Icom IC-F3S Radio

I haven’t posted here in a while.  I just found some useful information on a radio that I am researching. 

Ebay has tons of these radios for dirt cheap.  According to several websites, they are sturdy and very reliable, but they are only programmable via PC.  Details about how to do this are scant.

The programming software is Icom CS-F3 software.  It is for MSDOS and Windows in DOS mode only.  If you take your time, you can find this software on Google for free rather than spending $35-40 for it.  It took me around an hour to find it.  I’m not going to say anymore than that Russians can be friendly.

The programming cable is Icom OPC-478.  There are a few homebrew designs for this cable out there.  This cable is used for many different Icom models and can be easily found online.

Programming guides, user manuals, and even repair manuals can be found on Google with enough patience.