Icom IC-202e GW4RWR

Summary
This transportable from the 1980s is unusual in that it is designed to be operated from an upright position, rather than on its side. It uses a VXO; 4 x 200KHz ranges are available using 14.8 MHz crystals, multiplied 9x to reach 133.3MHz for low-side LO injection, and single conversion to 10.7MHz IF. Frequency is displayed on a dial skirt that is marked with 10kHz increments. USB and CW modes. I am unaware of any significant difference in design or performance between this or its younger IC-202s sibling, which also included CW sidetone and LSB.

Compared to the FT-290R, a radio of the same era, the 202’ is more suitable for DX. You miss out on digital frequency display, but also avoid the 100Hz click stop frequency increment. You gain a cleaner transmitter and receiver. These Icom radios are snapped up quickly on the second hand market, and are undeniably a good choice for 2m and transverting to higher bands, if you prefer not to avoid the ubiquitous FT-817. From the same period there was an IC-402 (432MHz), and an IC-502A (50MHz) which used a VFO at rather a high frequency. There seems to be far fewer of these two radios in use .

Modifications
I’ve done the usual modifications to my IC-202e, which means changing the PIN diode antenna switch for a relay, and the 3SK40 front end for a BF-981. An N-socket replaced the lousy SO-239. The erratic DC socket has also had to go, as has the telescopic whip, which was wired in parallel with the SO-239. The mixer is unchanged but I haven’t noticed any receive difficulties whilst contesting from IO82HV, where the strongest signal was GW4EVX/P 16km to the north. The only problem I find is that I can inadvertently turn on the RIT, and consequently call others way off their frequency. I used to complain about the receiver audio quality, but having learnt to use earphones I realise the inadequacy of little internal loudspeakers. Both receive and transmit audio is excellent.

Conclusion
My radio belonged to GW4HBZ until 2009. Its signal was sufficiently clean that from his Moel y Parc QTH he could tune his FT-225R receiver up and down the ssb part of the band, and feed the audio to the '202e which transmitted in-band on 144.390, just to let me have a taste of what he could hear from the hill station. The '225 was connected to a 9 element tonna, and the '202 to a vertical, but that exercise surely says something positive about both radios.

Suggestions
Tuning - Remove the VXO. Replace with DDS and put the digital freq display in the LED panel. Footnote: the IC-202e has an 'external VFO' position on the power switch. The later IC-202s module does not!
Power - Remove the telsecopic antenna, and put a Mitsubishi brick against the rear panel?
Batteries - I'm sure you can find something lighter and smaller volume than the 9 x C cells this uses.