Anytone at-5555 PLUS

[Squints]

I'm not a qualified tech but a fairly decent do it yourselfer and getting better at it everyday after being one for 30+ years and in that time I've learned to use data sheets and it's always good for a diy to do the extensive research on all components before all projects ahead then after I cram all the info in my tiny micro mini brain then i may hit the forums in search of opinions and or experiences if I'm not feeling 100% about any details concerning any upcoming projects ahead.

The max mod is a good idea always has been a good idea in the modern exports

 

[Eldorado828]

I'm Not for, or completely against the maxi-mod as it could be a suitable replacement for one that's gone bad. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it? These new radios don't need any help after proper adjustments.

Next, this new chassis from qixiang has now incorporated a heat sink in the regulator and audio i.c. side which is above the regulator you aim to replace. You don't have the room below it for that big replacement without modifying that heat sink.

It just simply isn't needed, not just for the heck of it anyway!

 

[TM86]

Here's a video with "negative feedback" about the MaxMod:

 

[Greg T]

I'm not a qualified tech but a fairly decent do it yourselfer and getting better at it everyday after being one for 30+ years and in that time I've learned to use data sheets and it's always good for a diy to do the extensive research on all components before all projects ahead then after I cram all the info in my tiny micro mini brain then i may hit the forums in search of opinions and or experiences if I'm not feeling 100% about any details concerning any upcoming projects ahead.

The max mod is a good idea always has been a good idea in the modern exports

And there is another one posted on this site, somewhere.

 

[BlueBeam]

In your picture is the npc mod where the diode stands up off the board ?
I don't have a radio to look at but I will in about a week or so as I just ordered a new at5555+.
I had one before and traded it to a Texas star 250HD a trade I couldn't pass

Yes the diode standing up is the NPC mod. This was a preliminary pic just to show the location of the mod. A resistor must be placed in series with the diode to limit the amount of negative peak compressing otherwise the negative peaks will not make it to zero. I don't remember the value resistor I used...I think it was around 500 ohms. With this mod my radio will key one watt and swing 17 on a dosy meter on peak and it will swing about 6 watts on a bird from one watt carrier all with a nice sine wave on my scope at over 100 percent modulation. As you raise the carrier the swing quickly begins to rise much higher but I run a amp with a single pill driver so I have to run the one watt carrier.
I run a rack but just FYI A Turner plus 3 mic is a match made in Heaven for this radio! I'm not a Turner fan at all but man it's good on this rig. I also have a widened D104 that is very very good as well.
I'm still loving my 5555plus!
I'll say it again, you must have very good soldering skill to perform this mod!
Also negative peak compression is proportional to your carrier level. In other words if running high carrier levels the negative peaks might only make it to 85 to 95 percent modulated.
I wouldn't run more than a 10 watt carrier from this radio. If you primarily run higher than a one watt carrier and don't change you dead key much I would adjust the series resistor value to make sure you achieve close to 100 percent negative modulation using a oscilloscope otherwise
I think for most folks about a 470 ohm or so would be a pretty versatile choice and keep the radio pretty clean. These radios aren't nasty like a Galaxy or likewise radio anyway and the NPC mod really makes them sound nice, smooth and loud on the air and helps with the somewhat anemic output without making a splatterbox, square wave, nastyness generator!
73' Panic Attack

 

[BlueBeam]

Just an FYI for you fellas that are tinkering in the service menu's. Not the Anytone but it's the Stryker cousin.

Kind of debunks what's been talked about in regards to the band pass settings

I am sure he is absolutely correct about the Stryker BPS menu but on my 5555 plus I can see it change my RX on an AF spectrum analyzer. It doesn't really make it wider or narrower it's more like a gain adjustment from the looks of it. I don't know for sure, nor do I know why it would be different on the 5555plus but it definitely changes something. I recommend just leaving menu 31 and 32 at their factory alignments.
The 5555plus also has menu 27 BPF-USB and menu 28 BPF-LSB which absolutely ARE BPF adjustments. For the widest SSB signals set menu 27 to 0000 and menu 28 to 140. Even though these are the "widest" settings, the overall bandwidth is still controlled and ran through the 10M4D filter which is what every export rig has used for decades for a SSB filter (with the exception of the AR3500). These settings are just carrier offset adjustments which center your signal through the filter. The setting I gave just runs your whole SSB signal through that filter without chopping any of it off, and they sound the best too!
Hope this doesn't add to any confusion. These are just my observations about this rig. I hope this can help someone love they're 5555plus as much as I love mine.
'73 Panic Attack

 

[BlueBeam]

AnyTone AT-5555 Plus V7 Service Menu Settings:

I started the service menu adjustments. I wrote down the first 19 items and adjusted only the 4 items mentioned above to get this radio swinging and modulating on AM. All other items are factory and not touched. I listed the factory setting and the setting I changed it to on those 4 items. Everything looks good on my testing equipment. I will report what kind of audio reports I get tonight locally. I will write down and then type into Excel the rest of the settings when I have time.

Thank you BlueBeam for the information.

You are welcome. How's those audio reports?

 

[BigBadWolf]

Okay guys, I figured out how to get the PC software to work while reading from radio for the first time. It's the conversion to 11 meters that's causing the issue. You will need to reset the radio to 10 meter band then go into the software and read the radio, save the file, then restart the radio and convert back to 11 meters. Any Function Menu items you made will have to be reset like Mic gain. It should not reset the Service Menu. The read and write to radio should work now.

 

[BigBadWolf]

The last at-5555+ I had a few months ago was a decent radio and then I came here to the forum asking a bunch of questions about the radio and never really got the answers I was looking for so that's when I decided to trade off my quad 5 to an offer that was presented to me almost dailythat was a Texas star 250HD that I now have and it looks like new and works very well and was a great trade for my quad 5.
After reading this forum about the quad 5 with all the right answers that was not available awhile back has convinced me to purchase another brand new anytone quad 5+ because I really dig it's overall looks and layout of all the functions and the large display and it's colors I can really see comfortably with half blind eyes.
I sure hope all these service menu adjustments do everything as these good men described them to do.

I can tell ya, its opened up a lot with the menu adjustments. The key though is to at least have a power and modulation meter to see what these adjustments do. I've since changed my settings some more. I've gone to 0000 on the AM modulation limiter settings and maxed out the Mic gain to 63. I also lowered the AM low power to 0050 and AM max power to 255 max. That gets a nice swing going but its still showing to be limited on max power swing levels. So, if I lower the RF power knob to get the dead key down to 1 watt and I want it to swing to 30, that ain't happening. It may swing from deadkey of 1 to 5-10 watts though. This is the only problem so far. NOTE: I control the mic gain with the power mic it self. I don't want to be distorted. Just not limited. I also adjusted the SSB High power setting for maximum. Then the low power setting must be set to at least get your amp relay keying if you use one. I think mine is at 0050 or so. I'm pulling all this from memory. I know this much, the modulation from a D104 Tug-8 stand mic is at 1/4 on the gain and if I go too much higher I can squeal the amp if i get the mic too close to it. Modulation reports state I'm very loud and crystal clear.

 

[BlueBeam]

I can tell ya, its opened up a lot with the menu adjustments. The key though is to at least have a power and modulation meter to see what these adjustments do. I've since changed my settings some more. I've gone to 0000 on the AM modulation limiter settings and maxed out the Mic gain to 63. I also lowered the AM low power to 0050 and AM max power to 255 max. That gets a nice swing going but its still showing to be limited on max power swing levels. So, if I lower the RF power knob to get the dead key down to 1 watt and I want it to swing to 30, that ain't happening. It may swing from deadkey of 1 to 5-10 watts though. This is the only problem so far. NOTE: I control the mic gain with the power mic it self. I don't want to be distorted. Just not limited. I also adjusted the SSB High power setting for maximum. Then the low power setting must be set to at least get your amp relay keying if you use one. I think mine is at 0050 or so. I'm pulling all this from memory. I know this much, the modulation from a D104 Tug-8 stand mic is at 1/4 on the gain and if I go too much higher I can squeal the amp if i get the mic too close to it. Modulation reports state I'm very loud and crystal clear.

If you do the NPC mod you can get closer to 20 watts from a one watt carrier. It helps and cleans up the low carrier sound.

 

[BlueBeam]

Great job figuring out the software issue!

 

[BigBadWolf]

If you do the NPC mod you can get closer to 20 watts from a one watt carrier. It helps and cleans up the low carrier sound.

I was looking at that. So, the 560 ohm resistor is behind the leg of the diode in your photo? I can do that mod for sure.

 

[BlueBeam]

I was looking at that. So, the 560 ohm resistor is behind the leg of the diode in your photo? I can do that mod for sure.

It's in series with the diode. It doesn't matter which end of the diode. That pic only shows a diode. I only put a diode in at first with no resistor, then was so excited it worked I snapped a pic and posted the location for the mod!

 

[BlueBeam]

It's in series with the diode. It doesn't matter which end of the diode. That pic only shows a diode. I only put a diode in at first with no resistor, then was so excited it worked I snapped a pic and posted the location for the mod!

The smaller the resistor the more it will swing but it becomes harder to achieve 100 percent negative peaks from carrier levels over one or two watts, and it makes the radio sound quieter and quieter. I wouldn't use anything smaller than about a 470 ohm.

 

[BigBadWolf]

The smaller the resistor the more it will swing but it becomes harder to achieve 100 percent negative peaks from carrier levels over one or two watts, and it makes the radio sound quieter and quieter. I wouldn't use anything smaller than about a 470 ohm.

What is the value of the stock resistor?