You can chase your tail forever when shooting TR7 bugs, unless you do this:  Pull every board, one by one, clean the pins with DeOxit on a Q-tip, re-insert the boards.  Almost all intermittent TR7 problems will disappear when you do that.  The pins on the parent board that all the other boards plug into are not gold plated and oxidize quickly.  I suggest you do NOT pull the power supply board to the right of the PTO.  Just touching the pots on the top edge of that board will alter the BFO frequency in one or more modes, requiring an alignment.

73, Floyd - K8AC
TR7 owner

I had an FT-1000MP Mark V and tried both the noise reduction mod and the roofing filter mod at different times.  I thought the noise reduction mod of some value when operating 10 and 12 meters, but the roofing filter mod was a better bet for the kind of operating I was doing at the time - lots of CW contesting on 20 and 160 where the roofing filter sometimes helped with IMD.  Can't imagine why the other guys' radios sounded bad with the roofing filter - mine didn't.  I don't recall what the bandpass of the filter was, but it shouldn't have been narrow enough to affect SSB signals, unless one was listening to "hi-fi" extended bandwidth signals.  As I recall, there were a lot of menu items where you could alter the BFO offsets and I wonder if something they did there might have caused a problem. 

73, Floyd - K8AC

If you think about what needs to be accomplished to switch the amplifier, it isn't hard to figure out.  See the diagrams on page 8 of the FT-450 manual.  To switch the amplifier, you need to ground the PTT line of the amplifier.  Both the Data and Linear jacks include a pin named: TX Gnd Out.  That line is connected to nothing else on those two connectors - it just goes to ground when the transceiver goes to transmit.  Page 13 gives the limits on the voltage and current that the switching transistor in the 450 will handle.  The safe thing to do would be to measure the voltage on the amplifier PTT line, and then measure the current as you short the PTT line to ground with the ammeter in series.  If both the current and voltage observed are within the limits of the transistor, then you don't need the 704 to protect the 450.   It's not unusual at all for a transceiver to provide the amplifier keying line on more than one rear panel connector.  If you have something else already plugged into the Tuner jack, open the connector and add a wire to the TX Gnd Out pin.

73, Floyd - K8AC

Hi Todd.  I think it's important to understand exactly what the Sherwood chart is.  Contrary to what some think, it's NOT a ranking showing which receivers are the absolute best.  What it is, is a list of receivers and measured performance numbers sorted by narrow spaced dynamic range.  If that's the most important factor to you, then maybe the list does rank the best receivers for your situation.  But, there are many other factors that are more important to most folks, such as the ergonomics of the rig's controls, the transmitter performance (does it have key clicks or shortened dits in QSK), etc.  If you haven't read it, see this page at the W8JI site: http://www.w8ji.com/receiver_tests.htm .  It addresses the dynamic range question and makes the comment that 99% of the time, a close-spaced dynamic range of 80 dB is perfectly adequate.  For years I used an Icom 756 Pro III for CW contesting (close spaced dynamic range only 75 dB), yet I was able to score better than all of the K3 and Orion users locally.  On rare occasions on 20 and 160M, the band was jammed with very strong signals and I did experience some IMD problems, but, simply inserting 6 or 12 dB of attenuation in the receive antenna line eliminated that problem with negligible effect on reception. 

It appears I'm with WX7G in that I believe that the vast majority of folks who've bought a K3 because of the great dynamic range ranking don't experience any benefits over less costly rigs just because of the dynamic range number.  Apparently, Rob Sherwood feels the same way since his favorite rig is the old Icom 781, and its dynamic range number is far down the list.  Lastly, I don't think that a single 40 over S9 signal 2-3 KHz away from the frequency you're listening on would even be noticed on most modern rigs - or the TR7 for that matter.

73, Floyd - K8AC

Having owned both the 781 and Mark V, I'll give you my opinions.  I don't understand the comment regarding the "2 khz close adjacent QRM ability".  If you're talking about the ultimate filter attenuation, the 781 and the Yaesu FTDX-5000 measured out exactly the same at 90 dB.  While the narrow spaced dynamic range (see Sherwood charts) is below the bogey of 80 dB, I never experienced a problem with IMD when operating many CW contests on bands full of strong signals.  I did experience IMD problems on my Icom Pro III, which had a slightly better narrow spaced dynamic range measurement.  In any case, roofing filters are available from Inrad for the 781 and that should eliminate any concerns there.

The problem with running SDR software for an external bandscope is the high first IF frequency of the 781 (just like all other more modern Icom rigs and most others).  I understand that there are some new SDRs that can handle the VHF range and it's possible that one of those would handle the 781 IF signal OK.  You would want to use one of the Clifton Laboratories buffer preamps at the IF tap point.  The other problem would be having the SDR that supports the SDR receiver you use also support the 781 from a CAT standpoint.  A panadaptor whose frequency is not synced or calibrated to the transceiver frequency isn't very useful.  Getting all this to work in a stable reliable manner is not a trivial matter and in exploring panadaptor solutions with other transceivers, I found that things rarely worked as well as some folks claim.

The FT-1000MP Mark V was one of my favorite radios for CW, RTTY and SSB.  I'd have to rate the 781 above the Mark V from a CW standpoint because of the terrible key click problem with the stock Mark V, although that can be pretty much resolved using either the W8JI or Inrad modifications.   The 781 suffered from an ALC problem that caused a leading edge power overshoot, but that one could be resolved by restoring the ALC circuitry to what the schematic showed (this is well documented).  The 781 also had problems with the switching regulator and that's something that just about all of them have sooner or later.  The repair of that problem is not easy.   Some Mark Vs had a problem with the high voltage power supply that powered the display, resulting in a rather dim display.  Again, there are fixes available for that. 

Either rig would be a nice addition to the shack if the common problems are corrected.  You can expect both of them to be problematic over time as things age.  In retrospect, I wish I had kept both of them!

73, Floyd - K8AC

The video signal is output on pin 3 of the data-in connector on the rear panel.  The signal ground is pin 2.  The signal is NTSC composite video.  Page 37 of the instruction manual shows the connection.

73, K8AC

That statement caught my eye - if the tower base is put in correctly, there shouldn't be a hole to backfill!  The concrete base should be poured against undisturbed soil - no forms except for the concrete that extends above ground level. 

I wouldn't go with anything less than 30" deep.  There are plenty of rigs that are much deeper than what you have now and you may end up with one of those someday.  I have a couple of large screen LCDs and the one with the panadaptor window and logging program windows is mounted on an arm that extends from a pillar that's mounted on the rear edge of the desk.  That allows me to pull it forward even with the front of the transceiver and down against the top of the transceiver without the monitor being supported by the transceiver cabinet.  A 30" hollow core door makes a nice tabletop and can be cut to the length you want.  You can often find a damaged door at Lowes or Home Depot and take it home for a considerable discount. 

Go to the Telepost website and read about which sound cards work best with LP-Pan.  There are a number of the USB "cards" that work very well.  I use an old EMU-0202 and there are a few others. 

73, K8AC

Good question.  But, I was never able to get TRX Pan to run on my Win 7 machine.  For some reason, some of the graphics just wouldn't display.  NaP3 is much easier to get running properly and it just doesn't fail. 

73, Floyd

I think the real problem most folks have with the menu systems is that it's just too difficult to remember which menu items do what and it's cumbersome to have to plow through the manual (and some of those do a poor job of explaining menu items) when you need to change something quickly.  I discovered a good solution for any rig with menus: the Nifty Mini-Manual sold by N6FN.  These manuals are tailored to each rig model and are organized in such a way that if you know what you're trying to accomplish, you'll find a clear and concise explanation of how to do it.  The manuals are small, spiral-bound with plastic coated pages.  I have no connection whatever to the publisher of these manuals, other than having bought one for each of the past several rigs I've owned. 


73, Floyd - K8AC

Unfortunately, the Mk5 and IC-756 Pro both have high frequency first IFs due to their upconverting design and so neither are suitable for just an amplified tap on the first IF.  The IF frequencies are outside the range of an LP-Pan.  You really need to use the first IF to get the bandwidth you need for an effective panadaptor.  So, any use of the first IF would require a mixer to convert the frequency of the IF down to something that can be handled by an LP-Pan.  Is that how your Mk V IF tap was done?  I've read about some people obtaining the signal at the second IF, but that means a severely reduced bandwidth for the panadaptor.  And, if the tap is not properly done (including a buffer amplifier stage for the tap output), you'll experience problems such as the one you describe. 

By the way, NaP3 is vastly superior to HRD or PowerSDR/IF for panadaptor use. 

I wish one of our engineer friends would design a mixer for tapping these VHF IF stages, with a programmable oscillator allowing the device to be used with a variety of IF frequencies in the 60-70 MHz range. 

With my current setup of an Orion II ( 9 MHz first IF), LP-Pan, NaP3, I can clearly see signals that are barely audible on the headphones.

73, Floyd - K8AC

The safest thing to do is buy new if you can afford what you want.  The second best is probably to buy used from one of the major vendors who offers at least a short term warranty.  I've been buying and selling gear for 50 years and can usually repair any problems I find by myself.  That's been a big plus because 100% of the rigs I've purchased from people on eBay or QTH.com have had at least one problem.  In recent years, I've not had much better luck even when buying from a local on a face-to-face deal.  Some of the problems I'd have to attribute to downright dishonest people who are dumping a rig with problems they can't fix.  But, I also believe that most amateurs today just don't have the technical knowledge to be able to recognize a defect when it's right in front of them.  And then there are the rigs with chronic problems that the manufacturers either would not or could not fix.  For example, Icom IC-781 power supplies, Yaesu FT-1000 family key clicks, Yaesu FT-102 relays, and many many more. 

It can be very difficult for someone not familiar with a particular rig to determine that it's completely trouble-free without a lot of experience and a well-equipped workshop to carry out the basic tests.  So, I'd stick with the major vendors for now, unless you can buy from someone you know and who will refund your money if you discover a problem.  There was a time when no one would think of selling a rig that they knew had a problem.  Unfortunately, that time is long past.

I would opt for being further from the house.  Proximity to the house brings into play another set of problems from your fundamental signal getting into electronics in the home. 

A few years ago, I sold my Icom 781, which was another heavy and hard-to-pack rig.  I took it to a professional packing/shipping company (NOT the local UPS store!).  They specialized in custom crates and used foam-in-place techniques, and had a lot of experience packing expensive commercial electronic gear for shipment.  I left it entirely up to them to do it the right way and they took care of the shipping as well.  It arrived in perfect condition and I'd do it the same way again.  For very heavy rigs, I don't think the original manufacturers packing is up to the task of multiple shipments.

73, Floyd - K8AC