Tips and Tricks for Finding Out the Year of Manufacture of Your Icom Radio

How to Find Out the Year of Manufacture of Your Icom Radio

If you own an Icom radio, you might be curious about when it was made. Knowing the year of manufacture can help you with troubleshooting, maintenance, warranty claims, and resale value. But how can you find out this information? In this article, we will show you how to decode the serial number of your Icom radio and verify the year of manufacture using different methods.

icom serial number year of manufacture

Introduction

What is Icom?

Icom is a Japanese company that specializes in designing and manufacturing radio equipment for amateur, marine, aviation, land mobile, and commercial markets. Icom was founded in 1954 and has since become one of the leading brands in the radio industry. Icom offers a wide range of products, such as transceivers, receivers, scanners, amplifiers, antennas, and accessories.

Why do you need to know the year of manufacture?

Knowing the year of manufacture of your Icom radio can be useful for several reasons. For example, you might want to know if your radio is still under warranty or if it is compatible with certain accessories or software updates. You might also want to know if your radio has any known issues or recalls that have been fixed in later models. Additionally, knowing the year of manufacture can help you determine the fair market value of your radio if you decide to sell it or trade it in.

How to find out the serial number?

The first step to finding out the year of manufacture of your Icom radio is to locate its serial number. The serial number is a unique identifier that consists of several digits and letters. The serial number is usually printed on a sticker or engraved on a metal plate on the back or bottom of your radio. You might also find it on the original box or manual that came with your radio. Make sure to write down or take a picture of your serial number for future reference.

Main Body

How to decode the serial number?

The next step is to decode the serial number of your Icom radio and extract the information about its year of manufacture. The serial number format may vary depending on the model and region of your radio, but generally it follows this pattern:

0XXYYYYY

Where:

• The first digit (0) indicates the original series or version of your radio.

• The second digit (XX) indicates the region code where your radio was sold or intended for.

• The rest of the digits (YYYYY) indicate the sequential production number of your radio.

Let's look at each part in more detail.

The first digit

The first digit of your serial number tells you which series or version of your radio you have. For example, if your serial number starts with 0, it means that you have an original series radio that was produced before 2000. If your serial number starts with 3, it means that you have a later series radio that was produced after 2000. There may be some differences between the original and later series radios in terms of features, specifications, or performance.

The second digit

The second digit of your serial number tells you which region code your radio belongs to. The region code indicates where your radio was sold or intended for. Different regions may have different regulations, standards, or frequencies for radio operation. For example, if your serial number has a 0 as the second digit, it means that your radio was sold or intended for Japan. If your serial number has a 1 as the second digit, it means that your radio was sold or intended for Europe. Here are some common region codes for Icom radios:

Region CodeRegion

0Japan

1Europe

2Australia/New Zealand

3USA/Canada

5Southeast Asia

8Korea/China/Taiwan

AAfrica/Middle East/South America

BRussia/CIS countries

CBrazil/Argentina/Chile/Uruguay/Paraguay/Bolivia/Venezuela/Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/Guyana/Suriname/French Guiana

DMexico/Central America/Caribbean islands/Panama/Costa Rica/Nicaragua/Honduras/El Salvador/Guatemala/Belize/Dominican Republic/Haiti/Cuba/Puerto Rico/Jamaica/Bahamas/Barbados/Trinidad and Tobago/Grenada/St.Vincent/St.Lucia/Dominica/Antigua and Barbuda/St.Kitts and Nevis/Montserrat/Anguilla/British Virgin Islands/U.S.Virgin Islands/Turks and Caicos Islands/Cayman Islands/Bermuda/Aruba/Curacao/Bonaire/Sint Eustatius/Saba/Sint Maarten/Saint Martin/Anguilla/Guadeloupe/Martinique/Saint Barthelemy/Saint Pierre and Miquelon/Greenland/Falkland Islands/South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands/French Southern Territories/Bouvet Island/Heard Island and McDonald Islands/Antarctica

The rest of the digits

The rest of the digits of your serial number tell you the sequential production number of your radio. This means that your radio was the nth radio of that model and region to be produced. For example, if your serial number ends with 12345, it means that your radio was the 12345th radio of that model and region to be produced. The production number can give you an idea of how common or rare your radio is.

How to verify the year of manufacture?

Now that you have decoded the serial number of your Icom radio, you might wonder how to verify the year of manufacture. Unfortunately, there is no definitive way to do this, as Icom does not publish a list of serial numbers and dates for all their models and regions. However, there are some methods that you can try to estimate or confirm the year of manufacture of your Icom radio. Here are some of them:

Check the date code on the components

One way to verify the year of manufacture of your Icom radio is to check the date code on the components inside your radio. The date code is a series of numbers and letters that indicate when a component was made. For example, a date code of 9823 means that the component was made in the 23rd week of 1998. You can find the date code on the ICs, electrolytics, and other components inside your radio. To do this, you will need to open your radio carefully and look for the date code on each component. You might need a magnifying glass or a flashlight to see them clearly. Be careful not to damage or touch any parts inside your radio. If you are not confident or experienced in opening your radio, you might want to skip this method or ask for professional help.

Contact Icom customer service

Another way to verify the year of manufacture of your Icom radio is to contact Icom customer service and ask them directly. You can call, email, or visit their website and provide them with your serial number and model number. They might be able to tell you when your radio was made or at least give you a range of possible dates. However, this method might not work for all models and regions, as Icom customer service may not have access to all the serial number records or may not be willing to share them with you.

Use online resources

A third way to verify the year of manufacture of your Icom radio is to use online resources that have collected or compiled serial number information from other users or sources. For example, you can visit online forums, groups, websites, or databases that are dedicated to Icom radios and search for your serial number or model number. You might find some posts or comments from other users who have the same or similar serial number as yours and who have shared their year of manufacture or date of purchase. You might also find some links or references to other sources that have more serial number information. However, this method might not be very reliable or accurate, as online resources may not be updated, verified, or complete.

Conclusion

Summary of the main points

In conclusion, finding out the year of manufacture of your Icom radio can be a challenging but rewarding task. You can decode the serial number of your Icom radio and extract some information about its series, region, and production number. You can also verify the year of manufacture using different methods, such as checking the date code on the components, contacting Icom customer service, or using online resources. Knowing the year of manufacture can help you with troubleshooting, maintenance, warranty claims, and resale value of your Icom radio.

Call to action

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**FAQs** Q: How do I find out the model number of my Icom radio? A: The model number is usually printed on a sticker or engraved on a metal plate on the front or top of your radio. You might also find it on the original box or manual that came with your radio. Q: How do I find out the firmware version of my Icom radio? A: The firmware version is the software that controls the functions and features of your radio. You can find out the firmware version by accessing the menu settings on your radio and looking for an option that says firmware update or firmware version. Q: How do I update the firmware of my Icom radio? A: The firmware update is a process that improves or fixes some issues or bugs in your radio's software. You can update the firmware by downloading the latest firmware file from Icom's website and transferring it to your radio using a USB cable or an SD card. Q: How do I reset my Icom radio? A: The reset is a process that restores your radio's settings to their factory defaults. You can reset your radio by pressing and holding a combination of buttons on your radio for a few seconds. The exact combination may vary depending on your model. Q: How do I contact Icom customer service? A: You can contact Icom customer service by calling their main office number at 800-USA-ICOM (800-872-4266) or by visiting their website at https://www.icomamerica.com/en/support/contact.aspx.