LSB Lower Side Band
  • USB Upper Sideband
  • DV Digital Mode of operation used by ICOM commonly known as D-Star.

Bands (Fully Loaded) HF 1.6 Mhz to 30 Mhz, 50Mhz, 144Mhz, 432Mhz, 1296Mhz

Updating the IC-9100

I've had the radio a while now and it has served me very well. As time goes by, other innovations come along in radio which cause some to move on to other up to date models because they are better or have quirks which can make the use of the radio easier or better.
One of the innovations that have come about because of SDR (Software Defined Radio) is that of a waterfall display of the particular band or spectrum you may be on. Also whilst 'working' that band, you may see a signal in the spectrum of the display of interest and these days, using a mouse connected to the Radio and a large display, click on that signal and immediately go to that frequency. This means the rig magically retunes itself and you can listen and work that station. Also, by looking at the pattern of the waterfall display, you can very often determine the mode of operation ie. RTTY, Morse PSK etc.
Without getting into a big debate, I don't particularly want to update to SDR via buying an updated radio, so it got me thinking. Could I modify the 9100 with a panadapter output so I can connect an SDR receiver and control the radio like the new ones do? After researching on the internet it seems you can and one or two others, to varying degrees, have done just that. Now initially, at this stage it looked all quite straight forwards but as I delved deeper, it seems there were some caveats to overcome first.

Choosing the Panadapter for the job

RSP1A
At last, finally got the system up and working.

The SDR is now an SDRPlay RSP1A. This is connected to the output of the radio (from the antenna) and the radio is under CAT control from another piece of software called SDRuno (Panadapter Software).
The Ham Radio Deluxe software (which normally controls the radio) is serially software ported into SDRuno which now controls the radio. This means the logbook program (part of HRD suite) can still trigger HRD into changing frequency from a DX cluster link. All softwares therefore can communicate with each other along with the radio in both directions.
Using an RF relay switch, I ground the input of the SDR to protect it when transmitting from the radio. The CAT from the radio also tells the linear amplifier to key-up, select and switch to the appropriate low pass filter for the band.
Another advantage is that small plug-ins can be run within the panadapter software too, for example, transfer DX cluster information and display them on the frequency spectrum so you can monitor along the waterfall where they are transmitting.
Other plug-ins run WeeFax, SSTV, Aircraft monitoring etc. This is from open source software from contributors. Something I cannot see the Radio manufacturers doing anytime soon without you updating your model of radio…again!
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Panadapter Software SRDuno running plug-in displaying call-signs of stations along the powerful waterfall.
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