I just got mine here in the USA and I agree totally with you about the screen! As expensive as these radios are you would think the screen would be vibrant. Instead, it’s washed out.
Thanks for your review and comments. Please compare the displays in direct sunlight and give some comments on usability in those conditions. Many displays have richer color but are not visible in bright light conditions. For a handheld radio we might need direct sunlight visibility more than a pretty display we can't read in all light conditions. Transflective LCD displays use less power and are one of the very few displays that can be both ambient and backlight illuminated. w6akb
Yes point taken will do. By the way the battery life on my supplied radio from Japan was poor because it had the 1150 mh battery. The supplied battery for the American and UK market is 1850. Which is much better I will correct the video
They're being sold from Moonraker for £599 on eBay everywhere else £549 it's a top radio with water fall display I like it but the price doesn't reflect the product on any hand talk & Bluetooth PTT is a must
Nice one, Chris. You're right about the quality of Icom handsets. I have the ID31. Only UHF (I won it!), but the quality, build, menus etc is just light years above anything else.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio thanks for your review I had the TH D74A KENWOOD have one of the best APRS GOS , on Dstar is very easy to setup I try them all when it come APRS , GPS and audio quality it’s hard to beat a handheld KENWOOD , sure one of the downside of the D74A is battery but I got 4 spares battery but I will get me the ic 52 to complete my collection TH D72A ( dual ) TH D74A FT3DR FT5DR BTW this is going to be my first handheld from icom , sure my friend let me borrow his HANDHELD IC 51A I used in my island Puerto Rico but again the KENWOOD is much superior on APRS , AUDIO QUALITY, DSTAR , 3 BAND 144, 220 70cm plus hear SSB and broadcast station plus airplane but that IC 52A is a keeper enjoy that ic 52 😊 but is very sad 😢 KENWOOD didn’t replace the TS 480HX ( 200 ) watts mobile a new handheld come on KENWOOD 😢 bring at least a new HF mobile radio
Thanks Garry it is an awesome radio. I have got to mention some negatives I can’t just say everything is brilliant. I will be trying a bigger battery I will report back how it works
I've had an ID-52 USA model for 18 months. Perhaps they have changed from your preview model, but the battery life is fine - normally about 8 + hours real usage. It is much improved by not having the GPS running continuously - best is to get your GPS lock and then save it, and turn the GPS off. M one is used with a White Background and Dark letters and I find it very readable with he backlight on. It can be set to indicate the battery voltage for a second or two when you power on. The speaker is excellent and loud. Overall a very nice radio with lots of adjustments, but quite pricey. The advanced manual is needed, but only comes as a PDF
Thank you for the detailed information very interesting. The battery that came with my japan model was the super slim model, which did not last very long. In other countries like yours. You get the standard battery which is a lot better. It's a great radio. And one that I would never sell unless I had to. Thanks for watching john
Just got the ID-52 in the US and can confirm that they changed the battery to the BP-272 (same as the IC-705) which is the 7.4V /1880mAh/ 14Wh battery -73s AH2EJ
A vivid screen will eat up battery life. Bit like my HP Prime, bright screen but it goes to a dim battery saving mode after 30s. Like to get the ID 52 but in Oz costs $850, so I like to research it more first.
Hi, thanks for your video. For few days now I can hear very well on my local Dstar- repeaters But when I transmitt NO ONE - hears me? Sorry but I’m old & New to this Dstar & ID 52A Blessings
To access repeaters you should be in the dr mode. On the ID 52, you long press dr (down button on the joystick in the middle). In the from section at the bottom, you navigate to Your Repeater that you are hearing. In the (to) section at top you navigate to use reflector in the reflectors section.
Great showcase of the radio, I have a couple of questions regarding the radio, how does it obtain the repeater list itself? Do you have to program them into the radio via a computer? Or is the list pulled down from a d-star repeater. Also how sensitive would you say this radio is? Does it pick up distant signals well? Also it would be nice if Icom allowed you to change the overall positon of the display, numbering ect as well as the font....
Hi mate the repeater list I downloaded from icom website. You can change the background from black to white. Loads more videos coming on this radio thanks for watching.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio hey Chris, tell me - do you find the list from Icom is out of date, somewhat? In my case, considerably. e.g. MB6CY still showing as Oldham when this moved to Skegness many years ago.
From what I have seen on other videos, all the id52 screens are junk quality, colour rendition, and clarity is simply not there. They definitely skimped out! I love some features like the waterfall display but will wait for the newer model. I'm now looking at the Kenwood D74 for other features even though its a discontinued model. I also love my Anytone screen.👍🍻🤠
Thanks, yes I agree they skipped on the screen and when you spend so much it is disappointing. The screen on the Kenwood is very good but just a bit too small. See any Tony is very good but again a bit small. I have had the Kenwood for several years. You will love that the sideband receive feature is fantastic. Almost the same as a proper HF radio.
Interesting,I’m stuck between getting this,or getting an FT891 and operating compromised in a flat with a loop antenna at 20W,I’m not sure which way to jump-radio is radio however you get there 👍-73 2E0HFO
I just got my ID-52 today and I must say I agree completely about the screen, quite disappointing. Why didn't they slap an OLED on instead? The washed out black bugs me :/
It’s because we have got so many other devices that are beautiful display. Like phones and cameras and other radios like the FT5D. Everybody else seems to be happy with it. But thank you for backing me up
There's no excuse for a handheld radio that costs over $650 to have a subpar display. Another gripe I have is... Everything is going to touch screen. Why would ICOM take a step back and use older technology. Then there's the date or GPS info at the bottom of the screen when in single watch mode. Almost completely un-necessary and or useless. I would rather have the option to display the battery voltage. I'm sure ICOM can do so via a firmware update. One last addition I like to see. Yaesu gives you the option to invert the knobs. I'd like to see that on the ID-52 as well.
Exactly, and thank you for baking me up. Nobody else has mentioned about the display nobody. It’s the most important thing. It’s annoying because the 705 has one of the best screens in the world on radios, although it is a different technology. Thanks for watching.
I wouldn't want a touch screen again. I had a FT3DE and it was really frustrating - I felt I had to press too hard, sometimes it didn't register, often I wore gloves, and that didn't help ... I wanted buttons.
@@susieroberts8175 As with anything, it always comes down to personal preference. My experience has been nothing but positive with all my touch screen radios (ICOM HFs and Yaesu HTs and mobile). I happen to think ICOM either didn't want to raise the already high price on the ID-52 by adding a touch screen or... They couldn't get the parts in large enough quantities to design it that way. 73
I have the kenwood thd74e looks like they have copied it but my kenwood has better screen resolution with all of them features you mentioned the kenwood thd 74e does all that plus more.
I have the ID51 and the Kenwood 74. There is no way I could justify over £500 for a new 52. Id rather buy an FT5 D! The Yaesu would save over £100 on the 52. I really don't use D-Star or C4FM much . Just hope that Kenwood have not given up and are still working with hand portables as they are the best (as far as I am concerned!)
I am in Canada, compared to my colour screen Motorola radios, Colour screen Yeasu radio I’m disappointed with the screen on the id52 as well. I have said it over and over again but no one listens. This radio was a good natural progression of the id51 but icom has done nothing to blow the competition out of the water -- they could have added more features and hi lights and really hit the goal mark -- but they didn’t
Nice work Chris. Love the video. My wife bought me one as a surprise for the surgery I had. Very surprised and excited to get mine. I’ll be using your video on the show and giving you full credit as well as a link to your channel. I cut out the commercials of course LOL. Thanks for your work here Chris. Larry
Hey Larry. Yes feel free to use it. It’s a great radio I’m just a bit disappointed with the screen. Good luck with your recovery mate I saw your video earlier.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio I love my KW D74. Has every feature I’ve ever wanted. Problem is the KW factory making them burned down and they won’t ever be made again (ebay is about $1K currently!). The price of this thing here in the states is $650 nowadays which is about a third too much so recommend Yaesu for new HTs. 73 de KI1Y Cocoa Beach FL
well... ham radios are like 20years behind comparing to the rest of technology. I wouldn't pay $100 for it. I'd expect a fully cellphone like screen and features. with wifi, cameras, maps, stereo speakers, 240hz screen refresh rate, and on and on and... this one is just a brick.
I just got mine here in the USA and I agree totally with you about the screen! As expensive as these radios are you would think the screen would be vibrant. Instead, it’s washed out.
Thank you for backing me up on my opinion I really opinion I really appreciate that
@@digitalanaloguehamradio i am wondering if the new soon IC-R15 will be better ? they do say colour screen, but i don't know.
Thanks for your review and comments. Please compare the displays in direct sunlight and give some comments on usability in those conditions. Many displays have richer color but are not visible in bright light conditions. For a handheld radio we might need direct sunlight visibility more than a pretty display we can't read in all light conditions. Transflective LCD displays use less power and are one of the very few displays that can be both ambient and backlight illuminated. w6akb
Yes point taken will do. By the way the battery life on my supplied radio from Japan was poor because it had the 1150 mh battery. The supplied battery for the American and UK market is 1850. Which is much better I will correct the video
Nice balanced review Chris thanks 👍👏👏
Thx Mark. Lots of videos on the way on this radio!
I like the wooden backdrop enjoyed the honest video try a white screen and increase the Fonts to Large- Quick Menu select Display Type
Thanks mate. Yes I just saw your video about font. That video was filmed in my car you know
They're being sold from Moonraker for £599 on eBay everywhere else £549 it's a top radio with water fall display
I like it but the price doesn't reflect the product on any hand talk
& Bluetooth PTT is a must
The radio is nice but it is far overpriced. Totally agree
Nice one, Chris. You're right about the quality of Icom handsets. I have the ID31. Only UHF (I won it!), but the quality, build, menus etc is just light years above anything else.
Yes it is 2nd to none. It’s sheer quality and it’s the same interface so you know how to use them all.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio thanks for your review I had the TH D74A KENWOOD have one of the best APRS GOS , on Dstar is very easy to setup I try them all when it come APRS , GPS and audio quality it’s hard to beat a handheld KENWOOD , sure one of the downside of the D74A is battery but I got 4 spares battery but I will get me the ic 52 to complete my collection TH D72A ( dual ) TH D74A FT3DR FT5DR BTW this is going to be my first handheld from icom , sure my friend let me borrow his HANDHELD IC 51A I used in my island Puerto Rico but again the KENWOOD is much superior on APRS , AUDIO QUALITY, DSTAR , 3 BAND 144, 220 70cm plus hear SSB and broadcast station plus airplane but that IC 52A is a keeper enjoy that ic 52 😊 but is very sad 😢 KENWOOD didn’t replace the TS 480HX ( 200 ) watts mobile a new handheld come on KENWOOD 😢 bring at least a new HF mobile radio
This is an awesome radio. They are now shipping in the USA finally.
Thanks Garry it is an awesome radio. I have got to mention some negatives I can’t just say everything is brilliant. I will be trying a bigger battery I will report back how it works
I've had an ID-52 USA model for 18 months. Perhaps they have changed from your preview model, but the battery life is fine - normally about 8 + hours real usage. It is much improved by not having the GPS running continuously - best is to get your GPS lock and then save it, and turn the GPS off. M one is used with a White Background and Dark letters and I find it very readable with he backlight on. It can be set to indicate the battery voltage for a second or two when you power on. The speaker is excellent and loud. Overall a very nice radio with lots of adjustments, but quite pricey. The advanced manual is needed, but only comes as a PDF
Thank you for the detailed information very interesting. The battery that came with my japan model was the super slim model, which did not last very long. In other countries like yours. You get the standard battery which is a lot better. It's a great radio.
And one that I would never sell unless I had to. Thanks for watching john
Just got the ID-52 in the US and can confirm that they changed the battery to the BP-272 (same as the IC-705) which is the 7.4V /1880mAh/ 14Wh battery -73s AH2EJ
Thank you I appreciate that
Tbh doesn't get much better so you can't go wrong with the purchase. She is a beaut nice radio mate.....
Thanks mate. The screen is not perfect but it gets extra points because it’s so large. And easy to read
Are the still selling the radio with the small BP 271 battery? I bought a BP 307 to use on my ID-31 and ID-51 and it works great at 3150 mah.
Hi mate yes this is BP271. It lasts about as long as the Kenwood TH74
@@digitalanaloguehamradio that sucks! I thought they would at least include the BP 272.
Thanks for information on battery life issue. That's a deal breaker for me.
Yes I agree. But you can get another battery but you shouldn’t have to at that price
can the beep be turned off? thanks...
Yes, you can turn the beep off, but you can also alter the loudness of the bleep
very good too that....@@digitalanaloguehamradio
A vivid screen will eat up battery life. Bit like my HP Prime, bright screen but it goes to a dim battery saving mode after 30s.
Like to get the ID 52 but in Oz costs $850, so I like to research it more first.
Good point thanks
Hi, thanks for your video. For few days now I can hear very well on my local
Dstar- repeaters
But when I transmitt
NO ONE - hears me?
Sorry but I’m old &
New to this Dstar & ID 52A
Blessings
To access repeaters you should be in the dr mode. On the ID 52, you long press dr (down button on the joystick in the middle). In the from section at the bottom, you navigate to Your Repeater that you are hearing. In the (to) section at top you navigate to use reflector in the reflectors section.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio Thank You Kindly. Love this radio ! 🙏
how do two frequencies work - ? does one take precedence over the other ? such as airband, the take off and landing frequencies.
Hi mate, I’ve got a feeling when you have the radio in Duel line mode that it all allows simultaneous reception on both lines
@@digitalanaloguehamradio just spoke with icom ' The secondary one shuts off...We expect with the R15 the primary will override the secondary '
how are these to program ?. Tedious without the a keypad ? thanks.
They are not too bad. It only takes awhile, if you have to enter the tags for names of channels and stuff
You get the channel working in the vfo and when you’re happy with it, you click memory write to save it
@@digitalanaloguehamradio thanks i am deciding between the new IC-R15 HH, or the new UNIDEN BC260DN Base. Airband Scanning. LHR. Thanks.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio thanks are SD cards as thing of the past though?.
Great showcase of the radio, I have a couple of questions regarding the radio, how does it obtain the repeater list itself? Do you have to program them into the radio via a computer? Or is the list pulled down from a d-star repeater. Also how sensitive would you say this radio is? Does it pick up distant signals well? Also it would be nice if Icom allowed you to change the overall positon of the display, numbering ect as well as the font....
Hi mate the repeater list I downloaded from icom website. You can change the background from black to white. Loads more videos coming on this radio thanks for watching.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio hey Chris, tell me - do you find the list from Icom is out of date, somewhat?
In my case, considerably. e.g. MB6CY still showing as Oldham when this moved to Skegness many years ago.
@@gbamck It’s always out of date or missing stuff. But it’s a good starting point.
Would you see a reason to have this AND the 705? I would imagine this would pair up better with the 7300 to finish out the "missing link"
Great question wow. Yes 7300 because this one has Dstar. But I would also consider the Kenwood TH74. I have got one I think I prefer it more
Very informative video, Chris. How much is the radio at this time? 73 de M6VMO.
I think it’s around £500
$650 US dollars at DX Engineering
@@digitalanaloguehamradio In Portugal, 575€
520 in uk
From what I have seen on other videos, all the id52 screens are junk quality, colour rendition, and clarity is simply not there. They definitely skimped out! I love some features like the waterfall display but will wait for the newer model.
I'm now looking at the Kenwood D74 for other features even though its a discontinued model. I also love my Anytone screen.👍🍻🤠
Thanks, yes I agree they skipped on the screen and when you spend so much it is disappointing. The screen on the Kenwood is very good but just a bit too small. See any Tony is very good but again a bit small. I have had the Kenwood for several years. You will love that the sideband receive feature is fantastic. Almost the same as a proper HF radio.
I want one of those radios
Interesting,I’m stuck between getting this,or getting an FT891 and operating compromised in a flat with a loop antenna at 20W,I’m not sure which way to jump-radio is radio however you get there 👍-73 2E0HFO
Thanks for the comment this radio is going to be a bit expensive. I think your money could be better spent on the HF setup.
Nice......................
I just got my ID-52 today and I must say I agree completely about the screen, quite disappointing. Why didn't they slap an OLED on instead? The washed out black bugs me :/
It’s because we have got so many other devices that are beautiful display. Like phones and cameras and other radios like the FT5D. Everybody else seems to be happy with it. But thank you for backing me up
I would take visibility in bright sunlight over a vivid color display!
given up on HT's. not enough time to learn menus
mAh = milli Amp hour. :)
personne nous fait entendre le son ex Scrabble de ce truc
20 year old features in a bigger screen :(
There's no excuse for a handheld radio that costs over $650 to have a subpar display. Another gripe I have is... Everything is going to touch screen. Why would ICOM take a step back and use older technology. Then there's the date or GPS info at the bottom of the screen when in single watch mode. Almost completely un-necessary and or useless. I would rather have the option to display the battery voltage. I'm sure ICOM can do so via a firmware update. One last addition I like to see. Yaesu gives you the option to invert the knobs. I'd like to see that on the ID-52 as well.
Exactly, and thank you for baking me up. Nobody else has mentioned about the display nobody. It’s the most important thing. It’s annoying because the 705 has one of the best screens in the world on radios, although it is a different technology. Thanks for watching.
I wouldn't want a touch screen again. I had a FT3DE and it was really frustrating - I felt I had to press too hard, sometimes it didn't register, often I wore gloves, and that didn't help ... I wanted buttons.
@@susieroberts8175 As with anything, it always comes down to personal preference. My experience has been nothing but positive with all my touch screen radios (ICOM HFs and Yaesu HTs and mobile). I happen to think ICOM either didn't want to raise the already high price on the ID-52 by adding a touch screen or... They couldn't get the parts in large enough quantities to design it that way. 73
I have the kenwood thd74e looks like they have copied it but my kenwood has better screen resolution with all of them features you mentioned the kenwood thd 74e does all that plus more.
The Kenwood does more stuff. The screen is smaller but more vivid. I have got both. I prefer the Kenwood slightly
@@digitalanaloguehamradio Again though battery life on the Kenwood is poor also.
@@Tantalicdavid Yes good point I have got both and the battery life is extremely similar
I have the ID51 and the Kenwood 74. There is no way I could justify over £500 for a new 52. Id rather buy an FT5 D! The Yaesu would save over £100 on the 52. I really don't use D-Star or C4FM much . Just hope that Kenwood have not given up and are still working with hand portables as they are the best (as far as I am concerned!)
Seems that Kenwood is getting out of the handheld business and almost out of amateur radio period. Such a shame.
I am in Canada, compared to my colour screen Motorola radios, Colour screen Yeasu radio I’m disappointed with the screen on the id52 as well. I have said it over and over again but no one listens. This radio was a good natural progression of the id51 but icom has done nothing to blow the competition out of the water -- they could have added more features and hi lights and really hit the goal mark -- but they didn’t
Thanks for backing me up. It’s a really great radio put the screen could be better.
Nice work Chris. Love the video. My wife bought me one as a surprise for the surgery I had. Very surprised and excited to get mine.
I’ll be using your video on the show and giving you full credit as well as a link to your channel. I cut out the commercials of course LOL. Thanks for your work here Chris.
Larry
Hey Larry. Yes feel free to use it. It’s a great radio I’m just a bit disappointed with the screen. Good luck with your recovery mate I saw your video earlier.
I won’t buy his radio because it does not support APRS.
Yes that is a good point. Stick with the Kenwood
@@digitalanaloguehamradio I love my KW D74. Has every feature I’ve ever wanted. Problem is the KW factory making them burned down and they won’t ever be made again (ebay is about $1K currently!). The price of this thing here in the states is $650 nowadays which is about a third too much so recommend Yaesu for new HTs. 73 de KI1Y Cocoa Beach FL
@@ChatGPT1111 Yes crazy prices further 74 now. I have got one. You could get a HF transceiver for that price. But it is fantastic radio
Battery life is poor from you have shown
Yes only using it on a hotspot on low power it would not last an evening
well...
ham radios are like 20years behind comparing to the rest of technology.
I wouldn't pay $100 for it.
I'd expect a fully cellphone like screen and features.
with wifi, cameras, maps, stereo speakers, 240hz screen refresh rate, and on and on and...
this one is just a brick.
Excellent points I know what you’re saying they are behind thanks for watching