Icom ID-50A Manual page 4

FM two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic
range: Not specified.
FM two-tone, second-order IMD dynamic
range: Not specified.
Adjacent-channel rejection:
FM: ≥55 dB;
FM-N, DV: ≥50 dB.
IF rejection: Not specified.
Image rejection: Not specified.
Squelch sensitivity: Not specified.
S-meter sensitivity: Not specified.
Audio output into 8 Ω:
Internal speaker: 0.75 W at 10% THD.
External speaker: 0.2 W at 10% THD.
Transmitter
Power output at 7.4 V dc:
High, 5 W; Mid, 2.5 W; Low2, 1 W.
Low1, 0.5 W; S-Low, 0.1 W.
Spurious signal and harmonic suppression:
<–60 dBc (High/Mid);
<–13 dBm (Low2, Low1, S-Low).
Transmit-receive turnaround time (PTT
release to 50% of full audio output):
Not specified.
Receive-transmit turnaround time
(TX delay): Not specified.
Size (height, width, depth): 2.3 × 4.4 × 1.2 inches (with BP-272 battery, not including belt clip).
Weight: 10.6 ounces (including battery pack and antenna).
*
Receive only from 108 MHz to 143.995 MHz.
†
External voltage specified as 10 V dc –16 V dc.
‡ Measurements phase-noise limited at values shown.
** Power output did not vary significantly with external voltage from 10 V dc to 16 V dc,
or with use of a fully charged internal battery.
In addition to the SMA antenna jack atop the ID-50A, you have a Global
Positioning System (GPS) antenna and two concentric knobs. The top
knob is used for several functions such as frequency control, and the bot-
tom knob adjusts the audio level.
There are two more rubber caps on the right-hand side. The top cap pro-
tects the external microphone/headset jacks. The bottom cap covers an
A band, 20 kHz offset:
146 MHz: FM, 73 dB; FM-N, 74 dB;
‡
440 MHz: FM, 69 dB; FM-N, 71 dB.
A band, 10 MHz offset:
146 MHz: FM, 90 dB; FM-N, 85 dB;
440 MHz: FM, 77 dB; FM-N, 78 dB.
B band, 20 kHz offset:
146 MHz: FM, 75 dB; FM-N, 76 dB;
‡
440 MHz: FM, 69 dB; FN-N, 71 dB.
B band, FM, 10 MHz offset:
146 MHz: FM, 84 dB; FM-N, 85 dB;
440 MHz: FM, 73 dB; FM-N, 74 dB.
A and B band, FM:
146 MHz: 55.2/90.82 MHz test tones, 86 dB;
440 MHz: 146.02/300 MHz test tones, 106 dB.
A and B band, FM, 20 kHz offset;
146 MHz, 76 dB; 440 MHz, 69 dB.
A and B band, FM-N, 20 kHz offset;
146 MHz, 76 dB, 445 MHz, 71 dB.
A and B band, FM: 146 MHz, >134 dB;
440 MHz, 129 dB.
A and B band:
146 MHz, >134 dB;
440 MHz, 95 dB.
A and B band:
146 MHz, 0.33 µV (min), 1.1 µV (max);
440 MHz, 0.27 µV (min), 0.99 µV (max).
A and B band, all-bar indication:
146 MHz, 1.60 µV;
440 MHz, 1.50 µV.
Not measured.
As specified.
Battery power (8.4 V dc) or 13.8 V dc external
power:**
146 MHz: Hi, 5.09 W; Med, 2.60 W;
Low2, 1.01 W; Low1, 0.53 W; S-Slow, 0.13.
440 MHz: Hi, 4.94 W; Med, 2.46 W;
Low2, 0.99 W; Low1, 0.5 W;
S-Low, 0.11 W.
Meets FCC requirements:
146 MHz: <–70 dBc;
440 MHz: <–68 dBc.
Band A and B, squelch on, S-9 signal:
144 MHz: 90 ms;
440 MHz: 90 ms.
Band A and B:
146 MHz: 59 ms;
440 MHz: 59 ms.
external dc power port and a
USB-C port.
‡
On the front of the ID-50A you have
a sizable monochrome display
screen. Below the screen there are
six convenient pushbuttons sur-
‡ rounding a multi-directional switch.
Pressing the side, top, and bottom
edges of the switch moves you
between menus and submenus,
among other things. At the center is
a pushbutton to make selections
‡
(analogous to the
computer keyboard).
Initial Explorations
After a long press on the power
button, the ID-50A sprang to life
with a beep. Without even glancing
at the manual, I was able to switch
bands, modes, and frequencies
right away.
But without the manual's guidance,
any exploration is likely to be shal-
low. So, I dug into the booklet, as
well as the downloaded advanced
documentation, and was astonished
at the sheer number of features.
This is not to say that the ID-50A is
difficult to navigate, but doing some
patient reading pays major divi-
dends.
The first item I checked was the RF
power setting. There are five power
levels available: 5, 2.5, 1, 0.5, and
0.1 W. I found that 0.5 W was ad-
equate for nearby repeaters, and it
resulted in considerable operating
time when the battery was fully
charged.
The manual also informed me about
the ID-50A's copious memories.
There are 500 frequency memories,
and an additional 500 memory
channels just to store FM broadcast
frequencies (who listens to that
many stations?). The radio allocated
300 memories to store GPS data
and a whopping 2,500 memory
slots for its repeater database.
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June 2024 43