This came up in the general 8.33 thread. It is also mentioned here.
Unless you have ICOM A210E – which is 8.33 only, not 25/8.33 as an aircraft radio should be…unfortunately there is number of ultralights with 210E…
The above statement may well be correct for the IC-A210E but it is most definitely correct for the IC-A220
This radio has a serious user interface implementation error. To access 25k channels you have to select a 25k mode and to access 8.33 channels you have to select the 8.33 mode. This is wrong.
An 8.33-capable radio needs to seamlessly implement 25k and 8.33k channels so that e.g. 125.000 and 125.005 are both selectable just by turning the knob (or whatever method is used to change the frequency).
One could argue that one can access a 25k channel like 125.000 using an 8.33 radio set to 125.005 and for sure that will work perfectly… until you get a frequency which uses an offset carrier system and multiple transmitters (“climax” – what an unfortunate name 
) to cover a wide area, and there are lots of them about:
What is funny about the above map is how the UK is the top country for using offset carriers – for stuff like London Info. These cannot go to 8.33 because their operation needs the “more sloppy” receivers.
ICOM will have to change their firmware but I don’t know anybody who knows if this can be done without sending the whole radio back to ICOM.
for IC-A210E they do not have to do anything – this is ground station. at least this is what they sell it as..
I can confirm that Icom UK is aware of the issue with the IC-A220.
@Peter.
As I understand you right, you want your radio broadcast and receive at two channel spacing at the same time.
You’d have 120.00 in the standby mode at 25khz spacing and 120.005 in active mode at 8.33 khz spacing.
While I think that this setup maybe possible, the use would be limited in my experience.
Many aircraft are using two radios, where the old one could serve the 25Mhz rastered frequencies.
But when a country moves over to the 8.33 khz frequency spacings, it does it for all frequencies, but the emergency frequency.
Otherwise the move would be pointless and the extra frequencies to be gained due to narrower broadcast would not be possible.
If the whole country moves on to either frequency spacing, there is no need to use both.
Hartmut wrote:
But when a country moves over to the 8.33 khz frequency spacings, it does it for all frequencies, but the emergency frequency.A country does not necessarily change every single channel to 8.33 (e.g. Sweden does not) and those that are changed do not necessarily change at the same time.
Otherwise the move would be pointless and the extra frequencies to be gained due to narrower broadcast would not be possible.If the whole country moves on to either frequency spacing, there is no need to use both.
