| YS1RS |
Rating:      |
2021-09-28 | |
| Handy and Practical Smart QRP Transceiver!!! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Long story here but I wrote it down trying to help others who may benefit from my recent experience. Yes, it is September, 2021.
Having heard only fantastic reports from this radio, here in YS, and on the Internet, decided to obtain one.
After months looking and looking, found one being sold from Europe on a famous auction Internet site.
Included 80, 10, and two 6 meter band modules. Also included the original Microphone.
Price was reasonable low, so grabbed it immediately. Weeks later safely arrived from its long journey across the "big lake".
As expected, was not working: No reception except the noise of lots of birdies. No TX RF too. All logical functions, CPU, front panel controls and display were all working fine in all respects.
Contacted Frank Delfine, WB2UJS, its designer. After running a series of diagnostics, decided that fixing it was out of my hands since I lack the equipment needed and the unit was sent to its "Creator" in NY.
Frank fixed the different problems he found on the radio. All problems could be related to previous users not plugging-in the rear band module correctly.
Plugging-in the rear band module incorrectly causes Q10, a SMD MMBT3906 transistor on the RX section, to become destroyed.
You recognize this problem when your RX stops working and then internal display noise increases a lot. You only hear birdies from the display and the front controls.
If you have this problem, then replace that transistor. Again, cause of failure... not reading the manual which warns you to be careful at the time of plugging-in the rear band module.
It has to align well with the left side of the chassis. Failure to do so is what makes you to plug the board using the wrong pins.
To fix it, just replace the bad Q10 SMD transistor located on the RX section. If you hear reports of birdies and poor or no RX, then this is what has happened.
Another problem found was that someone played around with all adjustments and the radio was totally off calibration, same with the original modules received with the radio, which were also out of calibration.
I guess all this mess was caused by someone trying to fix the radio, and sure all started by incorrectly plugging in the rear band module.
It is extremely unusual to have the "Designer" of your radio available to fix it for you.
So, I also took advantage of the situation by placing an order for the rest of the band modules I was missing: 40, 30, 20, 17, 15 and 12 meters.
Frank built the modules and adjusted everything! Try that with one of the famous brand names!
Since I received my Patcomm back home, it is now like new... I fell in love completely with this QRP radio.
It is very intuitive and so simple to use. You have all you need just there, at the front panel controls.
No extensive or hidden menus to access simple things like working Split, change quick settings like adjusting CW speed or the filter bandwidth.
The sound of the speaker is rich, clean and easy to listen for long hours. Sensitivity is just amazing, and the variable filter is a joy to use, simple and very effective.
Remember, each band module is specifically designed for that particular band.
Used to take my FT-857D for portable use from parks, or from a lake, or at the beach, to have fun working QRP with a variety of small homebrew QRP wire antennas like EFHW, End Fed Long Wires and Dipoles.
No more! The simplicity of the Patcomm PC-500 and the nice sound from the speaker wins on top of the 857D when used QRP Portable...
Now, I use it every weekend in this role. I just pair my Patcomm PC-500 with a small Elecraft T1 ATU Battery Operated Antenna Tuner; add a small 7 AH battery, a 45W Solar Panel and have fun for hours.
Frank also built a special cable to use the radio on Digital modes (no CAT) and now, not only use it for SSB and CW, but also for FT-8/FT-4 and other Digital modes too.
Last but not least... The Patcomm PC-500 is light weight compared to my Yaesu FT-857D.
Quality of construction and materials is superb! Made in the old USA.
Cons:
-You have to be careful when plugging in the rear band module. Radio has to be off, and the module has to be correctly aligned to the left chassis wall as per the instructions. This in order not to damage the radio. Then plug in the band module.
This does not happen when replacing the module closer to the front of the radio. Some kind of mod is needed to make this action error free.
-A "quick release" of the top cover would have been perfect to make it easy to change bands. It came with screws.
Patcomm Company is not there anymore, but the designer of those amazing radios (PC-500, PC-9000, PC-16000) is still around and he personally fixed my radio!
Patcomm PC-500 quick specification:
The Patcomm PC-500 offers CW & SSB modes, an Iambic Keyer with a CW Keyboard Interface, adjustable 1 to 15 Watts of output power (12 Watts on 6 Meters) and Patcomm's unique DVF (Digital Variable Filter) providing a 600 Hz to 2.8 kHz continuous variable filter within the AGC loop for superb receiver selectivity.
VOGAD and RF clipping are used on SSB transmit to provide that Big Radio "Punch".
This radio used to be ordered with your choice of any two Ham Bands between 160 and 6 meters, and when ordered with the VOX option became PSK-31 ready.
This is the ideal rig for QRP and Portable operation.
73
Rob
YS1RS |
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| AC9XH |
Rating:      |
2021-02-20 | |
| Patcomm pc-500 is agreat radio!!!!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I recently purchased another patcomm pc-500. Bought this one from an amateur op who lives not too far from me. has vox,160,80,40,30,20,17,15,10,6.works perfecly. An older one i own,ive owned it for many years now. ,Im using an easy digi with it with a usb to db9 converter.Going to use a signalink with this one to compare digital interfaces.Maybe the engineers who designed this rig might come up with a new front end using an arduino/raduino setup,tha can be modified with software upgrades. I give this radio 100. Made in the USA and quality built.
Im good thru ham call, and qrzcq and FCC database.If anyone emails me i will inform them how i connect the easy digi to the patcomm pc-500 |
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| K1VP |
Rating:      |
2020-07-19 | |
| Great Little Rig |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
My 500 is now 18 years old and still going strong. Never had a problem. Lately I have been using it quite a bit for digital modes. Still enjoy the clean audio and simplicity of controls for general operation. When I want to just have some nice chats on CW, it is the rig I pick most often due to those attributes.
Earlier comments still stand.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K1VP on 2002-07-07
I have used this rig for a little over a month and am very pleased with it. The receiver is quite sensitive and clean. It hears better than most low/mid-range transceivers. Easy to listen to for prolonged periods. Although I operate mostly CW, I have been very impressed with the SSB. It seems to have excellent "punch", and I have worked some great DX with it via SSB. It does not have many bells and whistles, but what it does have works well. When you kick the preamp in the signal gets louder and more intelligible which is as it should be. Working split is a snap and I especially like the fact you cannot transmit over the DX station by mistake. The filter really works and it seems sharper than the
500Hz crystal filter in my Icom 718. I used it during FD and it performed as well as anything else being used in a rather hostile RF environment. I was pleased with its ability to work very weak stations during FD. Seems very well made with quality components. It is not just another plastic clone of the dominant brands, it looks different and has a unique personality. Overall, it is a great little rig and well worth the money. |
|
| WA2SI |
Rating:      |
2013-02-21 | |
| Still Going Strong! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I've had this rig for about eight years or so now and it's still a great rig to operate. It's stablemates are an Elecraft K2/100, an Elecraft K1, a Ten-Tec Jupiter, and a Ten-Tec Argonaut V. The Patcomm's performance is right on par with very little discernable difference in receive quality. Overall, a great bargain and it was made in the USA. Sadly, Patcomm is no more but their contribution to amateur radio is well appreciated. |
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| W3KC |
Rating:      |
2007-08-31 | |
| Nice radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I really enjoy this little dual band radio. Build quality is impressive. Receiver is quite sensitive, has nice audio, and the variable filter is very effective. The QSK works very well. |
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| K7VO |
Rating:  |
2006-01-01 | |
| Honestly the worst radio I have had the misfortune to own |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I have absolutely never given a radio a zero before and I've written quite a few reviews here on eHam. The Patcomm PC-500 was honestly the poorest excuse for a ham rig I have ever owned. It is truly worthless. My rig was Rev. G and was built in 2004 so it appears Patcomm never got this one right.
I did some A/B comparisons with the Ten Tec Argonaut V and the old (mid '80s) Kenwood TS-430V and the Patcomm fared poorly. Even with the preamp in the sensitivity was poorer than either of the abovementioned rigs. Also, much as the ARS Lab Review stated the rig suffers from much internally generated noise in the receiver. It's bad enough to obscure weak signals. In addition, the synthesizer is noisy when tuning the rig, much like the PC-9000. You hear each and ever synthesizer step audibly regardless of the tuning rate. This is annoying at best and could cause me to miss a weak signal when tuning at anything but the slowest rate.
The rig has birdies, though the flock isn't as bad as in the PC-9000. It still isn't good, though. This is probably the least objectionable of the glaring faults in a truly crappy ham receiver.
On the transmit side the rig was OK, I guess. Power output, as with all Patcomm rigs, was a little less than rated power.
Finally my radio died. Patcomm is out of business so I sold off the remains on eBay.
I don't know how this rig gets good reviews unless people have nothing to compare it with. The ARS lab review was truly dreadful and I found all the flaws they did and then some. This is truly one radio to avoid. |
|
| W0AZ |
Rating:     |
2002-12-06 | |
| Good Value--not perfect |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I have owned this radio for around 6 months. with it, I've added some 40 countries to my DXCC QRP list, both phone and CW, working very sporadically when time permits. Overall, I'm very impressed. I won't repeat at length the good things others have said; I agree with them. The receiver is extraordinary--selective, sensitive, extremely quiet--for any radio, let alone one in this price range. The "punch" on sideband is incredible at low power. I never used to bother to work sideband QRP, now I love it. The QSK is as good as any I've used, including Ten-Tec.
But there are problems. Since virtually all functions are software defined, the processor works overtime. It appears to a bit stressed. Static discharges that other radios ignore can cause it to self-oscillate and blow fuses. The keying is not well-timed, and sounds truncated; that is, the individual dot and dash elements are too short for any given speed making the keying unpleasantly choppy. The manual keying works sometimes, sometimes it only causes the transmitter to key extremely rapidly, sort of like a buzz. This wouldn't matter, except that one of my hoped-for interrim fixes for the poor internal keying was to use an external keyer with the radio set for manual keying. It is a bit disconcerting to be in the middle of a QSO with the external keyer keying wonderfully, have that cease functioning, and return using the internal keyer with your fist sounding terrible.
Every now and then the unit will act funny, display weirdly, or lock-up requiring a reboot, which is accomplished by turning the Transceiver off. waiting a few seconds, then turning it back on. This is nothing new for anyone familiar with computers; it is, however, something new to me as far as radios go and we might think about it a bit before we all jump on the "software-defined" radios bandwagon.
Although the radio looks great, the anodizing on the front panel is a tad thin and already wearing off. Instead of solid black, the panel is beginning to show the shine of the metal beneath it in places.
Finally, customer service:
Customer service is a measured, at least as far as I'm concerned, by two things: Courtesy and action. The folks at Patcomm are wonderfully courteous. Emails are promptly answered, there's always a pleasant and knowledgable person there answering the phone. I've discussed many of the above problems with a very nice fellow at Patcomm. Many of the difficulties I observe, especially my problem with the sound of the keying, can be remedied with programming and a new chip. Days after opening the box and putting the unit on the air I called to discuss it with them. A new chip was promised. Follow-up calls have offered fixes for the static problem (soldering a ground strap across the backs of the offending controls where static seems to enter. I used plastic knobs, instead,--it is working)and the promised chip that will fix everything else is always coming shortly. Courteous. Knowledgable. But no action. I assume the popularity if this little radio has them stretched a bit thin, and that is understandable. But after six months, with these little annoying things still not fixed, I cannot give even this remarkable radio a 5.
Which is not to say that I don't just love it. I do. It is an extraordinary radio for the price, showing evidence of some truly brilliant engineering. I'd buy another, even though it, like life, is far from perfect.
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| VE3RPF |
Rating:      |
2002-11-28 | |
| WOW WOW WOW |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just finished checking into a net on 40M running approx 5W in to a Slinky Dipole in my attic. When I told the net contoller I was QRP running 5W he didn't believe me! He said my signal was very strong and my audio very powerful. Then other stations started to come back with reports from hundreds of miles away. Band conditions very noisy but the DVF (Digital Variable Filter) and low noise floor of the PC-500 make short work of that. This is a real bargain rig and I would recommend it highly. >Receiver is hot
>TX audio is strong and clear
>DVF works fantastic
Patcomm has a real winner with this rig and you won't be disappointed with it.
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|
| N2PH |
Rating:      |
2002-09-30 | |
| Fine Rig |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This is a fine radio. I use it for CW on 20 and 30 meters with an 30 meter end fed zep antenna and 20 meter vertical and am very happy with the results. The receiver is very sensitive and selective. It "hears" much better than my Kenwood ts 830. In addition, you can't beat the price. If anyone wants to go QRP this is an excellent choice. |
|
| AG5P |
Rating:      |
2002-07-24 | |
| Go Patcomm! Very Nice |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Received my PC-500 the day before Field Day 2002,
and yes I was sweating the delivery. Arrived with
40,20 and 15 meters for a FD evualation. Using a
40 meter horizontal loop at 15 feet, making the
contacts on 20 and 15 SSB at 5 watts output were
just way too easy. This is a terrific SSB radio.
Those of you who know me are chuckling, because
its rare that a mike is in my hands. A check out
on CW at 5 watts output on the bands was just the
same as before, its a terrific CW transceiver.
Now for the variable filter, on SSB you need to
get used to having it instead of the typical old
style fixed filters. For CW, of course this is
FD so its at full squeeze and with the variable
tuning rate, WOW, no ringing and super selectivity
which I did not expect.
Right out of the box, there is a friendly little
radio that goes on the air with little effort.
After the PC-500 trained me to use the RIT and
the Split, cause it is a bit different with
the xmt and rcv freqs being continously displayed
this rig is a pleasure to operate. The PC-500
is almost a month old and I am still amazed its
this good for the price. This transceiver is the
only commercial rig in the ham shack, everything
else is optimized homebrew for CW.
I like the factory support, suggestions and
honest production/shipping estimates. Yesterday,
a call to the factory was in anticipation of the
second PC-500 getting ordered and the options.
I am giving this rig a #5, not that it is perfect
but it is way better than anything in its price
range and includes CW, SSB and PSK-31 compatable.
Now, what's needed, more documentation and some
quick-release locks for the top cover!
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