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Anytone at-5555n II (version 2)

Hey, Cheese head. It's Yoopers in the UP. I'm under the bridge, so that makes me a Troll. :)
:) I'm originally from Canada and apparently I don't know how to spell Yooper! Oops. That'd be like someone calling me a Canook instead of a Canuck or a hoosier instead of a hoser.

The only bridges I can think of in the UP are Mackinac (we go to St. Ignace for a week every summer) and Sault Ste Marie. I'll have to heed the warning about the trolls!

A guy I used to work with is from the U.P. and he told me that at summer parties they would put a thick tarp in their pickup truck bed and fill the bed with water and eventually end up "swimming" in it. He said they called it a Yooper Pool. Not sure if he was serious or just pulling my leg. I think we figured it'd be about 3,000 pounds of water.
 
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My second smaller power supply is due any day now so it will be useful in this bias adjustment process. I did just have to order the 8 ohm 25K ballast resistor. I think I already have the rest of the stuff I need.

Knowing the radio is already a bit ill takes a bit of pressure off this surgeon.
I think an assumption I made may be suspect. I assumed I would be able to use the Megawatt S-400-12 I have coming as the 10 volt source for the bias adjustment since it goes as low as 9.5 volts. The radio itself will be powered by my Powermax PM4-120 PSU. Is it safe to use the S-400-12 as the 10 volt source for this bias voltage test or should I stick to a "real" dedicated bench supply (that is not too expensive)?

This is the general type of bench power supply I am considering getting to help me become more self-sufficient in trying to fix stuff I break. I see ones like Siglent makes but they are too expensive for me and overkill for my needs. Having the proper tools when working on cars/motorcycles/snowmobiles has made all the difference in the world to me and I think it'll be the same here.
 
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I think they are the same. I would just swap the cords, I don't see any real risk in trying this. (y)
Just an update they are interchangeable. Using the Q5 mic chord on the Q6 mic. And vice versa. We will see if i still have the issue with my Q5 n2.. or if I just moved the problem to the Q6. Thanks for your help.
 
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I think an assumption I made may be suspect. I assumed I would be able to use the Megawatt S-400-12 I have coming as the 10 volt source for the bias adjustment since it goes as low as 9.5 volts. The radio itself will be powered by my Powermax PM4-120 PSU. Is it safe to use the S-400-12 as the 10 volt source for this bias voltage test or should I stick to a "real" dedicated bench supply (that is not too expensive)?

This is the general type of bench power supply I am considering getting to help me become more self-sufficient in trying to fix stuff I break. I see ones like Siglent makes but they are too expensive for me and overkill for my needs. Having the proper tools when working on cars/motorcycles/snowmobiles has made all the difference in the world to me and I think it'll be the same here.
I ended up ordering the Tekpower TP3005T Variable Linear DC Power Supply to help me become more self-sufficient when fixing my damage. It's arriving tomorrow. Then it's time to use the Stryker bias video as my guide and see what happens to the radio. Make some popcorn and place your bets.

It also has me re-thinking tackling bypassing the driver in the KL503HD and seeing what happens. It's already just sitting un-used on a shelf. I did replace all 8 + 1 transistors in it already and have been searching for what steps to take to make sure the bias voltage is correct for them.
 
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I ended up ordering the Tekpower TP3005T Variable Linear DC Power Supply to help me become more self-sufficient when fixing my damage. It's arriving tomorrow. Then it's time to use the Stryker bias video as my guide and see what happens to the radio. Make some popcorn and place your bets.

It also has me re-thinking tackling bypassing the driver in the KL503HD and seeing what happens. It's already just sitting un-used on a shelf. I did replace all 8 + 1 transistors in it already and have been searching for what steps to take to make sure the bias voltage is correct for them.
The Tekpower supply finally arrived after a week's delay. The Megawatt S-400-12 I ordered on Feb 23 also finally arrived today. It was stuck in the Big Bear Lake, CA post office for a week or so due to the blizzards and road closures. That area just got hammered by snow.

Anyway, I followed the bias directions in the Stryker 955 V2 video to tune my Q5N2. It all went well. The first two Q1 and Q2 were off by quite a bit but Q3 was not. I adjusted each as close to the target value as I could, then sealed up the radio and tried it out. Unfortunately I did not notice any improvement in the clarity of the SSB modulation. It seems like the power end of things is working fine but the voice/modulation part still leaves a lot to be desired. This was done into a dummy load and I tried several mics.

Now to decide if there is a next step I can take myself or if I need to send it in to an expert. Out of all the places/people I have contacted, all were no to the service request and two are still maybes.
 
The Tekpower supply finally arrived after a week's delay. The Megawatt S-400-12 I ordered on Feb 23 also finally arrived today. It was stuck in the Big Bear Lake, CA post office for a week or so due to the blizzards and road closures. That area just got hammered by snow.

Anyway, I followed the bias directions in the Stryker 955 V2 video to tune my Q5N2. It all went well. The first two Q1 and Q2 were off by quite a bit but Q3 was not. I adjusted each as close to the target value as I could, then sealed up the radio and tried it out. Unfortunately I did not notice any improvement in the clarity of the SSB modulation. It seems like the power end of things is working fine but the voice/modulation part still leaves a lot to be desired. This was done into a dummy load and I tried several mics.

Now to decide if there is a next step I can take myself or if I need to send it in to an expert. Out of all the places/people I have contacted, all were no to the service request and two are still maybes.
What mode are you testing in? Is it the same problem across all modes? And have you tested all various power and mic gain settings? (Sorry if you have already mentioned this previously). I'm trying to think about if this is an RF / feedback problem, or an actual Audio problem).

Obviously, poor TX audio is not common on these radios.

Also, what are you using to listen to the transmissions? (or are people telling you it doesn't sound right?)
 
What mode are you testing in? Is it the same problem across all modes? And have you tested all various power and mic gain settings? (Sorry if you have already mentioned this previously). I'm trying to think about if this is an RF / feedback problem, or an actual Audio problem).

Obviously, poor TX audio is not common on these radios.

Also, what are you using to listen to the transmissions? (or are people telling you it doesn't sound right?)
SSB modulation was fine before I started having the feedback or whatever issue it should be called when testing the Carl Built amp (not its fault!) with the Q5N2. Ever since then, the SSB modulation can best be described as crunchy, choppy like when you're using a crappy amp on SSB except this is just straight radio. The modulation on AM and FM is still crystal clear. I have tried various power levels, modulation levels and two different mics, multiple brands and lengths of RG8x patch cables, and two different PSUs (well, three if you count running it from a battery). The Q5N2 is connected to a dummy load and I am listening to the voice on my President Lincoln II+ V4 that is not connected to an antenna. The only thing the Q5N2 is connected to is the dummy load. No antenna switches, SWR/power meters, etc. SSB modulation on the Lincoln is clear both without and with running the amp.

I replaced the four IRF520s with Vishay brand ones from DigiKey and just did the bias voltage adjustment.
 
SSB modulation was fine before I started having the feedback or whatever issue it should be called when testing the Carl Built amp (not its fault!) with the Q5N2. Ever since then, the SSB modulation can best be described as crunchy, choppy like when you're using a crappy amp on SSB except this is just straight radio. The modulation on AM and FM is still crystal clear. I have tried various power levels, modulation levels and two different mics, multiple brands and lengths of RG8x patch cables, and two different PSUs (well, three if you count running it from a battery). The Q5N2 is connected to a dummy load and I am listening to the voice on my President Lincoln II+ V4 that is not connected to an antenna. The only thing the Q5N2 is connected to is the dummy load. No antenna switches, SWR/power meters, etc. SSB modulation on the Lincoln is clear both without and with running the amp.

I replaced the four IRF520s with Vishay brand ones from DigiKey and just did the bias voltage adjustment.
Just a quick thought, did you check the predriver before the 520s?
 

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