Was using my 2517 yesterday, and lost all SSB transmit, and it's only doing 14W on AM. Any idea what could have happened, and if it's even worth fixing?
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Galaxy DX 2517 Problem
- Thread starter AK #5
- Start date
Hello AK,
I've not worked on a 2517 before but I did look it up. I am assuming that it is a dual final radio as it is listed as 10 watts AM and 25 watts SSB. That being said, if the radio is doing 14 watts AM it sounds like the tansmit portion is working although maybe not like it was. The SSB side of things is repairable and could be worth fixing if the radio is in good shape otherwise. Because you stated that it's 14 watts on AM I am assuimg that it has been turned up which can be hard on radios. Does it receive on SSB and just not transmit or is SSB not working all together?
I've not worked on a 2517 before but I did look it up. I am assuming that it is a dual final radio as it is listed as 10 watts AM and 25 watts SSB. That being said, if the radio is doing 14 watts AM it sounds like the tansmit portion is working although maybe not like it was. The SSB side of things is repairable and could be worth fixing if the radio is in good shape otherwise. Because you stated that it's 14 watts on AM I am assuimg that it has been turned up which can be hard on radios. Does it receive on SSB and just not transmit or is SSB not working all together?
It receives well in SSB and AM. No transmit on SSB. It does about 30-35W PEP when it was working. I will get it repaired if I can find a tech to do it, and get the two non functioning switches (SWR and R.B.) repaired at the same time. It is a dual final radio, not MOSFET.
Dropped a final,
Bias board not seated firmly,
Bad output cap,
One of the Bias adjustment VR's has shot it's wad.
Check those...
Bias board not seated firmly,
Bad output cap,
One of the Bias adjustment VR's has shot it's wad.
Check those...
Does the power knob on the front panel change the power of the AM carrier when you turn it? Could fill in one blank in this picture.
73
73
To be clear...I had fired it up to run the amplifier, not knowing that I had RF coming into my equipment. The first time I keyed it up with the amp, it died. I think that's what caused the failure.
Sounds like a clear case of cause and effect. The only way to pin down how much damage was done involves unsoldering component leads and checking parts with a tester of one kind or another.
Never assume that only one thing has failed.
73
I Have Irfz24n mosfets in the final section of my 2517, no more power at regular voltage than the Irf520s but very durable. I am not scared to key mine it to a tube amp at 3:1 and talk local for an hour. The ranger rt1s are the same thing and they are pretty reasonable from lesco.
35 watts Is about the max those 2517s will do without a lot of work. The sweet spot for clean modulation I have found is 3 watts swinging 25 with an npc-rc (100ohm+914diode) and ssb alc set to 20 watts., Watt numbers from my Mfj-870
I have the mfj-870 Grandmaster meter, and the big brother mfj-868 true peak reading meter.
On dual final rigs, I normally see around 28w to 35w max output on my 870, but on my 868 I see around 50w.
Reason being, although the 870 claims to be PEP, it is actually peak. The 870 corresponds basically with my oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer on wattage. The 868 on the other hand, is basically just like a bird 43. It's a True Peak Reading meter with a peak sensing circuit, unlike the 870 which has just a basic peak switching circuit. This meter corresponds with most bird 43, daiwa 901, etc...true peak reading meters (basically true PEP).
I confirmed this by multiplying the 870 wattage shown by the peak to PEP factor of 1.414.
35 peak watts (mfj-870) × 1.414 = 49.49 PEP watts, exactly what my 868 meter shows for 35 peak watts.
As for peak watts, I trust my oscilloscope and spectrum numbers. As for PEP watts, I'll convert using 1.414 and then verify with the 868.
And yes, 49.49 PEP watts is stretching it, I would drop it back to 45 and leave it be.
45 pep watts would be around 32 peak watts.
I had a heck of a time trying to explain this to my locals. They thought their little Dosey, micronta, blackcat, etc...watt meters should show the advertised PEP watts like their techs watt meters do, some even claimed their radio always showed around 50w on their PDC. I explained it to them, that those excess watts past 35w is ghost watts because they jacked every ounce of wattage out of the radio to achieve that fake excess wattage they were seeing, AAAANNNNNNNDDDDDD, that's why their radios stayed in the shop more than on the air.
I've taught my locals the right way of things, they've been led to believe the wrong things for years by the old tech that passed away a few years ago. It took time, but they slowly came around and researched for themselves instead of just going by what I tell them. Like I always tell them, don't argue with me over it, research it/experiment with it yourself to prove me wrong. So far, they've learned a lot and they actually proved me right. They actually come to me for questions now. I just want people to learn, I don't want to be right, I just want operators to expand their knowledge by asking questions and researching for themselves, they learn so much more that way, even though I get a little harsh on them.
On dual final rigs, I normally see around 28w to 35w max output on my 870, but on my 868 I see around 50w.
Reason being, although the 870 claims to be PEP, it is actually peak. The 870 corresponds basically with my oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer on wattage. The 868 on the other hand, is basically just like a bird 43. It's a True Peak Reading meter with a peak sensing circuit, unlike the 870 which has just a basic peak switching circuit. This meter corresponds with most bird 43, daiwa 901, etc...true peak reading meters (basically true PEP).
I confirmed this by multiplying the 870 wattage shown by the peak to PEP factor of 1.414.
35 peak watts (mfj-870) × 1.414 = 49.49 PEP watts, exactly what my 868 meter shows for 35 peak watts.
As for peak watts, I trust my oscilloscope and spectrum numbers. As for PEP watts, I'll convert using 1.414 and then verify with the 868.
And yes, 49.49 PEP watts is stretching it, I would drop it back to 45 and leave it be.
45 pep watts would be around 32 peak watts.
I had a heck of a time trying to explain this to my locals. They thought their little Dosey, micronta, blackcat, etc...watt meters should show the advertised PEP watts like their techs watt meters do, some even claimed their radio always showed around 50w on their PDC. I explained it to them, that those excess watts past 35w is ghost watts because they jacked every ounce of wattage out of the radio to achieve that fake excess wattage they were seeing, AAAANNNNNNNDDDDDD, that's why their radios stayed in the shop more than on the air.
I've taught my locals the right way of things, they've been led to believe the wrong things for years by the old tech that passed away a few years ago. It took time, but they slowly came around and researched for themselves instead of just going by what I tell them. Like I always tell them, don't argue with me over it, research it/experiment with it yourself to prove me wrong. So far, they've learned a lot and they actually proved me right. They actually come to me for questions now. I just want people to learn, I don't want to be right, I just want operators to expand their knowledge by asking questions and researching for themselves, they learn so much more that way, even though I get a little harsh on them.