This Realistic DX-160 radio has a dissimilar metal problem on the tuning printed circuit board with the rivets that connect the top side printed circuit to the printed circuit on the bottom side of the PC board. Resoldering is not sufficient, the fix is to solder jumper wires on the top side of the board to replace the connection made by the printed circuit on the bottom side. Shining a bright light through the bottom of the board shows clearly where to solder the jumper wires on the top side. This is the RF amp and Local Oscillator circuit so it will require alignment. Operation without repair may be intermittent.
This radio has a problem on the tuning printed circuit board with the rivets that connect the top side printed circuit to the printed circuit on the bottom side of the PC board. The fix is to solder jumper wires on the top side of the board to replace the connection made by the printed circuit on the bottom side. Shining a bright light through the bottom of the board shows clearly where to solder the jumper wires. This is the RF amp and Local Oscillator circuit so it will require alignment. Operation without repair may be intermittent.
Digital modes were designed for use with low power. Their nature is to be functional at 25 watts or less. There is no reason whatsoever to use a linear amplifier with digital modes! Doing so just makes a mess of our crowded bands! This is especially true for the FT4 FT8 modes!
Do you have a video about the interface between the IC7300 and Amp? I have the same equipment (IC7300 and AL-811). I am very new to this and want to make sure I am doing it correctly. I will mostly use digital. I would want to be at 50% duty cycle for digital. SSB I would max it out. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you! De W4MTJ
First, that tuner is not rated for the power that the map will do, and second, the meter goes between the amp and the tuner. The 300 watts listed on the tuner is transmitter input power, so the tuner could safely handle 180 watts on SSB and maybe 150 watts CW and digital. That's based on 60% efficiency of the transmitter. 300 x 0.60 = 180 watts.
Thats because you clipped that long piece of inductor called a WIRE in line with that capacitor. Why didn't you just mount the cap and set it with the set screws?
It's been 8 years since you uploaded this vid....can only hope for a response. I have a Kenwood TS-50S and will soon have an assortment of Shark Ham sticks to employ with it from the mobile. My question for you is do i need to have an "Interface" cable connected to my radio for the 929 to " Tune" ? Or will the unit tune by just manually pressing tune on the face of the unit. My Kenwood does have an tuner interface " Out", on the back but I suspect that cable would be " Unabtanium" , based on the age of my radio and the fact they haven't made that model in about 17 years !
Hi! I'm still here, still hamming, but life is getting in the way lately. As far as the Tuner, you can tune using the tune button, but the radio has to be transmitting a ~10W carrier signal so it can tune. Now you can do this manually: Hold down the key so your transceiver is sending out 10 watts, while simultaneously hitting the tune button. If you have the interface cable, it's all automatic. Also, the 929 does have an auto-tune mode, where it'll just start tuning while you're transmitting (SSB, Digital), but I'm not a fan of that because it doesn't seem as fast to tune, to me.
Additionally, if your Kenwood is a hybrid tube final, like my TS-530S, it gets more complicated, because you can't turn down the RF power, unless you rig up negative voltage on the ALC.
Your very small garden is massive compared to my no-garden HOA townhouse. With no garden, one must become more creative since there's no place to run radials. I have those child-anti-falloutta-da- second-floor window gates, so I secured one at about a 45 degree angle down, and attached to it my Shark mini 40 hamstick. That gets it up high and away from the very nearby utility cables in the strteet. The gate serves as my counterpoise.
oh I, am now also in a townhouse. I'm actually doing better here with an attic antenna and a stealthy vertical in my patio. I want to do update videos but life is in the way right now. I feel you, though.
He's worried about too much voltage from a stupid battery pack but if you plug in a cigarette lighter adaptor into the HTX-202 and use it with your car running, the radio is working very safely on 13.8 volts. Turn off your engine but leave the car in accessory position, it's still getting about 12 volts. And when you plug in that same plug with 13.8 volts into the top of your HTX-202, it's cutting out whatever battery pack you might have installed, so it's powering the radio in the same way (the power wires are going to the same place inside the radio). Which means you could put in a battery pack with 9 AA batteries (if you had one or could find such a pack) and it would also power the same radio with 13.5 volts!! Perfectly fine!! I'd feel comfortable powering my HTX-202 with up to 15 volts. I have an unregulated wall wart that I use for mine and just listening and not transmitting, it's at about 15.1 volts nominal. When transmitting, since its unregulated, it then loads down to less that 12 volts since it's using more current on transmit. Since I mostly use it to just listen, my 202 runs constantly on that 15.1 volts for many, many hours and I've been doing it for years.
I've read reports online that cause me pause: "Most 202's will not take a BP-7 Icom pack. The BP-8 usually works well. If the Zener diode in the bottom-feed circuit is bad, only a 9.6-vdc pack or less will work. A minor headache at the very least." I try to run it only with batteries and accessories that were referenced as compatible in the manual. Will it work fine at 13.8V? Probably, but I'm not concerned about running this old radio at maximum power. I have other HTs for that. You are correct though, I struggle to understand this stuff. This video is quite old, and I've learned a few things since.
I have since learned to calculate plate dissipation based on plate current and HV. I upgraded to a Palstar power meter to ensure accurate calculations. I hope to do another video soon demonstrating this, as I think it's very important when operating vacuum tube amps on digital modes.
Really? I never noticed the temperature, but actually I've never checked. It has never felt warm to me while using the tuner. Do you have a similar amp?
One thing that could be causing this is your electronic injection system. One other thing I have found is any device creating interference can easily cause it through its power feed wires. Example, led lights pull amperage in fast pulses causing the voltage in the feed wires to fluctuate and become antennas. Put capacitors on as close to the noisy device as possible. Values are hard to suggest I'd say about 1uf. You almost can't go too big.
The mounting to the HVAC vents? I used a couple of cell phone car-vent holders. For example, on Amazon, look for something like "VizGiz 2 Pack Air Vent Phone Holder for Car Automotive Clamp."
I have a Hustler 75m coil, and looking at your video, I wonder if I could add that to my 17’ telescopic whip. 10-20m with the whip, add the Hustler coil to get 40m and 80m? Ideas? Oh. I have an MFJ auto-tuner.
You do need to technically make the antenna resinate. Not use the tuner as much as possible . More so in a mobile. The tuner as we know only exist for the radio. Not the antenna. Get you some small coated copper wire and wind it around seven turns at about one inch and a quarter in diameter . This is a much better alternative to adding a capacitor. This kind of shunt can be adjusted while on the antenna.
The 404 variant of this was my 1st n fave ham rig. Had it till year & half ago when some screwup movers either stole it or dumped it. It was $200 here in canada (202 was $400 at the time) so got the 404 1st. Just managed to get another 202 at a hamvest this morning & it works other than the wrong antenna was included & the existing battery (the original I'm sure) is stiffer than pushing a frozen brickhouse uphill. I still love these things which is why I looked specifically for 1 at the hamfest.
Hi! Well, nowadays I'm generally tuning up around 225W, so that's within the 300W rating of this tuner. Also, usually I'm tuning with the tuner bypassed to dummy load. I have run 500+ watts through this tuner though, and it worked fine, probably because I match at the antenna feedpoint to less that 2:1 SWR, then use this tuner in the shack to touch it up to 1:1.1 or so. By doing this I believe I'm putting less stress on the Versa Tuner II's components. Obviously I'd recommend an appropriate sized tuner, but the cost jumps up significantly above 300W. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for watching! It's an IBM PC/XT, I believe this one is from around 1985. I have two, both in beaituful shape. The XT has a 10 MB HD, 5.25" 360K diskette drive, and this one has 640K RAM, ethernet installed and internet connected.
Never test a antenna with a runner inline The runner tunes the coax and antenna all in one ...u will never get a true understand of the antenna or load if the runner is lien to the transmitter...in Wich is what a runner does ..tells the tx mutter that we have 50 ohms with low resistance well actually none .along with very low to zero omic resistance... .remwber u can have a antenna that has wonder swr but not resinate and vice vrs...you want low vswr at the resinate frequency and across the occupied band your planning on using it ..I never use a runner ...useless tool...just build.the antenna to the frequency u Wich to tx on and trash the runner...just my opinion..but they are useless in my opinion... Only use is to multi work bands on one.antenna but not the way to do things.... If u want to truly tune your antenna or load ...u measure the load itself with a 1/2 wavelength entrival of feed line ...and use a analyzer to do so.... Always use a 1/2 wavelength feed line when tunning ...this way after it's tunned u can use any length of the characteristics impedence is same as feed point....best of luck ......
The over swing is the pep vomited circuit working and the diode shotkeys doing the job ...remeber u will.always get your truest most accurate reading closest to the value of measurement...so if u measuring 100 watts do it on 200 what scale not 2000...and if your testing 7 or 10 then obviously put it on 20 not 200...this will insure that you linear always..hince if the circuit is working right ..I own several of the mfj .I have the 891 myself along with others they are very very very accurate and read within .oo2 of a watt to a bird 43...very solid meter on average for.sure they r right
It was very good information I have an 811 I don’t usually run it too hard but thank you and I hope you’re watching if you have any other videos God bless
Yeah I really need to do an update as I've discovered some more information, in particular how to accurately calculate plate dissipation to nearly the watt, to keep it at CCS (continuous commercial service) levels (45W per tube) which I think is desirable for digital modes. Thanks for the reminder, I'll begin working on that soon, hopefully this weekend or next week. Thanks for watching!
Hi there! A DX-150 was my first SWL radio as a teenager and I loved it. Many hours in front of the dial listening to the many stations around the world! So, yous was broken but it looks like you fixed it. The diodes you used are probably just fine but if you want an "exact" fix, replace those diodes with 1N60 diodes. which I am 99% sure would be an exact replacement in that circuit. I have a DX-160 sitting out in my shop that I am going to re-cap. Plan to use Nichicon Gold series, audio caps for that job.. That, and a re-alignment and that rx will be back to as new again!
Hi! I still have this radio and still do use it occasionally. I should probably do an update video on it at some point. I have gotten better at video production as you can see from my latest videos. Anyway, those, (I guess silicone) diodes you see here, purchased from Fry's (RIP) were installed, and everything seemed fine. However, I did ultimately order germanium diodes, and I'm pretty sure they were what the service manual called for (1N60 sounds familiar). I couldn't find the online order email from digikey or wherever I ordered them. There are germanium diodes installed in this radio now. It did bother me not having the exact replacements originally. It's kind of funny, I recently got married earlier this year, and the only thing I put on the wedding registry for myself was a signal generator - and I got it! So I'm planning on doing a realignment on this radio as well! Maybe I can get some tips from you about that. That is a project and I'm hesitant to break those carbon adjustments (I can remember what they are called at this point.) I have the proper non-conductive alignment tools. The only other problem with this radio is that the BFO drifts a bit. It calms down somewhat as the radio warms up. I replaced all the resistors in the BFO section with high tolerance (I believe 1%) resistors and that didn't seem to help. If you have any suggestions I'm open to them. It is a great radio and I'm really happy I found it late in the day at a hamfest all those years ago. It's in great shape and one of my prized radio possessions. Thanks for watching!
@@SWRadioConcepts Drift can be isolated in a couple ways. I'd hit every polystyrene cap in the BFO circuit with freeze spray. Turn the BOF on and set it to a pitch of your choice; as long as you can hear it. Start hitting the polystyrene (clear but with aluminium visible inside) with a very small, well directed to only one cap at a time. When you hit the one going bad and becoming unstable, you'll hear it change pitch more than others. Or, "shot gun" it. Simply replace all the polystyrene caps in the circuit. Real common to loose those in the VCO of FM stereo receivers. All of a sudden, no more stereo sound and a check reveals that the VCO free run frequency is either very wrong or gone completely. 99.9% of the time, its the polystyrene cap in the VCO circuit.
In many RV parks antennas are also against the rules, but for the most part, I have never been bothered yet as I am a QRP man and TVI is a problem mostly of the past. I do get billions of birdies from PWM charge converters though so I am in the process of setting up for Parks on the Air which involves less QRN and more fresh air, LOL. Cheers, Dave - KU9L
As a novel approach, how about replacing the spark plug and coil wires with a high quality HV coax (with100% shield/braiding) and then ground both ends of the cable shield to a good ground. The only tricky part is carefully removing the old plug boot connectors and re-attaching them to the HV coax. HV Coax is available in ratings from around 5kV up to 150kV dielectric. For auto applications, a 25 -30kV rating should be fine. This will also improve spark plug energy since most spark plug wires have around 10k - 20Kohms of resistance so you'll get more power to the plugs which can help improve fuel combustion which will improve MPG. Also, most HV coax I've seen is rated to 200 degrees C (392F) so it will easily withstand the heat under the hood.
This is a great recommendation. I had since replaced the spark plug wires with the best I can find, NGK, (without any noticeable improvement) but didn't really see any 'shielded' options available. Your suggestion is an innovative idea and solution. I shall look into it. Thanks!! 73