This is an old question, but I see no answers yet.

Anyone figured out how to get an Icom 706 to work with an Alinco EDX-2
tuner?

I've made the corrections and the turner tunes but creates a 1:3 SWR
into the Icom and of corse the rig won't work like that.

I've also noticed that there is a "daughter board" inside the EDX-2 and
wonder if the manufacturer has another daughter board that will permit
(convert) the EDX-2 to an AH-3?

I don't have an AH-3 to look at, but does it also have a daughter
board? Schematic??

Thanks,

DonKE7NR

On 2 Sep 2006 10:25:20 -0700, "Don" wrote:

This is an old question, but I see no answers yet.

Anyone figured out how to get an Icom 706 to work with an Alinco EDX-2
tuner?

I've made the corrections and the turner tunes but creates a 1:3 SWR
into the Icom and of corse the rig won't work like that.

Did you initiate a tune? Unlike some other tuners, the EDX-2 will not
initiate the tune automatically, you need to initiate it and
presumably you have interfaced the EDX-2 to the Icom's tuner
interface.

If you have done all that, the relays rattled, and you have 3:1 VSWR,
then it sounds like the EDX-2 is faulty.

Owen


I've also noticed that there is a "daughter board" inside the EDX-2 and
wonder if the manufacturer has another daughter board that will permit
(convert) the EDX-2 to an AH-3?

I have not seen such a thing, I doubt it.


I don't have an AH-3 to look at, but does it also have a daughter
board? Schematic??


IIRC:

I have used an EDX-2 on an IC706IIG.

The protocol is very similar, the EDX-2 is the dumber device, so it
ought be just a matter of pinout adjustment.

The EDX-2 does not accept "abort" commands, and it doesn't send a
"fail" response, so the integration is not quite 100%. But it will
respond to the Icom's START signal, and assert the KEY line until it
has tuned... which will work OK with the Icom.

Beware that the different Icom models use this interface in different
ways, and the IC7000 continues that tradition. It seems that it is
very important that the connection to the tx KEY line is open
collector, otherwise the tuner interferes with proper fan operation.

Owen
--

Thanks for the information!

Yes, I have to push the Tune button on the 706 and the relays rattle
and then the red LED light on the 706 lights up. The built in SWR
meter shows a 3:1 SWR. I can change the frequency on the 706 and get a
lower SWR.

I have noticed that the tuner does not "Tune" for very long. No where
as long as the DX70 took and it seems like maybe the "tune" process is
being cut short. When I change bands, it takes just a half a second to
tune which seems way too fast.

Is this information give any more clues to what is going on?

The EDX-2 works fine with the DX70. (I can change back & forth using
adapter cables)

Thanks,

Don





Owen Duffy wrote:
On 2 Sep 2006 10:25:20 -0700, "Don" wrote:

This is an old question, but I see no answers yet.

Anyone figured out how to get an Icom 706 to work with an Alinco EDX-2
tuner?

I've made the corrections and the turner tunes but creates a 1:3 SWR
into the Icom and of corse the rig won't work like that.

Did you initiate a tune? Unlike some other tuners, the EDX-2 will not
initiate the tune automatically, you need to initiate it and
presumably you have interfaced the EDX-2 to the Icom's tuner
interface.

If you have done all that, the relays rattled, and you have 3:1 VSWR,
then it sounds like the EDX-2 is faulty.

Owen


I've also noticed that there is a "daughter board" inside the EDX-2 and
wonder if the manufacturer has another daughter board that will permit
(convert) the EDX-2 to an AH-3?

I have not seen such a thing, I doubt it.


I don't have an AH-3 to look at, but does it also have a daughter
board? Schematic??


IIRC:

I have used an EDX-2 on an IC706IIG.

The protocol is very similar, the EDX-2 is the dumber device, so it
ought be just a matter of pinout adjustment.

The EDX-2 does not accept "abort" commands, and it doesn't send a
"fail" response, so the integration is not quite 100%. But it will
respond to the Icom's START signal, and assert the KEY line until it
has tuned... which will work OK with the Icom.

Beware that the different Icom models use this interface in different
ways, and the IC7000 continues that tradition. It seems that it is
very important that the connection to the tx KEY line is open
collector, otherwise the tuner interferes with proper fan operation.

Owen
--

On 2 Sep 2006 14:18:39 -0700, "Don" wrote:

Thanks for the information!

Yes, I have to push the Tune button on the 706 and the relays rattle
and then the red LED light on the 706 lights up. The built in SWR
meter shows a 3:1 SWR. I can change the frequency on the 706 and get a
lower SWR.

Ok, so when you change freq after completing a tune, how low does the
VSWR go and how far away did you tune at what freq? You probably need
an external meter to get better resolution in making this measurement?

It may be that the two detectors in the EDX-2 are out of cal, and it
is finding the wrong tune point.


I have noticed that the tuner does not "Tune" for very long. No where
as long as the DX70 took and it seems like maybe the "tune" process is
being cut short. When I change bands, it takes just a half a second to
tune which seems way too fast.

No, not necessarily a problem. The EDX-2 like many, store a cache of
recent tune positions, and it measures f, searches the cache, tries
the settings and uses them if ok, otherwise it retunes.


Is this information give any more clues to what is going on?

The EDX-2 works fine with the DX70. (I can change back & forth using
adapter cables)

Do the same test on exactly the same frequencies as I suggested at the
start of my reply. The results should be exactly the same.

Owen
--

Thanks for the information!

Yes, I have to push the Tune button on the 706 and the relays rattle
and then the red LED light on the 706 lights up. The built in SWR
meter shows a 3:1 SWR. I can change the frequency on the 706 and get a
lower SWR.

I have noticed that the tuner does not "Tune" for very long. No where
as long as the DX70 took and it seems like maybe the "tune" process is
being cut short. When I change bands, it takes just a half a second to
tune which seems way too fast.

Is this information give any more clues to what is going on?

Hmmm.

I had a possibly-similar problem when I tried to use an SGC autotuner
with my Kenwood TS-2000. The two don't get along very well - the SGC
often fails to achieve a match. This occurs when I use the Kenwood's
external-tuner feature (which sends a 10-watt signal), or if I
transmit CW or SSB. Sometimes the tuner wouldn't start to tune, other
times it would chatter indefinitely and never achieve a match.

The SGC tunes up the same antenna just fine with a Ten-Tec Scout
sending 5-10 watts.

I concluded that the problem was likely due to two factors:

- The Kenwood's fixed 10-watt tuning signal is at the low end of the
SGC's acceptable range.

- The Kenwood's finals have a power-limiting (or power-foldback)
high-SWR protection circuit. As the SGC tried different relay
settings with different match-component combinations, and the SWR
seen by the Kenwood varied, the Kenwood's power output jumped
around... it would reduce power on the higher SWR combinations.
This apparently "confused" the SGC - either dropping the power
below the level that its SWR bridge was designed to sense
accurately, or causing the match-search algorithm to interpret a
better match as a worse one.

The tuner worked fine with the Ten-Tec, which doesn't have a
power-foldback SWR protection circuit.

Now, as to the rapidity with which the tuner finds a "match" when you
change bands, this might possibly be "as designed". Some tuners have
frequency-based memory capability, and will re-tune to what they
consider the best-available match without going through a full
match-search.

Doing a fast-match to a 3:1 SWR does seem odd, though.

I have a hunch that the 706 may be running into the same sort of
problem that the Kenwood TS-2000 did - its active high-SWR-protection
circuit may be altering output power in a way which confuses the tuner.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
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