INSTRUCTION MANUAL COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVER FOR COMPUTER iPCR100 This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
IMPORTANT OPERATING THEORY READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS carefully and com- Electromagnetic radiation which has frequencies of 20,000 Hz (20 kHz*) and above is called radio frequency (RF) energy because it is useful in radio transmissions. The IC-PCR100 receives RF energy from 0.5 MHz* to 1300 MHz and converts it into audio frequency (AF) energy which in turn actuates a loudspeaker to create sound waves. AF energy is in the range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. pletely before using the receiver.
CAUTIONS RWARNING! NEVER connect the receiver to an AC outlet. This may pose a fire hazard or result in an electric shock. NEVER connect other than the specified AC adapter to the receiver. This connection will ruin the receiver. NEVER connect the receiver to a power source of more than 16 V DC such as a 24 V battery. This connection will ruin the receiver. NEVER expose the receiver to rain, snow or any liquids.
TABLE OF CONTENTS IMPORTANT ...................................... i SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS .............. i OPERATING THEORY ....................... i OPERATING NOTES ......................... i CAUTIONS ........................................ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .................... iii 1 INSTALLATION ...................... 1 – 5 ■ Hardware installation ................ 1 ■ Antenna installation .................. 2 ■ Grounding ................................. 2 ■ AF output level selection ...........
INSTALLATION 1 ■ Hardware installation Refer to the diagram below for connections.
1 INSTALLATION ■ Antenna installation Antennas play a very important role in receiver operation. Connecting a poor quality antenna to the IC-PCR100 will result in less than optimum performance. Select antenna(s), such as a well-matched 50 Ω antenna and feedline. 1.5:1 of Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) is recommended for a desired band. Of course, the antenna line should be a coaxial cable. CAUTION: Protect your receiver from lightning by using a lightning arrestor.
INSTALLATION 1 ■ AF output level selection The received audio can be input into your computer via the sound card. r Connect an appropriate cable between IC-PCR100 and PC. • Use a 3-conductor stereo plug for connecting to the receiver. Before inputting the received audio into the [LINE IN] connector (connector name depends on your sound card), the output level of the [EXT-SP] must be set properly.
1 INSTALLATION ■ Software installation NOTE: Before using the program, make a backup copy of the original disk. After making a backup copy, keep the original disk in a safe place. y Program group ‘IC-PCR100’ appears in the ‘Programs’ folder of the [Start] menu. NOTE: Depending on the Windows® system files, the PC may require rebooting. In this case, repeat the installation from the beginning. D Installation q Boot up Windows. • Quit all applications when windows is running.
INSTALLATION ■ RS-232C port setting ‘COM Port Error’ or ‘Communication failed’ dialog box appears when the RS-232C serial port is not set correctly. NOTE: When launching the program for the first time, this setting dialog appears for setting the RS-232C serial port. 1 e Click the [POWER] button to temporarily pause the program. r Right-click* the frequency indication to display shortcut menu and select ‘COM Port’ in the Option menu to bring up the [COM Port Setting] dialog box.
2 PANEL DESCRIPTION ■ Multi-function receiver screen q POWER BUTTON [POWER] Toggles the receiver power ON and OFF. w FILE MENU [File] Used for turning the software on/off, saving memory channel contents or quitting the program, etc. q w erty u io !0 Function display !1 e VIEW MENU [View] Used for showing/hiding the memory list screen/tool bar or selecting the simple function receiver screen. r SIMPLE FUNCTION RECEIVER BUTTON Push to selects the simple function receiver screen.
PANEL DESCRIPTION !1 CLOSE BUTTON Push to quit and exit this software. !2 ATTENUATOR BUTTON [ATT] (p. 21) Push to turn the 20 dB attenuator on and off. !3 VOLUME CONTROL [VOLUME] (p. 16) Adjusts the audio output. • Right-click* to increase the volume level; left-click* to decrease the volume level. !4 AUTOMATIC NOISE LIMITER BUTTON [ANL] (p. 21) Push to turn the automatic noise limiter for receiving AM signals on and off. !5 SQUELCH CONTROL [SQUELCH] (p. 20) Adjusts the squelch threshold level.
2 PANEL DESCRIPTION @4 KEYPAD [0]–[9], [•], [CE] (p. 17) ➥ [0] to [9] are used to input a receive frequency or memory channel directly. ➥ [•] (Decimal) button is used to set the MHz digit when inputting a frequency. ➥ [CE] (Clear) button is used to clear mistakes while inputting a receive frequency or memory channel. @4 @5 IF FILTER BUTTONS [NAR]/[WID] (p. 20) Push to change the IF filter in use. The [WID] button selects a wider filter, the [NAR] button selects a narrower filter.
PANEL DESCRIPTION 2 s/❙ ❙] (p. 34) #0 SWEEP START/PAUSE BUTTON [s Push to start/pause the band scope (sweep) function which is used to observe signal conditions around the receive frequency. NOTE: While using the band scope function, audio is NOT output. To monitor the frequency, push [s/❙ ❙] to pause the function, or push [■] to cancel the function. #1 MEMORY SCAN BUTTON [MEMO] (p. 30) Push to start/stop any of the memory scans. • “MEMO” flashes while scanning. #2 SWEEP STOP BUTTON [■] (p.
2 PANEL DESCRIPTION ■ Function display q e FREQUENCY INDICATION (p. 17) Indicates the receive frequency and data as it is being input such as memory channel numbers, etc. w y u i o !0 !1 !2 !3 !4 !5 !6 !7 e r S (SIGNAL) METER (pgs. 16, 20) Indicates the receive signal strength. Also indicates the S-meter squelch receive level set via the [SQUELCH] control. r t t BAND SCOPE PAUSE INDICATOR [PAUSE] (p. 34) Appears when pausing the band scope.
PANEL DESCRIPTION !1 AUTOMATIC NOISE LIMITER INDICATOR [ANL] (p. 21) Appears when the automatic noise limiter is on. !2 TONE SQUELCH INDICATOR [T-SQL] (p. 36) Appears when the tone squelch is on. !3 AUTOMATIC MODE INDICATOR [AUT-M] (p. 19) Appears when the automatic mode function is on. 2 !8 LIMIT INDICATOR (p. 35) ➥ Indicates when the tuning step is greater than the automatic sweep step setting.
2 PANEL DESCRIPTION ■ Simple function receiver screen qwer t y u i o !0 !1 Simple function receiver Information display !2 !3 !4 !5 !6 q POWER BUTTON [PWR] Toggles the receiver power ON and OFF. !7 !8 !9 • Shortcut menu w AUTOMATIC MODE INDICATOR [AUT-M] (p. 19) Appears when the automatic mode function is on. e RECEIVE MODE INDICATOR (p. 18) Indicates the current receive mode. • “WFM” lights in red when receiving a stereo broadcast program. r S (SIGNAL) METER (pgs.
PANEL DESCRIPTION 2 u MEMORY BANK BUTTON [BANK] (p. 23) Click to indicate the memory bank menu to select the memory bank number. !2 BUSY INDICATOR [BUSY] Appears when receiving a signal or when signal noise opens the squelch. i MEMORY CHANNEL BUTTONS [1] – [5] (p. 23) Select memory channels between 1 to 5 and indicate the selected memory channel number. !3 ATTENUATOR INDICATOR [ATT] (p. 21) Appears when the attenuator function is on. • The selected memory channel number lights red.
2 PANEL DESCRIPTION ■ Function controller screen q t y u w i r e o q RECEIVE MODE BUTTONS [AM], [FM], [WFM] (p. 18) Select a receive mode. w AUTOMATIC RECEIVE MODE BUTTON [AUT-M] (p. 19) Selects an automatic receive mode. This mode selects a previously programmed receive mode automatically depending on the receive frequency. e TONE SQUELCH BUTTON [TSQL] (p. 36) Push to show or hide the [TONE SQUELCH] dialog box for setting tone squelch frequencies. 14 r SQUELCH UP/DOWN BUTTONS [SQL J]/[SQL K] (p.
PANEL DESCRIPTION 2 ■ Simple function receiver sub screens The simple function receiver screen has an information display and 5 sub screens for saving desktop space and performing various operation. The following sub screens are available. •Function controller screen •Scan controller screen •Information display Double clicking the simple receiver also toggles the information display on/off.
3 BASIC OPERATION ■ Receiving • Pushing the PC’s [c] or [d] key also sets the audio level. Make sure the hardware installation is finished. (p. 1) D Using the multi-function receiver screen q Click [POWER] to turn power ON. w Click the [VOLUME] control with the sub mouse button to increase the audio level; click the [VOLUME] control with the main mouse button to decrease the audio level. • When clicking and holding the control, the audio level scrolls up or down.
BASIC OPERATION ■ Setting a frequency Depending on the situation, the receive frequency can be set using the following methods. Frequencies can be set from 0.01000 to 1300.00000 MHz. D Using the tuning dial ➥ Click the tuning dial with the sub mouse button to increase the frequency; click the tuning dial with the main mouse button to decrease the frequency. • The frequency changes according to the preset tuning steps. See the next page for selecting the tuning step.
3 BASIC OPERATION ■ Setting a tuning step ■ Receive mode selection When using the tuning dial or [FREQ J]/[FREQ K] buttons to change the frequency, or when a scan function is activated, the frequency changes in increments determined by the set tuning step. This can be changed if desired. Receive modes are determined by the physical properties of the radio signals. The receiver has 3 receive modes: FM, AM and WFM modes. The following tuning step are available. • 1 kHz • 5 kHz • 6.
BASIC OPERATION ■ Automatic mode selection 3 w Click the [Auto Mode] tab to display the automatic mode list. An automatic mode function is available to automatically set the receive mode, IF filter passband width and tuning step after inputting a frequency. Each click of the [AUT-M] button toggles the automatic mode function on and off. • For the simple function receiver screen, the [AUT-M] button is on the function controller screen.
3 BASIC OPERATION ■ Setting squelch level ■ IF filter selection The squelch function sets a minimum receive signal level below which no audio is emitted from the speaker. This conveniently prevents noise and static from being emitted when receiving weak signals or no signals at all. Increasing or decreasing the width of incoming signals can help eliminate interference. Available filters vary according to the receive mode. See the table below. Further setting of squelch removes weak signals.
BASIC OPERATION 3 ■ Attenuator function ■ Automatic noise limiter Strong signals (such as from broadcast stations, pocket beepers, nearby amateur radio stations, etc.) can cause distortion of receive signals. The attenuator function can reduce signal strength of interfering signals by approx. 20 dB. The automatic noise limiter removes noise components from an AM signal. D Using the multi-function receiver screen ➥ Click [ATT] to toggle the attenuator function ON and OFF.
4 MEMORY CHANNELS ■ General ■ Saving memory channels The receiver has 1000 memory channels in 20 banks for storage of often-used frequencies. The memory channels can be stored as a PC file. D Using the multi-function receiver screen D Memory channel contents The following information can be programmed into memory channels: • Memory channel name • Operating frequency (p. 17) • Receive mode (p. 18) • IF filter selection (p. 20) • Attenuator ON/OFF (p. 21) • Tuning step (p.
MEMORY CHANNELS ■ Selecting a memory channel D Using the up/down button on the multifunction receiver screen q Click the [BANK ∧] or [BANK ∨] button to select a memory bank. w Click the [CH ∧] or [CH ∨] button to select a memory channel. D Using the [Mch] button on the multifunction receiver screen ➥ Click the desired numeral buttons (1 to 50), then click [Mch] to set memory channel.
4 MEMORY CHANNELS ■ Memory channel programming Each memory bank (1 to 20) can hold up to 50 channels and can store the information listed below. Bank name, memory name, frequency, mode, filter, attenuator, tuning step, select memory scan, skip channel, tone squelch and remark. D Using the multi-function receiver screen q Click the [BANK ∧] or [BANK ∨] button to select a memory bank to be programmed. w Click the [CH ∧] or [CH ∨] button to select a memory channel to be programmed.
MEMORY CHANNELS 4 ■ Editing the memory list r Input the name from the keyboard. D Editing a bank name t Push the [Enter] key to input the name. Bank names and memory names can be set or changed for the screen being used. D Inserting and deleting channels q Call up the memory list screen if it is not displayed. New blank channels can be inserted into the channel list and channels no longer needed can be deleted from the channel list.
5 SCAN OPERATION ■ Scan types Up to 20 programmed scan ranges, memory scan, memory select scan, memory skip scan, mode select memory scan and auto memory write scan provide scanning versatility. PROGRAMMED SCAN (p. 27) Scan edges Scan Jump SELECT MEMORY SCAN (p. 31) Not yet programmed ch 1 ch 50 ch 2 SEL ch 3 SEL ch 4 SEL ch 49 ch 6 ch 5 SEL SEL SEL MODE SELECT MEMORY SCAN (p.
SCAN OPERATION ■ Programmed scan 5 y To cancel the scan, click [STOP] or [PROG]. Programmed scan automatically searches for signals within a specified frequency range. For programmed scan, scan edges must be programmed in advance. See the next section for details. D Using the multi-function receiver screen q Make sure the squelch is set to the threshold point. (closed condition) w Click the [SET] button to call up the setting screen if it is not displayed.
5 SCAN OPERATION ■ Setting scan edges Settings such as frequency range, receive mode, tuning step, etc. must be set in advance. Up to 20 settings can be programmed. Selected scan edge number Set other data, if desired q Call up the setting screen if it is not displayed. • For the multi-function receiver screen, click the [SET] button. • For the simple function receiver screen, click the [MENU] button and select the ‘Function Setting (SET).
SCAN OPERATION ■ Auto memory write scan u To cancel the scan, click [STOP] or [AUTO]. Auto memory write scan does the same as the programmed scan and then writes paused signal frequencies into memory channels of a specified memory bank. Scan edges must be programmed in advance. (p. 28) [STOP] [AUTO] D Using the multi-function receiver screen q Make sure the squelch is set to the threshold point. (closed condition) w Click the [SET] button to call up the setting screen if it is not displayed.
5 SCAN OPERATION ■ Memory scan y Click the [MEMO] button to start memory scan. This function searches all memory channels in a selected memory bank. u To cancel the scan, click [STOP] or [MEMO]. • “MEMO” flashes while scanning. D Using the multi-function receiver screen D Using the multi-function receiver screen q Make sure the squelch is set to the threshold point. (closed condition) w Click the [BANK ∧] or [BANK ∨] button to select the desired memory bank.
SCAN OPERATION ■ Versatile memory scan Using the [Memory SCAN] tab in the setting screen you can set conditions specific only to memory channels during memory scan. q Call up the setting screen if it is not displayed. • For the multi-function receiver screen, click the [SET] button. • For the simple function receiver screen, click the [MENU] button and select the ‘Function Setting (SET).’ When the scan controller screen is in use, click the [SET] button on the screen. w Click the [Memory SCAN] tab.
5 SCAN OPERATION ■ Scan resume condition When receiving a signal, scan automatically pauses on that signal. The scan resume condition sets the time that the scan pauses before resuming or whether scan stops instead of pausing. (b) ‘Delay Volume’ When setting a delay time using the [DELAY] control (multi-function receiver screen) or [DELAY] scroll bar (scan controller screen), scan pauses when receiving a signal and then resumes after the specified delay.
SCAN OPERATION 5 ■ Scan speed setting The searching speed of frequencies or memory channels is variable. [SPEED] D Using the multi-function receiver screen ➥ Click the [SPEED] control with the sub mouse button to increase the scan speed; click the [SPEED] control with the main mouse button to decrease the scan speed. • When clicking and holding the control, the scan speed scrolls up or down. [SPEED] D Using the simple function receiver screen q Call up the scan controller screen if it is not displayed.
6 BAND SCOPE ■ Operation The band scope function allows you to visually check a specified frequency range. Receive audio is muted while monitoring the band scope. Push [s/❙ ❙] to pause sweeping and receive the audio. D Using the multi-function receiver screen q Click the sweep start/pause button ([s/❙ ❙]) to begin a sweep; signal conditions appear starting from the center of the range.
BAND SCOPE 6 t Click the waveform to select the frequency of the signal. • Click the [s/❙ ❙] button to pause a sweep and monitor the frequency. Repeat to resume the sweep. • While pausing the band scope, you can also select the frequency by clicking the waveform. The current receive frequency is marked by a dotted line and the previous receive frequency is displayed at center. y Click the close (["]) button to stop sweeping and close the band scope screen.
7 TONE SQUELCH OPERATION The tone squelch opens only when receiving a signal containing a matching subaudible tone in FM mode. For example, you can silently wait for calls from group members using the same tone in an amateur band. D Using the multi-function receiver screen q Click the [FM] button to select FM mode. w Click the [T-SQL] button to bring up the [TONE SQUELCH] dialog box. • “T-SQL” appears in the function display. e Click the [$] button, then select the desired tone squelch frequency.
TROUBLESHOOTING 8 If your receiver seems to be malfunctioning, please check the following points before sending it to a service center. PROBLEM No power comes ON. No sound comes from the speaker. POSSIBLE CAUSE • Check the RS-232C cable. p. 1 • Select the RS-232C port correctly. p. 5 • Volume level is too low. • Click the [VOLUME] control with the sub mouse button or click the volume [J] button to obtain a suitable level.
9 SPECIFICATIONS AND SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES ■ Specifications • Frequency coverage (MHz): U.S.A. version 0.01–823.999,* 849.001–868.999, 894.001–1300 Non-U.S.A. versions 0.01–1300* * Specifications guaranteed 0.5–1300 MHz only. • Receive system : Triple superheterodyne (AM/FM) Double superheterodyne (WFM) • Mode : FM, AM, WFM, • Frequency stability : ± 5 ppm at 1300 MHz (0°C to +50°C; 32°F to +122°F) • Frequency resolution : 1 kHz (minimum) • Power supply : 13.
SPECIFICATIONS AND SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES • Selectivity (typical) FM/AM FM/AM WFM/FM/AM WFM • Max. audio output : 6 kHz/–6 dB 15 kHz/–6 dB 50 kHz/–6 dB 230 kHz/–6 dB : 0.2 W (monaural) 0.1 W × 2 (stereo) 9 ■ Supplied accessories q w e r (at 10% distortion with an 8 Ω load) • Antenna connector : BNC (50 Ω) • RS-232C connector : D-sub 9-pin (female) • Ext. speaker connector : 3-conductor 3.5 (d) mm (1⁄8″)/ 4–8 Ω • Dimensions (projections not included): 131(W) × 33.5(H) × 154.
Count on us! A-5548H-1EX-q Printed in Japan © 1998 Icom Inc.
