IC-7000 "Hidden Menu"?

contributed by Ray Costello, NØFY

Q: Does the IC-7000 have a hidden (service) menu?

A: I am going out on a limb with the following info - it is based on combination of observation and engineering practices and some guessing and does not reflect any official ICOM direction or definition other than what is in the IC-7000 Service Manual. Your use of any of the following information is at your risk and I accept no responsibility for its accuracy, outcomes, product injury and/or bodily injury.

The IC-7000 service menu is strictly for calibrating the rig via a pre-programmed stepwise routine. You do not want to go into the service mode unless you have the essential equipment that is properly calibrated. The service mode of the radio does not allow you to alter functionality so it is pretty useless for anything but the calibration and setup. This procedure is documented in the service manual, but use caution, it is possible to do physical harm or seriously misadjust the radio in some of these procedures.

As for reloading the program EEPROM, that has not been defined by ICOM as a field service process. As far as the field is concerned the radio programming cannot be altered. To alter the program would require someone with specific programming skill and engineering knowledge, and then it would only be doable within the limitations of the  electronics that exist in the radio.

My guess is that ICOM has the radio modeled in software, and can do virtual simulation of the coding. Even with that capability, it is not 100% guaranteed that an altered function will work, or for that matter not disrupt other functions.

Except for the digital functions this radio is like a software steered suite of hardware circuits; the functions that are defined by coding are pretty much locked in. For example there is no way to enable 1750Hz Burst Tones in the US version, because that entire circuit is not in the rig. Nor is there any PCB or logic allocation for it. In general, the functions that are controlled by jumpers are hard programmed and the software cannot alter those parameters since those circuits are distinct from the soft steering logic and programming.

It is likely that ICOM factories have unique access via custom test fixtures to do many service and calibration functions. Setting up those fixtures is a very expensive process and well beyond the financial reach of the field. Authorized field service is performed with bench-type test equipment, and that is all that is required for most of the repairs and calibration. I am guessing, but loading code to the processors most likely requires several parameters to be enabled and may not be executable while on field shippable assemblies. This is necessary to avoid accidental programming.

This probably is not what you wanted to hear, but it is what users and service personnel must work with.

73, Ray, NØFY.


Editor's Note: The service menu forms part of the Adjustment Procedures (IC-7000 Service Manual, Section 4.) Alignment procedures as detailed in the service manual should be carried out only if necessary, and then only if the test equipment specified in Section 4 (or equivalent instrumentation) is available.

The Icom warranty does not cover damage or malfunctions arising from misuse of the alignment procedures or of other service information.

Copyright © 2006, R. Costello NØFY. Editing and page creation: A. Farson VA7OJ/AB4OJ. Last revised: 09/25/19.

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