Anyone else frustrated by crumbling ICom microphone cords? We’ve been through at least three ….. not what I expected from ICom … but read on — get a replacement from ICom for the cost of shipping it back to the service center! WooHoo! Now that’s what I DO expect from ICom, great customer service!
We have an original ICom M802 … a year after the SSB radio first was introduced, we added it to s/v Winterlude. Great radio… as an aside, we didn’t have a problem with clipping, and I was a net controller for both the Northwest Caribbean Net (6.209) and the Southwest Caribbean Net …. but we sent the radio back to ICom for the clipping resolution fix when we arrived back in the USA in 2010, problem fixed (even though we didn’t have the problem that some M802 owners experienced).
Fast forward to 2014 … now we’re thinking about sailing away again … once again the M802 microphone cord is crumbling… a new one is $83 on Amazon …. so I e-mailed our local ICom and know everything about marine SSB dealer — Dockside Marine SSB in Punta Gorda.
Once again, Gary came through beyond my expectations — I wanted a price for a new microphone & cord and he recommended sending my crumbly one back to Icom for replacement. Note: I like to buy local whenever possible. Now that Don Melcher from SSB Radio Aboard is retired, I recommend everyone buy their SSB marine radio equipment from Gary at Dockside Marine SSB, no matter where you are in the country! Click on the above link, or call 941.661.4498.
Gary surprised me … he advised calling ICom — said they were aware of the “crumbling cord issue”. So I called ICom Service in Washington (state) – 800-306-1380 — Mary acknowledged the issue and informed me the closest ICom service center to us in SW Florida is Williams Communications in Tallahassee — 800-649-5783.
I called and Jim advised me to send the mike cord back and they would solder a new cord on the mike and return it. WOW! All I was out was the $5 bucks and change for a “if it fits it ships” Priority Mail box from the US Postal Service. So we shipped off not one but two mike cords. I included our contact information so they know where to ship it back. Here’s the Tallahassee ICom service center official address — be sure to call and let them know it’s coming (note — the microphone has to work, it just a cord replacement, not the entire mike.)
Williams Communications/ICom Service Center
5046 Tennessee Capitol Blvd.
Tallahassee, FL 32303
SO if you have a crumbling ICom mike cord, ICom will replace it for the cost of shipping it back — sure beats buying a new one from Amazon!
Anyone have any additional input on ICom SSB marine radios? Please leave a comment and share! Cheers! Jan
Great post Jan and Dave! Was going to buy a replacement for my Icom this winter because of the cord. Will contact the folks in Tallahassee.
Thank You!
Via S/V Justice , Roberts 44 Ketch
[…] 12. The cords to both our VHF and SSB mikes and it seems like we have to replace the entire mike because of the way it’s designed. We’ve replaced them several times and the rubber on the coil just keeps deteriorating and flaking off. You’d think ICOM could figure out a way to make a mike coil that wouldn’t disintegrate in a couple of years, but apparently not. (NOTE: Icom has since acknowledged this problem and will replace the cords, read this post if you have the same problem.) […]
Important to note that this free replacement is only available to customers who bought a unit that was supplied by Icom America. Icom America will request a serial no and proof of purchase before replacement.
In some countries (such as Australia, where it does not meet the required standard) the IC-M802 cannot be legally sold, and the local Icom subsidiary has no such program in place,