Icom IC-T81A
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| Frequency | 50-54 MHz, 144-148 MHz, 440-450 MHz, 1240-1300 MHz |
| Bands | 6m, 2m, 70cm, 23cm |
| TX power | 0.1 / 5 W |
| Modes | FM |
| Weight | 320 g (11.3 oz) |
| Connector | SMA-Female on the radio body - takes SMA-Male antennas |
| Year | 1999 |
| antenna | SMA-Female on the radio body - takes SMA-Male antennas |
| speaker mic | Icom 2-pin screw-on (proprietary) |
| power req | rechargeable battery pack (model specific) |
Estimated (unverified): AMATEUR (ham) radio - FCC Technician-class license required to transmit; NOT GMRS, NOT license-free. RARE QUAD-BAND analog FM HT: 6m (50 MHz) / 2m (144) / 70cm (430-450) / 1.2 GHz (23cm, 1240-1300 MHz). NOT 220 MHz - the fourth band is 1.2 GHz. Power: 5W on 6m/2m/70cm; 1W on 1.2 GHz. 124 memory channels; joystick control; wide+sensitive RX; SMA antenna. Introduced ~1999-2000. DISCONTINUED (collectible for the 1.2 GHz coverage).
The only quad-band amateur HT ever mass-produced. 6m, 2m, 70cm, and 23cm in one handheld radio. Nothing else covers 50 MHz through 1300 MHz in a single handheld. Wideband receive. The IC-T81A was unique when introduced and remains unique.
5W maximum (1W on 23cm). The 23cm and 6m antennas are compromises. It covers four bands but none exceptionally. Discontinued with no successor. Battery life is poor.
A unique quad-band handheld. No other manufacturer mass-produced a quad-band amateur HT. The IC-T81A covered 6m, 2m, 70cm, and 23cm adequately rather than brilliantly; its value is access to 6m and 23cm in a carryable package, which nothing else offers.
The Icom IC-T81A is a genuinely rare radio: a quad-band analog handheld covering 6 meters, 2 meters, 70 centimeters, and 1.2 GHz (23 centimeters). Very few handhelds have ever offered that combination, and the 1.2 GHz coverage in particular makes it a collector's favorite. It requires an FCC Technician-class license or higher to transmit; it is not a GMRS or license-free radio, and it is analog FM only.
It puts out 5 watts on 6 meters, 2 meters, and 70 centimeters, and 1 watt on 1.2 GHz, with 124 memory channels and a distinctive joystick-style control that reviewers found capable but quirky. Its receiver is wide and sensitive, bench-tested better than its already-good published sensitivity.
It has been discontinued for years and commands a collectible premium precisely because of its four-band, 1.2 GHz reach. Another rare portable with 1.2 GHz is the Alinco DJ-G7T; for a simpler dual-band Icom, the IC-T7A.