I am checking to see if anyone has advice, as of late 2024, on the DigiRig with the Icom ID-50A and Icom ID-52A. These two radios do not seem to show up on the compatibility lists, but they are the primary radios I would like to use with the Digirig.
Hunting for details, I found a post here from 2022 which suggests that the stock Icom cable doesn’t seat well. That’s true: The ID-50/52 use a modified connector that is three-conductor on both 2.5 and 3.5, has a deeper depth, and a seal: You can’t plug a standard Icom 2.5/3.5 plug into either radio and expect it to work. Another post from 2022 suggests that there is now a stock Icom cable available for the DigiRig, but it appears that cable uses the older/standard plugs that don’t work with the 2.5/3.5. A post from February highlights the problems with the transmit key trying to use the 2-conductor style with the ID-50A.
As a poor example, consider the cable from Associated Radio for the Kantronics KPC3 ( Associated Radio - New and Used Amateur Radio Gear ) - they have a K104 cable which is the 2-pin, 2-conductor style (and specifically excludes these handhelds), and then they have the K125 cable, which is the 2-pin 3-conductor style specifically for the ID-50/52.
I apologize if I’m ignorant or missing something obvious, but I have two questions:
First, a question for the community: Has anyone gotten a DigiRig to work well using the stock DigiRig Icom cable, and the Icom OPC2144 adapter? Does that combination work?
And a question for @K0TX - are there any plans to release an updated native cable for the ID-50/52A with the newer connectors? If so, is there a timeline? Really interested in this device, just hoping I can make it work without too many cables (which, I think, is a major point for the DigiRig: reducing cable clutter!)
Thank you so much for your patience with my questions!
Glen
Yes, you can use ICOM HT cable from the store with ID-50/52, but you may need to make a small modification to the molding to allow it to fully engage. This is a simple modification you can do with a box cutter or xacto knife, but enough reason not to list the compatibility.
I plan on modifying the molding in the next production batch to make it fully compatible including ID-50/52.
Thank you so much for your reply! Could you advise me on the best way to determine when the new cables from your next production batch are available? Will there be an announcement or is there some way I could be informed or figure it out so I can order from that batch?
Thank you again! I’m excited to get my hands on a few of these and start playing with them!
Looking at the OPC2144 pinout, it seems that the ID52A expects three conductors on each side, as shown in the post thread here: ID-52 Interface - #20 by JJ1PJI
But looking at the store listing here ICOM HT Cable for Digirig Mobile – digirig it seems that the Icom side of that cable only has two conductors on each side - and it looks like the middle rings for CIV and +3V would be shorted to ground if I tried to plug in the stock store cable directly to the radio after making the box-cutter/molding adjustment, because there are still only two conductors on each side of the cable plug.
Am I correct in my assumption?
If so, is it still appropriate to order the CI-V version of the DigiRig for the ID-52A? Or should I be ordering a different version?
So sorry to have all these questions, just trying to make sure I don’t order wrong items!
The stock cable is not intended for programming/CI-V so those lines are not connected on the either end. You are welcome to homebrew a cable utilizing those connections. For serial functionality you’ll need Digirig Mobile in CI-V configuration.
The ring connection is not used in other ICOM HT speaker/mics, but even with 3.3V supplied, there should be no issue as there should be high value current limiting resistor. You can put multimeter set for milliamperes between ring and sleeve to see what kind of current is involved. I’ll use 3 pin connectors if/when ID-5x specific cable is available to just not make people worry about it.
Hello @K0TX - thank you so much! This is fantastic! Just placed an order for a variety of things, looking forward to getting on the air, and to the future releases of the new cables.
I know you’re busy, and I really really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions! Best regards!
