Date: Sun, 12 Dec 93 04:30:38 PST
From: Ham-Equip Mailing List and Newsgroup <ham-equip@ucsd.edu>
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Subject: Ham-Equip Digest V93 #129
To: Ham-Equip
Ham-Equip Digest Sun, 12 Dec 93 Volume 93 : Issue 129
Today's Topics:
*WANTED* Used 25-60 amp 12vdc power supply
Alinco DJ-580T Battery operation problem
Alinco DJ580T another batt. problem
Good source for VHF/UHF kits?
How do those $1000-$3000 DX receivers compare to scanners?
Icom H-16 service manual/mods wanted
Kits?
Need 100% Duty Xmitter
receiver sensitivity
Repeater Problem with HTX-202
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policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 93 11:36:27 GMT
From: ogicse!cs.uoregon.edu!news.uoregon.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!news.clark.edu!pacifier!ronh@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: *WANTED* Used 25-60 amp 12vdc power supply
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
I am looking for a 25 to 60 amp 12vdc power supply, in good shape
for a fair price. My Pyramid III 25 amp bit the dust, and my
KW sets idle. E-Mail me, as I do not read the news always. Thanks
Ron Hays
:wq
------------------------------
Date: 9 Dec 93 15:29:10 -0500
From: noc.near.net!eisner!brown_mi@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Alinco DJ-580T Battery operation problem
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
> It probably is configured
> to disconnect the battery when ever you have a dc plug inserted. You can
> check the schemetic to see if this is the case. If so, you may be able to
To save you the grunt work of digging through that small print schematic, it is
true the the DJ580 disconnects the power from the battery whenever a plug is
inserted into the external power connector. I read it in the manual a year or
so ago when I was trying to see if the battery would charge off of my car
battery when I had the radio plugged into the lighter jack (it won't).
The external connector should be easily accessable via the compartment access
below the battery connector, should you wish to prod around.
Good Luck!
Mike, N9OPG/AG
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 16:07:48 GMT
From: butch!lscruz!allen.scf.lmsc.lockheed.com!allen@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Alinco DJ580T another batt. problem
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
I have two battery packs for my DJ 580T. The radio stopped working with the
larger pack, but works OK with the small one. It's like the battery
contacts have collasped. They are surrounded by plastic and difficult to
get at. Has anyone else had this problem with the larger battery pack? The
charge is OK and jumpering the battery to the radio works.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 14:48:14 GMT
From: olivea!sgigate.sgi.com!sgiblab!swrinde!emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Good source for VHF/UHF kits?
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
In article <2e07b2$qg4@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> trier@slc6.ins.cwru.edu (Stephen C. Trier) writes:
>Since the Ramsey kits received such unfavorable reviews, I'm left
>wondering if there are any good kits for 2m, 220 MHz, and 440 MHz
>transceivers, preferably synthesized.
No, at least not readily available. Your best bet is to buy the
Ramsey and modify it to be a good rig. It can be done. Or you
can scratch build, but that's harder because you have to round
up all the parts, especially the mechanical bits, and etch your
own boards. The result can be really nice, but it's a lot of
extra work.
Actually, low end assembled rigs, like some Alincos, are nearly
as cheap as the Ramsey, and they work correctly right out of the
box. So you don't really save money by going the kit route. Learning
to fix the Ramsey problems *is* educational however. And scratch
building is both a learning experience and satisfying. So you
make the choice. A kit that works right the first time is just
soldering practice.
Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV | I kill you, | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems | You kill me, | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way | We're the Manson Family | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | -sorry Barney |
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 22:27:32 GMT
From: concert!corpgate!news.utdallas.edu!feenix.metronet.com!copeland@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: How do those $1000-$3000 DX receivers compare to scanners?
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
I've seen these *very* expensive DX receivers that go from 10K-2M
that cost $1000-$3000 or more.
Why are they so expensive?
Seems cheaper to buy a PRO-2006 and a Saegen 818.
Whats the advantage?
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1993 09:43:50 GMT
From: yeshua.marcam.com!news.kei.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!rdsnyder@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Icom H-16 service manual/mods wanted
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
I recently purchased an Icom H-16 150-174MHz HT (the VHF version of the more
popular U-16 UHF HT) in as-is condition. The CPU seems to work fine, but the
PLL does not lock (the LCD flashes). I am looking for a copy of the service
manual (which is probably the same as the U-16 service manual) and any mods for
the radio, especially opening the coverage to include 2m. Also, any
suggestions about the PLL are welcome.
Tnx & 73,
-Ross, N0GSZ
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 15:34:53 GMT
From: olivea!sgigate.sgi.com!sgiblab!swrinde!emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Kits?
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
In article <finnie.755291958@aries> finnie@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Dave Finnie) writes:
>Witha all the discussion lately about the major expense of getting a shack
>started, I was wondering about the practicality of building your own
>equipment. Now, I'm just a newbie to hamming (no license yet even :( but
>why not build your own gear from kits?
>
>I'm on a *very* tight grad-school budget (trying to spend less than $200 for
>starters if you can imagine that) and thought that kits would be both fun
>and cheap.
>
>So are there any recommendations out there for starter kits? Even CW only
>wouldn't be so bad to start. Or would this simply be too hard and
>frustrating for someone with little experience in electronics?
With the demise of Heathkit, the supply of high quality "we won't let
you fail" kits has dwindled to nothing. Toward the end Heathkits were
more expensive than new wired and tested Japanese radios anyway. There
are kits available, but they usually aren't suited to beginners, or if
they are, their performance is sadly lacking. Most are for QRP CW only.
And many are nearly as expensive as used commercial gear. Kits don't
generally save you money, and the better ones only give you experience
in soldering. It's the poor kits that are the real learning experiences
since you have to figure out why they don't work right. :-)
If you're going to operate mainly VHF/UHF, the low buck route is to
convert a commercial two way radio such as Motorola or GE land mobile
rigs. This isn't hard, and the basic radios can be found for $50 at
hamfests. Look for Micors, Maxars, Exec II, and Mastr series radios.
Many of us have converted these radios and would be glad to help.
Get someone experienced with these radios to help you pick one out.
They aren't all suitable for easy conversion.
If your interest is HF, then I'd advise you to start out with a
quality used receiver and build your transmitter from scratch.
The receiver is your most important piece of test equipment so
you want it to work right the first time. Later when you have
more experience, you can build your own receivers too. Unfortunately,
the supply of quality HF receivers is also dwindling to nothing with
the trend toward transceivers. You can still find a good Drake 2B
for $100 at hamfests though. You can sometimes find a transceiver,
Kenwood 520 or Drake TR3 or TR4, for $300 or so. They would be ideal
starter rigs for HF. You might stumble across a real find such as
the Galaxy V MkII that I saw at a recent hamfest for $125. That's
a SSB/CW 400 watt PEP transceiver from the late 1960s. They were
hot little rigs, not up to today's receiver standards, but pretty
effective nonetheless. I used one mobile for years.
Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV | I kill you, | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems | You kill me, | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way | We're the Manson Family | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | -sorry Barney |
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 93 15:35:01 GMT
From: ogicse!emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Need 100% Duty Xmitter
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
In article <2e7u5n$4fu@crl.crl.com> smiley@crl.com (Dennis Smiley) writes:
>I'm looking for a 100% Duty UHF transmitter capable of 12 VDC in and 4
>watts (or so) out, like a Link Transmitter.
Contact Neulink, Tate, Harris, or Motorola. Tell them you want a link
transmitter. :-)
I'm using a 5 watt Neulink transmitter in my portable repeater right
now. It's exactly what you want.
Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV | I kill you, | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems | You kill me, | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way | We're the Manson Family | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | -sorry Barney |
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1993 15:52:25 GMT
From: ghost.dsi.unimi.it!univ-lyon1.fr!elendir@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu
Subject: receiver sensitivity
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
Kevin Anderson -7325 (gganderson@augustana.edu) wrote:
: Is there a practical way I can understand the differences between
: receivers of say 2, 1, .5, and .125 microvolts sensitivity?
: Obviously the factors of power of transmitted signal, distance
: to source, interference, etc., all play into this. But is there
: really an effective minimum sensitivity one needs for say local
: VHF repeater/simplex use versus "general" HF versus DX HF?
There are two problems here :
First, it's completly useless to increase sensitivity beyond a certain
point, both because you'll begin to hear the thermal noise of your receiver
and the background noise of the sky.
Second, and more positive, a good sensitivity will allow you to hear
remote stations, but typically will increase background noise... Unless
you use a directive antenna, in which case you may get good DX results.
As the power (measured by the norm of the Poynting vector) diminishes
according to the square of the distance, and is proportional to the square
of the electric field (tell me if I make a mistake), it means that each
time you double the sensitivity, you double the limit distance... until
it sinks into the QRN/M.
: How do broadcast AM, FM, TV and international SW stations compare
: to amateur signals in field strength and required receiver
: sensitivity?
Generally, broadcast stations have more power, but since they have to
be received widely, they use kinda isotrope antennae. Otherwise, there
is no difference, at least I believe so.
73 from France.
Vince.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 15:02:12 GMT
From: olivea!sgigate.sgi.com!sgiblab!swrinde!emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Repeater Problem with HTX-202
To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu
In article <4627@tekgen.bv.tek.com> scottd@sail.labs.tek.com (Scott Diamond) writes:
>
>I'm having some trouble connecting to autopatch on a local repeater
>when I use an older Radio Shack HTX-202 Transciever. There appears to
>be an equipment problem but it isn't clear exactly what is wrong with
>my equipment and I'm wondering if the net has any suggestions.
>
>There are two autopatches in our area. One of them I can reach fine
>(on 147.320) and the other one I cannot get through to (on 147.040).
>It is not a case of operator error or being too distant from the
>station. A friend of mine has a newer model of the HTX-202. We took
>both radios out to the car, choose the identical setting, same antenna
>and same power supply. With my radio neither of us could get through,
>with his radio both of us could get through. The problem seems to be
>that the DTMF access code isn't being recognized by one repeater, but
>is ok on the other one.
This is a known problem. The older HTX-202s came setup to hold up
carrier during TT operation. Certain ACC repeater controllers want
the carrier to drop immediately after the last digit and won't work
with this setup. Rat Shack has a fix, or you can defeat this mode in
the old firmware. The manual tells you how.
Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV | I kill you, | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems | You kill me, | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way | We're the Manson Family | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | -sorry Barney |
------------------------------
End of Ham-Equip Digest V93 #129
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