QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/digests/equip/940138.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-14 | 19KB

Date: Sat,  7 May 94 04:30:29 PDT
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Subject: Ham-Equip Digest V94 #138
To: Ham-Equip


Ham-Equip Digest            Sat,  7 May 94       Volume 94 : Issue  138

Today's Topics:
                        2m HT: Opinions Please
                 FT-530 AM Mode on 800 Band Possible?
                          Icom 3220 problems
                       ICOM W2A 440mhz problems
                        Kenwood TS440AT Wanted
                        Kenwood TW-4100A mods?
                        Looking for IC725 Mods
                  Need advice on mobile dual-bander
                     Radio Shack HTX-202 Mods???
              Timewave users:  efficiency of NR (4 msgs)

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Archives of past issues of the Ham-Equip Digest are available
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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: 6 May 94 15:28:00 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: 2m HT: Opinions Please
To: [e-mail]

Scott on 5 May 1994 wrote:

>I'm looking to buy that 2m unit from Radio Shack; any experiences or
>opinions from users?  I'm on a tight budget, so I thought that might be a
>good starter unit.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Scott


I have had one of the Radio Shack 2m Rigs for some time and think that
it is well worth the money.  It has a couple of shortcomings but
they are no big problem.  They don't offer a case for it other than
their generic scanner case that is about 5 sizes too big.  I just
made a trip to my local Tandy Leather store and the lady there made
a very nice leather case for it out of upholstery leather.  The other
small problem is that the receiver is too hot for its own good.  I work
in an area that has more antennas per square INCH than my front lawn
has grass!  It is very sensitive to intermod.  However, the repeaters
that I frequent all transmit a tone so the intermod can be dealt with.
It is a little strange however to see the S-meter jumping up and down
with no audio.
I am very satisfied with the battery that comes with it.  I try to run
mine down about once a month.  It takes 18-20 hours to do so from a
full charge.  You can accelerate that by opening the squelch or turning
on the light.  The light will go out when the BAT indicator comes on.
It has an auto-shutdown so it won't kill your battery.  I think that
Radio Shack should have come out with a dual-bander in stead of
two separate rigs.  Other than that I would recommend it to anyone
who is looking for a good inexpensive 2m rig.

Kevin (WB5RUE)
[e-mail]

Legal stuff:
The above opinions are my own and not necessarily those of the staff,
faculty, or administration of The University of Texas Health Science
Center at San Antonio.

------------------------------

Date: 6 May 1994 16:58:54 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.duke.edu!solaris.cc.vt.edu!spcuna!news.columbia.edu!news.cs.columbia.edu!news.boxhill.com!hill![e-mail]
Subject: FT-530 AM Mode on 800 Band Possible?
To: [e-mail]

Can other owners confirm the following limitations of the
AM mode on the FT-530?

VFO    Band    AM Possible?
-----    ------    ------------
Left    2m    Yes
Left    70cm    Yes
Left    800Mhz    No (neither AM nor FM.  Not tunable)
Right    2m    No
Right    70cm    No
Right    800Mhz    No (FM Only)

I ran across this limitation of the right-hand VFO when
trying to listen on the 800 Band in AM.
Doesn't appear to be possible.

Anyone else try this?

(Replies cc:'d to [e-mail] appreciated)

73!
Ken Stamm  N2TIA             BBBB          H  H  i  ll  ll
([e-mail])            B   B         H  H      l   l
BoxHill Systems Corporation  BBBB  ooo x x HHHH ii   l   l
161 Avenue of the Americas   B   B o o  x  H  H  i   l   l
New York, NY 10013           BBBB  ooo x x H  H iii lll lll
Tel: (212)989-HILL (4455)
Fax: [phone]        S y s t e m s C o r p o r a t i o n

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 04:10:35 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!kd4nc![e-mail]
Subject: Icom 3220 problems
To: [e-mail]

Hello Sports Fans...

I have a friend that is having problems with his Icom 3220 dual band
mobile radio.  Here's what's wrong with it...

On VHF band only, when the radio is keyed up, the rig show that it is in
the TX state (the TX illuminates) but the S/RF bar does not "go across the
display."  This is true for all power levels....

In UHF band, the radio performs as normally.

On VHF, there is RF getting out, as the radio will key the local repeater,
but nothing else.... I have yet to get the radio out to check the signal
coming out or the power....

William, N4SZP, the owner of the thing, reports that the radio started acting
up after a real HOT day in Alabammy...it was so hot that the window blew out
of his vehicle...  so...possibly something got REAL hot on the radio and
failed...

Oh well..anyone got any ideas on what's screwed up on this thing?  I've
recommended that he do a "Reset" on the radio but he does not know how to
do it....and I've yet to take a good look at the radio to see what the
problem is...

Thanks for the help!

John

--
------------------------
John Reed - Gainesville, GA
N4TII -- AFA2FH -- Redstar 204
 HAM      MARS      C. A. P.

------------------------------

Date: Fri,  6 May 1994 07:48:37 -0400
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu![e-mail]
Subject: ICOM W2A 440mhz problems
To: [e-mail]

ICOM W2A
On 440mhz transmit the red led would pulse once or twice a second.  The
power drawn on transmit dropped down as the led pulsed.  Checking the
power out with a meter it pulsed down to zero in time with the led and
power.  The problem used to go away if the unit warmed up (xmit into a
dummy load for 60 sec at full power).  But lately it had been still
ticking no matter what and I couldn't get a packet connection.

I posed to this list before and got six replies about grounding problems
/ plug connection problems in the 440mhz module.   So last night I got
out the jewelers screwdrivers and magifying loupe (sp?) and took it
apart.     I took out the 440mhz module and opened it up.  Indeed there
where two places where the shielding had problems there was a piece if
tin that was supposed to apply presure to a module for a ground that was
out of position and a one doubious solder joint.  I bent the spring into
position and twisted a piece of tin to put more pressure on the
questionable joint.  The joint was not reachable with the the smallest
soldering iron tip I had due to components around it.

I put it all back together and it works fine now.   One post said that
icom fixed his rig out of warenty for free saying it was a "cracked
solder joint on 440mhz VCO".

How are the rest of you W2A owners fairing in the 440mhz ticking battle?
Aaron Wohl / ham callsign N3LIW / 412-731-3691 / 412-268-5032

------------------------------

Date: 7 May 94 01:28:06 GMT
From: world![e-mail]
Subject: Kenwood TS440AT Wanted
To: [e-mail]

I'm looking for a Kenwood TS440S AT or comparable for my aging parents.
They need something solid state that they don't have to fiddle with so
much to get on the air with.  Thanks
John
WN9T

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 15:05:59 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!math.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!news.Vanderbilt.Edu![e-mail]
Subject: Kenwood TW-4100A mods?
To: [e-mail]

I have a TW-4100A which is a good mobile rig except for one quirk.  Most
rigs have a repeater offset select button which toggles -/simplex/+ and
possibly other options.  The TW-4100A has a similar button, but it only
toggles between simplex and the offset direction you selected in the
configuration setup, along with the power level, scan step size, etc, etc.
i.e. -/simplex or simplex/+. While it will memorize the offset in a memory
channel, when you are on the road and scanning, you have a 50-50 chance of
having to change the setup in order to use the repeater.

Besides being a royal pain, it is a minor safety problem.  I have looked at
all the mod data bases I know and haven't found anything, so I was wondering
if anyone had heard of a mod to allow the normal -/simplex/+ offset toggle?

Alan
WA4SCA


Recommended
four
line
signature.

------------------------------

Date: 6 May 1994 02:47:54 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!emory!news-feed-2.peachnet.edu!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!news.duke.edu!eff!news.kei.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Looking for IC725 Mods
To: [e-mail]

I am looking for any mods to a Icom IC725.  I have allready tried the
data base at ftp.cs.buffalo and have found nothing.

                Thanks in advance
                73 Steve F
                   W1GSL

*******************************************************************************
Steve Finberg                 W1GSL                 [e-mail]
PO Box 82 MIT Br               Cambridge MA  02139              617 258 3754
*******************************************************************************

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 14:01:49 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!darwin.sura.net!rsg1.er.usgs.gov!dgg.cr.usgs.gov![e-mail]
Subject: Need advice on mobile dual-bander
To: [e-mail]

I will be buying a dual-band mobile in the next few days and would like some
advice.  I need a radio with detachable head (or no head) because of limited
mounting space in my Caravan.  I have eliminated the Yaesu based on comments
of owners.  I have eliminated the Kenwood 942, ICOM 901 and ICOM delta 100
based on price, but I may pick one up if the price is right.  I have narrowed
my selection to;

Kenwood TM-733
    Costs a bit more that the 732.  Does AIP improve intermod?

Kenwood TM-732
    I've heard comments complaining of severe intermod problems.

Kenwood TM-742
    I've heard nothing but praise for this one.  A buddy has 2 741's.

Standard C5718
    This looks neat and they have a good reputation.  Is the head in the
    microphone a good idea/implementation?

ICOM IC-2700H
    This is new - just saw the first ad yesterday.  Has remote head.  Any
    info on features, anyone see one at Dayton?

I appreciate any comments that you can email me today.  The reason for the
rush is that if I decide on the Kenwood 742, the $40 coupon expires
tomorrow.  Thanks...

--
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Tom Bodoh - Sr. systems software engineer, Hughes STX, N0YGT                +
+ USGS/EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD, USA    57198     [phone]      +
+ Internet; [e-mail] (152.61.192.66)                  +
+    "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends!" EL&P          +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 05:41:38 GMT
From: tribune.usask.ca!canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!coranto.ucs.mun.ca!upei.ca!news.unb.ca!torn!uunet.ca!uunet.ca!iceonline!icebox![e-mail]
Subject: Radio Shack HTX-202 Mods???
To: [e-mail]

>Subject says it all. Are any mods possible for this radio, extended
>RX? extend TX? Thanks for any input.
>
>John
>

THere aren't any.  The radio was designed that way.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 [e-mail]  : If you eat a live toad first thing in the
                            : morning, nothing worse will happen to you all
           Fido: 1:153/7116 : day.
  Amateur Radio: VE7FJC     : To you or the toad.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: 6 May 94 15:54:00 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Timewave users:  efficiency of NR
To: [e-mail]

Ignacy Misztal wrote in digest 136, 5 May 1994


>I consider a purchase of DSP-9, 9+ or 59. How effective is the noise
>reduction there? At home often I hear a steady power noise that is too
>complex to be cut out by noise blanker. Will Timewave DSP help?

I have the Timewave DSP-9 and have noticed that it has a problem with
complex noise such as RFI that comes from a computer or other
electronic equipment.  It will however do a pretty good job of
taking care of the buzzing that comes from high power lines.
I also have a very old cordless phone that puts a hissing noise
on 40, 80, and 160 meters.  The DSP-9 takes care of that quite nicely.
It is not a miracle cure, but it does a pretty good job.
It reduces the noise anywhere from 10 to 20db depending on the
type of noise.  Where the DSP-9 really shines is on SSB and CW modes.
It does a wonderful job of removing carriers in the SSB mode and the
filter skirts on CW are very sharp and it doesn't ring at all.
I also have the Radio Shack DSP-40 and it compares very well with the
DSP-9 in all features except the NR mode.  If you need the NR function
buy the DSP-9.  If you really don't need the NR function but need good
SSB and CW filters, buy the DSP-40 from Radio Shack.  I have both and
for the little extra money I would buy the DSP-9 from Timewave.
My rig is a Yaesu FT-890/AT.

Kevin

Legal stuff:
The above opinions are my own and not necessarily those of the staff,
faculty, administration, or lab animals (woof!) of The University of
Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Kevin R. Muenzler, WB5RUE           The University of Texas Health
[e-mail]               Science Center at San Antonio,
[phone]                      Department of Computing Resources
         ** You can't write a program that I can't break! **
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 01:46:03 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: Timewave users: efficiency of NR
To: [e-mail]

Ignacy Misztal ([e-mail]) wrote:
: I consider a purchase of DSP-9, 9+ or 59. How effective is the noise
: reduction there? At home often I hear a steady power noise that is too
: complex to be cut out by noise blanker. Will Timewave DSP help?


: Ignacy Misztal              Ham radio: NO9E, SP8FWB
: E-mail: [e-mail]
: University Of Illinois      1207 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
: tel. [phone]         Fax: [phone]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  I'd recommend trying to borrow one and see
before plunking down the big bucks.
--
                                             [e-mail]
                                             Glendale, CA
                                             AB6WR

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 01:44:11 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!galaxy.ucr.edu!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: Timewave users: efficiency of NR
To: [e-mail]

I use the TS850S/AT by  Kenwood on Pactor; Pactor is my favorite mode.  I
use it with the optional dual 500 Hz filters in FSK mode.  Most Pactor
users use the FSK mode as opposed to AFSK on SSB.

The TS850S/AT is probably unsurpassed as a Pactor rig.  The filtering, if
you use the dual 500 Hz filters in FSK mode, is about as good as
filtering gets: you can pull in the weakest Pactor signals and achieve a
good qso.  The rig also has SELECTABLE FSK WIDTH, which most of the rigs
lack, therefore you can set your FSK to the optimal, 200 Hz  as opposed
to getting by at 170 Hz which is what most rigs offer.  I recommend the
850 strongly.

I use the Timewave DSP 59 and find that it is occasionally helpful, and
is definitely a "nice to have" accessory.  But the 500 Hz filters in the
850 are more important to have than the outboard DSP unit, in my opinion.

Hope this helps!

73
--
                                             [e-mail]
                                             Glendale, CA
                                             AB6WR

------------------------------

Date: 6 May 1994 13:49:33 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Timewave users: efficiency of NR
To: [e-mail]

In <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Roger Buffington) writes:
>Ignacy Misztal ([e-mail]) wrote:
>: I consider a purchase of DSP-9, 9+ or 59. How effective is the noise
>: reduction there? At home often I hear a steady power noise that is too
>: complex to be cut out by noise blanker. Will Timewave DSP help?
>
>
>: Ignacy Misztal              Ham radio: NO9E, SP8FWB
>
>Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  I'd recommend trying to borrow one and see
>before plunking down the big bucks.
>--
>                                             [e-mail]
>                                             Glendale, CA
>                                             AB6WR

One question more. Does DSP-59 deteriorate the signal quality of
good-sounding signals?  Radio Shack DSP does, particularily in CW
modes, and N0ZEM has noticed the same with DSP-9 in the narrow CW
position.

I compared RS DSP with my home-build two-pole analog audio filter.
Even though RS skirts were much sharper,the analog one was more
pleasant to use, more efficient in digging out weak signals, and made
copying all signals more comfortable than the RS DSP. Perhaps analog
filters have much lower nonlinear distortions.  Why am I still looking
for a DSP:  mu analog filter is not immune to RF, copies a strong
local FM station, and has some hum.

Ignacy Misztal              Ham radio: NO9E, SP8FWB
E-mail: [e-mail]
University Of Illinois      1207 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
tel. [phone]         Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

End of Ham-Equip Digest V94 #138
******************************