That's an odd and first report I've heard of that one. I've got both the 7900v turbo and q5n2 and haven't had that issue with mine.
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Anytone at-5555n II (version 2)
- Thread starter Eldorado828
- Start date
Insertion loss can be a big deal, and when a relay is dirty/bad, that loss increases significantly. Some can be cleaned, some you just replace.
As an example, only -1dB of insertion and cable loss (a "typical" example dB loss you might see in a regular radio/ham shack), assuming a 100W TX power, equates to around 20W of loss. So, 80W getting to the antenna.
Have a play: https://www.lasercalculator.com/gain-loss-calculator/
73
These relays are the 'sealed' kind. My solution to these kinds of problems is to dremel a very very tiny hole in an upper corner of the plastic relay case and squirt a tiny amount of cleaner in there. Then work the relay on and off a few times. Sometimes works, sometimes works only for a little while.
In bad cases the relay would need to be replaced, and they are often unobtanium....... hoping this one just needs to be cleaned.
The amp is working just fine as is on FM and SSB which is where I am most of the time. I will try cleaning the relay this weekend and see how it goes.
In bad cases the relay would need to be replaced, and they are often unobtanium....... hoping this one just needs to be cleaned.
The amp is working just fine as is on FM and SSB which is where I am most of the time. I will try cleaning the relay this weekend and see how it goes.
The problem relay is in my Palomar amp, the radio is 100% OK.
I now see that and that good news for the radio, but not so good for the amplifier. Glad you figured it out and pretty quick.
Somehow I missing several posts and missed part of the equation.
Maybe a radio shop could recommend a replacement relay of equal value. I'm bad at remembering names but you have some Sharpies in here. ( Nomad ) He sent me a replacement part for my Old Palomar 300A I just haven't had time to work on it and it's easy to put off because I have other Amps to use. But I liked that old Palomar and wish Nomad was close so I could have him rebuild it. ( Wishful Thinking Again ! ) LOL
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I ordered the blue one off the internet it was 21 bucks to the door I looked at my stock mic upright and all the wires were to the left the one they sent me all the wires were to the right won't do s***
Well, I was having a grand old time talking all over the NE US and Eastern Canada barefoot on 38 LSB this morning when I started getting some feedback that my modulation sounded like garbage. I was asked what amp I was using and replied none, just the radio itself and a Zetagi MB+5 mic. Conditions were great so the stock radio had plenty of power by itself.
I fired up my Lincoln II+ so I could hear it for myself and yup, it sounds like a garbled mess on SSB. AM and FM sound crystal clear. I swapped the mic out for the stock mic and made sure the setting was at EL for the stock mic. Same results, a mess on SSB but great on AM/FM. SWR is very low. Receive is fine on all modes. The radio itself still seems to have the same 45 watts PEP power output as before, just SSB modulation is a mess.
When I do use the Carl Built 200HD amp, I make sure I am not exceeding 25 watts PEP which from what I was told is a conservative input level for this amp. I've been running it this way for the past 18 months and as far as I know, it's been working fine.
At least the SSB modulation on the Lincoln is still good to go.
Looks like it's time to get out the testers and other assorted tools....
I fired up my Lincoln II+ so I could hear it for myself and yup, it sounds like a garbled mess on SSB. AM and FM sound crystal clear. I swapped the mic out for the stock mic and made sure the setting was at EL for the stock mic. Same results, a mess on SSB but great on AM/FM. SWR is very low. Receive is fine on all modes. The radio itself still seems to have the same 45 watts PEP power output as before, just SSB modulation is a mess.
When I do use the Carl Built 200HD amp, I make sure I am not exceeding 25 watts PEP which from what I was told is a conservative input level for this amp. I've been running it this way for the past 18 months and as far as I know, it's been working fine.
At least the SSB modulation on the Lincoln is still good to go.
Looks like it's time to get out the testers and other assorted tools....
You don't need a cable to change to 11 m jus cut white wire and move jumper from 1-2 to 2-3 and its ready to use
I did a bit more testing into a dummy load and tried with several power supplies. The Lincoln II+ V4 works fine off these same power supplies.
On SSB, the Q5N2's display will dim a bit every time I whistle or speak a word in direct relation to the radio's output power level setting i.e. the higher the power setting, the more noticeable the dimming during modulation. It only exhibits this behavior on SSB, not AM or FM even when the radio is set to full output power. Modulation is still crystal clear on AM/FM and power output is still the original 45 watts on AM/FM/SSB.
I can't say for sure if the display has always dimmed/pulsed every time I said a word but I like to think I would have noticed that.
It's been suggested I check the bias again and plan on doing that. I even have the second power supply for 10 volts and somewhere I have the required resistor. The pack I got last year even had two of them! Now if only I can find them...
It's a miracle! I actually found something I was looking for in my workshop, tucked away in a container with extra DVM leads. Nice! Almost time to check the bias and voltage. Maybe I'll get lucky there too and something easily fixable will present itself.
I finished checking the bias and it all looked very close to spec. I also checked the voltage where power enters the chassis. It's 13.8 volts coming in, drops to 13.6 volts under AM whistling and to 12.0 volts SSB when I do the same whistle. Both were done with the radio set to full output power. AM/FM modulation sounds great and PEP is still 45 watts on on AM/FM/SSB.
Maybe I will just have to keep this one for an AM only radio because SSB is certainly no longer usable. Or maybe sell it to someone inclined to fix it themself. Other than throwing a bunch of transistors at it, I don't have the skillset needed to diagnose the problem.
Maybe I will just have to keep this one for an AM only radio because SSB is certainly no longer usable. Or maybe sell it to someone inclined to fix it themself. Other than throwing a bunch of transistors at it, I don't have the skillset needed to diagnose the problem.
There may be RF getting into the power supply, causing the issue. Try some ferrites on the power leads close to the source side of the DC cable.
Is there a recommended size or number of ferrites I should try? I think about 5 pounds of them should properly sink this radio to the bottom of Lake Michigan.
It's only happening on the Anytone (not the Lincoln II+), only on SSB, and on multiple power supplies. But I learned on here the hard way a few years ago to never overlook / ignore the obvious even if it seems like it could not / should not be the cause.
The primary power supply for the radio itself is a MegaWatt S-400-12 purchased directly from Megawatt 18 months ago and is set to 13.8 volts.
That voltage drop on SSB is really excessive ! Either the power supply isn't working to spec or something in the radios SSB circuit is drawing the power down heavily.
Just for comparison my 5555N2 idles at 14.1 VDC input. it drops to 13.2 VDC on SSB full whistle, and to 13.8 VDC on AM full whistle. I would be taking a good hard look at your power supply, especially the amperage output of the power supply. Remember, AM and FM don't draw anywhere near the amperage of SSB at full modulation.......