W5BMC

Icom IC-718 Station Manual

Icom IC-718 Transceiver

Samlex SEC-1223 Power Supply

LDG IT-100 Antenna Tuner

 W5BMC
Icom IC-718 Station
Quick Operation Guide
This guide will help you quickly put this
station into operation.

The Icom IC-718 is considered the quint-

essential “beginner’s” HF rig, but don’t let that
fool you. This radio packs a lot of performance
into an easy-to-operate package.

First, look over the rig, make sure everything

is connected, antenna coax, jumpers, antenna
switch(es) correctly positioned, etc. Plug the
coax jumper from the Icom 718’s tuner into the
antenna switch as shown.

This station is powered by the Samlex SEC-

1223 Switching Power Supply stacked on top of
the Icom IC-718. To power up, first turn on the
switch on the far left lower corner.
 IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
Always turn on the power supply first, THEN turn
on the radio.

When shutting down the station, turn off the radio

first, then turn off the power supply.

This applies to all radio brands and

models.
Next, let’s power
up the 718.
 Operating the Icom IC-718

Make sure the microphone is plugged in securely.

Next press the power button just to the right of the head-
phone jack.

The display should light up.

Then select the frequency band using the UP / DN buttons

on the lower right corner of the front panel.
 Use the MODE button to select the desired mode. For
Single Sideband Phone, select LSB (Lower Side Band) for 160,
80, and 40 meter bands or USB (Upper Side Band) for 20, 17, 15,
12, and 10 meters. Mode selected will be indicated above the
frequency, along the upper edge of the display.

Now select the desired frequency using the main tuning

knob. Make sure the Lock button, to the lower left of the tuning
knob, has not been engaged. You will see “LOCK” on the upper
left corner of the display if the Tuning Lock has been engaged.
 RIT (Receive Incremental Tuning) adjusts the receive
frequency slightly up or down (+/- 1.2 khz) without changing
transmit frequency. This is helpful at times when the other
station is slightly off frequency. Some brands call this “clarify”.

SHIFT adjusts the passband slightly up or down. This is

helpful if there is interference to one side of the desired signal.

For now, leave the RIT / SHIFT knobs pointed straight up.
You may learn more about how to use these features on page 21
of the IC-718 manual in this binder.

Audio loudness or volume may be adjusted with the inner

knob next to the PWR button.
 RF Gain / Squelch is the outer knob of the concentric pair
of knobs next to the PWR button.

Setting RF Gain correctly is one of the more important steps for

good reception. Too much gain will simply amplify noise. Too little gain
and the desired station may not be heard.

Icom has put both functions, RF Gain and Squelch, on the same knob. At
first this seems confusing, but in reality the one knob can accomplish the goal of
reducing received noise.

Turning the knob to the left, from the 12 o'clock position to 7 o'clock, the
knob adjusts RF gain. Turning the knob to the right, from 12 o'clock to 5 o’clock, it
functions as a squelch control. Don't use it as a squelch. Use it only for RF gain
adjustment.

Tune to an unused frequency in the desired band.

Starting about 11:30 position, turn the RF Gain knob to the left, counter-
clockwise, while watching the S-meter. Around 9:30 to 10 o’clock position you
will find a spot where the S-meter suddenly begins to climb. Turn it back
clockwise a nudge to just before the S-meter began to climb. Now you have RF
gain set pretty well for the band noise conditions.

Do not use the Preamp unless the band is very quiet and you are really
trying to bring in a signal. However, on noisy nights, on 160 and 80 meters,
turning on the Attenuator (ATT button on the right side of the front panel) may be
beneficial in reducing noise.

Turn on Noise Reduction (NR) by pressing the NR button. It is located

below the “7” on the number keypad on the right side of the front panel. I have
not found the Noise Blanker (NB) to be useful.
 Transmitting with the Icom 718
Before transmitting at full power, it is important to use the
antenna tuner to obtain acceptable match. This Icom 718 is
equipped with an LDG IT-100 Automatic Antenna Tuner. Oper-
ation is very fast and easy.

Set the Icom 718 to an unused frequency on or near the

frequency you wish to operate on. Press the mic PTT button to
transmit and ask, “Is this frequency in use?” and listen. If no
reply, to begin a tuning cycle press and hold (about 1 second)
the Tune button on the right side of the front panel of the Icom
718. The Tune button on the front panel of the IT-100 tuner may
also be used.
 When activated, the IT-100 will set the radio to 10 watts
output and cause it to transmit a carrier wave. When finished
tuning, which takes from 1 to 3 seconds, the tuner will return the
radio to its previous power setting and mode. The IT-100 tuner
will usually tune in less than one second, but the first time it is
used on a particular frequency it may take as long as three
seconds. The clicking noise produced by the tuner is normal.
That noise is from the internal relays going through the tuning
sequence by switching inductors and capacitors in and out of
the circuit.

When a tuning solution is found, the word TUNE will

appear on the left side of the IC-718’s display indicating the
tuner is active.

Each time there is a band change, the IT-100 will auto-

matically go into bypass mode. This requires that the tuner be
retuned for each band change.

The tuner may also be put in bypass mode by pressing the

Tune button once. This will be indicated by the absence of the
word TUNE on the left side of the IC-718’s display. Pressing the
Tune button again will place the tuner back in the tuned mode.

Now the Icom IC-718 is ready to transmit by pressing the

mic’s PTT button and speaking into the microphone.

Remember to identify your station using the club call sign,

W5BMC. At all times good amateur radio operating practices
must be used.
 Shutting Down the Station
Turn off the Icom 718 by pressing the Power button. ALWAYS
turn off the transceiver first!

Turn off the Power Supply. Always turn off the power supply
last.
Disconnect the incoming coax from the antenna switch on the
wall.