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-   -   Help on SSB failure (https://www.radiobanter.com/cb/63613-help-ssb-failure.html)

[email protected] name February 6th 05 09:38 PM

Vinnie S. wrote:
I am talking to a local on 38 LSB. I am cutting out after about 2-3
seconds of talking. He says I am fine for about 2-3 seconds, and then
just go dead. Not happening on AM. I switched power mics, with the
same result. Also happend on USB. Then I went and put the radio in
the car, and the problem went away. The local said it's my power
supply not having enough juice. But it's 12 amp constant, 14 amp
surge. It's a PyramidPS-14KX. Again, I am running barefoot with a
HR-2510. Is it the power supply? Should I add more caps for
filtering?

Can anyone help?


Vinnie I hate to say it but you are running a keyclown radio,
and with keyclown radios the previous owners usually go inside
with the golden screwdriver doing "mods" in an attempt to get
more "swing" and more watts, etc. one of the symptoms is
your radio showing SSB output when you're not even talking,
a sure sign of some ignorant tech inside. Get rid of it.


Chris February 7th 05 07:26 AM

I have read elsewhere that Pyramid power supplies are adversely affected by
RF. They don't have filtering to keep RF from following the power wires back
to the regulator. However, I think there may be a problem with the radio.
Has it been used long on this P.S. or is it a new setup? Can you borrow a
different P.S. from a friend to verify the problem?

Chris

"Vinnie S." wrote in message
...
On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 00:32:26 -0600, "Jim" wrote:

You still need a bigger Power supply, The Pyramid brand has a tendency to
advertise more than what they actually put out. I had the same problem.
Invest in a nice 20 Amp Astron, or tripp-lite power supply and that will
take care of things for you. You can always get a good deal on one used if
you look. Qrz.com classifieds, Qth.com classifieds, etc. Good luck!





The HR-2510 has a 7 amp fuse. So if what you are saying is correct, thei
supply
can't pull half of it's rating?

Vinnie S.




Chris February 7th 05 07:31 AM

Inaudible RF feedback through the mic? Bad balanced modulator? I would look
for bad grounds and cold solder joints inside the radio. Just out of
curiosity, does that radio have a mic sensitivity VR on SSB and has it been
turned up?

Chris

"Vinnie S." wrote in message
...
On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 02:27:24 GMT, SideBand wrote:

Vinnie S. wrote:
On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 16:18:45 GMT, SideBand wrote:


Vinnie S. wrote:

I am talking to a local on 38 LSB. I am cutting out after about 2-3
seconds of
talking. He says I am fine for about 2-3 seconds, and then just go
dead. Not
happening on AM. I switched power mics, with the same result. Also
happend on
USB. Then I went and put the radio in the car, and the problem went
away. The
local said it's my power supply not having enough juice. But it's 12
amp
constant, 14 amp surge. It's a PyramidPS-14KX. Again, I am running
barefoot with
a HR-2510. Is it the power supply? Should I add more caps for
filtering?

Can anyone help?

Vinnie S.

Try finding a small (inexpensive) 13.8V Car battery, and hooking it in
parallel (+ to + and - to -) with your power supply.. The battery will
pick up the slack the power supply can't provide, and the supply will
charge the battery when you're not talking.. Neat solution...

One caveat, though.. once the battery is at full charge, you'll need to
either turn off the power supply, or turn something on (a radio, etc) to
provide SOME load to the power supply so the batter doesn't get
overcharged.

I run all my HAM base station gear like this...

-SSB


I am still trying to narrow it down. This might be an intermittent
problem. I
was talking SSB during the day, and this didn't occur. Could it be an RF
feedback problem? I just installed an 8 foot ground rod, and will run
the wire
tonight. Would this dissipate some of the RF?


Vinnie S.


Depends on how (and where) you have it hooked up. NEI, if you remember
that from school...

-SSB



Here is a weird one.

When I went to measure PEP on the meter, my SSB seem to be modulating,
almost
like it was holding a carrier. Even if I turn the mic all the way down,
and
don't talk, it appears to me measure a full peak my the power meter, and
also
the radio meter. What is weirder is it appears to be channels 35 and
higher on
SSB. The lower channels seem to be normal on SSB. They show power only
when you
are talking.

Vinnie S.




Vinnie S. February 7th 05 01:09 PM

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 07:26:05 GMT, "Chris"
wrote:

I have read elsewhere that Pyramid power supplies are adversely affected by
RF. They don't have filtering to keep RF from following the power wires back
to the regulator. However, I think there may be a problem with the radio.
Has it been used long on this P.S. or is it a new setup? Can you borrow a
different P.S. from a friend to verify the problem?

Chris



I think it's the power supply. Radio works fine in the car.

Vinnie S.

Vinnie S. February 7th 05 01:15 PM

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 07:31:33 GMT, "Chris"
wrote:

Inaudible RF feedback through the mic? Bad balanced modulator? I would look
for bad grounds and cold solder joints inside the radio. Just out of
curiosity, does that radio have a mic sensitivity VR on SSB and has it been
turned up?



Chris, I just attached a 6 gauge ground wire to a 8 foot ground rod. The
distance is faily short, probably less than 20 feet. Radio seems fine on AM.
Plus a couple of hams on the CB, have said thet I definitely need a power
supply.

Vinnie S.

Dave Hall February 7th 05 04:41 PM

On Fri, 04 Feb 2005 23:49:44 -0500, Vinnie S.
wrote:

I am talking to a local on 38 LSB. I am cutting out after about 2-3 seconds of
talking. He says I am fine for about 2-3 seconds, and then just go dead. Not
happening on AM. I switched power mics, with the same result. Also happend on
USB. Then I went and put the radio in the car, and the problem went away. The
local said it's my power supply not having enough juice. But it's 12 amp
constant, 14 amp surge. It's a PyramidPS-14KX. Again, I am running barefoot with
a HR-2510. Is it the power supply? Should I add more caps for filtering?



I need a little more information. Do the radio lights actually dim
when this happens? I does seem to sound like a power supply issue, but
you should be able to talk farther from the mike (Which allows the
radio to not peak as highly) and if it's a simple supply problem, at
some point the radio will work ok if it isn't putting out full power.

The 2510 should not draw more than about 5 or 6 amps, depending on
whether the radio is totally stock, or whether the ALC has been
cranked open (Which will allow a 45 to 50 watts peak SSB output).

Pyramid supplies are not rated as one of the best (Although I have a
30 amp, and it seems to do alright), but I would think you are well
within the rating of it with your radio.

Dave
"Sandbagger"
http://home.ptd.net/~n3cvj

Vinnie S. February 8th 05 12:06 AM

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 11:41:12 -0500, Dave Hall wrote:

On Fri, 04 Feb 2005 23:49:44 -0500, Vinnie S.
wrote:

I am talking to a local on 38 LSB. I am cutting out after about 2-3 seconds of
talking. He says I am fine for about 2-3 seconds, and then just go dead. Not
happening on AM. I switched power mics, with the same result. Also happend on
USB. Then I went and put the radio in the car, and the problem went away. The
local said it's my power supply not having enough juice. But it's 12 amp
constant, 14 amp surge. It's a PyramidPS-14KX. Again, I am running barefoot with
a HR-2510. Is it the power supply? Should I add more caps for filtering?



I need a little more information. Do the radio lights actually dim
when this happens?


No.

I does seem to sound like a power supply issue, but
you should be able to talk farther from the mike (Which allows the
radio to not peak as highly) and if it's a simple supply problem, at
some point the radio will work ok if it isn't putting out full power.

The 2510 should not draw more than about 5 or 6 amps, depending on
whether the radio is totally stock, or whether the ALC has been
cranked open (Which will allow a 45 to 50 watts peak SSB output).


I have not modded this radio. I am waiting on a dummy load. I do have a
question. How high can I DK it and how how can I turn up the ALC, without
overdriving the final?



Vinnie S.

Dave Hall February 8th 05 12:13 PM

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 19:06:53 -0500, Vinnie S.
wrote:

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 11:41:12 -0500, Dave Hall wrote:

On Fri, 04 Feb 2005 23:49:44 -0500, Vinnie S.
wrote:

I am talking to a local on 38 LSB. I am cutting out after about 2-3 seconds of
talking. He says I am fine for about 2-3 seconds, and then just go dead. Not
happening on AM. I switched power mics, with the same result. Also happend on
USB. Then I went and put the radio in the car, and the problem went away. The
local said it's my power supply not having enough juice. But it's 12 amp
constant, 14 amp surge. It's a PyramidPS-14KX. Again, I am running barefoot with
a HR-2510. Is it the power supply? Should I add more caps for filtering?



I need a little more information. Do the radio lights actually dim
when this happens?


No.


Hmmm.... I suspect that this is not a simple insufficient current
"power supply" issue. The power supply may be related, but there's
something else in the mix that we don't know about yet.


I does seem to sound like a power supply issue, but
you should be able to talk farther from the mike (Which allows the
radio to not peak as highly) and if it's a simple supply problem, at
some point the radio will work ok if it isn't putting out full power.

The 2510 should not draw more than about 5 or 6 amps, depending on
whether the radio is totally stock, or whether the ALC has been
cranked open (Which will allow a 45 to 50 watts peak SSB output).


I have not modded this radio. I am waiting on a dummy load. I do have a
question. How high can I DK it and how how can I turn up the ALC, without
overdriving the final?


Is this the older version of the 2510 with the MRF-477 final in it?

If so, the radio is capable of between 45 and 50 watts of peak SSB
power (with the ALC cranked open). For best power with some protection
from distortion, you can safely run it up to between 35 and 40 watts.
It's also capable of about the same peak power on AM, which means that
you should not set the carrier power above 12 watts, if you want to
maintain enough headroom for 100% modulation.

Be careful though, the MRF 477 transistor is no longer manufactured,
and there is no direct replacement for it. So if you blow it, your
choices become limited. You might be able to locate someone who may
still have old stock of the '477 (at a premium price), or you can
retrofit another device, which can be done, but usually at a loss of
peak power out.

Dave
"Sandbagger"

http://home.ptd.net/~n3cvj

Vinnie S. February 8th 05 01:55 PM

On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 07:13:01 -0500, Dave Hall wrote:


Hmmm.... I suspect that this is not a simple insufficient current
"power supply" issue. The power supply may be related, but there's
something else in the mix that we don't know about yet.


I does seem to sound like a power supply issue, but
you should be able to talk farther from the mike (Which allows the
radio to not peak as highly) and if it's a simple supply problem, at
some point the radio will work ok if it isn't putting out full power.

The 2510 should not draw more than about 5 or 6 amps, depending on
whether the radio is totally stock, or whether the ALC has been
cranked open (Which will allow a 45 to 50 watts peak SSB output).


I have not modded this radio. I am waiting on a dummy load. I do have a
question. How high can I DK it and how how can I turn up the ALC, without
overdriving the final?


Is this the older version of the 2510 with the MRF-477 final in it?


Yes.

If so, the radio is capable of between 45 and 50 watts of peak SSB
power (with the ALC cranked open). For best power with some protection
from distortion, you can safely run it up to between 35 and 40 watts.
It's also capable of about the same peak power on AM, which means that
you should not set the carrier power above 12 watts, if you want to
maintain enough headroom for 100% modulation.




Be careful though, the MRF 477 transistor is no longer manufactured,
and there is no direct replacement for it. So if you blow it, your
choices become limited. You might be able to locate someone who may
still have old stock of the '477 (at a premium price), or you can
retrofit another device, which can be done, but usually at a loss of
peak power out.

Dave
"Sandbagger"

http://home.ptd.net/~n3cvj



Vinnie S.

[email protected] name February 8th 05 10:50 PM

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 19:06:53 -0500, Vinnie S.
wrote:

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 11:41:12 -0500, Dave Hall wrote:

On Fri, 04 Feb 2005 23:49:44 -0500, Vinnie S.
wrote:

I am talking to a local on 38 LSB. I am cutting out after about 2-3 seconds of
talking. He says I am fine for about 2-3 seconds, and then just go dead. Not
happening on AM. I switched power mics, with the same result. Also happend on
USB. Then I went and put the radio in the car, and the problem went away. The
local said it's my power supply not having enough juice. But it's 12 amp
constant, 14 amp surge. It's a PyramidPS-14KX. Again, I am running barefoot with
a HR-2510. Is it the power supply? Should I add more caps for filtering?


I need a little more information. Do the radio lights actually dim
when this happens?


No.


Hmmm.... I suspect that this is not a simple insufficient current
"power supply" issue. The power supply may be related, but there's
something else in the mix that we don't know about yet.


I does seem to sound like a power supply issue, but
you should be able to talk farther from the mike (Which allows the
radio to not peak as highly) and if it's a simple supply problem, at
some point the radio will work ok if it isn't putting out full power.

The 2510 should not draw more than about 5 or 6 amps, depending on
whether the radio is totally stock, or whether the ALC has been
cranked open (Which will allow a 45 to 50 watts peak SSB output).


I have not modded this radio. I am waiting on a dummy load. I do have a
question. How high can I DK it and how how can I turn up the ALC, without
overdriving the final?


Is this the older version of the 2510 with the MRF-477 final in it?

If so, the radio is capable of between 45 and 50 watts of peak SSB
power (with the ALC cranked open). For best power with some protection
from distortion, you can safely run it up to between 35 and 40 watts.
It's also capable of about the same peak power on AM, which means that
you should not set the carrier power above 12 watts, if you want to
maintain enough headroom for 100% modulation.

Be careful though, the MRF 477 transistor is no longer manufactured,
and there is no direct replacement for it. So if you blow it, your
choices become limited. You might be able to locate someone who may
still have old stock of the '477 (at a premium price), or you can
retrofit another device, which can be done, but usually at a loss of
peak power out.

Dave
"Sandbagger"

http://home.ptd.net/~n3cvj


Dave I am hearing CBers on AM in the 10 meter cw band right now.
Thanks for helping another unlicensed outlaw get his peaked up tweaked up
illegal rig on the air to join them. Putz.




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