Description
Please Note: In order to be able to mention other brands and models referenced in this listing, we have made use of an asterisk * to avoid keyword spamming so that we may remain within Ebays listing policies. Thank you! This sale is for an Icom IC-R8500 that is used and you will see only minor marks from previous ownership though these are easily overlooked. Please look at our pictures for specific cosmetic detail. We have sold over 157 of these IC-R8500s here on Ebay and the new owners love the versatility that the receiver offers when tuning the vast variety of transmitted and available signals. The receiver covers an exceptionally wide swath of receiving frequencies ranging from 100 KHz to 1999.99 MHz (less blocked cell frequencies by law) and is referred to as a DC to Daylight receiver which we describe in greater detail below. The selling price of this receiver reflects the condition plus the desirability to own a piece of equipment that can hear a wide variety of signals. If you are an emergency prepper, youll love the wide array of frequencies that this receiver can deliver covering your local broadcasts on AM and FM, shortwave broadcasts, all of the ham frequencies on HF, VHF, and UHF, plus all your analog public service frequencies for weather, fire, police, security, etc. Thus, this one receiver is akin to having two or three radios in one package. This receiver is supplied with:AC adapter (we can credit $25 to you if you do not need this 120 VAC adapter)copy of the user manualcopy of the service manualcopy of the brochure (4 page color)Monitoring Times review August 2004Passport review 1998 (Passport to World Band Radio)Passport review 1999Passport review 2009Icom catalog page 2004 (color)QST review April 1997 (amateur radio magazine)WRTH review 1999 (World Radio & Television Handbook)WRTH review 2004EEB 1997 catalog page copy (Electronic Equipment Bank)Passport 1997 advertisementUniversal Radio catalog page CD which contains a block diagram, the schematics, and both the user and service manuals. This CD is to assist in the use of the receiver and to enable the owner to keep the receiver operating for many years to come. While the R8500 is very reliable and repairs are few and far between, the PDF of the service manual will be handy should its use ever be necessary. The CD contains about 550 MB of documentation. When interviewed about what would be their ideal receiver, most people would mention that they want one that is sensitive, selective, can pick up all the transmissions regardless of broadcast spectrum. They would want to be able to get amateur bands and hear virtually everything during an emergency. And not only a receiver, but they would like to have scanning features and a lot of controls to assist with reception and to help find unknown frequencies. They would be describing a receiver / scanner as the Icom IC-R8500 and such a receiver would be attractive to amateur radio listeners, preppers, DX signal chasers, and radio enthusiasts who enjoy listening to the wide variety of signals that can be gathered with the proper antennas. Thus, this receiver appeals to casual listeners or those who desire an excellent emergency receiver. This R8500 is what is often referred to as a DC to daylight receiver. This term is meant to describe a wideband receiver that picks up the low end of the spectrum in the longwave frequencies, but then extends up thru all the useable broadcast, amateur, marine, emergency and satellite frequencies. This Icom IC-R8500 picks up 100 KHz on up to 1999.999.99 MHz and, if living within the receiving range of a transmission and using the proper antenna, will pick up virtually all transmissions. If you were to look for a do-it-all receiver, you would have very few choices. Most HF band receivers do not pick up the public service frequencies. Most higher band VHF and UHF and above receivers do not pick up the lower HF frequencies, or if they do, it is done very poorly. This Icom IC-R8500 is a nice receiver that allows the user to have access to the full range of usable frequencies and not compromise reception on one end of the spectrum at the expense of reception at the other end and adds scanning features as well. Let us explain what you can do with a powerful wideband receiver. This receiver is comprehensive and can receive the following analog signals if using a decent antenna and within receiving range:longwaveAM radio broadcastsaircraft and ground controlfirepolice and other emergency personnelsecurity (campus, hotel, stadium, auditorium, etc)wireless microphonesrailroadsroad crewsNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Service weather broadcastsFM commercial radioall Ham radio bandsTV audio channels 1 thru 69CB radioair to ground telephonemarine radio broadcastsUS Coast GuardMRS (General Mobile Radio Service)FRS or family handheld unitsmilitary emergency guard and strategic air commandsearch and rescuehelicopters and unicombusiness frequenciesdrive thru fast foodBorder Patrolnews mediaUS CustomsATF frequenciesFBIA few years ago, we owned an Icom IC-R1 handheld unit. It did not have the range as the IC-R8500, but with that little hand held unit, we picked up Lifeflight helicopters, Rockview State Prison chatter, Lock Haven Universitys Maintenance Dept., Penn State Universitys football stadium security, and even Air Force 1 in addition to all the typical communications. Thats right, a few years ago, when Bill Clinton was in office, AF1 landed at Centre Community Airport on open channel. Just before AF1 landed, all the bands went dead as everyone went silent for security reasons. Ground communications with the Secret Service were encrypted so we could not receive them. But soon after landing, the channels were all alive once again. That was on a tiny handheld unit that did not have the sophistication of this R8500 receiver. This Icom IC-R8500 can receive so many broadcasts that you will sit for hours and listen in to a world that you never knew existed in radio reception.We have sat in our office and played with a similar, but older receiver, the Icom IC*R7000, and gone from a NOAA weather broadcast on 162.400 in State College, PA, to TV channel 10 In Altoona at 197.750 to the local State College Ham 2 meter on 146.850. During snowstorms, we dial in the PennDot (Penna Dept. Of Transportation) road crews on 47.300 chatting about road clearing during the storm. A few minutes into my playing, the local fire whistle went off so we tuned into 154.070 to get information on the Nittany Valley Fire Company call out. We then punched in the frequencies for the local PBS station at 91.5 Mhz to get the news.The IC-R8500 is not only a receiver, but a scanner with 1000 memory channels. You can spin the dial to get a frequency, direct dial with the keyboard, or access via memory. Since you can scan, you can locate unknown transmissions or enter known frequencies that you want to monitor by setting band parameters and scanning for signals. There is a priority channel that will come alive if you are listening elsewhere when a signal is transmitted and you also have scan speed and delay knobs at your disposal. Much of the owners manual is dedicated to explaining the wealth of scanning features.Anyone who owns an Icom unit will tell you how well made they are. This receiver feels like a tank...only a bit of plastic on the face, but otherwise metal and reminds me of military spec equipment. Since this receiver was a popular one for Icom, many past users have played with their R8500s to tweak its features. There are modifications online (MODS) to allow you to experiment and improve the receiver, if you are inclined. These MODS are free to those who search for them in Google and generally will give you a step by step through the MOD process. This unit has not been touched so it is open for MODS, if desired.Over the years, it has been our pleasure to own some of Icoms finest units. As licensed ham radio operators (KB3GGC & KB3GGD), we formerly owned a Icom IC*737 transceiver that was an excellent unit. It was sold when my (KB3GGC) father gave us his newer Kenwood transceiver a couple of years ago. In addition, we have owned the IC*R75 receiver and also the IC*R9000 receiver that is probably one of the finest units ever made by anyone. This IC-R8500 follows in that tradition and was produced from 1996 for a little over 16 years available to consumers.This R8500 is loaded with features that will enable you to enjoy virtually anything you chose to hear. Let us take some time to list them for you below:Picks up modes of AM, FM-n, FM-w, LSB, USB, and CWBandwidth of 150 KHz / 12 KHz on FM and then widths of 12 KHz / 5.5 / 2.2 KHz on AM and SSBSleep timer function shuts the unit off after preset timeRecord jack for external recordingHeadphone Jack3 tuning ratesBFONoise Blanker for removing pulse type noise interferenceAGC (automatic gain control) circuit to minimize the effects of fadingIF Shift to move the receivers IF to avoid adjacent channel interference, esp. on SSBAuto Peak Filter that aids in signal intelligibility and sound improvementAttenuator of -10db to -30dbTuning Steps of 10 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 1 KHz, 2.5 KHz, 5 KHz, 9 KHz, 10 KHz, 12.5 KHz, 20 KHz, 25 KHz, 100 KHz and 1 MHz1000 channels are available organized in 20 banks of 40 channels, plus 100 skip channels and 100 auto write memoriesDisplay lamp dimmerTons of scan featuresRS-232C input to allow for computer control with available softwareThis thoroughness of this receiver is somewhat deceiving as many of the features are hidden and not on dedicated keys. It is assumed that many of these features are not used on a regular basis and the folks at Icom have added them by hitting a button and turning the memory dial to access them. Once accessed, the operator would turn the main tuning dial to alter the settings. This keeps the front panel clean and uncluttered with infrequently used controls.If you would like to read more information on this receiver, you may find some info in the following links. Ebay no longer permits us to post active links so you will need to cut and paste the links into your browser: http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/IC-R8500 Comprehensive all around great link http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mtscan0804.pdf Excellent review of this receiver in pdf formatAt this point, we believe we have conveyed all the pertinent information to allow you to make an informed decision. However, we are happy to answer any questions if you feel that we have overlooked anything. Most questions will likely be with regards to shipping. If you live in the USA, you may use the shipping calculator to get your cost. Insurance is required and is included in the cost of shipping.Those buyers living outside the USA are welcome to purchase this receiver. Please use the shipping calculator to determine your cost. We regularly ship items outside the USA and have successfully shipped items to 111 countries during the past 24 years of selling on Ebay. Please keep in mind that this shipping cost may not include any import, duty, customs, or VAT fees. If unaware whether you will need to pay additional money for such fees, we ask you to contact your local post office prior to purchase.Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to look at our Ebay listings!
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