Bradley, If I am not mistaken, we currently buy our cables from Heil. Let me check into this on Monday with Greg, who was looking into this recently.
Gerald Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR President and CEO FlexRadio Systems(TM) 13091 Pond Springs Road, #250 Austin, TX 78729 Phone: 512-535-4713 Ext. 202 Email: ger...@flexradio.com Web: www.flexradio.com <http://www.flex-radio.com/> Tune In Excitement (TM) PowerSDR(TM) is a trademark of FlexRadio Systems On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 3:11 PM, Bradley Feldman <brad...@bradleyloritheo.com > wrote: > Gerald: > > > > Since this cable is one I bought from Flex, how should it be wired at the > radio? Should pin 7 the shield and the connector housing all be tied > together? Currently the connector housing is not connected to anything and > the Mic – and the Shield are soldered to pin 7. > > > > Thanks, > > > > *B > > KK2QQ > > > > *From:* ger...@flex-radio.com [mailto:ger...@flex-radio.com] *On Behalf Of > *Gerald Youngblood > *Sent:* Sunday, December 05, 2010 3:54 PM > *To:* Bradley Feldman > *Cc:* Army Curtis - AE5P; flexradio@flex-radio.biz > > *Subject:* Re: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > > > Bradley, > > > > On the fourth floor, even a connection to earth ground would not be a > ground because of the impedance of the ground conductor at RF. This could > certainly be one of your issues. > > > > With regard to the front panel microphone connection. Be sure shield is > connected to the connector housing so that it is connected directly to the > chassis. You might want to read about the "Pin-1 Problem" in XLR circuits. > > > > http://www.rane.com/note165.html > > > > You may also want to run the PR-781 balanced into the back of the radio. A > balanced input can be a big help with RFI. > > > > Good luck, > > Gerald > > > Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR > President and CEO > FlexRadio Systems(TM) > 13091 Pond Springs Road, #250 > Austin, TX 78729 > Phone: 512-535-4713 Ext. 202 > Email: ger...@flexradio.com > Web: www.flexradio.com <http://www.flex-radio.com/> > > Tune In Excitement (TM) > > PowerSDR(TM) is a trademark of FlexRadio Systems > > On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 2:23 PM, Bradley Feldman < > brad...@bradleyloritheo.com> wrote: > > Army, et al: > > At this point, I'm suspecting RF as well. But why with so little power? > In > the past, with a traditional rig I haven't seen a problem like this, but > with the Flex 5000A, with as little as 1W out, I'm having problems. > > To answer your question, the reason both temporary antennas are 30M > antennas > so I can tune them for 6-40m and run low power SSB. > > The MMD antenna is supposed to have a Current-Mode Discriminator which, > among other things, is supposed to prevent RF running back down the > feedline. The dipole is a textbook dipole fed with coax. > > If I transmit into a dummy load (a giant 50ohm resistor I bought at a ham > fest). I can run full power with no problems whatsoever. No buzzing, no > feedback, no distortion. Audio sounds fine in another receiver. > > Also, I don't have a traditional RF ground yet and the radio is on the 4th > story of a building. I do own an artificial ground tuner, which I haven't > tried yet at this QTH. As I've said, I'm setting up this QTH new, so I'm > trying to minimize what's necessary, rather than hooking everything up at > once. By spring time, I'll hook up a RF suppressor Ground system (like the > one in the grounding article in the Flex Knowledge center). > > I'm just trying to operate on a modest setup for the winter. Any ideas on > how I can solve this problem and operate under these constraints? > > *B > KK2QQ > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Army Curtis - AE5P [mailto:a...@suddenlink.net] > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 1:48 PM > To: 'Bradley Feldman' > Subject: RE: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > Hi Bradley, > > I've been following your adventures this morning with your new Flex. > Everything you have said so far points to RF getting back into the > radio/computer/speakers. Your first post seemed to indicate you had > transmit > audio feedback from either radio speakers that were reproducing transmit > audio because the Monitor button was activated in PSDR, or you had a second > receiver in the shack to listen to your transmit audio. If you want to > listen to your transmit audio, you MUST prevent the audio from getting back > into the microphone and creating a big feedback loop. > > Since the first post, your symptoms now sound like a classic case of RF > feedback (different from audio feedback). You speak of a 30M antenna, first > an end fed model and then a dipole fed with coax. I'm a little confused > here. 30 meters does not permit SSB operation; only CW or digital. Am I > understanding you correctly? Also, a dipole is inherently a balanced > antenna, which you are feeding with coax, an unbalanced feed line. Very > common practice I grant you, but one that is also very prone to bringing RF > back into the shack. Do you have a dummy load? That would be a much better > test if you have one. Hook up the dummy load in place of the antenna, and > try things again. Remember to use headphones to listen to your transmit > audio so you don't have audio feedback, and check things out at several > different drive (output power) levels. Watch your mike levels as you > transmit, adjusting mike gain so the mike indication on the meter does not > go over 0 dB, even on voice peaks. > > HF RF can cause the same type of sounds from powered speakers that VHF FM > can, so I don't think you are having an issue with the V/U modules being > keyed by mistake. > > I also have a 5000 with all the goodies, and totally love it. I hope some > of > these suggestions will help you get the issues worked out successfully. Let > me know please of any of these ideas work for you. > > 73, > Army - AE5P > > > -----Original Message----- > From: flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz > [mailto:flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz] On Behalf Of Bradley Feldman > > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 12:26 PM > To: 'Bret Mills'; flexradio@flex-radio.biz > > Subject: Re: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > One more thing. I do also hear buzzing out of the amplified speaker for > the radio (separate AC sound amp with ground loop isolator, shielded > cables) > and through the computer's speakers (also ground loop isolated). > > In the past I've heard this type of buzzing with FM transmit, but never > ever > with HF transmit. Could the VHF/UHF board be keying up with the HF? > > *B KK2QQ > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bret Mills [mailto:bmil...@ecso.com] > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 12:40 PM > To: 'Bradley Feldman'; flexradio@flex-radio.biz > Subject: RE: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > Yep it sounds like it is wired correctly, It must be RF getting into the > Radio some how, Have you tried transmitting into a dummy load to see if > there is still distortion?? > > RF gets into the MIC TX circuit quite easily if you are in the "near field" > of your Antenna system and you may need to add some snap on MIX 31 ferrite > beads as I have done here that were required when I run my AMP to full > power > in my situation, these are just like the ones on the Fire wire cable. > > Just a few suggestions that I have ran into in my 2.5 years of running 2 > FLEX 5K's and a Flex 3K here. > > Hope this helps > Bret > WX7Y > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bradley Feldman [mailto:brad...@bradleyloritheo.com] > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 9:54 AM > To: 'Bret Mills'; flexradio@flex-radio.biz > Subject: RE: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > The PTT is connected properly to pins 5+6. Mic positive (XLR pin 2) is > connected to flex pin 8. Mic negative (XLR pin 3) and Mic Shield (XLR > pin > 1) are tied together at the flex side and go to flex pin 7. The barrel on > the flex side isn't connected to anything. > > Does that sound correct? > > *B KK2QQ > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bret Mills [mailto:bmil...@ecso.com] > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 11:45 AM > To: 'Bradley Feldman'; flexradio@flex-radio.biz > Subject: RE: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > Page 5 of the FLEX 5K's owners manual show the proper connections for the > FLEX-5000 MIC connector, I quote "Pin 5 is Chassis Ground, Pin 6 is PTT, > Pin > 7 MIC (-) Pin 8 MIC (+)". > Measure from the MIC itself and make sure they have the correct one > connected. > > 73's > Bret > WX7Y > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bradley Feldman [mailto:brad...@bradleyloritheo.com] > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 9:25 AM > To: 'Bret Mills'; flexradio@flex-radio.biz > Subject: RE: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > On the Heil cable I'm using, the PTT is on pins 5+6. The mic is on pins > 7+8. Should the barrel of the connector be connect to anything? > > *B KK2QQ > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bret Mills [mailto:bmil...@ecso.com] > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 10:57 AM > To: 'Bradley Feldman' > Subject: RE: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) > Issues > > Check the HEIL MIC adapter and MAKE sure that the MIC ground goes to the > radio MIC Ground and the PTT Ground goes to PTT Ground on the radio. > On a LOT of the HEIL adapters they wired the ground pins backwards and this > may be the cause of your problems, on Yaesu radios this didn't make much > difference but on the FLEX it makes ALL the difference in the world. > Hope this helps and 73's and Happy Holidays > > Bret > WX7Y > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz > [mailto:flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz] On Behalf Of Bradley Feldman > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 8:37 AM > To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz > Subject: [Flexradio] New 5000A User - TX Audio (severe distortion) Issues > > I'm new to flex, sdr and this list. > > I have a brand new 5000A, fully loaded (including the VHF/UHF board). > Station is completely new -- new QTH, new Mic (PR 781), new temporary > antenna (Miracle MMD 30m). > > I've worked through issues on installation and receive and seem to have > those licked including using VAC with digital modes. Now I'm trying to > get > TX working right for working QRP until spring comes and I can set up my > Steppir Bigir that's sitting here in a box. > > I've been a ham since 1990, but have largely been on my own with regard to > setting up and solving shack problems-- I don't belong to any clubs at the > moment, so I appreciate any help I can get from this list with the issue I > describe below -- which may not be a "flex issue" but perhaps an ordinary > ham setup issue. I don't know. > > Here's the issue: When keying up and testing my mic in phone mode (I don't > have a key set up), once there is enough audio level to drive some rf > output > power, I start to hear distortion in the audio-- it kind of sounds like the > sound of a helicopter with echo and reverb that continues until I unkey. > > I've done Google searches, flex KB searches, forum searches and read the > flex troubleshooting guide to try and find a solution. Based on that > information, I've tried the following: I've grounded the radio to the PC > with ground strap. I installed RS ground loop isolators on all audio > connections to/from the radio and PC. I put extra ferrites on the PC side > of the stock flex firewire cable. > > The issue remains. Any ideas of what to do next or what additional info is > necessary to help me? > > *Bradley KK2QQ > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio Systems Mailing List > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: > http://www.flexradio.com/ > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by > MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. > > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by > MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. > > > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by > MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. > > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > > > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio Systems Mailing List > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: > http://www.flexradio.com/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio Systems Mailing List > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: > http://www.flexradio.com/ > > > _______________________________________________ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
