IC-R15 Battery, Charging & Power

Summary: How to charge and look after the IC-R15’s battery pack, the optional battery case and rapid charger, and how the receiver shows battery state.

Battery Life and Capacity

The BP-287 Li-ion pack (3.6 V, at least 3,120 mAh) gives roughly 13 hours of operation (measured with an external speaker at 8 ohm load). You can expect 300 to 500 charge cycles, and Icom says to replace the pack about five years after purchase even if it still holds a charge. Keep the battery terminals clean.

The battery icon shows the state: charging, sufficient capacity, exhausted a little, nearing exhaustion (green), and almost exhausted (red). When it’s almost flat, the icon blinks, LOW BATTERY appears and the receiver turns itself off. With the optional BP-293 battery case the icon always shows a full battery and doesn’t reflect the real capacity of the alkaline cells.

Charging From USB

Charge from a USB power source using the supplied Type-A/Type-C cable to the [USB] port.

• About 4 hours with a 5V/1A input. USB Power Delivery (PD) is not supported.
• Turn the receiver OFF while charging. The Basic Manual says the pack can’t be charged otherwise, though the Advanced Manual says you can charge over USB while operating (with the pack fitted); the safe course is to charge with it off.
• The charging icon and “Charging” show on the display, and go when charging is complete.
• Charge fully before first use.
• Some USB cables, power adapters, hubs and low-output ports may not charge it. USB power supply noise can appear as S-meter movement or noise; unplug the USB cable if so.
• With a USB cable connected, charging stops when full and resumes when some capacity has been used.

BC-223 Rapid Charger (Optional)

Charges the BP-287 in about 4 hours by stopping at roughly 90% (which makes battery life a little shorter than charging in the receiver). It needs an Icom power adapter (BC-123S or similar; the type varies by version). Turn the receiver off, or detach the pack. Don’t connect anything to the [USB] port while the receiver is in the charger. The indicator is orange while charging, green when complete, and blinks orange on an error (disconnect the power and reconnect; contact your dealer if it persists). It charges only the BP-287, never Ni-Cd or Ni-MH cells.

BP-293 Battery Case (Optional)

Holds three AA (LR6) alkaline batteries only. Fit them with correct polarity, all the same brand, type and capacity, and never mix old and new. When nearly flat, LOW BATTERY shows and the receiver switches off after 10 seconds. Remove the batteries when not in use, since they drain through the built-in step-up converter.

Fitting the Battery Pack

Turn the receiver off. Attach the pack as shown in the manual (latch at the bottom), and to remove it unhook the latch and lift. Even when the receiver is off a small current flows, so remove the pack or batteries for long storage.

BP-287 Specifications

Voltage 3.6 V. Usable temperature -20 to +60 C. Charging temperature 15 to 40 C. Storage: -20 to +50 C for up to a month, -20 to +40 C for up to three months, -20 to +20 C for up to a year. Weight about 82 g. Only use Icom-approved battery packs and chargers. See IC-R15 Safety, Battery Cautions & Compliance.