Date: Wed, 15 Jun 94 04:30:19 PDT From: Ham-Equip Mailing List and Newsgroup Errors-To: Ham-Equip-Errors@UCSD.Edu Reply-To: Ham-Equip@UCSD.Edu Precedence: Bulk Subject: Ham-Equip Digest V94 #187 To: Ham-Equip Ham-Equip Digest Wed, 15 Jun 94 Volume 94 : Issue 187 Today's Topics: AOR Scanner repairs/experiences BOATANCHOR GEN. COV. RX IN NEED :*> Drake TR-7 ..Should I?? European vs American Radios Kenwood TH-22AT Mods? Kenwood TK-200 Transceiver (NEED INFO) Need info on ICOM 229H Poor Man's UHF Transmitter Combiner? (2 msgs) Sangean ats803 4 sale Seek info about Heathkit SB230 (SB220) WANTED: Low RFI laptop What do Ten-Tec Paragons sell for? (2 msgs) Send Replies or notes for publication to: Send subscription requests to: 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: Tue, 14 Jun 1994 18:32:55 GMT From: news2.near.net!noc.near.net!usenet.elf.com!rpi!newsserver.pixel.kodak.com!apache!piazza@yale.arpa Subject: AOR Scanner repairs/experiences To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu Hello, I want to send my AOR2500 scanner to AOR to get it repaired, but in light of the new ban on listening to certain frequencies, I don't want them to send it back to me with new reception gaps in it. The scanner currently covers .5 Mhz to 1.6 Ghz continuously. Anyone out there with practical experience with this issue? Thanks. ------------------------------ Date: 15 Jun 94 03:01:03 EDT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gumby!wmichgw!x90galbrait1@network.ucsd.edu Subject: BOATANCHOR GEN. COV. RX IN NEED :*> To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu Greetings, Looking for a boatanchor general coverage rx! How about an R-388/51J3, R390(A), Hammarlund HQ-180, Hallicrafters SX-88, SX-99, SX-100, TMC GRC-90, or (insert rx here)!? Help me itch my boatanchor scratch! Any information leading to the discovery and acquisition of such a beauty would be rewarded by my eternal gratitude, and my girlfriend's scorn (she'd prefer that I'm not kept warm by OA2s and the like when she is supposed to perform that function on cold winter nights-hi)!! 73s, Chris, KA8WFC ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jun 94 17:00:12 EDT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!howland.reston.ans.net!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!ns.mcs.kent.edu!kira.cc.uakron.edu!malgudi.oar.net!hypnos!voxbox!jgrubs@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Drake TR-7 ..Should I?? To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ldfrost@ldf.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (new user) writes: > CQ CQ CQ Netland. > > I am looking at a DRAKE TR-7 (TR???) HF tranceiver that a fella is wanting to > sell me for $500.00. > > Can anyone send me info on the good or bad points on this rig, as well as > opinions on if it is worth the 5 bills. Darn fine radio in it's day (1980ish), but unless it is in mint condition, $500 is on the edge of getting a little high. It is very good on SSB, CW, and RTTY. The receiver is fairly sensitive and low noise, although not quite so hot on 10 meters. There was no RF stage, and the first time I used it, I cranked the gain because it was so quite. When I tuned across the first signal I came to, it was so loud it darn near broke my headphones. It was triple conversion with the first IF at 40 mhz. The IF filters were SHARP and smooth. There was front panel passband tuning on receive and under the hood bandpass tuning on transmit to adjust for oddball RTTY AFSK tones and to match SSB audio to the user's voice. The Drake noise blanker was exceptional, but even without it I was able to run HF mobile with negligible ignition noise. The final protection scheme was very good. Rather than wait until it sensed trouble and then try to turn you off in time to avoid damage, it would not let you come all the way up to full power until after it decided it liked the load it saw. With a fan, it has a 100% RTTY duty cycle. The VFO was analog with a digital counnter with 100 hz resolution. The frequency control scheme was a little unusual, but very effective. It was general coverage receive and non-WARC hamband only on transmit, however the conversion to general coverage transmit is an easy jumper snip and obviously what Drake intended for use with their mil/gov customers. You need Drake's extended frequency coverage board ONLY if you have some need to use crystal control of the transmit frequency. The output control enable you to turn output down to 1 watt or less if you wanted to work locals or QRP. All in all, it was a rugged, quality radio that was fun to use. It would be a good beginner's rig. However, if you like modern Japanese radios that make your coffee, wind up the cat, and put out the clock, you might feel deprived. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6 iQCVAgUBLf4h2TDUWq8RWEeNAQHBpgP/SrKc4KYssHTZNzlfDmcKL67vSbggGQWI yvRHsqTLXu9DKXKhRRQBapPfoOFpjpYcEtbAnI5re/2NFIUxvN6mN/YqYzxvDZ8i EmNXgrEoH+Y+Mab6Ak+EpGluyT8PSWfLiAEHAxQq8T7k1Fnq/5oFccdZTWv43FPV xfU5AS5ss1M= =ASJg -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | I am Homer of Borg. Prepare to be...OOoooooo! Donuts!!! | | Jim Grubs, W8GRT Voxbox Enterprises THIS SPACE FOR RENT | | jgrubs@voxbox.norden1.com 6817 Maplewood Ave. RATES REASONABLE | | Fido: 1:234/1.0 Sylvania, Ohio 43560 Home: 419/882-2697 | | AMATEUR RADIO - The National Park of the Mind | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 1994 12:49:25 GMT From: cronkite.cisco.com!mvermeer-ssclx!mvermeer@ames.arpa Subject: European vs American Radios To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu I know of some differences between the american and european versions of the Kenwood gear (but some of it is probably applicable to other manufacturers): - The american versions do not have 1750Hz tone for activating repeaters. The 1750 tone module can be installed afterwards. - The european 2m band is 144-146, the american is 144-148. - The european models cannot be configured as repeater (without internal modifications). An 'american model' can be changed to an 'european model' by changing some straps (or did you think that they where really different in their hardware). hope this helps, Marc, on1amv. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 94 19:30:22 EST From: ccsua.ctstateu.edu!bourque_par@yale.arpa Subject: Kenwood TH-22AT Mods? To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu Hello everyone, I'm a recently licenced tech class ham (still waiting for that ticket) and have purchased a Kenwood TH-22AT H.T. I would like to know if there are any mods available for it. Thanks! -Paul (please E_Mail replies, as I hardly ever get to read this group) *----------------------------------------------------------------* * Paul Bourque | Host of * * Engineering Technician- WFCS Radio| "Nocturnal Emissions" * * Central Conn State University | Friday mornings: 3-6AM * * 1615 Stanley St. New Britain, CT | on 91.3fm WWUH * * 05050 (203) 223-6767 | and * * E-Mail: | Host of "Cerebellum Flambe"* * BOURQUE_PAR@CCSUA.CTSTATEU.EDU | Monday nights: 8-10pm * * PBOURQUE@NYX.CS.DU.EDU | on 107.7fm WFCS * *----------------------------------------------------------------* ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 1994 23:49:26 -0000 From: news.delphi.com!news.delphi.com!not-for-mail@uunet.uu.net Subject: Kenwood TK-200 Transceiver (NEED INFO) To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu I am looking for feedback from anyone that is familiar with this unit. I have crystals for this unit to use on the 2 meter amateur band but need info on adjusting unit to get it to oscillate on the 2 meter band. Any info would be appreciated. 73 de Russ, N8MYO RUSSDELANEY@delphi.com or n8myo@hamgate.cc.wayne.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jun 1994 15:14:27 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!n1ist@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Need info on ICOM 229H To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu In article <1994Jun13.200317.1@ccsua.ctstateu.edu> white@ccsua.ctstateu.edu writes: -What is an ICOM 229H 2 M rig? FM, SSB? AC or DC? The 229H is a 2 meter mobile, 50 Watt rig. Runs on 13.8V ~10A at hi power (it has 4 power levels). It will RX from 138-172 or thereabouts (can't remember if it does aircraft) and it can be hacked for extended TX for MARS or CAP. It's a nice little rig for both mobile and home use. 73, /mike -- \|/ Michael L. Ardai N1IST Teradyne ATB, Boston MA -*- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- /|\ ardai@maven.dnet.teradyne.com n1ist@netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jun 1994 19:02:19 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!darwin.sura.net!osceola.cs.ucf.edu!fang!ulysses!lznj!lznj2!ncrhub2!ranger!cn2935.DaytonOH.NCR.COM!jra@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Poor Man's UHF Transmitter Combiner? To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu I'm looking for a cheap way to combine two UHF repeaters onto a single duplexer and antenna system. We can't afford to buy a hybrid combiner/isolator system, so this is going to be homebrew city. Assuming that we can put the new repeater on a channel close enough to be within the duplexer's passband, we need to come up with a way to inexpensively combine two 35 watt UHF transmitters. I think we can come up with several isolators, since UHF Micors have ferrite isolators in the T/R switch and there are lots of dead ones floating around. Our current thinking is along the lines of using two isolators in series on each transmitter, which should give, what, 40 or 50 dB of isolation? And the Micor isolators have a 50 watt or so dummy load on the reverse port, so I hope they can handle the power. Then, a Wilkinson combiner made out of quarter wave sections and a 100 ohm noninductive resistor would provide some additional isolation and provide an impedance match into the duplexer. The transmitters will be 35 watt Mitreks, and we can afford to lose 3dB in the resistors if we have to. The important things are a) not to fry the transmitters, and b) not to generate intermod. Does this seem like a sensible approach? Is there any other way to do this? Our budget could handle a couple of hundred bucks, but unless we can find a very cheap used combiner, it doesn't look like the commercial solutions are possible for us. Thanks for any thoughts on this... John AG9V jra@lawdept.daytonOH.ncr.com ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 1994 11:21:42 -0500 From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!news.uh.edu!uuneo.neosoft.com!sugar.NeoSoft.COM!not-for-mail@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Poor Man's UHF Transmitter Combiner? To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu In article , John Ackermann wrote: >Assuming that we can put the new repeater on a channel close enough to be >within the duplexer's passband, we need to come up with a way to inexpensively >combine two 35 watt UHF transmitters. You could also pick a frequency that's over 1 MHz away from the opposing transmitter and combine them with notch cavities and circulators. The method you've described could be done easily. Wilkinson power dividers and isolators (make sure you use two isolators per port) will do quite nicely. Measure the heck out of it after you put it together to make sure there are no intermod problems. This is essentially how the commercial guys do it. I've successfully combined two duplex stations on a single antenna, but one was 440 MHz and the other was 420 MHz. It was actually pretty simple. If you're interested, I'll drop you a copy of the diagram on it. -- Jim Reese, WD5IYT | "Real Texans don't let the truth get in jreese@sugar.neosoft.com | the way of a good story." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jun 1994 19:03:39 From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!news.doit.wisc.edu!F181-113.net.wisc.edu!jbdaniel@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Sangean ats803 4 sale To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu ATS 803 500khz to 30Mhz SW receiver for sale. Unit has BFO for SSB and CW listening. New, in box. $150 including shipping. ************************************************************************************************************************** Joshua Daniels UW Madison jbdaniel@facstaff.wisc.edu Med. School 608-257-2335 Dept. of Anatomy Amateur Radio N2JLL 608-262-3327 ************************************************************************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 1994 20:40:19 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!EU.net!sunic!trane.uninett.no!nac.no!nntp-oslo.uninett.no!mac_inge!root@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Seek info about Heathkit SB230 (SB220) To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu Hello, and thanks for reading this message. I am going to buy me a Linear Amplifier for the HF bands, and I seek some info about the SB230. I have heard that it is a very nice amplifier, but I really don't know more about it. I have been borrowing a SB220 for a while, but I need some info about the SB230. Such as : -Maximum Power Output ? -Which amateur bands ? -etc Please answer via e-mail. vy 73s de Tom/LA1BJA/JW1BJA tomrune@mac_inge.itek.norut.no ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jun 1994 22:23:23 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!wotan.compaq.com!twisto.eng.hou.compaq.com!news@network.ucsd.edu Subject: WANTED: Low RFI laptop To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu > I am afraid that almost all computers have at least some RFI >tendencies. True. >The newer/more powerful/faster the more RFI they have. They >have had this problem every since they took and got through the 10 Mhz >barrier for the coprocessor. Unfortunately, this is also the first IF >frequency of just about every two-way and monitoring radio made since >1972. Not true! Laptops are no noisier now than 5 years ago. The FCC standard that they are tested to has maintained the same levels since then. In fact many manufacturers are testing to even more stringent European standards. Also while trying to conserve battery life emissions have been reduced because of the many low power consumption components used in them. Less power used, less power radiated. > The only cure I have found is to enclose the CPU in wood. >This cuts the RFI by about 45-50%. I have also heard that if you back >off the receiver micro-voltage sensitivity, that this cuts back RFI as >well. you of would leave (of course) ventilation in the enclosure. I don't know about shielding with wood, I have never seen it tried at any of the EMC labs I have worked for or with. {;-)) You will find that most laptops already have some sort of shielding in them i.e. a metal plated cabinet, laminated foil shields, or stamped metal shields > > The older tube style radios are not as vulnerable to RFI from >computers. In larger cities, this is even more pronounced, as there are >more computers, closer together, so RFI is even harder to avoid.! Probably not as vulnerable because they are less sensitive than today's radios, but probably more selective than today's synthesized DC to DAYLIGHT handhelds. As for selecting a RFI quiet computer, there are a few things you can do but no guarantees. Stick with larger well known manufacturers. These companies have the resources it takes to staff a department solely for measuring and reducing RFI in computers. If possible try and determine if the company has their own FCC listed Open Field Test Site. A company that has at least one is going to care more about RFI problems. Stay away from a buy sell operation. Though some of these may be made by a major manufacturer, most of them are made by small electronics companies in Asia that will eliminate anything they want from the design to save a buck. The RFI filtering is one of the first things to go, right after the FCC grant is received -- naturally. Other things to stay away from are: the top of the product line because it may have some new high tech gbadgetry that will be noisier; the bottom of the line because chances are it is a low cost buy sell product. If you are really interested in finding out which models are the quietest try getting in touch with the people who do the testing. There are labs across the country that do nothing but test and certify compliance to the FCC standards. They will probably tell you who is quietest, but in keeping their customers confidence they won't tell you who is noisy. Or contact the engineering group at the company whose product you are interested in. They would probably be happy to brag about which product they make that is quiet and let you know if the emissions are highest below 30 MHz or above it. Some companies might even give you data. Maybe! Some might say it is against company policy. The company departments are usually called Regulatory Compliance, EMC Services, RFI, and are usually in the engineering department. They are sometimes paired up with a group called Product Safety that gets the Underwriters UL mark. Like I said, -- No guarantees but I hope this helps. Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for. Earl Morse KZ8E kz8e@bangate.compaq.com These views may or may not be the views of my employer, but I don't speak for him/her/it. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 1994 13:11:04 -0400 From: newstf01.cr1.aol.com!search01.news.aol.com!not-for-mail@uunet.uu.net Subject: What do Ten-Tec Paragons sell for? To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu In article , gb@dixie.cs.unc.edu (Gary Bishop) writes: >What is the going price for a Ten-Tec Paragon with 500Hz and 1.8KHz >filters in excellent condition? What someone is willing to sell it for provided the person buying agrees to the amount. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 1994 20:27:23 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!trinews.sbc.com!mac-gianino-dt.tri.sbc.com!gianino@network.ucsd.edu Subject: What do Ten-Tec Paragons sell for? To: ham-equip@ucsd.edu I'd check with Ten-Tec since they are apparently getting into the business of at least buying back their old equipment. I got a mailing from them yesterday directed to Paragon owners of record offering about $900 for my old Paragon towards the purchase of a new Paragon II. I would certainly trust a used radio that has been checked out by the manufacturer! Ken - WB0QNA ------------------------------ End of Ham-Equip Digest V94 #187 ******************************