Icom ID-51A and ID-51E Plus Quick Reference

Every key and what it does on a push and on a hold, dual watch and the BC radio, the whole menu map with factory defaults, and the D-STAR essentials. Condensed from the Icom ID-51A/ID-51E Plus basic instruction manual, A-7175H-1EX.

The one thing that decides everything

Most keys on this radio do one job when you push them and another when you hold them for a second. The table below is the whole radio in that form. The other thing to learn is the MAIN band: the radio has two receivers, A and B, and you only transmit and change settings on whichever one is MAIN.

Keys, push and hold

Key	Push	Hold one second
Power	Nothing	Power on and off
PTT	Hold to transmit, release to receive	ID-51E only: push briefly, release, then hold to send 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 made sticky in the Function menu
MENU LOCK	Enter and leave the menu	Key lock on and off
MODE SCAN	Step the mode: AM, FM, FM-N, DV	Scan type selection. Push again to start the scan.
MAIN DUAL	Swap the MAIN band between A and B	Dual watch on and off
QUICK SPCH	Open and close the Quick Menu	Speaks the displayed frequency, mode or call sign
M/CALL S.MW	From VFO: memory mode, then call channels. ID-51A only: push again for the weather channels.	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 backs out of a menu, deletes a character while editing, and cancels a scan.	Output power. Hold it and turn DIAL to pick the level.
DIAL	Frequency, memory channel, scan direction, menu values. With SQL held, squelch level.	Nothing
VOL	Audio level	Nothing

The D-pad

Key	Push	Hold one second
ENT, centre	Open or set the selected item in the DR screen, menu or Quick Menu	Nothing
RX>CS, up	Move the value or selector bar up	Sets the last received call signs, station and repeaters, as your operating call signs. Hold it and turn DIAL to pick another from RX History.
DR, down	Move the value or selector bar down	Open the DR screen, the D-STAR repeater mode
CD, left	Select an upper tier menu	In DV mode, open the received calls record
CS, right	Select a lower tier menu	Enter the operating call sign select mode

Display icons

Icon	Meaning
DV, AM, FM, FM-N	Operating mode. DV-A or DV-G replaces DV when D-PRS or NMEA position transmission is on.
MAIN	Marks which band, A or B, is the MAIN band
DUP+ or DUP-	Plus or minus duplex offset
EMR, BK, L	Enhanced Monitor Request, Break-in, or Packet Loss on a call through the internet. An Auto Reply icon shares this spot.
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
S beside TSQL, DTCS, DSQL, CSQL	Pocket beep is on with that squelch
GPS	Steady with a valid position, blinking while searching or on invalid data. A blinking S replaces it when the GPS alarm sounds.
BC radio icon	The broadcast radio is on
Record icon	Recording, or recording paused
microSD icon	A card is inserted. It blinks while the card is being accessed.
PRIO	Priority watch running
Weather alert icon	Weather alert is on
ATT	Attenuator on, AIR band only
SKIP, PSKIP	Channel or frequency set to be skipped in scan
C0 to C3	Call channel in use
SLO, LO1, LO2, MID	Transmit power. No icon means high, 5 W.
VOX	VOX is on with a headset connected through the OPC-2006LS
Auto power off icon	Auto Power OFF is set

Basic operation

To do this	Do this
Power on	Hold the power key one second. It shows the opening message and the supply 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 stays open and is not available in DV. A and B each keep their own level; you set the MAIN band's.
Monitor	Hold SQL. The first segment of the S meter blinks while it is open.
Pick the band	In VFO, Quick Menu, Band Select. AIR, 144 MHz or 430 MHz.
Choose the mode	Push MODE to step AM, FM, FM-N, DV. AM is for the AIR band (108.000 to 136.995 MHz) and AM broadcast only.
VFO	Push V/MHz.
Memory	Push M/CALL. Push again for call channels, and on the ID-51A again for weather channels.
DR mode	Hold the DR key one second, then turn DIAL to pick a repeater.
Tuning step	Quick Menu, TS. 5, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 100, 125 or 200 kHz, plus 8.33 kHz on the AIR band.
1 MHz and 10 MHz steps	In VFO, push V/MHz once for 1 MHz, again for 10 MHz, again to cancel. The digit being changed blinks.
Transmit power	Hold V/MHz, or hold it and turn DIAL. High 5 W, Mid 2.5 W, Low2 1.0 W, Low1 0.5 W, S-Low 0.1 W.
Key lock	Hold MENU one second. Power, LOCK, PTT, SQL and VOL still work.
Attenuator	Quick Menu, ATT (AIR), 30dB. About 30 dB, AIR band only.
Band scope	Quick Menu, Band Scope, then Single Sweep or Continuous Sweep. Set the step to 20 kHz or less first. ENT stops and restarts the sweep; turn DIAL to put the marker on a signal; CLR leaves.
Weather channels, ID-51A	Push M/CALL until WX shows, then turn DIAL for WX-01 to WX-10. Quick Menu, Weather Alert, checks the channel every 5 seconds for an alert tone.

Things that will catch you out

Transmit is 144 and 430 MHz only, and only on the MAIN band. The radio receives far more than it transmits. If transmit is refused, check which band is MAIN, then the frequency, then PTT Lock and Busy Lockout in the Function menu. OFF on the display at PTT means the offset or duplex direction puts you out of band.

The time-out timer defaults to 5 minutes to stop the radio overheating. When it gets hot, heat protection cuts power to about 2.5 W and then stops transmitting until it cools. On external DC above 14 V, power also drops to about 2.5 W.

Cold and the alkaline case limit power. Around 0 C or below the battery protection forces Low1 (0.5 W). With the BP-273 AA case, the power icons still change but output stays at about 0.1 W.

Dual watch, A and B bands

The radio has two separate receivers, A band and B band. Both cover 108.000 to 174.000 MHz and 380.000 to 479.000 MHz, with some ranges blocked on some versions.

Hold MAIN DUAL one second to switch dual watch on and off. With it on, A is the upper half of the display and B the lower half. With it off you see only the MAIN band.
Push MAIN DUAL to make the other band MAIN. Band select, DIAL tuning, mode, memory select, memory write and band scope all act on the MAIN band, and you only transmit on MAIN.
Some combinations mute the SUB band. A DV, FM-N or AIR band signal on MAIN can silence the SUB band, and an icon shows it. During a scan the audio can also break up.
Volume for the two bands is set by MENU > Sounds > Volume Select: All together, BC Radio Separate, or Separate. With Separate, VOL adjusts only the MAIN band.
Sub Band Mute in Sounds can mute the SUB band while MAIN is receiving, beep when a SUB band signal ends, or both.
Heterodyne in Function shifts the first local oscillator if a dual watch pair of frequencies throws up an internal spurious signal.

BC radio

A third receiver for AM and FM broadcast that you can listen to alongside the two ham bands.

Task	How
Turn on and off	Quick Menu, <<BC Radio ON>>. A pop up window opens. Quick Menu, <<BC Radio OFF>> to stop.
Listen in the background	With it on, push CLR to close the pop up and it keeps playing while you watch A and B. Quick Menu, <<BC Radio>> brings the window back.
AM or FM	Push MODE in the pop up.
Tuning or memory	Push M/CALL to swap between Tuning mode and Memory bank mode. Turn DIAL to tune or pick a channel.
Seek	In Tuning mode, hold CD to search down or CS to search up. It stops on the next station. Push CD, CS or CLR to cancel.
Store a station	In Tuning mode, hold S.MW one second.
AM tuning step	Quick Menu, TS: 1, 9 or 10 kHz.
Attenuator	Quick Menu, ATT (FM): OFF or 30dB. ATT (AM): OFF, Auto, 30dB or 50dB.
Radio only	Quick Menu, <<BC Radio Mode>> runs just the broadcast radio with the rest of the radio asleep.

Coverage is AM 520 to 1710 kHz and FM 76.0 to 108.0 MHz (88.0 to 108.0 MHz on the USA version). There is no AM bar antenna, so AM reception depends on location. BC memory holds 500 channels in 26 banks of up to 50. BC radio audio cannot be recorded.

Memory programming

There are 500 regular memories (000 to 499), 50 scan edges in 25 pairs (0A/0B to 24A/24B) and four call channels (C0 to C3). Memories can also go in 26 banks, A to Z, up to 100 channels each.

Push V/MHz for VFO.
Set the frequency with DIAL, the mode with MODE, and anything else you want stored: duplex, tone, tuning step.
Hold M/CALL S.MW one second for Select Memory Write. One short and one long beep, and the channel number blinks.
Turn DIAL to the channel. A call channel, a scan edge or an ordinary memory can all be chosen here.
Hold M/CALL S.MW one second to write it. Three beeps, the contents show briefly, then it returns to VFO.

To use a channel, push M/CALL and turn DIAL. Only programmed channels appear. Push CLR to leave memory mode.

Repeater operation

Push V/MHz for VFO and MODE for FM.
Set the receive frequency, which is the repeater output.
Set the duplex direction: Quick Menu, DUP, pick DUP- or DUP+. The offset is in MENU > DUP/TONE > Offset Freq.
Set the tone if it needs one: Quick Menu, TONE. The tone value is in DUP/TONE > Repeater Tone, default 88.5 Hz.
Hold SQL to listen on the input. If you hear the other station direct, move to simplex.

On the USA version Auto Repeater is ON (DUP) by default. It sets the offset direction for you but not the tone; choose ON (DUP, TONE) in the Function menu if you want the tone set too. It works on these ranges:

Frequency range, USA	Shift
145.200 to 145.495 MHz	DUP-
146.610 to 146.995 MHz	DUP-
147.000 to 147.395 MHz	DUP+
442.000 to 444.995 MHz	DUP+
447.000 to 449.995 MHz	DUP-

For European repeaters needing a 1750 Hz tone: on the ID-51E push PTT briefly then hold it. Alternatively set DTMF Memory to T-CALL in the DTMF/T-CALL menu and push SQL while holding PTT.

Scan and priority watch

Set the squelch. Push V/MHz for a VFO scan, or M/CALL for a memory scan.
Hold MODE SCAN one second for the scan type list.
Pick the type with the D-pad up and down.
Push ENT to start. Turn DIAL to reverse direction. Hold SCAN one second, or push CLR, to stop.

Type	What it scans
ALL (VFO)	The whole receive range
BAND	The whole of the current band
P00 to P24	One programmed scan edge pair
P-LINK0 to P-LINK9	Several scan edge pairs linked in Scan > Program Link
DUP	Duplex scan, shown only when duplex is set
TONE	Tone scan, finds the tone or DTCS code another station is using
ALL, BAND, MODE (memory)	All memories, memories on this band, or memories with this mode
Bank ALL, BANK-LINK, BANK-A to Z	All banks, the banks ticked in Scan > Bank Link, or one bank

A scan pauses about 10 seconds on a signal and resumes 2 seconds after it drops (Scan menu). A program scan needs at least one pair of scan edges with different frequencies; a memory scan needs two or more memories. During a paused VFO scan, hold S.MW to save that frequency as a skip channel, starting at memory 499 and working down.

Priority watch, Quick Menu, PRIO Watch, checks a chosen memory, bank or call channel, or runs through a memory or bank scan, every 5 seconds while you sit on a VFO frequency, scan, or use the DR screen.

D-STAR and DR mode

Before any D-STAR call

Enter your call sign, register it with a gateway repeater, and register your D-STAR equipment on that system. Gateway calls do not work until the equipment step is done, and approval can take a few days. Your MY call sign must match the one you registered.

DR mode is the easy way in. Hold the DR key one second. Set FROM to your access repeater (or a simplex frequency) and TO to where the call should go. Picking a repeater from the list fills in its call sign, frequency, duplex, offset and gateway call sign for you. DR mode needs the repeater list loaded.

Task	How
Set MY call sign	MENU > My Station > My Call Sign. Six slots, MY1 to MY6. Push QUICK, Edit. Up to 8 characters, then an optional 4 character note after the slash.
Simplex call	FROM, Repeater List, the Simplex group, pick the frequency. TO shows CQCQCQ.
Local area call	FROM: your access repeater. TO: Local CQ, which sets CQCQCQ.
Gateway call	FROM: your access repeater. TO: Gateway CQ, then the destination repeater. A slash is added to show it is a repeater call sign. The FROM repeater must have a gateway call sign.
Call a station anywhere	FROM: your access repeater. TO: Your Call Sign, pick the station. The call goes to the last repeater that station used.
Check you reach the repeater	Key up for about one second. A reply, or UR? within about 3 seconds, means you got in.
Reply to a caller	Hold RX>CS one second. It beeps and speaks the call sign. Hold it and turn DIAL to pick another caller. CLR puts the old setting back.
See who has called	Hold CD one second, or MENU > RX History. Up to 50 calls. ENT shows detail.
Save a caller	In RX History, push ENT then QUICK, To Your Memory, pick the call sign, add a name of up to 16 characters, <<Add Write>>.
Set call signs by hand	Hold CS one second, or MENU > Call Sign. Defaults are UR: CQCQCQ, R1 and R2 blank.
Other ways to pick FROM	Turn DIAL in the DR screen, search for the nearest repeaters, use TX History, or run a DR scan.
Short message	MENU > My Station > TX Message. Five slots, or OFF.
Break in	DV Set, BK ON. Lets you into a conversation between two stations using call sign squelch.
Be heard at volume	DV Set, EMR ON. An EMR signal plays at a set level, EMR AF Level, default 19. EMR clears when you power off.
Automatic reply	DV Set, Auto Reply. ON sends your call sign back, Voice sends a recording from the card, Position replies with your position.

The DV time-out timer beeps about 30 seconds before it cuts you off, and again just before. If the signal is weak, or you are scanning or in power save, the call sign may not be caught; RX>CS then shows dashes and beeps an error.

Reflectors

All reflector commands go in TO. Hold the DR key, select TO, then Reflector. Key up after setting each one.

Command	How
Link	Link to Reflector, Direct Input, enter the reflector number and module letter (for example REF010 module B). TO shows REF010BL. Unlink the current reflector first.
Link from history	Link to Reflector, then pick one of the last 5 reflectors from TX History.
Talk on it	Use Reflector. TO shows CQCQCQ.
Unlink	Unlink Reflector. TO shows U.
Echo test	Echo Test. TO shows E. Speak, release, and hear yourself played back.
Repeater info	Repeater Information. TO shows I. Release to hear the ID message.

Updating the repeater list

Download the latest setting file for the ID-51A/E Plus from Icom's support download page and unzip it. It holds an ICF settings file and a CSV repeater list.
Format the card in the radio first. Copy the ICF file into the ID-51/Setting folder on the card.
Put the card in the radio. Save your current settings first.
MENU > SD Card > Load Setting, pick the ICF file, choose Repeater List Only.
Answer whether to keep the SKIP settings, confirm, and wait for COMPLETED. Restart the radio.

Quick Menu

Push QUICK. The list changes with the mode (VFO, memory, call channel, DR). It is where the per channel settings live.

Band Select, Bank Select, Group Select (DR)
DUP, duplex direction: OFF, DUP-, DUP+
TONE, subaudible tone and squelch settings
TS, tuning step, and SKIP in memory mode
DSQL and Repeater Detail in the DR screen
DTMF TX and Voice TX
GPS Information and GPS Position
PRIO Watch, Weather Alert, Home CH Set, Display Type, Voltage
Band Scope and ATT (AIR)
<<REC Start>>, <<BC Radio ON>>, <<BC Radio Mode>>, <<GPS Logger Only>>

In the main menu, pushing QUICK on a setting offers Default, which puts that one item back to its factory value.

Push MENU, then use the D-pad. Left and right move between tiers, up and down move the bar, ENT opens or sets, MENU saves and exits. Defaults below are the USA values, shown in bold, and can differ by version. They come from Icom's advanced manual.

DUP/TONE

Item	Range, default in bold
Offset Freq	0.000 to 59.995 MHz, 0.600 (varies by band)
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

Scan

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
Temporary Skip Timer	5 min, 10 min or 15 min
Program Skip	OFF or ON
Bank Link	Banks A to Z, all ticked
Program Link	Links scan edge pairs for P-LINK scans

Voice Memo and Voice TX

Item	Range, default in bold
QSO Recorder, REC Mode	TX&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 sec
Voice Recorder MIC Gain	1, 2, 3 or 4
Voice TX Repeat Time	1 sec to 5 sec to 15 sec
Voice TX Monitor	OFF or ON

BC Radio

Item	Range, default in bold
Auto Mute	OFF, 0 sec to 2 sec to 10 sec
FM Antenna	External or Earphone
Power Save (BC Radio)	OFF or ON

GPS

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
GPS Out (To DATA Jack)	OFF or ON
Alarm Select	OFF, RX, Group or Memory
Alarm Area (Group)	0.08' to 0.25' to 59.99'
Alarm Area (RX/Memory)	Limited, Extended or Both
GPS Logger	OFF or ON. Needs a card.
Record Interval	1, 5, 10, 30 or 60 sec
Record Sentence	RMC, GGA, GLL, VTG, all ticked
GPS TX Mode	OFF, D-PRS (DV-A) or NMEA (DV-G)
D-PRS Unproto Address	API51,DSTAR*
D-PRS Symbol	1: Person, 2: Bicycle, 3: Car, 4: House QTH
D-PRS SSID	---, (-0), -1 to -15, -A to -Z
D-PRS Time Stamp	OFF, DHM or HMS
D-PRS Altitude	OFF or ON
D-PRS Data Extension	OFF or Course/Speed
NMEA GPS Sentence	RMC, GGA, GLL, VTG, GSA, GSV
GPS Auto TX	OFF, 5, 10, 30 sec, 1, 3, 5, 10 or 30 min

Call Sign, RX History, DV Memory, My Station

Call Sign shows UR, R1, R2 and MY; defaults UR: CQCQCQ, R1 and R2 blank. RX History lists received calls from RX01. DV Memory holds Your Call Sign (blank) and the Repeater List. My Station holds My Call Sign 1 to 6 and TX Message 1 to 5 or OFF.

DV Set

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, Voice or Position
DV Data TX	PTT or Auto
DV Fast Data, Fast Data	OFF or ON
GPS Data Speed	Slow or Fast
TX Delay (PTT)	OFF or 1 sec to 2 sec to 10 sec
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

DV Fast Data runs about 3480 bps, 3.5 times the normal low speed data rate of about 950 bps, but no voice can be sent while it is in use.

SPEECH

RX Call Sign SPEECH OFF, ON (Kerchunk) or ON (All). RX>CS SPEECH OFF or ON. DIAL SPEECH OFF. MODE SPEECH OFF. Language English or Japanese. Alphabet Normal or Phonetic Code. Speed Slow or Fast. Level 0 to 7 to 9.

DTMF/T-CALL

DTMF Memory T-CALL, d0 to d9, dA to dD, d* and d#, each up to 24 digits. DTMF Speed 100 ms, 200, 300 or 500 ms.

QSO/RX Log

QSO Log OFF or ON. RX History Log OFF or ON. Both need a card and save CSV files. CSV Format separator and decimal Sep , Dec ., date mm/dd/yyyy.

Function

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)
Remote MIC Key	Key assignments for the HM-75LS speaker mic
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
Active Band	Single or All. All lets DIAL run across every band.
MIC Gain (Internal)	1 to 2 to 4
MIC Gain (External)	1 to 2 to 4
Data Speed	4800 bps or 9600 bps
VOX	OFF or ON. Level OFF or 1 to 5 to 10. 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	CI-V (DATA Jack) OFF, ON (Echo Back OFF) or ON (Echo Back ON). Address 01 to DF. Baud Rate 300 to 19200 or Auto. Transceive OFF or ON.
Heterodyne	Normal or Reverse
Charging (Power ON)	OFF or ON

Display

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
Reply Position Display	OFF or ON
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 (Power ON)	OFF or ON
Display Unit	Position ddd mm.mm or ddd mm ss. Altitude m or ft/ml. Speed km/h, mph or knots. Temperature C or F. Pressure hPa, mb, mmHg or inHg. Rain mm or inch. Wind m/s, mph or knots.
Display and System Language	English or Japanese

Sounds

Item	Range, default in bold
Volume Select	All, BC Radio Separate or Separate
BC Radio Level	minus 5 to 0 to plus 5
Earphone Mode	OFF or ON. Turn on if an earphone sounds distorted.
Beep Level	0 to 3 to 9
Beep/Vol Level Link	OFF or ON
Key-Touch Beep	OFF or ON
Home CH Beep	OFF or ON
Band Edge Beep	OFF or ON
Scan Stop Beep	OFF or ON
Standby Beep	OFF, ON, ON (to me: High Tone) or ON (to me: Alarm/High Tone)
Sub Band Mute	OFF, Mute, Beep or Mute & Beep
Scope AF Output	OFF or ON

Time Set

Date/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. Set UTC Offset once and GPS keeps the clock right.

SD Card

Load Setting, Save Setting (new file or overwrite), Import/Export of Your Call Sign, Repeater List and GPS memory as CSV, SD Card Info (free space and recording time left), Format, Unmount.

Others

Information shows the supply Voltage and firmware Version. Clone Mode reads and writes CS-51PLUS data from a PC. Clone Master Mode copies this radio to another ID-51A/E. Reset holds Partial Reset and All Reset.

Voice memo and Voice TX

Everything here needs a microSD card.

Record a QSO: Quick Menu, <<REC Start>>. It records the MAIN band until you stop it or the card fills, starting a new file every 2 GB. Quick Menu, <<REC Stop>> ends it. With PTT Auto REC on, keying up starts a recording.
Play back: MENU > Voice Memo > QSO Recorder > Play Files. Folders are named by date. MENU or CLR stops playback.
Voice Recorder records the microphone, and DV Auto Reply records the message Auto Reply sends in Voice mode.
Voice TX records a message to transmit. <<Single TX>> sends it once; <<Repeat TX>> repeats it at the Repeat Time interval for up to 10 minutes.
With QSO Log on, the card also keeps a CSV log of each call: frequency, call signs, repeaters and message.

GPS

The GPS icon blinks while it looks for satellites and goes steady once it has a fix. That can take seconds or minutes. It will not work through metal, and may not work near 440.205 MHz because of an internal signal.
Once it has a fix, the clock sets itself from GPS using your UTC Offset.
See your position: Quick Menu, GPS Position. It pages through MY, RX 1, RX 2, MEM and ALM positions with latitude, longitude, grid locator, altitude, course and speed. CLR closes it.
Save battery: in GPS > GPS Set > Manual Position, push QUICK and choose Capture From GPS, then set GPS Select to Manual.
GPS Logger is on by default whenever a card is in. It writes your track to the card for mapping software, starts a new file each power on, and pauses when the card is full. Turn it off at GPS > GPS Logger > GPS Logger.
Send your position with GPS TX Mode: D-PRS (DV-A) or NMEA (DV-G). The mode icon changes to match.

microSD card

No card is supplied. The radio takes microSD up to 2 GB or microSDHC up to 32 GB; Icom checked SanDisk cards from 2 to 32 GB. Format every card in the radio, MENU > SD Card > Format, even if it was formatted before.

Back up first: SD Card > Save Setting > <<New File>> saves memories, menu settings and the repeater list as an ICF file named by date, which CS-51PLUS can open on a PC.
Remove safely: power off, or use SD Card > Unmount first. Push the card in until it clicks to release it.
Never power off while formatting, and never pull the card, change the supply voltage or start a car engine while the card is being accessed.
Close the card cover fully, with no gap, or the radio is no longer waterproof.

Resetting

Save first

Save your settings to the card, MENU > SD Card > Save Setting, before either reset. After an All Reset DR mode will not work until the repeater list is reloaded.

If the display shows nonsense, switch off, wait a few seconds and switch on. If that does not fix it, reset. Both resets are in the menu.

Partial reset

Returns the VFO frequency, VFO settings and menu settings to default. It keeps memory, call channel and scan edge contents, call sign memories, messages, DTMF memories, GPS memories, the repeater list and BC radio memories.

MENU > Others > Reset > Partial Reset.
Select Yes and push ENT. PARTIAL RESET appears.

All reset

Clears all programming and memories and returns every setting to factory default.

MENU > Others > Reset > All Reset.
Select Yes and push ENT, then confirm Yes again on the warning that it clears everything and disables DR.
ALL RESET appears.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause and fix
Will not switch on	Flat battery, reversed cells in the AA case, or a loose pack. Charge, check polarity, clean the terminals.
No sound	Volume down, or an external speaker or cloning cable left in the jack.
Only strong signals heard	External antenna coax loose or shorted.
Cannot transmit	Not on a 144 or 430 MHz amateur frequency, PTT Lock or Busy Lockout on, flat battery, or the AA case fitted.
Short range	Power set to S-Low, Low1 or Low2, or a weak battery.
No reply after a call	Duplex set by mistake, or nobody in range.
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, weather or DR mode: push V/MHz.
Program scan will not start	Not in VFO, both scan edges hold the same frequency, or only one edge is programmed.
Memory scan will not start	Not in memory mode, or fewer than two memories programmed.
SUB band is silent	That band and mode combination mutes the SUB band. Change one of them.
Earphone audio distorted	Turn on Earphone Mode in Sounds.
Will not charge while on	Charging (Power ON) is OFF by default. Turn it on in Function, or switch the radio off.
Displayed frequency is nonsense	CPU upset. Reset the radio, and reseat the battery.

D-STAR troubleshooting

What happens	What it means
No reply from the repeater	Wrong repeater setting, or you are not reaching it. Check frequency, offset and duplex, get closer, or try another repeater.
UR? plus a call sign	Your call got through but nobody answered. Try again shortly.
RX or RPT? plus the access repeater's call sign	MY call sign not set, not registered on a gateway, or different from the registration.
RPT? and the destination repeater's call sign	The access repeater cannot reach the destination, or it is busy. Check the setting and wait.
RPT? and the access repeater's own call sign	The destination repeater call sign is wrong.
DR screen will not open	No repeater list in the radio. Reload it with CS-51PLUS or from a card, or enter it by hand.
RX>CS will not set a call sign	It was not received cleanly. Wait until the radio hears it again.
Local calls work, gateway calls do not	MY call sign not registered on a D-STAR gateway.
No position data	External GPS selected but not connected, GPS set to OFF or Manual, or no satellites in view.
L on the display	Packets lost on the internet link. Corrupt data on a local call can show it too.
DV and FM icons blink in turn	An FM signal is on your DV frequency. Move until it clears.
CSQL does not work	Wrong digital code set.

Specifications

Item	Figure
Transmit, USA	144 to 148 MHz, 430 to 450 MHz (specified 440 to 450)
Receive, USA	108 to 174 MHz (specified 144 to 148), 380 to 479 MHz (specified 440 to 450)
Transmit and receive, Europe	144 to 146 MHz, 430 to 440 MHz
BC radio	AM 520 to 1710 kHz, FM 76.0 to 108.0 MHz (USA 88.0 to 108.0)
Modes	FM, FM-N, AM (receive only), DV
Memory channels	554, including 50 scan edges and 4 call channels. 500 BC radio memories.
Tuning steps	1, 5, 6.25, 8.33, 9, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 100, 125, 200 kHz, depending on band and mode
Frequency stability	Plus or minus 2.5 ppm
Power supply	10.0 to 16.0 V DC external, or an Icom battery pack
Current drain, 7.4 V	Transmit at 5 W under 2.5 A. Receive at full audio: FM under 350 mA, DV under 450 mA (internal speaker).
Digital data speed	4.8 kbps, voice coding 2.4 kbps
Output power	High 5.0 W, Mid 2.5 W, Low2 1.0 W, Low1 0.5 W, S-Low 0.1 W
Modulation	FM variable reactance, DV GMSK reactance
Deviation	Plus or minus 5.0 kHz FM, 2.5 kHz FM-N
Spurious emissions	Under minus 60 dBc at High and Mid, under minus 13 dBm at the low settings
Receiver	Double conversion superheterodyne. IF: A band 46.35 MHz and 450 kHz, B band 61.65 MHz and 450 kHz.
Sensitivity, ham bands	FM under 0.18 microvolts at 12 dB SINAD. DV under 0.28 microvolts at 1 percent BER.
Sensitivity, AIR AM	Under 1.8 microvolts at 10 dB S/N
Selectivity	FM over 55 dB, FM-N and DV over 50 dB
Spurious and image rejection	Over 60 dB
Audio output	Over 0.4 W internal into 16 ohms, over 0.2 W external into 8 ohms
Connectors	Antenna SMA, 50 ohms. External speaker 3.5 mm 3-conductor, 8 ohms. External mic 2.2 kilohms.
Size and weight	58 x 105.4 x 26.4 mm. About 255 g with pack and antenna.
Temperature range	Minus 20 to plus 60 C
Waterproofing	IPX7 with the BP-271 or BP-272, the flexible antenna, and the MIC/SP, DATA/DC IN and microSD covers fitted. IPX4 with the BP-273 AA case.

Battery life and charging

Pack	Capacity	Life, FM	Life, DV	Charge time
BP-271, supplied	7.4 V, 1150 mAh minimum	About 4.5 hours	About 4.5 hours	About 3 hours with BC-167S, 2 hours with BC-202
BP-272	7.4 V, 1880 mAh minimum	About 8 hours	About 7 hours	About 4.5 hours with BC-167S, 3.5 hours with BC-202
BP-273	3 x AA alkaline	About 7.5 hours	About 7 hours	Not rechargeable

Life figures assume transmit, receive and standby in a 1:1:8 ratio with Power Save on Auto (Short). Charge with the radio switched off: the supplied BC-167S cannot charge it while it is on. To charge while operating, turn on Charging (Power ON) and use a CP-12L, CP-19R or OPC-254L from a 10 to 16 V supply of at least 2.5 A; this can add some noise. Charge between 0 and 40 C. Expect 300 to 500 charges, and replace a pack about five years after it was made.

Software

CS-51PLUS is Icom's cloning software and comes on the supplied CD. Its ICF files are the same format the radio saves to the card. A PC connection needs an optional OPC-2218LU or OPC-2350LU data cable.

Plus vs Plus2

The later ID-51A/E Plus2 adds a DV Gateway menu with Terminal Mode and Access Point Mode, for gateway calls through a PC or Android device (advanced manual A-7331-3EX, page 16-94). The Plus covered here does not have them.

Condensed from the Icom ID-51A/ID-51E Plus Basic Instructions, A-7175H-1EX, Icom Inc. Menu defaults and some detail come from the ID-51A/E Advanced Manual, A-7331-3EX. Defaults shown are the USA version and can differ by version. This sheet is a summary and does not replace the manual. Check the precautions in the manual before use.