M88 Radio Repair

[alcoons]

My M88 radio has died. Before that I was getting intermittent power to it. I called ICOM and they suggested just trying another battery. Someone in club pointed out to me at the New Kayakers Workshp that if the radio has certain problems, it might short out someone else's good battery. They also mentioned I might be able to get my battery tested at a local Marine Radio repair store. Any hints on where that might be? I live in Winchester.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions,

Al

PS. West Marine in Woburn was unable to help. No M88's any more.

[bob budd]

...intermittent power...

If a bit of salt water got inside it could have compromised a part of the circuit board. I had a small leak that completely consume a pad in the speaker driver circuit. Once the pad was restored with a wire it worked fine. Bottom line, a partially consumed pad or trace could have been responsible for intermittence, and now its broken. You would need to open it up and might be able to get a schematic from the vendour. Another common cause of intermittence is corrosion on pads/contacts which is usually visible. You can clean contacts with an eraser but should rinse with alcohol after.

...trying another battery...

If the circuit is compromised the battery is not responsible for the problem. I'd see if the battery in question measured a voltage at two of the terminals. Also, an old battery is going show progressively shorter service life between charges.

...the radio...might short out someone else's good battery...

Not likely, especially given the symptoms, though I suppose also not entirely out of the question.

...get my battery tested...

A static test of most rechargeable batteries is notoriously inaccurate. A discharge/charge cycle is required to get a more accurate profile of the remaining capacity, though honestly an older battery simply cannot be accurately measured.

[EEL]

My M88 radio has died. Before that I was getting intermittent power to it.

Its a fool's errand to diagnosis radio problems remotely, but since I am one here are a few thoughts. If you mean by "dead" that absolutely nothing works, not even screen lighting, then the likely culprit is the battery and/or power connections/contacts. Li-ION batteries are good for about three years whether you use them or not. Perhaps it has died a natural death. The battery packs are not simple batteries. They contain various protection circuits since bad things happen when a Li-Ion is abused. So fear not and try another battery to see if that is it. Before doing that however I would seriously clean all power contacts. If neither solves the problem, its time to open the case and gaze at lots of little parts.

I assume you do not care to emulate Bob's skill and bravery to open up the radio and play doctor. There is an authorized Icom marine radio repair shop in Portsmouth, NH and they likely could solve deeper problems. If under warranty or not you can also send it to an Icom service center for repair. There is a flat bench charge, etc. so it might cost you $70 to replace a $.13 part, but Icom has, at least in ham radio circles, and excellent reputation for fast and competent repairs.

Ed Lawson

[alcoons]

Sent my M88 for repair. It is outside the three year warrantee period. In fact, it lasted 6 years and I did drop it on pavement.

Repair will cost about $180 and a new M88 is about $220.

Question: I like the M88. David Lewis still thinks it is the best around for our use. What do others of you think? The other Icoms are less expensive and have some features that the M88 does not have. On the other hand, the M88 has a long life battery and most of us have found it to be a wonderful radio. Rather spend the money for a better radio rather than save $60 assuming it is really worth it.

Thanks for any advice,

Al

PS. Sorry I have not been back on the water. Arm is still bad. Headed out to Colorado to get some altitude and loose some attitude. Might be able to get back in the water in a couple of weeks but have to play it week-to-week.

[Kevin B (RPS Coach)]

Sent my M88 for repair. It is outside the three year warrantee period. In fact, it lasted 6 years and I did drop it on pavement.

Repair will cost about $180 and a new M88 is about $220.

Question: I like the M88. David Lewis still thinks it is the best around for our use. What do others of you think? The other Icoms are less expensive and have some features that the M88 does not have. On the other hand, the M88 has a long life battery and most of us have found it to be a wonderful radio. Rather spend the money for a better radio rather than save $60 assuming it is really worth it.

Thanks for any advice,

Al

Al,

Sorry about the arm...hope it's well soon. As for the radio, many people like the m72 model as well.

PS. Sorry I have not been back on the water. Arm is still bad. Headed out to Colorado to get some altitude and loose some attitude. Might be able to get back in the water in a couple of weeks but have to play it week-to-week.

[djlewis]

> Question: I like the M88. David Lewis still thinks it is the best around for our use.

Hi, Al:

Been a while! In fact, so long that I think my advice is fairly obsolete. A number of new models have appeared since then that might be as good or better, for less money. From what I've heard, ICOM is still the best brand, however, and Standard Horizon / Vertex not very good at all for dunking. But I'm listening as intently as you are for the collective wisdom. I'm on my second M88 -- the first one organ-donated its battery for the common good before going to the other side.

--David.

[sidcohen]

I just purchased an IC-M72 at West Marine. I haven't taken it out of the box yet. The specs look just like the IC-88 IS but the body is a little better and the antenna is a little smaller. It is the same weight and length with the antenna. There is one difference that I've noticed it has 6W of power max compared to 5W for the IC 88.

A friend recommended the a VHF radio with the Global Maritime Distress & Safety System. It has a built in GPS that digitally transmits you LatLon to the Coast Guard. However the only radio that West Marine had that has was much larger than the M72 or the M88, the Standard Horizon HX850S.

It floats it has 6W of Power max and it is huge.

Any thoughts on the trade off between size and function?

Sid

[cathyfoley]

I just purchased an IC-M72 at West Marine. I haven't taken it out of the box yet. The specs look just like the IC-88 IS but the body is a little better and the antenna is a little smaller. It is the same weight and length with the antenna. There is one difference that I've noticed it has 6W of power max compared to 5W for the IC 88.

A friend recommended the a VHF radio with the Global Maritime Distress & Safety System. It has a built in GPS that digitally transmits you LatLon to the Coast Guard. However the only radio that West Marine had that has was much larger than the M72 or the M88, the Standard Horizon HX850S.

It floats it has 6W of Power max and it is huge.

Any thoughts on the trade off between size and function?

Sid

Sid:

I have ZERO confidence in a Standard Horizon submersible. A few years back, we did a group buy of HX460S. Most of the group had problems within a year. Several had to be replaced more than once under warranty. They may have improved with later versions, but the track record is poor. I've had my ICOM m_88 for 3 years now, submerse it all the time and still works perfect.

[EEL]

I just purchased an IC-M72 at West Marine. I haven't taken it out of the box yet. The specs look just like the IC-88 .... There is one difference that I've noticed it has 6W of power max compared to 5W for the IC 88.

A friend recommended the a VHF radio with the Global Maritime Distress & Safety System.

Any thoughts on the trade off between size and function?

A few random thoughts. The difference between 5W and 6W is irrelevant and should not be a factor in choosing a radio. All of the mainstream Marine handheld VHF radios will appear to have very similar RF specs and they all work well in that regard. OTOH, I have never seen a technical review of these radios in which the really important specs such as 2d order IMD and blocking range are given.

My understanding is all fixed VHF marine radios must have the GPS capability you mention, but the reality is the CG system for using it is not functional in most parts of the country and will not be until around 2011. Further, it will be important, IMHO, to have a Class D radio which complies with the international standard for this service. I don't know to which standard the Standard is built. My opinion would be to wait a few years before selecting a radio having that capability. I fail to see the benefit of a radio that floats for kayakers and currently all such radios are bigger and have much smaller batteries (often about 1/3 capacity of "normal") in order to get them to float. Maybe no big deal, maybe a big deal. Depends on application and preference.

Personally, I believe it is more important to select a radio on the basis of how it feels/works for you, how easy or hard it is to program and use various functions. I have no interest in getting into the Chevy v. Ford debate, but among NSPN folks the bad experience with the 460 has left a lasting, and (I believe) unjustified impression that all Standard radios are bad.

Not that it matters, but I believe the 72 is the best VHF radio from Icom so you bought a great radio and should not have second thoughts.

Ed Lawson