Date: Tue, 23 Nov 93 04:30:29 PST
From: Ham-Equip Mailing List and Newsgroup <ham-equip@ucsd.edu>
Errors-To: Ham-Equip-Errors@UCSD.Edu
Reply-To: Ham-Equip@UCSD.Edu
Precedence: Bulk
Subject: Ham-Equip Digest V93 #110
To: Ham-Equip
Ham-Equip Digest Tue, 23 Nov 93 Volume 93 : Issue 110
Today's Topics:
Best 2m handheld?
Kenwood 940 PLL Unlock problem
Knwd has PAYING beta testers! (2 msgs)
MFJ-1796 40-6 Meter Vertical?
Problems with Kenwood TM-742A
RF Tubes
Tentec Scout 555 or a Yaesu FT747GX? (2 msgs)
Send Replies or notes for publication to: <Ham-Equip@UCSD.Edu>
Send subscription requests to: <Ham-Equip-REQUEST@UCSD.Edu>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu.
Archives of past issues of the Ham-Equip Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/ham-equip".
We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 22 Nov 93 16:39:42 GMT
From: ogicse!emory!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Best 2m handheld?
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
In article <1993Nov21.110946.330@sfpp.com> longo@sfpp.com (Bob Longo) writes:
>I just passed my Part 3A technician license and am awaiting my license. I
>am now trying to figure out what handheld 2m (or possibly dual-band) radio
>to buy.
>
>Is there one brand or model that stands out as the best? On the other side
>of the coin - what should I stay away from and why?
This has been debated a million times before, but why not one million
and one. :-)
I'm not going to answer your question directly, however. What I'm going
to do is try to discourage you from making your first radio a handheld.
Buy a mobile rig instead. You'll be happier, and everyone who has to
listen to your signal will be happier. All HTs share two problems to
one degree or another. They all are subject to intermod, especially when
used on a decent antenna instead of the rubber dummy load that they come
with. That means you'll constantly be hounded by squalls and squeaks
from the radio in most high RF areas, like the downtown areas of cities.
And all HTs are low power. That means you'll likely be noisy into most
repeaters when you operate mobile, even if you use an external antenna
which aggravates received intermod. This means that everyone monitoring
the repeater is subjected to your scratchy signals, or that you just can't
access some repeaters. It's not pleasant to copy noisy signals that drop
in and out of the repeater.
Buy a 45 watt mobile rig and a good 5/8 wave roof mount antenna. The
mobile rig will have better filtering and won't be so subject to intermod,
and the higher power will make you solid copy on the repeaters. If you
buy a quick release mount and a 12 volt power supply and base antenna,
you can move the rig back and forth between the car and house until you
buy the inevitable second rig. A HT *might* be a good third rig depending
on local conditions.
I own a HT, a Yaesu FT-470 dual bander which I recommend if you need a
HT, but I find that it's useful only on rare ocasions, like keeping in
touch with your buddies at a hamfest, or working simplex for a public
service event. For day to day communications, a mobile rig is much
better, and you can find decent ones for about the same money you'd
spend on a HT and accessories.
Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV | Where my job's going, | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems | I don't know. It might | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way | wind up in Mexico. | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | -NAFTA Blues |
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1993 19:50:13 GMT
From: olivea!news.bu.edu!att!att!bigtop!longs!n2ic@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Kenwood 940 PLL Unlock problem
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
------------------------------
Date: 22 Nov 1993 19:47:07 GMT
From: qualcomm.com!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu!ham@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Knwd has PAYING beta testers!
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
I'll bet NOBODY at Kenwood knew about these problems before it hit the
streets. Sure, it passed the QC checks...
Sorry, but this series of episodes gives me VERY little faith in
Kenwood. Nothing bothers me more than to see an incomplete product
hit the streets as a functioning item. In the computer industry,
companies ask for beta testers, which sometimes pay for the privilege
of getting products in advance, but at least they know that the products
are merely in the beta test phase. Sorry, all you guys with the TM-742.
It's a HELL of a lot of money to spend on a hobby - and unless ALL of
these problems are flukes of nature, I'd say Kenwood put a radio out
to market before it was ready. This is pathetic. They should pay YOU
for trying it out.
Scott NF3I
Guinea pigs don't generally pay big bucks to be guinea pigs.
--
73, _________ _________ The
\ / Long Original
Scott Rosenfeld Amateur Radio NF3I Burtonsville, MD | Live $5.00
WAC-CW/SSB WAS DXCC - 115 QSLed on dipoles __________| Dipoles! Antenna!
------------------------------
Date: 22 Nov 1993 20:01:19 GMT
From: pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!smaug.enet.dec.com!legerlotz@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Knwd has PAYING beta testers!
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
||I'll bet NOBODY at Kenwood knew about these problems before it hit the
||streets. Sure, it passed the QC checks...
||
||Sorry, but this series of episodes gives me VERY little faith in
||Kenwood. Nothing bothers me more than to see an incomplete product
||hit the streets as a functioning item. In the computer industry,
||companies ask for beta testers, which sometimes pay for the privilege
||of getting products in advance, but at least they know that the products
||are merely in the beta test phase. Sorry, all you guys with the TM-742.
||
||It's a HELL of a lot of money to spend on a hobby - and unless ALL of
||these problems are flukes of nature, I'd say Kenwood put a radio out
||to market before it was ready. This is pathetic. They should pay YOU
||for trying it out.
||
||Scott NF3I
||
||Guinea pigs don't generally pay big bucks to be guinea pigs.
Funny, I took a business card the other day and was going to write Kenwood
quality control specialist on it and tape it to my shirt. I decided not to in
the crowded store...
-Al
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
Digital Equipment Corporation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: 18 Nov 1993 19:02:35 GMT
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!spool.mu.edu!sdd.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!hpubmaa.esr.hp.com!garhow@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: MFJ-1796 40-6 Meter Vertical?
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
I just put up an MFJ-1796 vertical about 1 1/2 weeks ago. I plan to write
up and post a complete review of the antenna as soon as I get a chance
and have a little more experience with it. I have SWR curves for the
40M thru 10M bands. Briefly, I am relatively pleased with it. It is easy
to assemble and tune. The bandwidth is pretty narrow, 40 KHz on 40M, a
little better on 20M and on 15M and 10M I can tune the entire bands with
less than 1.5 to 1 SWR. I mounted the antenna on the roof. It is about
35 feet off the ground at the base.
It is difficult to judge performance since the only other antenna I have
to compare it to is a 40' long end-fed wire. I live in the city in the middle
of Cambridge in a condo. For a compact antenna it seems to perform well. I
have worked some DX on 20M and 15M SSB and CW. I called an Italian station
this past weekend on SSB. He was bombarded with calls but came back to me so I
saw that as a good sign. On 40M SSB I got a report of 15 - 20 db over S9 and
the other OP said I sounded like I was running an amp. I have Kenwood Twins, about 100 Watts out.
I am not real impressed with the construction and durability. I hope it
holds up under the high winds and ice that we get here.
I will post a detailed review as soon as I get the time and have a little more
experience with it.
Garry
KE0SH
--
Garry Howard Hewlett-Packard Company
Technical Consultant 29 Burlington Mall Road
Professional Services Organization Burlington, MA 01803 USA
garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com
[I do not speak for HP officially or otherwise.]
------------------------------
Date: 18 Nov 1993 18:30:09 GMT
From: crl.dec.com!crl.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!smaug.enet.dec.com!legerlotz@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Problems with Kenwood TM-742A
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
Anybody else have problems with their TM-742?
I bought one and haven't had any problems yet. Tonight I'm going to
"test" for the 4 unique problems identified in this article string.
I have saved the CTCSS tones into memory and used them without incodent.
I'm still waiting for my 6m brick to arrive, so I might not see some of
these problems until I install that.
I have read the manual over twice and have just followed the instructions
to get everything to work.
-Al (n1ihu)
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
Digital Equipment Corporation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: 22 Nov 1993 13:39:24 GMT
From: library.ucla.edu!agate!spool.mu.edu!olivea!pagesat!news.cerf.net!lsi.lsil.com!plf12!willis@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: RF Tubes
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
------------------------------
Date: 18 Nov 1993 18:01:44 GMT
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!cyber2.cyberstore.ca!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!destroyer!news1.oakland.edu!vela.acs.oakland.edu!prvalko@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Tentec Scout 555 or a Yaesu FT747GX?
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
: It isn't clear that the Ten-tec receiver is superior to the FT-747GX receiver.
: Without objective test results, I'd avoid making such judgement. If you
: have some objective data, I'd like to see it.
Actually, Dana, isn't obvious that a TenTec PTO beats a synthesizer and
its' inherent phase noise? Also, I'll take the Jones filter over
nothing any day. A friend of mine has a 747 and it is a really nice
radio, I even thought of getting one as a mobile/spare a couple years
back. 73 paul
------------------------------
Date: 22 Nov 1993 17:16:58 GMT
From: yeshua.marcam.com!zip.eecs.umich.edu!destroyer!news1.oakland.edu!vela.acs.oakland.edu!prvalko@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Tentec Scout 555 or a Yaesu FT747GX?
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
Dana,
Sorry! :-) We all bow to the Ten*Tec God. I thought is was a
religion. I understand there is quite a bit of symbolism behind the
orange circle in the logo.
prvalko aka paul wb8zjl
------------------------------
Date: 22 Nov 1993 19:59:03 GMT
From: pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!smaug.enet.dec.com!legerlotz@decwrl.dec.com
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
References <CGr4H8.B9F@alsys.com>, <2cqh3t$988@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>, <CGwq6n.JBo@alsys.com>
Reply-To : legerlotz@smaug.enet.dec.com ()
Subject : Re: Problems with Kenwood TM-742A
||In <2cqh3t$988@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> legerlotz@smaug.enet.dec.com () writes:
||>I called a friend who has the same setup, he did the same - Bang - no ||display.
||>We linked the problem to the TSU-7, but it seemed independent of the 3rd
||>band. We went to HRO on Saturday to get new radios. We tested some (with
||>no 3rd band and no tsu-7 [ctcss] installed) and we took locked them up, too.
||How did you determine is was related to the TSU-7? Can you "unlock" a
||locked up radio by removing the TSU-7?
We could both unlock our locked radios by removing the TSU-7 (providing you
had one installed) so you can turn off the S-meter squelch. If the TSU-7 is not installed on the radio and you lock it up in S-meter squelch, I don't know if it will unlock by installing the TSU-7; I never tried it.
In case I was unclear, we could reproduce the problem quickly and easily on a new base radio with NO tsu-7 and no optional third band. So although the TSU-7 allowed us to get control of the radio, it didn't cause the problem. My friend
locked his up with the TSU-7 out of it, and he got control of the radio again
by tearing it apart down to the 2m brick only.
||Last Friday (11/19), I took my locked up radio (w/TSU-7 installed) to HRO
||and they shipped it (w/TSU-7) to Kenwood in LA to be fixed. I figured there
||was no point in just swapping it for another radio, since this is my third
||already.
Too bad about all of this. From the little information that Kenwood gave us, there are a couple of different rev chips out there, and currently rev 3 is supposed to be the one that is correct. I don't know what rev my radio is, but I'm going to try and find out by either looking at the chip or getting a serial number range.
I still have time to return mine for a full refund, and that is probably in my future, unfortunately. I have told the store that I am willing to try a rev 3
radio on a 10 day trial basis, but if there are still problems my money WILL be
refunded.
-Al
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
Digital Equipment Corporation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: 23 Nov 93 03:31:18 GMT
From: ogicse!emory!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!usenet@network.ucsd.edu
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
References <CGr4H8.B9F@alsys.com>, <2cqh3t$988@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>, <CGwq6n.JBo@alsys.com>
Subject : Re: Problems with Kenwood TM-742A
Worth a Try...
While I don't own a Kenwood 742A, I do own a Kenwood 231A 2 meter mobile
rig that has a CPU that sometimes goes a little wacko. After several
months of perfect service, suddenly something strange will happen;
I'll be unable to transmit above 146 mhz, or recieve beneath 144 mhz, or
the "reverse" button won't work.
THE FIX: I've found that if I turn the radio off, press the VFO button
and then turn it on while holding the VFO button, the CPU problem is fixed!
The memories do NOT erase.
Yes, the 742 is a considerably more complex radio, but it's worth a try.
73 from Leigh/KM6JE in Santa Barbara.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1993 19:01:32 GMT
From: telesoft!garym@uunet.uu.net
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
References <CGqnLn.Gpv@news.iastate.edu>, <CGr4H8.B9F@alsys.com>, <2cqh3t$988@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>
Subject : Re: Problems with Kenwood TM-742A
In <2cqh3t$988@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> legerlotz@smaug.enet.dec.com () writes:
>I called a friend who has the same setup, he did the same - Bang - no display.
>We linked the problem to the TSU-7, but it seemed independent of the 3rd
>band. We went to HRO on Saturday to get new radios. We tested some (with
>no 3rd band and no tsu-7 [ctcss] installed) and we took locked them up, too.
How did you determine is was related to the TSU-7? Can you "unlock" a
locked up radio by removing the TSU-7?
Last Friday (11/19), I took my locked up radio (w/TSU-7 installed) to HRO
and they shipped it (w/TSU-7) to Kenwood in LA to be fixed. I figured there
was no point in just swapping it for another radio, since this is my third
already.
>We're waiting to see what we can find out from Kenwood.
So am I.
--GaryM
--
Gary Morris KK6YB Internet: garym@alsys.com
San Diego, CA USA Phone: +1 619-457-2700 x128 (work)
------------------------------
Date: (null)
From: (null)
Yes, PLL unlock is a pretty common problem with the TS-940S. The 940 takes
the lock outputs from all of its PLL's and "ANDS" them together. If any one
PLL unlocks, the display puts the "dots" message out. If you have the 940
service manual and a VOM, you can diagnose which of the PLL's is sick. My
biggest problem has been temperature sensitivity of the oscillators, which pull
too far for the PLL to compensate. Try following the alignment procedure in
the service manual to "center" of oscillators within the PLL's offset voltage
range. If you're not real comfortable with all this, a trip to Kenwood is
probably in order for your 940.
Steve, N2IC
------------------------------
End of Ham-Equip Digest V93 #110
******************************
******************************