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-- PRODUCT REVIEW- Icom R10 Tracking System - Read UP (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=19915)

PRODUCT REVIEW- Icom R10 Tracking System - Read UP

Ok, I'll start with that I was very skeptical of buying one of these units. I have heard 50/50 good and bad about the system. Hopefully by explaining a few things, it may help your decision in buying one or for the ones who own one and not happy with it, it may help you out some.

1st. I tried the system as ICOM advertises it. Just the system alone with it's short antenna.


Unless the dogs were very very close, it did not have the range. It would be nice to have it work as pictured and cover the range. But you are not getting everything out of your system with just the small antenna as it comes.

2nd. I mounted the system on a 219 Freq. 3 element Yagi Antenna like in this picture, without the Pre-amp booster that is in the picture.


I received alot better range with the yagi antenna attached compared with the factory antenna. On a scale of 1-10, the range was 8. The little antenna just didn't get the job done. I was still not getting everything I could out of this system.

3rd. I added a Pre amp booster to the Icom and Yagi Antenna like in this picture.


What a world of difference this made. The pre amp booster has an adjustable gain on the back. I was able to gain greater range with the booster added than with just the yagi antenna by itself.

The only way to go with the Icom system is to add the yagi antenna and the pre-amp booster. You will not unleash your systems full capabilities without adding that pre amp booster.

If you have this system and want to get the full range. Add the pre amp booster. If anyone has any questions, send me an email.

I want to Thank Mike Rivers of South Carolina for all your help in this system. If anybody is interested in this system, he is the man that will take of you.

What range in miles did it track with the booster and yagi antenna?Did you have another tracking unit to compare the range and tracking accuracy with?

Ok, hands down this system rips innotek apart. My hunting buddy has a quick track and without the signal booster, Quick Track won. With signal booster on, The Icom had the edge in pinpointing the dogs. Most miles I know it tracked a collar is 5 miles. Haven't tested it any further. If my dog runs a coon 5 miles to tree, then I need a shorter hunting dog. LOL

Can you add the booster to any system?

Distance isn't a big thing for me, I almost never need more than a mile, never more than 2. Any of them can handle that. What's important to me is pinpointing direction. How does it compare for that? Is it waterprooof? Will it take sub-freezing temps? I have tracked with my MN10 covered with ice, it always works. If it can take the adverse weather and has good directionabilty, I want one.

jawscardodger as long as you have a BNC connector on your system then you should be able to.


JiM, as far as directional, it gets the job done. I posted earlier that compared next to a quick track, it had the edge in pinpointing the dogs. Now that is with the booster and yagi antenna.

As far as weather. I live in Alabama. How low of freezing are talking? I have had no problem using it in the rain. The manual says not to use below 14 degrees and above 122 degree.

That should be no problem as both those temperature ranges would keep me inside anyways. LOL

Thanks....sound worth looking into.

Thanks Buckshot

Usin' mine with the little antenna from Wildlife, and does pretty well. Wonderin' what collars you are usin'? And what others are usin' with this system? Mine don't get quite that range with the big yagi and Johnson collars.

I am using both rats and innotek collars.

The booster your talking about seems to help on ALMOST every unit that we've tried it on. As far as what you have said about the small ant. (shown on the Icom ad) you might as well pitch it. We couldnt get 200 yards with it. Then we went to the yagi ant. it did a better job. We had the Icom up against a Quick track, WMI TRX 3 ,Tracker Unit .These units I felt were all in about the same "range group". WITH OUT the booster,in rolling hills the Icom did have the poorest range of them all.In fact we picked up a raido station in columbia MO (40 miles away) better than we could our dogs. Alot of people may like the Icom reciever BUT, it is advertised and sold as a dog tracking system ready to track.(Read the advertisement) I believe this is a misrepresentation . The unit is $300 plus tax, shipping or both, To get ANY range add another $90 plus tax shipping etc. for a yagi.Then to get FAIR range add between $45 to $80 for a GOOD booster plus tax shipping. BEFORE you add collars that is minimum $450. That is not the main problem I have with this unit tho.The directions are VERY complicated. To say the Icom takes a longer "learning curve" to be able to track well is an understatement. We then emailed the company to ask for directions that would be eaiser to use or something in "layman" terms. Our emailed reply was...Sorry but you can refer to pgs 21 - 28 in manual (the one there was problems understanding to begin with) OR you can PURCHASE software to download on to your computer to make programing the Icom easier. We have tried EVERY unit on the market today and I believe that the Icom is the LEAST user friendly unit out there. The only up side I can see to this system is that when you DO figure out how to program it , it can track so many different collar numbers and frequences.I cannot say it's smaller, because with the needed yagi it boosts the size right back up there, this , to me defeats the purpose of a small hand held unit.
IMO I dont care much for the Icom. Respectfull said tho...I would be VERY happy for someone with more experience using it give me some tips for faster programming on the memory input and I have YET to figure out how to put "Annie" under a collar #

Icom R10 Cheat Sheet

1. Press power button.

2. Press v/m button until you see VFO on display.

3. Press mode button until you see LSB on display.

4. Now enter your collar frequency ( ex. 217.5550) Most collars only have three digits after the decimal. Put ) in the last place.

5. Rotate tuning dial to tune collar to sharpest beep. Make sure when turning tune knob, the last digit to the right of decimal is changing. If not, tune steps must be changed. See page 13 of owners manual.

6. Squelch knob controls the amount of gain or reception. Rotaing counter clockwise increases gain, rotating clockwise decreases gain.

7. On top of the squelsch knob is the volume knob. Adjust to your liking.

8. If the dog is close and overpowering the receiver, the attenuator can be turned on. To turn on attenuator press and hold function button (on side of receiver) then press 0. ATT should now be on display. To turn off perform same function as turning on. Do not leave ATT on, this greatly reduces tracking distance.

9. To reset receiver, with power off, press and hold the clear button. Press power on button, receiver will ask you to clear. Turn dial until display says: yes. Press enter. This will reset receiver back to factory default.

Buckshot,

the one thing you forgot to mention about this "wonderful" system are the prices.

out of the box? -$$$
w/ the yagi? -$$$
w/ the yagi & the booster? - $$$

thanks

Ok...........I paid $375 for everything in my complete system.

I bought my system from Mike Rivers in South Carolina. He advertises this system on both UKC/PKC classified boards.

As far as individual prices, I guess that would vary in range depending on where you buy them.

Icom R10--- I see them sell for around $275 - $325

Yagi Antenna-- $75 - $90

Pre amp Booster $45 - $65

by playing with the unit (NOT from the directions ) we were able to figure out how to program the collar #s in.I just cant get the memory recall, memory banks, naming the dog etc etc...again this is a BIGGIE on this system. If "cheat sheet" is the EASY was to figure out programming imagine how difficult the REAL manual is! This is my main problem with the unit. YOUR getting started list for ICOM ...the WMI getting started list for trx 3 "# on collar falls between # range on ch AB or C example 217.035 is Ch a, flip to A channel.turn toggle to ON, fine tune left or right for clear sig. turn volume down for pinpointing...tracking dog. Very simple. Easy to use. Thank you for your time in printing the cheat sheet tho. I will give it to a person who knows nothing about this paticular unit along with the manual and see if it helps him track faster. I believe we ALL can agree on one thing, we want to be able to track our dogs , know where they are at ,and have faith in our systems! GREAT HUNTING!

What's the warranty on the Icom?

I also have this system. I also got it from Mike Rivers. Mike took the time to program it for me when I met him. He also gave me the cheat sheet. I think mine has some more stuff than the one listed above. Not sure so I'll check. I agree that without the cheat sheet it is very hard to figure out. I had a tracker before. I feel the Icom does pinpoint better. Icom is a bit bigger with the wildlife mini and booster, but I don't mind. Accuracy was my key. I'm still using tracker collars. Might switch to some Rats as needed.

Icoms are very durable units. They have been making all sorts of radio equipment for years.

If you don't mind used, and if Mike is out of them.........give ebay a chance. They are there from time to time.

Casino
Give me a call and i feel like i can help u understand the Icom a lot better.
Mike Rivers
843-623-6496
843-910-1772

Seen several Icom units for sale this spring here in Idaho.....I don't think they cut the mustard from what I was told. Most guys here were getting them since they do track all freq because they were using them to try and monitor where they knew a few collared wolves were that hang in there hunting grounds to try and avoid contact between wolve and hound. Best I heard was ....it works "alright". Never any real praise, but I geuss the ones I spoke with were the ones selling them, so maybe there is someone that still hanging onto his and likes it. I messed around with the one , normally any tracker is self explanitory if you have used one before, ch, gain, fine tune etc but the icom definatly looked like a pain to use.

The ones I have heard the bad about the unit were just using the unit by itself the way it came. Without the added equipment to it, it really doesn;t perform well.

With the added equipment like I pictured, this unit will pin point the dogs. Without it, your up a creek.

where can i get a pre amp booster ---and will it work on a wildlife unit

__________________
ALLNITER DOUG CHEEK

ALWAYS GO BY THE RULES AND NEVER A PROBLEM

My understanding is Wildlife units have a built in pre-amp.

Mr. Buckshot you forgot to tell everyone that you can track any collar any freq. My cousin and all his friends use this system for coon, bear, and coyotes all temps. from 95 in the summer running bear to -20 runnin yotes I plan on getting one soon.
I have used this system several times and I like it. Every collar that you or your buddies use can be programmed into this unit so all you have to do is flip over to the proper freq. and track

Icom

Folks I'm a ham radio operator... Icom is one of the most respected names in the radio world... I have a IC 718 that talks all over the world..... The R-10 is a high end scanner, that if equipped as Buckshot suggests will work well for tracking collars...As well as listen to Fire Police Ambulance ect... If you know the Frequency you can listen to it.... Icom makes good stuff !!!!

__________________
Fan of the of the Bragg and Vaughn Blues !! TREE OLD HUSSLER in Memory of DOC Householder... Rest in Peace Rev. Kenneth Adkins my dear friend !! Home Will's Creek Savage Sioux-Zee!!
Yeah, I competition hunt !! All Fall and Winter long.. My Blues compete with the local coon.. My Blues win a ton !!! We use and recommend MOONSHINER LIGHTS, Peggs , Ok.

Not that my opinion amounts to much, but I have been using one of these for the past two years.

Just like everything else, it is going to have it's limitations. And just like selecting a dog, everyone has different needs. As for the ICOM that I have, I started out with the Wildlife Mini antenna only. I found that it is great for it's portability, having it right by my side. True, I lose some range with the smaller antenna, but have found that if I can not locate my dog(s) with the small antenna, I better be heading to the truck.

I also have a three element Yagi antenna back at the truck if needed, and have the pre-amp on standby.

Programming is a challenge at first, but becomes easier with practice. However, I have found that the versatility offsets the difficulty in programming. How many trackers can you tune in the local National Weather Service to find out how long that storm that you can see off to your west? Another great thing that I have found is that if you find a good "country music" station....and have squalled till your lips hurt you can get a coon to look quicker than anything else I know. I also have the abiltity to buy or track ANY collar I want. Capitolizing on clearance collars, used units, or good old fashioned tracing stock has saved me significant $$$ over having to be selective which collars would work with my system.

I have used nearly every collar manufactured, and my personal choice is the Tracker Genius collar. I find that the out range the others, have the longest battery life of any of the changable battery collars out there today.

As for pinpoint accuracy, remember this....use the pre-amp to get you in the area, then decrease the volume and strenght of the signal.....you will not find a more accurate tracking system if you remember that loud is not accurate....turn it down. The attenuator decreases the strenght, and you can further decrease the signal by turning down the gain.

In testing, I have demonstrated the ability to track a collar left in a known location nearly 7 miles, in relatiley flat terrain, during the summer with heavy vegitation. (Distance by GPS). I have also tracked to within two feet of a collar that was "hidden" by a hunting buddy.

Like any other tracking system, if you wait until you have a dog at large to get it out of the top of the dog box, you won't be satisfied with this tracker. You must learn how to use it, and when your dog is gone, and you have an hour to get back is not the right time to figure out how to use this system to track your dog.

Overall, outstanding unit, well worth the price.

__________________
Joe Newlin
UKC Cur Advocate
Home of Oak Ridge Kennels

buckshot where in bama do you live iam in opelika are you still happy with your icom