Every key and what it does on a push and on a hold, the whole menu map with factory defaults, and the D-STAR essentials. Condensed from the basic instruction manual.
The one thing that decides everything
Almost every key on this radio does one job when you push it and a different job when you hold it for a second. The table below is the whole radio in that form. Learn the holds and you rarely need the menu.
| Key | Push | Hold one second |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Nothing | Power on and off |
| PTT | Hold to transmit, release to receive | ID-31E only: a brief push then hold sends a 1750 Hz tone burst |
| SQL | Hold to open the squelch and monitor. Hold it and turn DIAL to set the squelch level. | Can be set to sticky operation in the Function menu |
| MENU | Enter and leave the menu | Key lock on and off |
| FM/DV SCAN | Step the mode: FM, FM-N, DV | Scan type selection |
| M/CALL S.MW | Once for memory mode, again for call channels, alternating | Select Memory Write mode, which is how you store a channel |
| V/MHz CLR LOW | VFO mode. In VFO, push again for 1 MHz steps and again for 10 MHz. Also cancels a scan, and backs out of a menu. | Output power. Hold it and turn DIAL to pick the level. |
| QUICK MENU | Open and close the Quick Menu | Nothing |
| DIAL | Frequency, memory channel, scan direction, menu values. With SQL held, squelch level. | Nothing |
| VOL | Audio level | Nothing |
| Key | Push | Hold one second |
|---|---|---|
| ENT, centre | Open or set the selected item | Nothing |
| RX to CS, up | Move the value or selector bar up | Sets the received call sign, station or repeater, as the operating call sign. Hold it and turn DIAL to pick from the received call record. |
| DR, down | Move the value or selector bar down | Enter DR, the D-STAR repeater mode |
| CD, left | Select an upper tier menu | Open the received calls record |
| CS, right | Select a lower tier menu | Enter the operating call sign select mode |
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DV, FM, FM-N | Operating mode. DV-G or DV-A appears when GPS or GPS-A transmission is on. |
| DUP+ or DUP- | Plus or minus duplex offset |
| PRIO | Priority watch running |
| EMR or BK | Enhanced Monitor Request, or Break-in |
| TONE, TSQL, TSQL-R, DTCS, DTCS-R | FM tone and DTCS squelch states. The R suffix is reverse. |
| DSQL, CSQL | DV mode: digital call sign squelch, digital code squelch |
| Bell symbol | Pocket beep is on alongside the squelch shown |
| GPS | Steady when the receiver has a valid position, blinking on invalid data |
| SLO, LOW, MID | Transmit power. No icon means high, 5 W. |
| SKIP, PSKIP | Channel or frequency set to be skipped in scan |
| MR | Memory mode. C0 or C1 means a call channel. |
| VOX | VOX is on |
| To do this | Do this |
|---|---|
| Power on | Hold the power key one second. It shows the opening message and the battery voltage, then the frequency. |
| Set volume | Turn VOL. Hold SQL while you do it if the squelch is closed and you want to hear something. |
| Set squelch | Hold SQL and turn DIAL. LEVEL1 is loose, LEVEL9 is tight, AUTO adjusts itself, OPEN is always open and is not available in DV. |
| Monitor | Hold SQL. The first segment of the S meter blinks while it is open. |
| Choose the mode | Push FM/DV to step FM, FM-N, DV. |
| VFO | Push V/MHz. |
| Memory | Push M/CALL once. Push again for call channels. They alternate. |
| DR mode | Hold the DR key one second, then turn DIAL to pick a repeater. |
| Tuning step | Quick Menu, TS, pick from 5, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 100, 125 or 200 kHz. |
| 1 MHz and 10 MHz steps | In VFO, push V/MHz once for 1 MHz, again for 10 MHz. Push again to cancel. |
| Transmit power | Hold V/MHz. Or hold it and turn DIAL. High 5 W, Mid 2.5 W, Low 0.5 W, S-Low 0.1 W. With the BP-273 alkaline case you get about 100 mW and the power selection is disabled. |
| Key lock | Hold MENU one second. Power, VOL, SQL, PTT and MENU still work. |
Two things that will catch you out
Transmit is 430 MHz only. The radio receives 400 to 479 MHz depending on version but will only transmit in the amateur band. If transmit is refused, check the frequency first, then check PTT Lock in the Function menu.
The time-out timer defaults to 5 minutes and cuts you off. It is in the Function menu if you want it longer, but it is protecting the radio from overheating: above about 2.5 W the chassis gets hot and the heat protection quietly reduces power anyway.
Fifty scan edges and two call channels sit alongside the regular memories, all programmed the same way.
Keep holding the key after the write and the channel number steps on by itself, which is quick when you are loading a block. Push V/MHz CLR to abandon the write.
On the USA, Canada and Korean versions the Auto Repeater function sets the standard offset and tone for you, so steps 2 and 3 are usually unnecessary. It is in the Function menu, default ON (DUP).
| Type | What it scans |
|---|---|
| ALL | Everything |
| P-LINK0 to P-LINK9 | Programmed link scan |
| P00 to P24 | One programmed scan edge pair. Only pairs you have programmed appear. |
| DUP | Duplex scan |
| TONE | Tone scan, which finds the tone another station is using |
Scan uses the tuning step, so a wide step can jump straight over a signal. It will not start from memory mode, call channel mode or DR mode: push V/MHz first. A memory scan needs at least two programmed channels.
DR mode is the easy way in. Hold the DR key one second, then turn DIAL to choose a repeater from the list. The repeater list is loaded with the CS-31 cloning software, which Icom gives away.
| Task | How |
|---|---|
| Set MY call sign | MENU > My Station > My Call Sign. Six slots. Nothing works until this is set. |
| Grab a heard station's call sign | Hold RX to CS one second. Hold it and turn DIAL to pick from the received call record. |
| See who has called | Hold CD one second, or MENU > RX History. |
| Set the call signs by hand | Hold CS one second, or MENU > Call Sign. Defaults are UR: CQCQCQ, R1 and R2 blank. |
| Store a station or repeater | MENU > DV Memory, Your Call Sign or Repeater List. |
| Send a short message | MENU > My Station > TX Message. Five slots, or OFF. |
| Break into a conversation | Turn BK on in DV Set. It gets you in between two stations using call sign squelch. |
| Be heard regardless of volume | EMR in DV Set. An EMR signal is heard at a set level even with the volume down or squelch closed. EMR AF Level default 19. |
| Automatic reply | DV Set, Auto Reply. ON sends your call sign back, Voice sends a recorded message from the SD card. |
The radio can record up to 40 received calls. RX Record (RPT) in DV Set decides whether it keeps all of them or only the latest.
Push QUICK MENU. What appears depends on the mode, and it is where the per channel settings live rather than the main menu.
In the menu, pushing QUICK MENU on a setting offers Default, which puts that one item back to its factory value.
Quick Menu, Band Scope, then Single Sweep or Continuous Sweep. It sweeps using the current tuning step, so set the step to 20 kHz or less first or it will step over signals. Push ENT to stop, then turn DIAL to move the marker onto a signal and listen to it. Push V/MHz CLR to leave.
Push MENU, then use the D-pad. Left and right move between menu tiers, up and down move the bar, ENT opens or sets. Factory defaults below are the USA values and are shown in bold.
| Item | Range, default in bold |
|---|---|
| Offset Freq | 0.000 to 5.000.00 to 59.995 |
| Repeater Tone | 67.0 to 88.5 to 254.1 |
| TSQL Freq | 67.0 to 88.5 to 254.1 |
| Tone Burst | OFF or ON |
| DTCS Code | 023 to 754 |
| DTCS Polarity | Both N, TN-RR, TR-RN, Both R |
| Digital Code | 00 to 99 |
| Item | Range, default in bold |
|---|---|
| Pause Timer | 2 sec to 10 sec to 20 sec, or HOLD |
| Resume Timer | 0 sec to 2 sec to 5 sec, or HOLD |
| Program Skip | OFF or ON |
| Bank Link | Banks A to Z, all ticked |
QSO Recorder with REC Start, Play Files, and Recorder Set. REC Mode TX and RX or RX only. RX REC Condition Always or Squelch Auto. File Split OFF or ON. PTT Auto REC OFF or ON. Player skip time 3, 5, 10 or 30 seconds. Needs a microSD card.
| Item | Range, default in bold |
|---|---|
| GPS Select | OFF, Internal GPS, External GPS, Manual |
| Power Save, internal GPS | OFF, 1, 2, 4, 8 min or Auto |
| GPS Indicator | OFF or ON |
| Position Format | ddd mm.mm or ddd mm ss |
| Altitude and Distance Units | m or ft and ml |
| Speed Units | km/h, mph or knots |
| Alarm Area 1 | 0'05" to 0'15" to 59'59" |
| Alarm Area 2 | Limited, Extended or Both |
| GPS Out | OFF or ON, sends GPS to the DATA jack |
| GPS Logger | OFF or ON. Record interval 1 sec, 5, 10, 30 or 60. Needs a card. |
| GPS TX Mode | OFF, GPS (DV-G) or GPS-A (DV-A) |
| GPS Sentence | RMC, GGA, GLL, VTG, GSA, GSV |
| GPS-A Unproto Address | API31,DSTAR* |
| GPS-A Symbol | 1: Person, 2: Bicycle, 3: Car, 4: House QTH |
| GPS Auto TX | OFF, 5 sec, 10, 30, 1 min, 3, 5, 10 or 30 min |
| Item | Range, default in bold |
|---|---|
| Tone Control | RX and TX bass and treble, each Cut, Normal or Boost. RX Bass Boost OFF or ON. |
| Auto Reply | OFF, ON or Voice |
| DV Data TX | PTT or Auto |
| Digital Monitor | Auto, Digital or Analog |
| Digital Repeater Set | OFF or ON |
| RX Call Sign Write | OFF or Auto |
| RX Repeater Write | OFF or Auto |
| DV Auto Detect | OFF or ON |
| RX Record (RPT) | ALL or Latest Only |
| BK | OFF or ON |
| EMR | OFF or ON |
| EMR AF Level | 0 to 19 to 39 |
RX Call Sign SPEECH OFF, ON (Kerchunk) or ON (All). RX to CS SPEECH OFF or ON. Language English. Alphabet Normal or Phonetic Code. Speed Slow or Fast. Level 0 to 7 to 9.
DTMF Memory holds d0 to d9, dA to dD, d star and d hash. DTMF Speed 100 ms, 200, 300 or 500 ms.
| Item | Range, default in bold |
|---|---|
| Power Save | OFF, Auto (Short), Auto (Middle), Auto (Long) |
| Monitor | Push or Hold. Hold makes SQL sticky. |
| Dial Speed-UP | OFF or ON |
| Auto Repeater | OFF, ON (DUP), ON (DUP, TONE) |
| MIC Simple Mode | Simple, Normal-1, Normal-2 |
| Key Lock | Normal, No SQL, No VOL, ALL |
| PTT Lock | OFF or ON |
| Busy Lockout | OFF or ON |
| Time-Out Timer | OFF, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 or 30 min |
| MIC Gain internal | 1 to 3 to 4 |
| MIC Gain external | 1 to 2 to 4 |
| Data Speed | 4800 bps or 9600 bps |
| VOX | OFF or ON. Level 1 to 5 to 10 or OFF. Delay 0.5 sec to 3.0 sec. Time-Out OFF, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 or 15 min. Headset HS-95 or Other. |
| CI-V Address | 01 to 84 to DF |
| CI-V Baud Rate | 300 to 19200 or Auto |
| CI-V Transceive | OFF or ON |
| Item | Range, default in bold |
|---|---|
| Backlight | OFF, ON, Auto or Auto (DC IN: ON) |
| Backlight Timer | 5 sec or 10 sec |
| LCD Dimmer | Bright or Dark |
| LCD Contrast | 1 to 8 to 16 |
| Busy LED | OFF or ON |
| RX Call Sign | OFF, Auto or Auto (RX Hold) |
| RX Message | OFF or Auto |
| DV RX Backlight | OFF or ON |
| TX Call Sign | OFF, Your Call Sign or My Call Sign |
| Scroll Speed | Slow or Fast |
| Opening Message | OFF or ON |
| Voltage Indication | OFF or ON |
Beep Level 0 to 9. Beep and Vol Level Link OFF. Key-Touch Beep OFF or ON. Scan Stop Beep OFF. Standby Beep OFF, ON, or ON with a high tone when the call is to you. Scope AF Output OFF or ON.
Date and Time. GPS Time Correct OFF or Auto. UTC Offset minus 14:00 to 0:00 to plus 14:00. Auto Power OFF OFF, 30, 60, 90 or 120 min.
Setting Load, choosing ALL, Except My Station, or Repeater List Only. Setting Save to a new or existing file. SD Card Info. Format. Unmount. Never switch the radio off while it is reading or writing the card.
Save first
Save your settings to the microSD card, MENU > SD Card > Setting Save, or clone the radio to a PC with CS-31, before either reset.
Clears the VFO frequency, VFO settings and menu contents, and keeps memory channels, call sign memories and the repeater list.
Resets the CPU and clears everything back to factory defaults.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Will not switch on | Flat battery, reversed polarity in the alkaline case, or a loose battery case. Clean the terminals. |
| No sound | Volume down, or an external speaker or cloning cable left in the SP jack. |
| Cannot transmit | Frequency outside the 430 MHz amateur band, or PTT Lock is on in the Function menu. |
| VOX will not transmit | VOX Level off or too low, or MIC Gain too low. |
| Cannot raise a station | Wrong tone or DTCS code. Run a tone scan. |
| Frequency will not change | Key lock on, hold MENU to clear it. Or you are in memory, call or DR mode: push V/MHz. |
| Program scan will not start | You are not in VFO, or the two scan edges hold the same frequency. |
| Memory scan will not start | You are in VFO or call channel mode, or fewer than two memories are programmed. |
| Displayed frequency is nonsense | CPU upset. Reset the radio, and reseat the battery. |
| The repeater says | What it means |
|---|---|
| Nothing at all | Wrong repeater setting, or you are not reaching it. Check the offset and duplex direction, or try another repeater. |
| UR? plus a call sign | Your transmission got through fine but nobody replied. Try again shortly. |
| RX or RPT? plus a call sign | Your MY call sign is not set, or not registered with the D-STAR system, or is wrong. Set it and check your registration. |
| RPT? and the called repeater's call sign | That repeater cannot be reached or is busy. Wait and try again. |
| RPT? and its own call sign | The call sign you gave for the called repeater is wrong. |
| DR mode will not open | The repeater list has been cleared. Reload it with CS-31. |
| RX to CS will not set a call sign | The call sign was not received cleanly. Wait until the radio hears it again. |
| Gateway calls refused | Your call sign is not registered on the D-STAR system. Ask the repeater administrator. |
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Transmit, USA | 420 to 450 MHz |
| Receive, USA | 400 to 479 MHz |
| Modes | FM, FM-N, DV |
| Memory channels | 552, including 50 scan edges and 2 call channels |
| Tuning steps | 5, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 100, 125, 200 kHz |
| Frequency stability | 2.5 ppm |
| Power supply | 10.0 to 16.0 V DC external, or the Icom battery pack |
| Digital data speed | 4.8 kbps, of which voice is 2.4 kbps |
| Output power | High 5.0 W, Mid 2.5 W, Low 0.5 W, S-Low 0.1 W |
| Modulation | FM variable reactance, DV GMSK |
| Sensitivity FM | Better than minus 15 dBu at 12 dB SINAD |
| Sensitivity DV | Better than minus 11 dBu at BER 1 percent |
| Audio output | More than 0.4 W internal into 16 ohms, 0.2 W external into 8 ohms |
| Antenna connector | SMA, 50 ohms |
| Size and weight | 58 x 95 x 25.4 mm, 140 g without pack or antenna |
| Temperature range | minus 20 to plus 60 C |
| Waterproofing | IPX7 with the BP-271 or BP-272, the flexible antenna, and both jack covers fitted. The BP-273 alkaline case is IPX4 only. |
| Pack | Capacity | Life, FM high power, 1:1:8 | Charge time |
|---|---|---|---|
| BP-271 | 1150 mAh | About 4.5 hours | 6 hours regular, 2 hours with BC-202 |
| BP-272 | 1880 mAh | About 8 hours | 9 hours regular, 3.5 hours with BC-202 |
| BP-273 | 3 x AA alkaline | Varies | Not rechargeable |
Charge with the radio switched off. With it on, the charger cannot read the pack voltage properly and will not charge it fully. Below 0 C the protection circuit forces Low power and disables the High and Mid selections.
Icom verified SanDisk cards up to 32 GB SDHC. The card holds memory channel contents, the repeater list, transceiver settings, received audio, Auto Reply voice, and GPS logs. No card is supplied.
Free software
CS-31 is Icom's cloning software and it is a free download. It is how you load the repeater list and program memories in bulk, over the optional OPC-2218LU cable. Reloading the repeater list with CS-31 is also the fix when DR mode stops working.
Condensed from the Icom ID-31A and ID-31E Instruction Manual, Icom Inc. Defaults shown are the USA version and can differ by version. This sheet is a summary and does not replace the manual, and the Advanced Instructions PDF covers the features left out here. Check the precautions in the manual before use. APRS is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR.