Has anyone connected one of these rigs to a PC in order to fascilitate CAT control?..
If so, do I need a converter?.. What software did you use?..

Should I use a CIV interface?..

These commercial rigs really have good recievers which came as a huge surprise to me, so would like to make it more user friendly.
The "VFO" knob will wear out in no time for HAM use..

73 de William
ZS4L / ZS5WC

 ;)Thanks for the reply guys!.
I don't feel too isolated in my endeavours anymore!.
Clark and Dick, thanks for the very informative replies-I actually found a video on youtube showing a US ham doing just that, was fascinating to watch!.
He actually dried the rig in the oven at low temp. and I had a funny thought--" Ready when golden brown!--Hi!!"

I think the secret is proper drying, and of course proper relubrication of all moving parts, pots etc.

I will return feedback as soon as the rig is clean and QRV again.

Many Thanks,
William
ZS4L

  My Ranger II has a bit of an issue I suspect.
AT 20W output I am already drawing 130mA of current.
The rig was properly tuned up, matched into the 50 Ohm dummy load.
The power meter reads correctly.

Any Ideas??

73 de William
ZS4L / ZS5WC

 

 ???Is it possible to wash KWM-2a in the dishwasher -MINUS the 'S' meter, tubes and of course PSU?.
It is a very dirty and grubby unit, and has seen hard times.
I have washed several solid state rigs before with no issues.

I would of course blow dry the unit afterwards, make sure there are no remaing water in trimmer caps; heat dry and relube everything, and re-align.

What do you think?.

73 de William
ZS4L / ZS5WC

Thanks for the info Greg,

Wiring is not the issue, I am looking for the compressor amp. schematic.
I however found a copy from a friend that has the Cobra CA-72 mic.. (Leson copy) , so I am happy.

73 de William
ZS4L

  Negative feedback from collectors to Base--this will improve linearity, kill unwanted oscillations and keep the amp stable.
Something like a 220 Ohm or 150 Ohm 5W MOF resistor in series with 100nF 250V cap. from each collector back to the base.

73 de William
ZS4L

 
Hi Dave, I ended up not buying the IC-756, sold my TS-590s and am awaiting the arrival of my new Yaesu FTDX-3000.
Great rig by all accounts!.

73!.

 

Hi All, does anyone have  a copy of the schematic of the Leson TW-232 preamp that resides in the microphone head behind the dynamic capsule?..
I want to make some circuit / frequency response alterations and require the diagram.

Many Thanks,
73!

 :)Astatic JT-30   crisp and clear.

yes the coupling cap from the driver to finals have have caused MANY rig / transformer failures , because the final tubes turn on hard, being supplied potential from the driver anode via the coupling cap, and the transformer goes up in smoke IF the fuse has been oversized.
I have seen this failure on 101's , 501's , 901's and have lost HT supplies on severAL DUE TO THE EQUALISING RESISTORS CHANGING VALUE WITH TIME.
They are ALL now ticking time bombs-so rather be safe than sorry.
Hence my suggestion--I would rather ensure the rig is good for another 30+ years , instead of it running for a week and suffering the same fate as before.

73!.

 :)A good bet would be to find another Donor FT-901 / 902 or even FT-101ZD.
They all had around the same transformer windings.
I have just rebuilt the HV supplies on an FT-901 and 902, used new 1w MOF 470k resistors and 1N5408 diodes.

Just a word of caution: There should be NO reason for the Transformer to burn out--the supply fuse could be overrated-(Someone had 'uprated' my FT-901's to 15A!!)

Things that could cause problems and transformer failure IF the fuse was overrated:
*Leaky DC blocking cap from 12BY7 to 6146B grids. (Download the "FT901/2 survival guide" for more detail.)
*Shorted HV caps--the 100uF , 500v caps are prone to shorts --they are old after all!.)
Replace with new caps--BE SURE TO REPLACE ALL 470K equalizing resistors with new 470K, 1W MOF resistors.(ON THE HV PSU BOARD>)
(Access to this board is quite difficult--I also had to make 'tags' to attach the HV board to the capacitor board as the new modern caps have short tags.)
Set primary tap to 117V not 110V if you install 220uF 500V caps.
*Regulator board failures.
*Tube shorts.


I feel it is better to check all these things before replacing the transformer, as it probably will fail again,and cause financial loss to you.

73 de William
ZS4L




 

  Switch on the rig noise blanker (NB) , make sure the levels are set correctly.
The NB is designed to remove inpulse noise exactly as you are describing.
The pickup of local noise is entirely normal, but the NB should remove it.

73

  Also a hybrid fan here!..
The analogue audio can't be beat!.. (My new TS-590s is in the market)

I have restored: 3 TS-830s's , TS-520s, ts-820s and from Yeasu the FT-901dm. (Modded the VFO and recapped the HV PSU after it threw a hissy fit!)
I have a FT-902dm on the bench and am very impressed with the rig--so that one will be modded / recapped as well.
As a matter of course the old germanium diodes will be swapped for shottky diodes.
The 6146b's are OLD but work well with over 130W out on 80m, and of course valve finals just sound great and LOUD!.

73 de William
ZS4L

  Thanks for the INPUT!.
I also own a TS-590s and don't like its' Noise Blanker--anything above 3 on the level setting distorts the recieve audio.
Good noise blankers--TS-430s (I restored one and to set up the noise blanker I wired a 12v relay coil in series with its' NC contact for a noise source--works like a charm!.. Simply had to "TUNE" the NB for minimum noise.)
MORE GOOD noise blankers: TS-820s, FT-901dm , Cubic Astro 151, Yaesu FT-ONE .

DSP to my ears , even when not using the DSP noise reduction has artifacts in the audio, which gets worse when using the NB.
In fact, my TS-590s is in the market and I am saving towards a FTDX-3000, which I believe has excellent RX audio.
Half the fun of operating is listening to well balanced-non-fatiguing audio in my opinion.
If I wanted telephone quality I would use the mobile phone.

73!.

  I was wondering if you could not use the Kenwood Hybrid method to neutralise the 6146b's in an FT-902dm.
There is no screen grid switch on the Yaesu however,--but what If I reduced the bias to ZERO mA , and then listened on another RX whilst in TX mode for minimum noise, whilst tuning the neutralising cap?..
(If you know the Kenwood method, you will know what I am talking about.)

Would this not do the same thing?.

73 de William
ZS4L