Another thought is the transmit power may have been arcing across or the connection may have been acting like a capacitor.

Nice Web Site Dave.... That will make some good reading. May even print it out for my notebook.

73s, Win
KB5ZSM

Not everyone has the time to sit and read every forum posted. I tend to concentrate on the 'Elmer's' forum so I wouldn't notice if a question is posted in two or three places. If someone wants to get a good variety of answers and get the most exposure for his (or hers) question, then why not post it in a few differant forums as long as the criteria of the question applies to that forum.

You gotta 990?!?!?   Must be nice!!!  Where's mine?    LOL

If I had to guess I would tie the shield/blk gnd to pin 7, White audio to pin 1, Red TX to pin 2, Blue RX to nothing, Black com SW to pin 8. I would feel a lot more comfortable if I could see the microphone and how it is wired internally. Hope this helps.

Win

Hey David,
        Don't quote me on this as it has been many years since I owned one but it seems to me that when you program odd splits that both the + and - show up. In other words if the receive and transmit don't follow the usual .600 MHz difference in frequency, both indicators will be displayed.
       This same radio also sold under the Heathkit name but I don't remember the model number. Great HT!!!

Hope this helps,
Win (KB5ZSM)

first off, are you using an LED with a resistor in series to limit the current through the LED? The LED w/series resistor need to be connected in parallel with the fan across the red and black wires so that when you turn the switch 'ON' it will supply power to both. Now run the black wire to ground on the jeep. Put your switch on the red wire and run the other switch lead to a 12 volt source.
P.S.   Besure to connect the LED with the anode to positive.

Hey John,
       I'm no expert but if it were me I'd buy the biggest I could afford. Two reasons: if you get the same wind storms as we do here in NM, you'll want a rotor that can take the abuse and not have to worry about it. The second reason being that someday you may want to upgrade to an even larger antenna and then you won't have to buy another rotor to use it.
Just my first impressions as food for thought.

73s, Win (KB5ZSM)

Hey Pete,
         Your question about AM on HF is one you can answer yourself with a decent Short Wave radio. You'll find quite a bit of AM activity, especially on the lower bands. I recommend a lot of listening to the HF bands while you study for your General ticket. It will help you find your niche and learn more about how it all works before you ever pick up that microphone and when you do get to operate in those regions you'll be able to attack them with more confidence.
         As for your Drake equipment, Your radio setup is the same as the first one I ever got to play with many years ago back in high school. It was our school station so I have vary fond memories of that radio I may even buy one someday just for the fun and memories it will bring back. As far as fixing yours up, I think the first thing I would do is buddy up with a local ham who has some boat anchor experience and let him look at it. See what he thinks of its condition. Do NOT just plug it in to see if it works. If it has set for many years with out power, you could do damage to it if you don't bring it up slowly.

Hope this helps & 73s,
Win (KB5ZSM)

If your running SSB you won't see power out without speaking in to the microphone or injecting some sort of audio. Set mode to CW and check again.

I also have the IC7000 and have had that happen. When the car is running - No Problem, but with the engine off - Big problem. It's the voltage drop between your battery and your radio. Mine was fixed by replacing the radio cable with 8 gauge wire (and fuses at the battery end). Also look in to "Power Boosters". They should help resolve your problem also.

Good Luck & 73s,
Win
KB5ZSM

I can't help but wonder if your talking about a D.C. power connector used allot on wall warts (those ugly little transformers you plug in to the wall) that looks like a small barrel with a hole in the end. If so, there is no standard. The center (hole) could be either positive or negative in respect to the barrel. The most common is positive but not always the case. Usually the device that you plug it in to will have a marking near it that will indicate the polarity or it may tell you in the booklet that came with the item your powering. If your device came with a wall wart, look at the wall wart as it should be marked on it (in most cases anyway). Also make sure the device can handle the 13.8 volts you will be supplying to it.
I'm sure these connectors have a proper name but I haven't seen it. I have seen them referred to as: DC power connectors or Barrel connectors and they come in may sizes.

Hey John,
         In the 45 years of electronics work I've done, I've never heard of an 'M' connector and I doubt most of us here have ever heard of one either. If you could give a better description of this connector, I'm sure we could help you.

Well I already knew the answer to my own question but I threw it out there in hopes of making people think about their practices. Don, you nailed it.

Why do so many people think they need to tune up their radios on top of people having a QSO. I see this all too often, even on the maritime net. I was monitoring 14,300 yesterday and in just one hour I heard six differant people tuning up their systems, another repeating "audio" and one person whistling. Band conditions are bad enough as it is so why are we making things more difficult??? I thought we were supposed to be professional amateurs...