The last time I took my Icom ID-52E with me to North America I wasn’t able to access any repeaters due to the US having different amateur frequency allocations on 2m and 70 cm, which my European spec radio couldn’t transmit on. Schoolboy error.

I’m now planning another trip across the pond and don’t want to be in the same situation again – what to do? Various cheap Chinese handhelds can be ‘opened up’ by fiddling with hidden menus or updating the firmware, but I didn’t want to be using a Quansheng for 3 weeks when I also own Icom’s flagship HT. Buy a similar radio in the US? Tempting. I quite fancy the smaller ID-50 for future travels since I don’t need bluetooth, colour display, or dual DV receive, so that could be an option too.

In the end I decided to have a go at wide-banding my European ID-52 so that it would cover the US amateur bands on 2 and 70 and a little more besides, and if it all goes wrong then I could always buy another radio as fall-back. Time to get the soldering iron out again!

Procedure

There are several images floating around the internet showing what needs to be done, and for this radio it’s a simple matter of removing two microscopic diodes while leaving the adjacent SMD components intact and not lifting any tracks. What could possibly go wrong?

I watched this video for inspiration but if you’d rather get written instructions you can follow the steps below in about the same time. Note that items 4, 7, and 8 are added from my own experience and don’t feature in the video.

Disassembly

1. Remove battery and antenna.
2. Remove the rotary encoder knob and the volume ring. Both pull upwards but require a surprising amount of force.
3. The SMA antenna barrel and the volume / encoder barrel are held into the radio casing using slotted nuts which unscrew anticlockwise. I have a pair of super fine needle nosed pliers which are perfect for unscrewing such fasteners without leaving marks.
4. Remove SD card. If you forget to do this then you’ll encounter a lot of resistance in step 6, which suddenly disappears when the card snaps in half.
5. Remove the black piece of plastic that sits above the battery. I was able to gently unclip mine by inserting a fingernail from one corner of the battery compartment, so no need to leave marks by jamming a screwdriver in there.
6. Remove the two small Phillips screws at the base of the battery compartment.
7. You’ll see that one of the now exposed through-holes is threaded, allowing you to insert an M3 screw and then use that to gently lift the board out of the casing.
8. There’s a small grommet which channels sounds from the microphone hole in the casing to the microphone on the circuit board. As you remove the PCB it’s possible for that grommet to stick to the board until it senses freedom, at which point it will become one with workbench detritus. You’re looking for a red doughnut about the size of a pea.

Modification

You need to gently remove two SMD diodes, one of which expands UHF and the other VHF. This picture clearly shows which is which. I used an angle-poise magnifying lamp together with a very fine tipped soldering iron set to 420℃, though I’d be surprised if the needle-like tip actually reached that temperature.

1. Cover the exposed display with a Post-it note, just in case
2. Touch the iron tip against one side of the SMD component to be removed
3. Wait a few seconds
4. Touch the iron tip against the other side of the component
5. Wait a few seconds
6. Repeat 2-5 until you feel the part move gently away

If you watched the video I linked to you’ll have seen the gentleman heat only one side of the component and then force it off as soon as enough heat has travelled through the SMD to loosen the other side. To my mind this is a clumsy, risky approach which is likely to end in a lifted track and a junked radio. I was determined that the component should flow off on its own accord when both solder pads are hot enough, and if that didn’t happen then I’d call it a day and put the covers back on. Luckily it worked out, but took maybe 6 or 8 dabs of the soldering iron on each side to loosen. Repeat for the second diode if you want to open up both UHF and VHF, and don’t forget to inspect closely for any stray solder bridges.

Reassembly

1. Check for any marks on the display, refit the microphone grommet
2. Pop the board back into the casing and secure with two small Philips screws
3. Before you go further, check if everything still works by fitting the battery and antenna, and turning the radio on. You should now be able to TX out of band (PMR 446 is a good test) and with luck your speaker, microphone, and front panel buttons all still work.
4. Remove the antenna, refit the slotted nuts onto the SMA and volume / encoder barrels
5. Refit antenna and volume / encoder buttons
6. Remove battery, refit black plastic panel, refit battery.
7. Open beer and enjoy radio!

Inevitable Disclaimer

It goes without saying that you should only transmit on those bands where you are licensed to do so. Chances are that if you own such an expensive handheld you’re a law abiding licensed amateur and know all this, so let’s wrap this up by stating that this is an advanced procedure carried out at your own risk, and should not be attempted if you’re in any doubt regarding your own abilities or tools.