Part of our New Ham? This Is Where You Should Spend Your Money guide.
I ran an Icom IC-2730A in the shack, in my Jeep, and in my truck, all at the same time, for years. I don’t say that to brag about owning three radios. I say it because that’s exactly the kind of radio the 2730A is: buy one, like it, and you end up owning three. I sold all of mine a while back to fund other projects, and I still regret it more than almost any other gear decision I’ve made.
What the IC-2730A Actually Is
The IC-2730A is Icom’s dual band mobile transceiver, 2 meters and 70 centimeters, 50 watts on both bands. This isn’t a DMR radio, it isn’t a quad-bander, and it doesn’t try to be either. It’s a straightforward analog FM dual bander that does VHF and UHF really well.
Specs at a Glance
- Frequency coverage: 144-148 MHz and 430-450 MHz transmit on the US version, 118-174 and 375-550 MHz wideband receive
- Output power: 50W, 15W, or 5W, selectable independently on each band
- Memory channels: 1,052, including 50 scan edges and 2 call channels
- Simultaneous receive: VHF/VHF, UHF/UHF, or VHF/UHF at the same time
- Tones: 50 CTCSS tones and 104 DTCS codes built in, with split tone for repeater offsets
- Cross band repeat capability
- Weight: about 1.2 kg for the main unit, 140 g for the controller
- Dimensions: main unit 150 x 40 x 151 mm, controller 150 x 50 x 27.2 mm
- Power: 13.8V DC, draws around 13A on transmit
- Durability: MIL-STD-810G rated for temperature, vibration, and shock
- Bluetooth: optional VS-3 headset, requires the UT-133A internal module
- Programming: free CS-2730 software from Icom, and it also plays well with CHIRP
What I Loved About It
The control layout is the best part of this radio. Every knob and button is mirrored on each side of the faceplate, so your left hand runs one band and your right hand runs the other without ever looking down. That sounds minor until you’re driving and trying to answer a net check-in on 2 meters while keeping an ear on a GMRS channel on the other side. Simultaneous receive on both bands, or two frequencies on the same band, made it genuinely useful as a scanner and not just a transceiver.
It’s also a tank. Between the shack, the Jeep, and the truck, mine went through summer heat, washboard roads, and more than a few trips down forest service roads, and never once gave me trouble. Pair it with a solid mount and a proper ground (I cover both in my guide on mobile antenna mounts, grounding, and noise) and it holds up to just about anything you throw at it.
The MARS Mod and the GMRS Question
This is the feature I bring up every time someone asks me about this radio. The IC-2730A is one of the easiest MARS/CAP mods out there, essentially a minor hardware surgery, and it opens transmit up to roughly 136-174 MHz and 400-479 MHz. That upper UHF range reaches down into where GMRS lives, 462-467 MHz, which is exactly why so many overlanders and Jeep owners run this radio.
I’ll be straight with you though. Doing this mod does not turn the 2730A into a legal GMRS radio. MARS and CAP mods exist for licensed Military Auxiliary Radio System and Civil Air Patrol operators, and the FCC requires actual GMRS transmissions to come from a Part 95 type accepted radio. An amateur radio, modded or not, doesn’t qualify, no matter how good the coverage looks on paper. I go into the actual legal lines in more detail in my post on running GMRS and ham radio together, and it’s worth a read before you lean on a modded 2730A for anything beyond casual simplex chatter with your own crew. As a wide open ham band radio with dead simple mod instructions, though, it’s hard to beat for flexibility.
Where It Falls Short
A few honest gripes. No mounting bracket ships in the box, you’re buying the MBA-4 or the MBF-1 and MBA-5 combo separately, and that’s another $50 to $100 people don’t expect going in. Bluetooth is an add-on module, not built in. And it’s analog only, so if your local repeaters are moving to DMR or you want Fusion or D-STAR compatibility, look elsewhere. I lean on my AnyTone AT-D578UV III Plus for that side of things, and if you like Icom’s gear in general, I’ve also written up how the IC-7300 and IC-7300 Mark II compare for the HF side of the shack.
Bottom Line
If you want one dual band mobile that can live in a shack, a Jeep, or a truck and just work, the IC-2730A is still one of the best values in ham radio. Mine outlasted two vehicles and never let me down once. I’ve regretted selling every one I owned, and if I’m honest, I’ll probably own another before the year is out.