![icom ic-r6 cell phones icom ic-r6 cell phones](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71CW7peKOnL._AC_SS350_.jpg)
But then again, I’ve never understood why there aren’t more VHF radios with color screens. I have a good feeling about that “full color 3.5″ TFT LCD screen with near 180-degree viewing angles” because it seems very similar to the Icom M605’s 4.3″ screen, and that radio looked (and sounded) great on Gizmo for a couple of years.
![icom ic-r6 cell phones icom ic-r6 cell phones](https://img.dlmanuals.com/119755/mainimage-01.png)
![icom ic-r6 cell phones icom ic-r6 cell phones](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510qs97rmSL.jpg)
That’s good news for any boat already set up to provide smartphones and tablets with, say, nav app info, or audio remote control, and/or Internet connectivity via WLAN.
ICOM IC R6 CELL PHONES MANUAL
And while the manual also isn’t available yet - the radio was only announced recently, without a shipping date or prices - the folks at Icom America told me that the new radio can either create its own WiFi network or join one that’s already on the boat. So, yes, it looks like an M510 owner can grab the phone next to their berth and listen to the local weather forecast or scan around for traffic in a new cruising area. This software will be available for iOS and Android phones when the M510 ships, but in the meantime, the M510 marketing video indicates that it can control the most common radio functions and also work as an intercom with the base station. There’s more to like about the new radio design - plus another Icom innovation, possibly controversial - but let’s look at more details about the smartphone support.Īs noted on the M510 product page, the new radio includes a 2.4 GHz WLAN - as in Wireless Local Area Network, also simply known as WiFi - and that’s how phones integrate with the VHF, along with Icom’s RS-M500 remote control app. It’s never been done before, and it could be quite useful picture a free extra VHF mic that’s already in your pocket or charging next to your berth. The headline feature of Icom’s new IC-M510 fixed marine VHF radio has to be its ability to use a smartphone as a wireless mic.