Phase lock loop problem Ranger RCI 2950

[Jerry]

I borrowed this radio from a ham friend of mine.
Just something to get me on the air until I can find a decent used amateur radio - 100 watts / 160 - 2 meters - such as a Icom 746 pro or Kenwood 2000.

I know that the Ranger is a piece of crap - Import 10 meters radio, but it is all that I have for now.
Too darn hot to get to digging to put in a tower right now - 100* days, and yard too small to use a G5RV - although I did buy one.

Where I live, 10 meters is great, because I can talk most every day - made 100 contacts so far this month.

The problem that I have is that we put it on a service monitor and found that the display is 2 kc low - hence 28.400 reads 28.398.1 Mhz

Second problem was that I can lock it on someone - zero beat, but when the band goes up or down, the PLL cannot stay locked and so I have to chase the people around.

I get excellent signal reports when the bands are open - 25 watts into a Antron 99 - 20' off the ground gets into Florida with a 5/9 most nights.

The other problem is - if it is off two kc's - the radio sounds all garbled to the people on the other end and most people with a professional radio and little intelligence will yell and hollar to get off the bands and to buy a better radio.

I just started my new job last week after being disabled for 4 years with no income. I'm not cheap - but I can't spend $1500 for a used radio right now and I don't want to buy a boat anchor.
The people on Ebay are so crazy right now - you can buy a brand new radio that works with a guarantee / warranty for abotu $150 more then a old crappy radio that probably has issues.

So the question is - is there a economical repair that can be done to the Ranger to get it back in working condition? Less then $50.00 would be nice. Under $100 would be do able.

[KJ3N]

I'm not cheap - but I can't spend $1500 for a used radio right now and I don't want to buy a boat anchor.

Lots of room between those extremes. BTW, $1500 for a used radio is $1500 you've just wasted. You can have a brand new FT-950, TS-2000, or IC-7000 for less.

$150-$300: A few of the old hybrid radios like the TS-520, 530, 820, and 830 are available.

$350-$600: Many good used radios in this price range. TS-50, IC-718, IC-706, FT-857, and IC-751A, just for some examples.


The people on Ebay are so crazy right now - you can buy a brand new radio that works with a guarantee / warranty for abotu $150 more then a old crappy radio that probably has issues.

You're learning.

[KA9MOT]

Did you check to see if the Clarifier has been converted to TX along with RX or other CB Tricks have been done to it?

[Jerry]

When we had it on the service monitor - we checked the Clarifier and the TX did not move when the clarifier was changed.

Where can I find a deal on a new or used radio?
I tried QRZ and Flea Bay and Craigslist and in 4 months the closest I came was a old Heathkit HW 101 for $350.00 - that was until I found out that it needed a power supply and even a broke power supply was $100.00 and another $100+ to repair it.

I have a Heathkit 101 promised to me, my uncle said he would give it to me - after he replaced all the caps in it, just that he owns his own business and doesn't have the time to replace the caps.
I even asked him if he would as his employee to do it for me and I would gladly pay him for his time and troubles and my uncle got upset and said that he wanted to do it himself and got offended and that was the end of the offer.

It's kind of sad to be a Amateur Extra class license holder and no radio.

[PA5COR]

For the RCI 2950, get the service manual, and do the tune up with decent measuring equipment.
Some golden screwdriver must have wandered in there.... that were most of my repairs setting back everything they screwed up by "tuning up" the radio's....

If it transmits and recieves 98% of the time it has been someone with a screwdriver tuning all pot's and ferrite cores he could find to get some more power out of it.
Including setting the P.A. bias to 0 volts..... now that's good for linearity ( NOT)

There's nothing wrong in getting an older radio, i have 2 FT 847's Collins/Inrad filters and a FT100 with AM 6 KHz filter added.
I had the TS 430 line, and that one worked very fine too thank you.
A TS 430 or FT 757GX2 transceiver here goes for 300 - 500 Euro's depending on the extra's and filters in it.
Think looking at your side of the pond that prices for radio's are even cheaper. ( 2nd hand).

Get an TS 430 or similar radio, you can start making qso's and save up for a better radio later, getting on air is more important.

[NQ6U]

i'd suggest something newer that the HW 101. You should be able to pick up a used Icom IC-718 for about the same price as the Heathkit radio plus power supply . It's a good basic radio with an excellent receiver and it's currently in production so you'll be able to get parts for it.

[ad4mg]

TS-140S $350 HERE on QRZ (http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?306060-Kenwood-TS-140S)

[K7SGJ]

I agree. Look at the solid state TS series. I bought a TS130 for a hundred in Phoenix. It was in like new condx. You will need a power supply, but that can be had for reasonable, too. Although those deals don't show up every day, they do happen. Watch your Craigslist at least two or three times a day. The good deals go fast.

As far as the Ranger goes, COR is right. Whenever I have a unit in unknown condx or has multiple issues, going through the alignment will usuall reveal the problem areas. Always begin at the PS. Since you have a Service Monitor available, with a service manual you should be good to go.

[N8YX]

The 2950 (especially the newer versions) is somewhat prone to VCO drift. Improper filtering in the PLL is more than likely the culprit. That said, get the service manual for the radio and have a look at the reference oscillator, VCO and BFO tuning. You'll need a frequency counter to perform the procedure, and a decent oscilloscope with 80-100MHz vertical bandwidth is also a help when peaking the VCO adjustments.I fixed one of these rigs last fall for a ham friend. They're not that tricky to align but seem to go out of alignment more frequently than similar 10M monobanders.

[KC2UGV]

Another thing to check: Are you feeding it with dirty 13.8V? I know my HTX-10 drifted a bit until my car battery's voltage settled down.

It doesn't have to be perfect, but the 10M only rigs tend to have not much in the way of input voltage regulation.

[Jerry]

I have a power supply, it is a Aztec - came from a television translator - usually sells for around $750 and up on ebay that my uncle reconditioned and gave to me.
His business is repair work to microwave transmitters and all the peripheral devices associated with television and radio communications.

Just that he is 300 miles away and busy.

My power supply is four 750 CCA batteries connected in parellel and fed by a 2 / 10 / 50 amp battery charger - when needed.
The radio drifts - both with the charger on or off.
So my power supply is real stable.
Don't have to worry about lighting coming in through the electric service and hitting my radio either.

I want to stay away from any mobile type radio or anything that is unsupported - hence boat anchors and obsolete radios are out of the question.
I have been looking for a 460 / 580 or a Icom 746 Pro II or a Kenwood 2000 - such as the D model.

The problem is - I have scoured flea bay and craigslist and all the places normally associated with deals and there is none to be had.
IN a bad economy - and we can't call this a good economy right now, people are looking for get rich schemes and it seems that you can advertise junk and someone will bid on it and offer top dollar.

There is a lot of geniuses out there that thinks that they know how to fix radios and are willing to buy a junk radio - even if the price is not right, just because they want to show people how smart they are - I guess, because I would never pay $200 less for a broken radio with no warranty that is 12 years old, when I can buy the same model, brand new in the box with a warranty for $200 more.

Like I said before - there just isn't any deals out there right now and the people who has the stuff is hoarding it where I live.
Ham's die every day, just that their friends and relatives gets ahold of this stuff and either keeps the good stuff and trys to pawn off the junk, or they want top dollar for it, and as we know, all it takes is one time, hooking something up wrong, keying the mic without the antenna connected etc - to kill a perfectly good radio.

They can say as many times as they want on the internet that it worked the last time it was used, but when it doesn't come with a microphone - that pretty much tells me that these people are trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the deal and are trying to cover something up. Figuring that by the time you get a mic, the check will have cleared the bank and they will be no where to be seen.

I went through this a dozen times with my race car when I had a race team about 6 years ago. There was always some joker in Iowa or Nebraska selling something they didn't even have, or they changed the ad after I bid on it and took me for a lot of money with stuff that was misrepresented and ebay never did get my money back.
Don't listen to anything that ebay advertises because they are lying.
They don't get you your money back when someone rips you off, they laugh because they get a commission.
I'm just gonna have to keep looking.

The Heathkit 101 is a gift, all I have to pay for is the new components and shipping or go down and pick it up. The one I bought off Ebay, I cancelled the order and the owner relisted it a week later.

[KB3LAZ]

You mean 756 pro II though the latest would be Pro III and is itself discontinued. The 2000 models that come with the "D" after them are FT insinuating that they are yaesu not kenwood. The kenwood would be the TS-2000. Though all of the mentioned radios are fair models.

I see that a 718 was suggested by another poster. This radio while not glamorous is fair functionality wise and you can pick one up fairly cheap even off the shelf. Should be able to get one, a PS, and a tuner for under 1k. =) Gl with whatever you decide mate.

[Jerry]

Thanks KB3LAZ

[KB3LAZ]

Thanks KB3LAZ

You are welcome. Btw, I do currently own the ProIII which over my other modern rigs I do favor. That being said I have used both the Yaesu 2000 models and the kenwood and still find them fair and in some aspects above par. The kenwood is compromised in some ways but is also a jack knife so to speak and more of a full size jack knife in comparison to that of the 7000 (which I also own).

Tbh in its price range the Kenwood TS-2000 is in my opinion still one of the best deals offered for instant on the air access and all around flexibility.

If by any chance you can go to an AES, HRO, or what not to test drive the rigs available today I would highly suggest it. Sometimes the littlest things such as ergonomics can decide a purchase as well. If it is uncomfortable to operate sometimes it just becomes frustrating.

[koØm]

When we had it on the service monitor - we checked the Clarifier and the TX did not move when the clarifier was changed.

Where can I find a deal on a new or used radio?
I tried QRZ and Flea Bay and Craigslist and in 4 months the closest I came was a old Heathkit HW 101 for $350.00 - that was until I found out that it needed a power supply and even a broke power supply was $100.00 and another $100+ to repair it.

I have a Heathkit 101 promised to me, my uncle said he would give it to me - after he replaced all the caps in it, just that he owns his own business and doesn't have the time to replace the caps.
I even asked him if he would as his employee to do it for me and I would gladly pay him for his time and troubles and my uncle got upset and said that he wanted to do it himself and got offended and that was the end of the offer.

It's kind of sad to be a Amateur Extra class license holder and no radio.

Small world!

I also have a Mirage (old RCI) 2950 Radio, it's usless because I don't have the tools to align it, you need a scope to do it right and, mine crapped out. Maybe I'll make some Ham friends locally with a scope.

I also have a HW-101 that is need of repair, all I need for that is a manual and a roadmap but, I don't see Heathkit listed on the BAMA mirror site anymore; anyone know of access to the Heathkit HW-101 documentation without have to shell out buck for what used to be public domaine information?

ETA: There has got to be some knock-off / copy of that radio under a different name, any ideas?

.

[KG4CGC]

Maybe it's just the Golden Screwdriver effect or maybe it's just poorly manufactured but every RCI, Ranger, Galaxy etc I've heard on the air sounded way distorted and often off frequency. The signal is usually so wide that the operator can't tell he's off the center freq.
Just put those things on Craigslist and get rid of them. You're a ham. Dump the Chicken Band garbage and go clean.

[koØm]

Maybe it's just the Golden Screwdriver effect or maybe it's just poorly manufactured but every RCI, Ranger, Galaxy etc I've heard on the air sounded way distorted and often off frequency. The signal is usually so wide that the operator can't tell he's off the center freq.
Just put those things on Craigslist and get rid of them. You're a ham. Dump the Chicken Band garbage and go clean.

My Icom is worth more than the vehicle that I would put it in, the very thought of it makes me shake! The "X"-Metre radio is good for monitoring until I get back to the fixed station and can attempt to communicate on a real 10 meter - 160 meter Amateur radio.

ETA: What about the Collectable Heathkit HW-101?

.

[KG4CGC]

Or the Olde Skool FT-101 EE/DD/** ?

[KC2UGV]

My Icom is worth more than the vehicle that I would put it in, the very thought of it makes me shake! The "X"-Metre radio is good for monitoring until I get back to the fixed station and can attempt to communicate on a real 10 meter - 160 meter Amateur radio.

ETA: What about the Collectable Heathkit HW-101?

.

Look for a HTX-10 or 100. Good, reliable rigs.

[NQ6U]

Look for a HTX-10 or 100. Good, reliable rigs.

Apparently, the Magnum 257 is the same radio as the HTX-10, with upgrades, and has the advantage of still being in production.

[Jerry]

Ko0M = the Ranger 2950 is a borrowed piece.
Honestly - the guy was a old CB'r and had it modified to work in the 11 meters.
The only thing I can say is that to adjust it properly, you would need a frequency generator.
I don't really think that you need a sillyscope - because there is instructions - free - on the internet and in the owners manual of some models that explains how to align it.

Our one club member here works for the state of Pennsylvania and does their tower / repeater work for the western half of Pennsylvania. Needless to say - that is one heck of a lot of towers that he has to take care of.

He has the tools and equipment to align the radio properly, just doesn't have the time.
I could take it to Bob's CB shop, which is probably where it was purchased new - but I don't believe in doing anything illegal - hence it would jeopardize my license to even use a amateur radio which has been modified for use on the cb bands - even though I have no intention of trying to use it on the cb bands.
25 watts isn't exactly a barn burner.

What I will say, and this is being truthful is that the 10 meters band will go up and down 2 kc's when the band conditions are poor, but the band is open.
Experienced hams - who worked the bands before the advent of these new modern radios will all tell you that it was common to chase a person up and down the band, trying to zero beat each other when both operators radios were a little off.

One other club member, who was married to a cousin of mine, although she is dead and they were divorced, gave me a 4 years supply of QRT magazine - hope I spelled that right. I spent many a day and night reading those magazines and trying to glean some information about ham radio out of them, in my opinion, they are a rip off - because they spend half the magazine trying to promote new items which are sold in the second half of the magazine. It's like one big one hour infomertial.
Needless to say one night, I had a revelation - when you tune your radio so the other person sounds low - you will sound high to the other person.
When you learn how to zero beat a person and ignore the frequency display - you can learn how to tune a radio - just by using a Ranger 2950.

Once I learned this - I got nothing but glowing signal reports from everyone that I talked to.
The other thing that I learned is that both your antenna and the receive antenna does the real work. If the ham on the transmit side and the ham on the receive side are both using the same exact antenna, the same exact length of wire and the same exact radio, more times then not - both people will have identical signal reports. 5/5 5/7 5/8 etc..
If the ham with the beam antenna and amplifier gives you a S/9 - chances are you will give him a S/9 just because his antenna has enough gain to pick the weak signals out of the bands.

The people with the strongest signals tends to be the contesters who are only out for themselves, that wants glowing signal reports and many contacts. Unfortunately most of these hams also tends to flock at or very near the call channel frequency.
The problem then becomes if they are a S/9 into your location and are on 28.405 - you will still hear them on 28.400 because their splatter - signal is so wide that they bleed over on everyone else.
Unfortunately those inconsiderate slobs are not real hams because if they were, they would realize that they could do everything that they were doing on 28.400 mhz on 28.800 and higher and not infringe upon other hams with their garbage.

Most of those loud mouths gets offended when you tell them this is the call channel or your signal is extremely wide. A couple has gone to far as to tell me to get rid of my cb radio and buy a real ham radio with filters so you don't hear their crap with their big expensive radios or amplifiers.

The truth to the matter is - if their big expensive radios has those expensive narrow filters and they are using them - you wouldn't hear their signal being so wide - because what it does on receive it also does on transmit. Just that they are too ignorant to know this.

There is only so much bandwidth to go around and if all the hams got on the air at the same time - such as what happens on field days, there wouldn't be a quiet place to get on the radio - because the bands would be full.
That means that we all have to share.
That would include the contester - who should reduce his / her power level down to the minimum amount of power necessary to censate a transmission and that they should allow other people to also use the frequency.
After all - if everyone in amateur radio was out for themselves, all they would have to do was get home from work before everyone else and stake out a claim on a certain frequency and hold that frequency all night long and no one else would be able to use it.
Does this sound familiar.
The other thing that comes to mind is a retired person - who doesn't have to go to work, could sit on one frequency all night long and throw anyone else off that wants to use it - sounds a lot like the old CB days huh!

My point being that hams with expensive radios should be more tolerant of hams with less expensive radios and using less power.

[N8YX]

I don't really think that you need a sillyscope - because there is instructions - free - on the internet and in the owners manual of some models that explains how to align it.
You need a 'scope to verify the VCO output (and wave shape) at the upper and lower ends of the tuning range. Merely measuring the loop error voltage (per the 'free' instructions) sometimes doesn't address proper PLL operation - especially true if someone has subbed the VCO tuning coil core for another with lower permeability in an effort to "broadband" the set. This holds true for ANY synthesized rig, not just RCI's product line. The one I repaired required inspection with a 'scope as the amplitude was jittery at the edges of the tuning range, and the TX audio indicated something was in fact amiss.


The truth to the matter is - if their big expensive radios has those expensive narrow filters and they are using them - you wouldn't hear their signal being so wide - because what it does on receive it also does on transmit. Just that they are too ignorant to know this.
In the majority of cases, this is not true. For example: The Drake TR7 sitting here in my shack exclusively uses its "stock" 2.3KHz SSB filter when transmitting - regardless of mode, and regardless of which filter is switched into the receiver chain - you can install and select up to three accessory filters.

Similarly, a TS-940S here routes its SSB IF TX energy through a dedicated 2.4KHz B/W, 6-pole Murata unit. A TS-130S and TS-440S also use this scheme, albeit through a lower-quality 4-pole Murata unit. (There is a fix for this which will actually clean up the TX B/W a bit and it involves swapping the stock 4-pole unit for a 6-pole with steeper skirts.)

However, some Icom rigs follow the "narrow filter on TX" paradigm, switching in whatever narrow SSB filter the operator has installed. My IC-751As are configured thusly from the factory, and that's going to get corrected next time I have the opportunity to open their cases. Their stock FL-44A SSB filters aren't overly wide and net me good audio reports...one doesn't need to go narrower (or wider, for that matter) especially when running in 'war mode'. Which is a subject fit for another thread, but I digress.


My point being that hams with expensive radios should be more tolerant of hams with less expensive radios and using less power.
Operator skill coupled with wise shopping when looking for a rig can do much to make up for the difference.

Using the Ranger as an example:

A new RCI-2995 goes for around $550. All-mode; coverage is 10 and 12M. 100w+ out. A very basic set of controls; nothing of an interference-reducing nature besides a noise blanker is included. Adjacent channel rejection is...well...not that great.

A used IC-751A (one of a very few rigs to get a consistent 5.0 rating on Eham) can be had for around $100 less. Throw another c-note at the rig if it doesn't have an accessory BB-RAM memory board (Piexx, Nardo, WillcoElec) and you'll have an all-mode, all-band, 100w rig which for all intents and purposes is bulletproof. It incorporates a very effective IF shift and notch filter, a good noise blanker and gives its operator the ability to install accessory filters that are tailored for the intended use. What filters Icom won't provide, Inrad will.

It doesn't have DSP? BHI makes a board for that. Use the 'Speech' button to activate the NR function and select the level. I did a writeup in the 'Mods' section of IoMH which details the process for an R-7000 receiver, and it can be duplicated for the R-71A, IC-751, etc.

There are a number of good choices besides the '751 in the used gear market which can be had for a price which won't break the bank...and are capable of holding their own on a crowded band.

Speaking of those interference-fighting features - if they're used incorrectly, they'll add to the problem instead of eliminating it. A noise blanker with too aggressive a threshold will distort a desired, weak signal (sometimes to the point of its being unintelligible) if a strong station is within the blanker's passband. Improper use of the AGC and manual RF Gain controls is another bugaboo which hamstrings many when operating on a crowded, noisy band: The best way to use these features is to turn the AGC 'off' then reduce the RF Gain until the desired signal can be clearly copied without desense or distortion from adjacent signals.

[KC2UGV]

Apparently, the Magnum 257 is the same radio as the HTX-10, with upgrades, and has the advantage of still being in production.

Different CPU, and you get locked channels with the 257 (Plus, less filtering). Albrecht makes the direct replacement for the HTX-10.

[WØTKX]

It doesn't have DSP? BHI makes a board for that. Use the 'Speech' button to activate the NR function and select the level. I did a writeup in the 'Mods' section of IoMH which details the process for an R-7000 receiver, and it can be duplicated for the R-71A, IC-751, etc.



So now that you have been using it for a while, how do you like the listen-ability of the BHI filter? I've been very tempted to get the amplified one and install it in a speaker that can be used on any radio in the shack. $pendy.

I've heard other audio DSP's and still use an MFJ-784B sometimes, esp with older rigs. On SSB the MFJ helps only a little, with some of that "underwater" effect which does not bother me much. The most effective DSP NR I have is in the Flex 3000... but it's rough to listen to for very long, "crunchy" sounding. It's not an audio DSP either.

[N8YX]

So now that you have been using it for a while, how do you like the listen-ability of the BHI filter?

Good question - I haven't gotten around to buying one yet but the specs look impressive. And it's a noise reducer only, unlike my SGC ADSP2 units which incorporate an auto-notch and selectable SSB/CW filter curves. (Those features actually come in handy in the application where the SGC DSP assemblies are being used, but the extra features are overkill in a radio which already implements them in hardware.)

As soon as I get hold of a BHI unit and install it in either an R-71A or IC-751A I'll do a writeup.

[W7XF]

You are welcome. Btw, I do currently own the ProIII which over my other modern rigs I do favor. That being said I have used both the Yaesu 2000 models and the kenwood and still find them fair and in some aspects above par. The kenwood is compromised in some ways but is also a jack knife so to speak and more of a full size jack knife in comparison to that of the 7000 (which I also own).

Tbh in its price range the Kenwood TS-2000 is in my opinion still one of the best deals offered for instant on the air access and all around flexibility.

If by any chance you can go to an AES, HRO, or what not to test drive the rigs available today I would highly suggest it. Sometimes the littlest things such as ergonomics can decide a purchase as well. If it is uncomfortable to operate sometimes it just becomes frustrating.

Travis... I did just that when I was out to buy my new radio. And, although, you are correct with saying that the TS-2000 is a very good value, unfortunately I found that its receiver is sub-par, compared to both the FT-857 and IC-7000. The IC-7000 wins out with its superior OEM filtering, whilst the FT-857, although its receiver is on par with the 7000 in sensitivity, seriously lacks noise abatement. I tried all 3 radios at HRO, using the same frequency (monitored the OMiss Net on 14.290) and same antenna. Needless to say, one can figure out which radio I bought. (IC-7000)

[N8YX]

I tried all 3 radios at HRO, using the same frequency (monitored the OMiss Net on 14.290) and same antenna.
I would really like to see ham-equipment dealers include DZ-Kit's, Elecraft's and Ten-Tec's various offerings in the comparison lineup just so folks could get an idea of how they stack up against various Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu and Alinco HF products. Given certain operating parameters and band conditions, "high performance" may not matter as much as "low price" to some operators. An 'almost as good' rig which costs half (or a third) as much as the cutting-edge competition they've been reading so much about just might be the ticket...