Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
Original Message ----- Subject: Re: [softrock40] Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem Now I have a question. The email version of Kevin's posts that I receive have screen captures of his HDSDR display, but the posts I see on Yahoo Groups only have the text, no images. How do I get the Yahoo posts to show the images? I have to open Kevin's email in my browser.... And I too cannot see the pictures on the Yahoo web interface. Maybe it would be better if Kevin posted pictures as attachments? Something is not compatible with Yahoo (and my email client) 73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
Original Message ----- Subject: Re: [softrock40] Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem 12v not connected, but moving the LO around doesn't change the display below (tuning does nothing)
You should see a flat line with no 12V. Use HDSDR at 48KHz, what do you see? Please confirm that you see nothing if the audio lead is removed. Otherwise, presumably you built this Ensemble? Did all the checks go well? 73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
Now I have a question. The email version of Kevin's posts that I receive have screen captures of his HDSDR display, but the posts I see on Yahoo Groups only have the text, no images. How do I get the Yahoo posts to show the images?
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
The HDSDR display shows a very wide bandwidth, with big signal bars at +- 30 kHz. If you set the soundcard to 48 kHz with HDSDR and make the HDSDR display show only +- 24 kHz, what does the display then look like? Are you getting any real RF signals thru the rx?
Interesting puzzle.
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
12v not connected, but moving the LO around doesn't change the display below (tuning does nothing)
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
2 6v lantern batteries in series, no change :(
On Fri, Apr 18, 2014 at 7:34 PM, John Maxwell <jmax@...> wrote:
?
On 04/18/2014 08:24:35 PM, allgyer@... wrote:
[snip]
> Try the rig on a 12V battery
> and see if that cures the problem.
>
+1
First thing to try in _any_ weird problem. It's quick, easy, and has a
decent success rate. PS noise can find its way into weird places and
cause some truly odd symptoms.
-John
--
John Maxwell KB3VLL jmax@...
Adulthood isn't an award they'll give you for being a good child. You
can waste... years, trying to get someone to give that respect to you,
as though it were a sort of promotion or raise in pay. If only you do
enough, if only you are good enough. No. You have to just... take
it. Give it to yourself, I suppose. Say, I'm sorry you feel like that
and walk away. But that's hard.
-Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign, 1999
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Re: SMT/Solder Paste Question
I haven't tried this yet, but, maybe if you refrigerate overnight, it may work out okay. I would maybe place the board in a Tupperware container, (providing you received permission for your YL)..., heh heh heh.......
If you are using a heat gun, I would let it warm to room temperature, just so you don't stress the parts.
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
On 04/18/2014 08:24:35 PM, allgyer@... wrote: [snip] Try the rig on a 12V battery
and see if that cures the problem.
+1 First thing to try in _any_ weird problem. It's quick, easy, and has a decent success rate. PS noise can find its way into weird places and cause some truly odd symptoms. -John -- John Maxwell KB3VLL jmax@... Adulthood isn't an award they'll give you for being a good child. You can waste... years, trying to get someone to give that respect to you, as though it were a sort of promotion or raise in pay. If only you do enough, if only you are good enough. No. You have to just... take it. Give it to yourself, I suppose. Say, I'm sorry you feel like that and walk away. But that's hard. -Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign, 1999
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
Kevin
I have not had good luck at all with wall wart power supplies unless they are transformers. The lightweight switching supplies cause hum and noise both on the receive display and on the transmit signal. I even purged them from my entire shack. Try the rig on a 12V battery and see if that cures the problem.
Warren Allgyer
9V1TD
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One correction and one follow-up:
The filter bandwidth used was 0.5 KHz, not 3.5.
Used the same setup to check my RXTX 15/12/10. It was 13 dB worse at -114 dBm MDS. Exactly the same circuitry so far as I can tell. This will bear some investigation.......
Warren Allgyer
9V1TD
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Re: ensemble rx ii has a problem
Tried a different 3.5mm - 3.5mm cable - just the same.
I get the same thing from the line in on the laptop Dell d630 and the usb sound card.
I'm starting to think it's a PSU problem - cheap multi-voltage walmart
Any other thoughts from the experts?
Kevin
K5KDT
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Hi Warren,
I tested the RX Ensemble (not RXII) about 4 years ago...result in
File section under my call KF4BQ :
Results usually in the same range you showed.
73,? Mike? Collins?? KF4BQ
On 4/18/2014 3:29 PM, allgyer@... wrote:
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?
I am wondering what kind of MDS numbers others have
measured on the RXII? I just did a run on mine, looking in
particular for performance on 10 meters and was surprised
to find only 1 dB difference between 7.2 MHz and 28.2 MHz.
Does anyone else have some hard data they would be willing
to share?
Warren Allgyer
9V1TD
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Re: External Sound for Laptop with Mono Mic Jack
Looks like it might work, nothing stellar about it, but then retail price is $29, it looks like it's a 16 bit card. No guarantees as I have not used it.
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At 01:43 PM 4/18/2014, you wrote:
Will this external sound device work is a new Ensemble RX/TX? With two RCA in and out, RX/TX channels can be jumped with changing internal jumpers.
<>
My laptop does not have a Line In, only a mono input jack for a mic.
Allen
--
Cecil - k5nwa
< > < >
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
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Warren, that is great info. Do you have a standard (Icom, Yaesu, etc.) HF rx to do the same measurement on for comparison? There has been a thread here about that issue.
Roger
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Re: SMT/Solder Paste Question
Hi Peri,
Congratulations on your great start with SMT. I have been involved with SMT professionally since 1973, and now that I am retired, I design with SMD only when possible. Sometimes Through parts have a way to snick-up on you. I also use an embossing gun that I got from Hobby Lobby for $14. Don’t be mislead, the melting point of solder paste is the same as the wire as they both are 63/37 tin-lead. On the other hand, the new unleaded solder melts at a higher temperature.
Good luck on your project.
73 de AC9GH Jean-Paul
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On Apr 18, 2014, at 3:42 PM, PERI COSSEBOOM < ls5102@...> wrote:
First time with SMD. Built two smaller SMD kits first. I ended up using a hobby hot air gun. $20. Did 25% of the board at a time over an afternoon. Mainly to stay organized and to reduce the risk of knocking off parts. The wet paste melts at significantly lower temp than the solder. Which is very good. Just keep the gun vertical to the?board and heat just enough to melt the solder. With practice you can tell when the solder is going to melt. No need to over heat. ? Use very little paste. A fine tip iron is very handy for touch ups and removing bridges. Kit isn't finished yet. I got a FT-817 for Xmas and haven't been very motivated. ? 73 de W7WBB ? Peri
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Re: SMT/Solder Paste Question
First time with SMD. Built two smaller SMD kits
first. I ended up using a hobby hot air gun. $20. Did 25% of the board at a time
over an afternoon. Mainly to stay organized and to reduce the risk of knocking
off parts. The wet paste melts at significantly lower temp than the solder.
Which is very good. Just keep the gun vertical to the?board and heat just
enough to melt the solder. With practice you can tell when the solder is going
to melt. No need to over heat.
?
Use very little paste. A fine tip iron is very
handy for touch ups and removing bridges. Kit isn't finished yet. I got a FT-817
for Xmas and haven't been very motivated.
?
73 de W7WBB
?
Peri
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I am wondering what kind of MDS numbers others have measured on the RXII? I just did a run on mine, looking in particular for performance on 10 meters and was surprised to find only 1 dB difference between 7.2 MHz and 28.2 MHz.
Setup:
Signal generator with -73 dBm output; 80 dB variable attenuator
HDSDR in USB mode with the filter set to 3.5 MHz
Audio output from E-MU 0204 into an Amber 3500 Noise and Distortion analyzer
Set gains so the indicated noise-only level on the Amber is -3 dB
Attenuate the signal until the indicated noise+signal level is 0 dB
At 7.2 MHz the resulting level was -129 dBM. At 28.2 MHz it was -128 dBm.
This indicates to me there is not a significant drop off in MDS performance on the high bands for the RXII. And since the circuitry is identical other than the bandpass filters for the RXTX, it would seem we could expect the same for the transceiver.
Note: I have bypassed the onboard attenuators for the two low ranges in the RXII in order to have consistent S meter calibration across all bands.
Does anyone else have some hard data they would be willing to share?
Warren Allgyer
9V1TD
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Re: SMT/Solder Paste Question
Well, either that or dedicate your first-born to the solder gods. -- I can explain it to you, but I can't comprehend it for you.
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Warren Allgyer