Icom Ic-A4 Vhf Air Band Transceiver Instruction Manual

iA4
VHF AIR  BAND TRANSCEIVER
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
condition that this device does not cause
harmful interference.
IC-A4#01 IM  01.12.5 5:14 PM  Page a (1,1) 

i
FOREWORDREAD ALL INSTRUCTIONS
carefully and completely
before using the transceiver.
SAVE THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL—
This in-
struction manual contains important operating instructions for
the IC-A4.
EXPLICIT DEFINITIONSThe explicit definitions below apply to this instruction manual.
CAUTIONSRWARNING! NEVER
hold the transceiver so that the
antenna is very close to, or touching exposed parts of the
body, especially the face or eyes, while transmitting. The
transceiver will perform best if the microphone is...

ii
DO NOT 
push the PTT when not actually desiring to trans-
mit.
DO NOT 
allow children to play with any radio equipment
containing a transmitter.
DO NOT 
operate the transceiver near unshielded electrical
blasting caps or in an explosive atmosphere.
AVOID 
using or placing the transceiver in direct sunlight or
in areas with temperatures below –10°C or above +60°C.
The use of non-Icom battery packs/chargers may impair
transceiver performance and invalidate the warranty.
Even when the transceiver power...

FOREWORD ........................................................................ i
EXPLICIT DEFINITIONS ..................................................... i
CAUTIONS .......................................................................... i
SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES................................................. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................... iii
1 ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT ....................................... 1
2 PANEL DESCRIPTION...

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1
ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT
DAntenna
CAUTION:
Transmitting without an
antenna may damage the transceiver.
Insert the supplied antenna into the an-
tenna connector and screw down the an-
tenna as shown at right.
Keepthe jack cover attached when jacks
are not in use to avoid bad contacts from
dust and moisture.
DBattery pack replacementTo remove:
Push and hold the bat-
tery release downwards,
then pull the battery pack
upwards as shown at
right.
To attach:
Mate the notched ends of the battery pack and the...

Panel description
qVOLUME CONTROLS [VOL](p. 5)
Turns power ON and adjusts the audio level.
wPTT SWITCH [PTT](p. 5)
Push and hold to transmit; release to receive.
eCHANNEL UP/DOWN SWITCHES [Y]/[Z]
➥Push to select the operating channel or frequency. (p. 5)
➥Select item conditions in set mode.
rLOCK SWITCH [ ]
➥Push and hold 2 sec. to toggle the key lock function ON
or OFF. (p. 6)
- “
” appears on the display.
tVFO/MEMORY SWITCH [V/M]
➥Push to select VFO mode or memory mode. (pgs. 5, 8)
- “X” appears when...

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2
PANEL DESCRIPTION
➥When memory mode is selected, this switch sets the dis-
played channel as a scan lock-out channel when pushed
for 2 sec. (p. 8)- “SKIP” appears on the display.
iSQUELCH SWITCH [SQL]
➥Push and hold to open the squelch. (p. 6)
➥While pushing [SQL], push [Y]/[Z] to select the squelch
level. (p. 6)
- 9 squelch levels and squelch open are available.
oFUNCTION DISPLAY(p. 4)
!0TRANSMIT INDICATOR
Lights red while transmitting.
!1EXTERNAL DC POWER JACK [CHARGE]
Connect a 12 to 16 V DC power...

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2
PANEL DESCRIPTION
Function displayqMEMORY MODE INDICATOR(p. 9)
Appears when memory mode is selected.
wLOCK INDICATOR(p. 6)
Indicates that the lock function is in use.
eLOW BATTERY INDICATOR
➥Appears when the battery is nearing exhaustion.
➥Appears and flashes when battery replacement is nec-
essary.
rFREQUENCY DISPLAY(p. 11)
➥Shows the operating frequency. 
➥Shows the channel name when the memory name func-
tion is selected. (p. 10)tBUSY INDICATORS
➥“BUSY” appears when receiving a signal or when the...

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3
BASIC OPERATION
Receiving and transmitting
CAUTION:
Transmitting without an antenna may dam-
age the transceiver.
qRotate [VOL] clockwise to turn power ON, then set to the
10 o’clock position.
wPush [V/M] to select memory mode or VFO mode.
eSelect the desired memory channel or VFO frequency with
the [Y]/[Z] keys.
• When receiving a signal, “BUSY” appears and audio is emitted
from the speaker.
• Further adjustment of [VOL] may be necessary at this point.
• Push [SQL] to toggle the squelch function ON...

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3
BASIC OPERATION
Setting squelch levelThe transceiver has a noise squelch circuit to mute undesired
noise while receiving no signal.
➥To open the squelch:Push and hold [SQL] to open the squelch. This is useful to
listen to weak signals that do not open the squelch.
- “BUSY” appears on the display.
➥To close the squelch:Release [SQL] to close the squelch.DSetting the squelch levelqWhile pushing [SQL], push [Y] or [Z] to select the squelch
level.
- ‘Sq 1’ is loose squelch and ‘Sq 9’ is tight squelch....