Icom M803 – A Quick Look By Gary Jensen, DockSide Radio

By Gary Jensen, DockSide Radio

The new Icom M803 SSB replacement for the long-in the-tooth M802 is here. The speculation is over, and YES, the M803 has got the must-have Marine and Amateur Radio features we’ve been fretting about, plus a few extras:

• Simultaneous channel number and stored

frequency viewing. Informative and convenient.

• Back-lit keypad and control key lettering - Snazzy and useful.

• Comes with its own GPS puck – No more DIY

issues looking for a NMEA 0183 GPS data source.

• Amateur Mode – Yes – Requires dealer programming.

• VFO Mode – Yes – Requires dealer programming.

• Speech Compression – Yes – Requires dealer programming.

Enabling both the Amateur and VFO modes turns the M803 into a continuously tuning 1.6 to 29.9 MHz SSB transceiver. The accompanying pictures of the M803’s display show an M803 programmed to transmit and receive on 40M LSB (Lower Sideband) simplex.

In the short time I’ve had the M803 powered-up I’ve come up with just one recommendation for improvement. To my ears the internal speaker is difficult to understand. The workaround for this is simple however. The Icom SP24 speaker, the same speaker that came with the M802, is available for purchase as a separate item. The SP-24 plugs directly into the identical location on the M803 main unit as it did on the M802. My recommendation is to buy an Icom SP-24 when purchasing an M803. Plugging the SP-24 into the M803 remote speaker connector automatically disables the internal speaker, so you’ll never have to deal

with it, and you can enjoy much clearer audio.

Having had one M803 up and running for just barely 24 hours does not make me a M803 expert; therefore, this is by no means an in-depth, comprehensive evaluation. However, with the M803’s features, its $2500 price point, and an easy to figure out user interface (manuals – nah, who reads ‘em), I think Icom has hit a home run with the M803 Gary Jensen owns and operates DockSide Radio. DockSide Radio is an authorized Icom Marine Radio Dealer, and a stocking Pactor Modem dealer, specializing in Sailmail/Winlink sales and support. Gary and his wife Peggy Sailed San Francisco Bay and offshore waters for over ten years, and lived aboard their Hans Christian 38T for three years cruising the West coast of the US, Mexico, and the Sea of Cortez. They currently live in Punta Gorda FL. Gary can be e-mail at misc@docksideradio.com, called at 941-661-4498, and occasionally reached by SSB on the Cruisheimers net.

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