No power cord for Icom IC 245

[KC9VFO]

Hello, I just bought a Icom IC 245 off of ebay and it arrived today with no power cord. I would like to test it using a couple of alligator clips but I am scared since I am not a 100% sure which pins are power and ground. It looks like the old power cords off of the popular cb radios back in the day which I have none. Does anyone know which is which on this radio? I am incompetent when it comes to schematics. I opened it up and I am hoping red means power and black means ground but that is not always the case on cars when I work on them.

[WA7KKP]

Open the radio, and look at the power jack. One lead should go straight to ground, or a ground lug on the pcb. The 'hot' lead, which is +12v, should go into a harness, and eventually to the on-off switch. You can take an ohmmeter on the Rx1 scale. Negative (black) should read zero ohms to the chassis or output jack outside. With the radio off, the positive (red) lead should read infinite (open) -- meter to the left of the scale.

If you hook it up backwards, you might fry the radio unless it happens to have a diode across the input -- this will blow the fuse right away, even with the radio off. if the radio doesn't have one, I'd install one as cheap insurance. A 3a 100piv diode is about a quarter, which is cheaper than buying a new radio.

Last, but first: if you don't have a book, get one. If Icom doesn't have one, check BAMA, or other web sites. Or put a posting on qrz.com to find someone who is willing to scan it for you.

Gary WA7KKP

[W9GB]

GET the IC-245 Owner's Manual !!!
http://www.thiecom.de/ftp/icom/ic245/ic-245.pdf

Many Icom radios from the 1970 used this 4-pin Molex connector.
[* * * *>
The *> is the 13.8 VDC positive lead.
Radio Shack stores carried it since 1970s ... I have not checked lately.

PROPER WIRING Pictorial ---- Page 17 of Manual.

I am incompetent when it comes to schematics.

You need to work on that -- or be another appliance operator.

[WB2WIK]

My first thought is, "I hope it works!"

A radio without a power cord can be problematic...like the seller never used it, in which case it could be a dud.

I always ask "power cord? mike? manual? original carton?" and if the answers are "no," I pass.

eBay can be a place where people with stuff that doesn't work look to dump their goods. Hope that's not the case!

[KC9VFO]

Open the radio, and look at the power jack. One lead should go straight to ground, or a ground lug on the pcb. The 'hot' lead, which is +12v, should go into a harness, and eventually to the on-off switch. You can take an ohmmeter on the Rx1 scale. Negative (black) should read zero ohms to the chassis or output jack outside. With the radio off, the positive (red) lead should read infinite (open) -- meter to the left of the scale.

If you hook it up backwards, you might fry the radio unless it happens to have a diode across the input -- this will blow the fuse right away, even with the radio off. if the radio doesn't have one, I'd install one as cheap insurance. A 3a 100piv diode is about a quarter, which is cheaper than buying a new radio.

Last, but first: if you don't have a book, get one. If Icom doesn't have one, check BAMA, or other web sites. Or put a posting on qrz.com to find someone who is willing to scan it for you.

Gary WA7KKP

Well this is what is also confusing me , when I hook the ohm meter to the pins the black and red both read full scale when I touch the other ohm meter wire to the chassis, The middle pin (this is a 3 pin plug) only reads about quarter scale on the meter. I have red ,black, and orange, I am assuming orange is for memory? Thanks for you help.

[KC9VFO]

My first thought is, "I hope it works!"

A radio without a power cord can be problematic...like the seller never used it, in which case it could be a dud.

I always ask "power cord? mike? manual? original carton?" and if the answers are "no," I pass.



eBay can be a place where people with stuff that doesn't work look to dump their goods. Hope that's not the case!

Oh I realize that, I buy quite a few radios on EBAY, I only have $40 bucks in it and I traced the radio back to a previous owner who had receipts of it being reworked by Icom with the whole rivet problem, anyway i thought it would be worth a gamble, just wish he would have sent the power cord.

[WB2WIK]

Oh I realize that, I buy quite a few radios on EBAY, I only have $40 bucks in it and I traced the radio back to a previous owner who had receipts of it being reworked by Icom with the whole rivet problem, anyway i thought it would be worth a gamble, just wish he would have sent the power cord.

My eBay experiences are similar, which is why I never buy anything via eBay anymore.

I bought a $1000 signal generator from a "commercial dealer" with "100% positive feedback" a couple of years ago. It also came without the power cord, which was a very unique cord that almost nobody has (not a standard IEC 320 cord like computers have). He guaranteed it was 100% perfect and great and all that. It wasn't.

I registered a complaint with eBay and obviously that means nothing at all, since that seller still has a 100% positive feedback rating. Don't go by ratings, I found they are completely meaningless.

[KC9VFO]

Well I suppose I can fuse both leads and hook red to red and black to black and see what happens.

[KC9VFO]

GET the IC-245 Owner's Manual !!!
http://www.thiecom.de/ftp/icom/ic245/ic-245.pdf

Many Icom radios from the 1970 used this 4-pin Molex connector.
[* * * *>
The *> is the 13.8 VDC positive lead.
Radio Shack stores carried it since 1970s ... I have not checked lately.

PROPER WIRING Pictorial ---- Page 17 of Manual.


You need to work on that -- or be another appliance operator.

Now hold on, ok I see it on page 17 only they show a 4 pin and I have a 3 pin. but this might still help. Oh and I am ok with being "another appliance operator". I am not that serious about the hobby , just like messing around with 2 meter radios with part of my spare time.

[KC9VFO]

I am going to hook this thing up, I will let you all know if it works or not. Thanks for your help.