Stryker 955 V2A vs V2B

[Bobo]

I just got my Stryker 955 V2B (I had to add a jumper the V2A you have to cut it)
Other than that, is there any difference in the two version 2 radios?

I have not messed with the Service menu settings other than cutting my FM back, was dead keying almost 80 watts. Shawn replied to my email and said it should be about 50. Soon as I can get to a friends house that has all the fancy bird meters and O-scopes I may mess with a few more. I did notice when in the service menu, if you move the mic gain, it displays a value from 0 - 49%. Shame it does not show that all the time. I have gotten good audio reports on AM. Have not tried SSB or FM yet.
I think I read most of the post on here about the radio. Guess it is a real love it or hate it thing.
So far I like it.
Barefoot to a A99 about 35' up.

 

[Greg T]

You'll have to check a schematic to see any differences in the A and B versions. I've set up and run all three versions, and I've found that V2 A and B to be identical in performance and software features. I would strongly suggest staying out of the service menu unless you're familiar with what each setting does and why. The settings in this menu can be extremely helpful in setting up a radio to perform exactly how you need it to perform, or it can be your worst nightmare. Through this menu, I have been able to coordinate my AM and SSB output settings for any given output. For an example, when I talk on AM I always use an 8W carrier and let the radio peak out at nearly 100 pep. Now, switching to SSB, and without touching my power out knob, my radio is doing about 45w pep to drive my amp. This is what I find the most useful about this menu. If I were to grab a bigger amp requiring more drive, I could manipulate the settings in the service menu to accomplish the same task with a higher SSB pep. This is just one of many things can be accomplished in this menu. But, it's not for the faint of heart.

 

[BC Coyote]

I would strongly suggest staying out of the service menu

This. We've had at least a couple people on the forum here who bricked these types of radios from going into the service menu and messing around.
These radios work perfectly out of the box; no need to go into the service menu at all !

 

[Bobo]

Hey Greg,
Thanks for the reply. I have read many of your other post. On of my HAM buddies has a full blown RF lab, just waiting to hook up with him to dial this thing in. I have to admit, right out of the box Im impressed. Was dead keying almost 80 Watts on FM. Shawn from Stryker recomended to dial it back to 50 so thats what I have done. The ears on it seam ok, I can pretty much talk to those I hear. Im swinging 70-75 watts AM modulated. I have no desire to ramp this thing up so high it bleeds all over and burns its self out in a week.

 

[Greg T]

Hey Greg,
Thanks for the reply. I have read many of your other post. On of my HAM buddies has a full blown RF lab, just waiting to hook up with him to dial this thing in. I have to admit, right out of the box Im impressed. Was dead keying almost 80 Watts on FM. Shawn from Stryker recomended to dial it back to 50 so thats what I have done. The ears on it seam ok, I can pretty much talk to those I hear. Im swinging 70-75 watts AM modulated. I have no desire to ramp this thing up so high it bleeds all over and burns its self out in a week.

I have a different way to go about setting these things up, but I don't recommend my method for someone who hasn't done it before. I always set these up just so they're at the point of being maxed out with everything wide open so I have the ability to control everything from the front panel. Depending upon your mic of choice and the tone and volume of your voice, this may be different for you. I happen to use an electret, non-amplified mic and my mic gain is set at 12:00. I ALWAYS get rave reviews from contacts about my audio quality and volume. As I said, this works for me, and your results may vary.

 

[Bobo]

I pretty well understand what all the settings will do, I just lack the equipment to properly set them. I have a cheapO power meter, and my RF generator is old analog. Not touching anything till I get it to the lab.