That should be "I am too dumb to be a Lid"

He's not looking at a 7 Ah battery, he's looking at the 100 Ah. You need to scroll down the link, it's at the bottom. Or click here: http://www.jupiterbatteries.com/Data/Products/JB12-100HR.pdf

The amount of friction provided by the drag clutch is very much affected by the position of the tuning knob on the encoder shaft. If the knob is pushed too far down onto the shaft, drag will be way too high, even with the clutch adjustment set at minimum. If the knob isn't seated far enough on the shaft drag will be way too light. Try seating the VFO knob farther down on the encoder shaft and see if it helps.

Tom

Judging by many of the posts here and on other forums, part 97.1(d) should really thin out the herd...

In it's stock form, the TS-430 uses the SSB filter in AM mode, which sounds absolutely horrible and is mostly unintelligible. If I remember correctly, I think the AM filter slot had a jumper installed by default, which is removed when installing the filter. If you purchased the radio used, and the previous owner had removed the AM filter prior to selling the rig, it might cause the radio to go deaf in the AM mode.

If your problem is very poor audio quality (or no audio) in the AM mode on any band, it could be the AM filter or jumper is missing. If the problem exists only in the AM broadcast band, the problem could be due to an internal attenuator issue as others have stated (I don't remember off hand if it had a jumper for that or not).

With the AM filter installed, my old TS-430 maked an excellent general coverage receiver. Below 160 meters, it would run rings around my Icom 706MK2G and 746! I sold my 430 to help offset the cost of my 746, and very much regretted that decision!

Tom

It may only be a matter of simantics, but for future reference, your topic tirle is somewhat misleading. Please note that traditionally, the term "front end" refers to a receiver's (or tranceiver's) low level receive stages (typically including everything from the antenna terminal to the first IF stage). The part you are referring to is more appropriately called the FRONT PANEL.

Tom

When I first saw the TS-2000 I thought it was the ugliest radio I ever saw. However, I couldn't find anything within a $1000 of its price point that would cover 6m, 2m, 70cm, and 23cm (not to mention HF thrown in)! I'll admit to having to kind of "hold my nose" while buying it. But as I started using it, I realized there was a definite logic and purpose to the unusual layout. After a few months, I no longer thought of it as ugly, but saw it as a stroke of genius as far as the controls were laid out on and the design of the front panel. Even with the extra bands, modes, and functions, operating the TS-2K is far easier and far more intuitive than operating the Icom 706MK2G or the 746! I'm really glad I managed to get over my initial knee-jerk reaction to its appearance.

TX current test doesn't always work. I had a Kenwood TM-D700 that had the UHF section go bad. The transmitter only put out 10 mW in high power on 70 cm, although the radio would draw 8 amps on transmit!

One would think that with an Amateur Extra class license, a GROL with a radar endorsement, and all the help and suggestions offered in the above postings, cross referencing a transistor should not be this complicated.

Helpful Hint: Try typing TIP41C into the NTE cross reference web page and see if it comes up with the same NTE number as the other transistors...

There are too many variables/unknowns for anyone to make an educated guess.

You mentioned your battery was dead and the radio was plugged into the wall charger. The wall charger does not provide enough power to allow the radio to transmit on high power- it's there to charge the battery, not run the radio!

You also mentioned having recently reprogrammed the radio- could you have accidentally left out or changed a PL tone or offset setting?

You said your wife heard you loud and clear on the scanner (programmed to the repeater frequency). If the scanner was set to the repeater output frequency, she shoyld not have been able to hear you, since you would have been transmitting on the input frequency.

And finally, you mention having dropped the radio, which could have definitely damaged something, such as the antenna jack connection.

I would start by first eliminating the possibility of drop damage. Using a fully charged battery pack, confirm the HT is putting out full power by verifying output with a watt meter and dummy load. If full output is present, I would then look for a programming issue, such as PL tones, offset, etc. If the RF output is significantly reduced, I would look for drop damage in the form of a broken connection from the antenna jack center pin the the PCB, as this is probably the weakest point and one of the most common forms of damage in HT's which have been dropped.

Tom, KA1MDA

Solar PV panels are constant current devices. They produce the same current regardless of load. Since panels output a rather high voltage (16-18 volts) this causes their advertised power outputs to be grossly exaggerated.  Unless you use an expensive maximum power point tracking charge controller, you can kiss at least 20% of the panel capacity goodbye. This can be demonstrated in the following situations:

The panel is placed in sunlight with no load. Output voltage is 16.6 volts. Since the panel is capable of producing 1.2 A, panel capacity = 16.6 V X 1.2 A = 19.9 W. This is the advertised panel capacity.

The panel is now connected to a 13.8 V zener diode used as a shunt regulator. Output voltage is now regulated down to 13.8 volts. Since the panel is still producing 1.2 A, panel capacity now = 13.8 V X 1.2 A =  16.5 W. Notice we've lost 17% of the rated output!

Now connect a lead acid battery which is low on charge, with a terminal voltage of 11 V. The PV panel output is pulled down to the battery's 11 volts. Since the panel is still producing 1.2 A, panel capacity now = 11 V X 1.2 A = 13.2 W! We've lost over 33% of the rated panel capacity by connecting a discharged battery!

Finally, PV panel output is measured at a completely unrealistic panel temperature of 70 degrees F. Obviously, panels get much hotter than that in direct sunlight, and as they get hotter, their capacity decreases. So right out of the gate, the 20W rating has very little reflection of what the panel will produce in real life!

So in real life, this "20 Watt" rated panel is actually capable of only producing a useful output of 13 to 16 watts maximum, depending on the battery's state of charge. So unless you are planning to invest in an MPPT charger, you need to derate panel output and plan on buying at least 30 - 40% more advertised panel capacity than you think you need.

Tom, KA1MDA

"You've also got to remember that most battery AH capacity is specified for taking the battery down to about 10VDC. If the radio won't function below say 11.5VDC then you are going to get much less than the rated AH capacity from the battery."

And don't forget, battery capacity is usually based on a C/20 discharge rate! A 100 Ah battery will provide 5A for 20 hours. Raise the discharge rate to 10 or 15 amps, and the capacity goes way down!

Tom, KA1MDA 

My Beckman DMM has a diagram for building a test fixture to measure trasistor DC beta using the diode test function. Collector connects to one lead of the meter, and Emitter connects to the other meter lead. The meter leads need to be reversed for NPN vs PNP, or you can put in a DPDT switch in the jig to swap lead polarity easily.

Two 2K ohm resistors are connected in series between the transistor's Collector and Base. A SPST switch is wired across (in parallel to) one of the 2K ohm resistors, so that the resistor is shorted out of the circuit when the switch is closed. Thus, the resistance between the Collector and Base terminals is 4K ohms with switch open, and 2K ohms with switch closed.

To calculate beta, place the meter in diode check mode. Ignoring the decimal point in the display, beta = 2000 / (reading with switch open) - (reading with switch closed). So if you read .800 with the switch open, and .700 with the switch closed,

Beta = 2000 / (800-700) or 2000/100 = 20

I  built a jig like this in a small project box,with a few transistor sockets and 3 clip leads, with a pair of banana plugs that connect to the meter. An DPDT switch makes it easy to go from NPN to PNP. It seems to work quite well.

Tom, KA1MDA

"do you have a specific model number in  mind I can search for?"

You've already got all the info you need to do this. What else are you looking for?

STEP 1: Click on the NTE website link a few posts above this one.

STEP 2: Enter the transistor number you are trying to replace in the box at the top of the screen that says Cross Reference, Data Sheet and Inventory Search.

STEP 3: Write down the NTE number of the replacement transistor listed. If you want, save or print out the PDF file for the device.

STEP 4: Buy the appropriate NTE device.

STEP 5 (optional): If you don't know where to buy an NTE device, click on the words DISTRIBUTOR LOCATOR at the top of the NTE web page listed in the link.

I'd put up a Hustler 6BTV vertical and add the DX Engineering tilt base and 17 Meter add on kit (and possibly the 12 Meter add on as well). The BTV series antennas are some of the lowest priced HF verticals out there, and they perform quite well. You just cant beat the performance/price ratio on these things. I installed one 5 years ago, which I bought second hand for $75, and couldn't be happier.

Tom. KA1MDA