Hi Gary, yes I did build a level converter, found the schematic on the
net, it was a schematic directly from Icom for the programming cable. I
did try holding all the buttons while powering up, didnt notice any
difference in the display if it was in the cloning mode, I will try
again. Its good to know that the radio's and programs are the same.
Sounds like I just need to get the radio into cloning mode and then
read its contents. Thanks for your reply and insights, it helped alot!

73s
Tim N7XAU