Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh

[paul glassman]

I believe my FT101E was a pretty fair rig. Paid about $600 for it. Kenwood 
TS830S was also a nice rig however that was a $900 rig. I think the TS950SDX 
was the first Kenwood to make the "big price jump" $5000.
                                                          Paul w8jn
 
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax 
si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?



From: Burt 
To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz
Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2011 9:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh

What top quality rig could you buy for $500 in 1973? I bought a Swan-240 in 
1964 for $400 and it was NOT top quality
Add to that I made $7500 a year in 1973 and in 2000 about 7x that.
So assuming there really was a top quality rig at $500, 500x7=3500, AND today's 
rigs do so much more
Burt


--- On Sat, 9/3/11, paul glassman  wrote:
>    I was licensed around 1973, became inactive and
> returned 20 years later during 2000. Back then a top
> quality rig could be purchased for $500. Now top of the line
> stuff goes for $4000-$12000. Wow, my surprise was sticker
> shock! The new rigs are a bit intimidating looking, however
> they are pretty intuitive once you get the feel. The Flex
> stuff is top of the line. I have a FTDX9000MP fully loaded
> which is a $13000 rig. My flex is its equal.   Good luck!
>                                        
>                                        
>     Paul w8jn
>  
> Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax 
> si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
> 
> 
> 
> From: John Isaacs 
> To: Brad A. Steffler 
> Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz
> Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2011 7:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh
> 
> 
> Wow Brad - Thanks for your encouragement (Thanks to
> everyone for their encouragement) and for the terrific
> articles on PL259s. Better than what I found on YouTube,
> although that was helpful too. I have skimmed them and will
> study them before working. I have the cable stripper from DX
> Engineering. What a beauty that is.
> 
> I was first licensed As WN2GLY in High School (1963), built
> myself a DX-40,  but never got my General. Last fall, while
> I was laid up after surgery, I decided to get back in, so I
> have been licensed since November.
> But a lot of the technical; stuff still floors me. I
> started with an ICOM 7600, the most confusing piece of
> equipment I ever saw, but switched to Flex after seeing SDR
> at a local show.
> (If anyone wants a 7600 and a Rig Blaster Pro, I have them
> for sale).
> 
> Thanks again to everyone for the advice. I'm sure I'll need
> a lot more
> 
> On Sat, Sep 3, 2011 at 6:04 PM, Brad A. Steffler wrote:
> 
> Hi John,
> 
> I am a relative newby like you.  First call was WN5VYC in
> 1969 or 1970 ( hard to remember exactly).
> Then I started hamming in earnest in 1980 as KA4OHR. Became
> KE4XJ in 1980 at the Atlanta Hamfest.
> But I went QRT in 1983 after selling my Kenwood TS-520SE,
> career     and 4 kids. I bought a Flex 5000a in
> August of 2010, built myself a tuner and put up an 80 Meter
> horizontal loop fed with 600 ohm parallel
> conductor line.  The tuner is a balanced-balanced tuner
> made after the design of Rich Measures, AG6K.
> I found that the installation of PL-259 connectors (for the
> rig output to the tuner and for the 2 Meter and 70 Cm
> bands) is more  difficult than I remembered. After messing
> up two cables, I used the wonderful aid of the
> world wide web and found recommendations for soldering the
> PL-259, and occasionally SO-239, connectors
> to the co-ax cable with a large soldering iron. In cold
> weather, I use a small propane torch made for soldering,
> if I was working outside. I started using this method for
> all PL-259 connections, but I found the heat hard
> to control without overheating the coax jacket:
> 
> http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm
> <http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm>
> 
> So now I use this method (unless it is very cold outside):
> 
> http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf
> <http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf>
> 
> All the articles recommended using a multimeter to check
> the cable with the soldered connectors for continuity
> by measuring resistance (you should get a short circuit if
> everything is at zero DC resistance).  My  digital
> multimeter, a Fluke 110, also allows me to measure
> capacitance. Even when you have a zero resistance DC
> circuit,
> I suppose the connection could be so poor (at least in m

Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh

[Burt]

What top quality rig could you buy for $500 in 1973? I bought a Swan-240 in 
1964 for $400 and it was NOT top quality
Add to that I made $7500 a year in 1973 and in 2000 about 7x that.
So assuming there really was a top quality rig at $500, 500x7=3500, AND today's 
rigs do so much more
Burt


--- On Sat, 9/3/11, paul glassman  wrote:
>    I was licensed around 1973, became inactive and
> returned 20 years later during 2000. Back then a top
> quality rig could be purchased for $500. Now top of the line
> stuff goes for $4000-$12000. Wow, my surprise was sticker
> shock! The new rigs are a bit intimidating looking, however
> they are pretty intuitive once you get the feel. The Flex
> stuff is top of the line. I have a FTDX9000MP fully loaded
> which is a $13000 rig. My flex is its equal.   Good luck!
>                                        
>                                        
>     Paul w8jn
>  
> Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax 
> si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
> 
> 
> 
> From: John Isaacs 
> To: Brad A. Steffler 
> Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz
> Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2011 7:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh
> 
> 
> Wow Brad - Thanks for your encouragement (Thanks to
> everyone for their encouragement) and for the terrific
> articles on PL259s. Better than what I found on YouTube,
> although that was helpful too. I have skimmed them and will
> study them before working. I have the cable stripper from DX
> Engineering. What a beauty that is.
> 
> I was first licensed As WN2GLY in High School (1963), built
> myself a DX-40,  but never got my General. Last fall, while
> I was laid up after surgery, I decided to get back in, so I
> have been licensed since November.
> But a lot of the technical; stuff still floors me. I
> started with an ICOM 7600, the most confusing piece of
> equipment I ever saw, but switched to Flex after seeing SDR
> at a local show.
> (If anyone wants a 7600 and a Rig Blaster Pro, I have them
> for sale).
> 
> Thanks again to everyone for the advice. I'm sure I'll need
> a lot more
> 
> On Sat, Sep 3, 2011 at 6:04 PM, Brad A. Steffler wrote:
> 
> Hi John,
> 
> I am a relative newby like you.  First call was WN5VYC in
> 1969 or 1970 ( hard to remember exactly).
> Then I started hamming in earnest in 1980 as KA4OHR. Became
> KE4XJ in 1980 at the Atlanta Hamfest.
> But I went QRT in 1983 after selling my Kenwood TS-520SE,
> career     and 4 kids. I bought a Flex 5000a in
> August of 2010, built myself a tuner and put up an 80 Meter
> horizontal loop fed with 600 ohm parallel
> conductor line.  The tuner is a balanced-balanced tuner
> made after the design of Rich Measures, AG6K.
> I found that the installation of PL-259 connectors (for the
> rig output to the tuner and for the 2 Meter and 70 Cm
> bands) is more  difficult than I remembered. After messing
> up two cables, I used the wonderful aid of the
> world wide web and found recommendations for soldering the
> PL-259, and occasionally SO-239, connectors
> to the co-ax cable with a large soldering iron. In cold
> weather, I use a small propane torch made for soldering,
> if I was working outside. I started using this method for
> all PL-259 connections, but I found the heat hard
> to control without overheating the coax jacket:
> 
> http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm
> <http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm>
> 
> So now I use this method (unless it is very cold outside):
> 
> http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf
> <http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf>
> 
> All the articles recommended using a multimeter to check
> the cable with the soldered connectors for continuity
> by measuring resistance (you should get a short circuit if
> everything is at zero DC resistance).  My  digital
> multimeter, a Fluke 110, also allows me to measure
> capacitance. Even when you have a zero resistance DC
> circuit,
> I suppose the connection could be so poor (at least in my
> case) that there could be some capacitance on the line.
> So this can be checked as well. I didn't check for
> capacitance, but I did check for DC conduction in both
> directions,
> shield to shield and pin to pin as well as pin to shield
> short circuits.
> 
> I finally ended up using a large soldering iron to heat the
> entire connector while it the cable was held in a small
> Panavise with padded jaws. I got the iron at Hobby Lobby.
> It was made for working with stained glass and melting
> lead

Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh

[paul glassman]

John,
   I was licensed around 1973, became inactive and returned 20 years later 
during 2000. Back then a top quality rig could be purchased for $500. Now top 
of the line stuff goes for $4000-$12000. Wow, my surprise was sticker shock! 
The new rigs are a bit intimidating looking, however they are pretty intuitive 
once you get the feel. The Flex stuff is top of the line. I have a FTDX9000MP 
fully loaded which is a $13000 rig. My flex is its equal.   Good luck!
                                                                                
    Paul w8jn
 
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax 
si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?



From: John Isaacs 
To: Brad A. Steffler 
Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz
Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2011 7:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh


Wow Brad - Thanks for your encouragement (Thanks to everyone for their 
encouragement) and for the terrific articles on PL259s. Better than what I 
found on YouTube, although that was helpful too. I have skimmed them and will 
study them before working. I have the cable stripper from DX Engineering. What 
a beauty that is.

I was first licensed As WN2GLY in High School (1963), built myself a DX-40,  
but never got my General. Last fall, while I was laid up after surgery, I 
decided to get back in, so I have been licensed since November.
But a lot of the technical; stuff still floors me. I started with an ICOM 7600, 
the most confusing piece of equipment I ever saw, but switched to Flex after 
seeing SDR at a local show.
(If anyone wants a 7600 and a Rig Blaster Pro, I have them for sale).

Thanks again to everyone for the advice. I'm sure I'll need a lot more

On Sat, Sep 3, 2011 at 6:04 PM, Brad A. Steffler wrote:

Hi John,

I am a relative newby like you.  First call was WN5VYC in 1969 or 1970 ( hard 
to remember exactly).
Then I started hamming in earnest in 1980 as KA4OHR. Became KE4XJ in 1980 at 
the Atlanta Hamfest.
But I went QRT in 1983 after selling my Kenwood TS-520SE, career     and 4 
kids. I bought a Flex 5000a in
August of 2010, built myself a tuner and put up an 80 Meter horizontal loop fed 
with 600 ohm parallel
conductor line.  The tuner is a balanced-balanced tuner made after the design 
of Rich Measures, AG6K.
I found that the installation of PL-259 connectors (for the rig output to the 
tuner and for the 2 Meter and 70 Cm
bands) is more  difficult than I remembered. After messing up two cables, I 
used the wonderful aid of the
world wide web and found recommendations for soldering the PL-259, and 
occasionally SO-239, connectors
to the co-ax cable with a large soldering iron. In cold weather, I use a small 
propane torch made for soldering,
if I was working outside. I started using this method for all PL-259 
connections, but I found the heat hard
to control without overheating the coax jacket:

http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm
 
<http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm>

So now I use this method (unless it is very cold outside):

http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf 
<http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf>

All the articles recommended using a multimeter to check the cable with the 
soldered connectors for continuity
by measuring resistance (you should get a short circuit if everything is at 
zero DC resistance).  My  digital
multimeter, a Fluke 110, also allows me to measure capacitance. Even when you 
have a zero resistance DC circuit,
I suppose the connection could be so poor (at least in my case) that there 
could be some capacitance on the line.
So this can be checked as well. I didn't check for capacitance, but I did check 
for DC conduction in both directions,
shield to shield and pin to pin as well as pin to shield short circuits.

I finally ended up using a large soldering iron to heat the entire connector 
while it the cable was held in a small
Panavise with padded jaws. I got the iron at Hobby Lobby. It was made for 
working with stained glass and melting
lead solder for the glass panes. The iron is large, with a large heat mass and 
is about 175-200 watts. The large
amount of thermal mass was necessary to heat up the connector to allow solder 
to flow by melting into the holes
in the shield portion of the connector. The center pin was very easy to solder. 
The weak point for me was the
soldering of the shield braid to the outer portion of the connector.

I also found a tool sold by DX Engineering which is wonderful for preparing 
LMR-400 and RG-213 for accepting the
connectors. it is called a coax cable stripper , model number     DXE-UT and is 
found at
http://www.dxengineering.com/Products.asp?ID=240&SecID=104&DeptID=30 
<http://www.dxengineering.com/Products.asp?ID=240&SecID=104&DeptID=30> . DX 
Engineering 

Re: [Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh

[John Isaacs]

Wow Brad - Thanks for your encouragement (Thanks to everyone for their 
encouragement) and for the terrific articles on PL259s. Better than what 
I found on YouTube, although that was helpful too. I have skimmed them 
and will study them before working. I have the cable stripper from DX 
Engineering. What a beauty that is.


I was first licensed As WN2GLY in High School (1963), built myself a 
DX-40,  but never got my General. Last fall, while I was laid up after 
surgery, I decided to get back in, so I have been licensed since 
November.
But a lot of the technical; stuff still floors me. I started with an 
ICOM 7600, the most confusing piece of equipment I ever saw, but 
switched to Flex after seeing SDR at a local show.

(If anyone wants a 7600 and a Rig Blaster Pro, I have them for sale).

Thanks again to everyone for the advice. I'm sure I'll need a lot more

On Sat, Sep 3, 2011 at 6:04 PM, Brad A. Steffler wrote:

 Hi John,

I am a relative newby like you.  First call was WN5VYC in 1969 or 
1970 ( hard to remember exactly).
Then I started hamming in earnest in 1980 as KA4OHR. Became KE4XJ in 
1980 at the Atlanta Hamfest.
But I went QRT in 1983 after selling my Kenwood TS-520SE, career and 
4 kids. I bought a Flex 5000a in
August of 2010, built myself a tuner and put up an 80 Meter 
horizontal loop fed with 600 ohm parallel
conductor line.  The tuner is a balanced-balanced tuner made after 
the design of Rich Measures, AG6K.
 I found that the installation of PL-259 connectors (for the rig 
output to the tuner and for the 2 Meter and 70 Cm
bands) is more  difficult than I remembered. After messing up two 
cables, I used the wonderful aid of the
world wide web and found recommendations for soldering the PL-259, 
and occasionally SO-239, connectors
to the co-ax cable with a large soldering iron. In cold weather, I 
use a small propane torch made for soldering,
if I was working outside. I started using this method for all PL-259 
connections, but I found the heat hard

to control without overheating the coax jacket:

http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm 



So now I use this method (unless it is very cold outside):

http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf 



All the articles recommended using a multimeter to check the cable 
with the soldered connectors for continuity
by measuring resistance (you should get a short circuit if 
everything is at zero DC resistance).  My  digital
multimeter, a Fluke 110, also allows me to measure capacitance. Even 
when you have a zero resistance DC circuit,
I suppose the connection could be so poor (at least in my case) that 
there could be some capacitance on the line.
So this can be checked as well. I didn't check for capacitance, but 
I did check for DC conduction in both directions,
shield to shield and pin to pin as well as pin to shield short 
circuits.


I finally ended up using a large soldering iron to heat the entire 
connector while it the cable was held in a small
Panavise with padded jaws. I got the iron at Hobby Lobby. It was 
made for working with stained glass and melting
lead solder for the glass panes. The iron is large, with a large 
heat mass and is about 175-200 watts. The large
amount of thermal mass was necessary to heat up the connector to 
allow solder to flow by melting into the holes
in the shield portion of the connector. The center pin was very easy 
to solder. The weak point for me was the

soldering of the shield braid to the outer portion of the connector.

I also found a tool sold by DX Engineering which is wonderful for 
preparing LMR-400 and RG-213 for accepting the
connectors. it is called a coax cable stripper , model number DXE-UT 
and is found at
http://www.dxengineering.com/Products.asp?ID=240&SecID=104&DeptID=30 
 . 
DX Engineering has a lot of good

tools for sale for working with different antenna system components.

Now, all my coax cables work well, although I bet I can find a way 
to make them fail ( I seem to be good at this).


I hope this helps you find and solve the problem(s). By the way, I 
am 62 years old and just received a prosthetic total left hip
replacement 8 weeks ago. So I, too, no longer climb up towers or 
onto roofs, or even very tall ladders into a tree.
Unfortunatley, I still have to go up  a short ladder to clean the 
gutters...


Brad A. Steffler, MD
KE4XJ


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[Flexradio] New setup - Uh Oh

[Brad A. Steffler]

Hi John,

I am a relative newby like you.  First call was WN5VYC in 1969 or 1970 ( 
hard to remember exactly).
Then I started hamming in earnest in 1980 as KA4OHR. Became KE4XJ in 
1980 at the Atlanta Hamfest.
But I went QRT in 1983 after selling my Kenwood TS-520SE, career and  4 
kids. I bought a Flex 5000a in
August of 2010, built myself a tuner and put up an 80 Meter horizontal 
loop fed with 600 ohm parallel
conductor line.  The tuner is a balanced-balanced tuner made after the 
design of Rich Measures, AG6K.
 I found that the installation of PL-259 connectors (for the rig output 
to the tuner and for the 2 Meter and 70 Cm
bands) is more  difficult than I remembered. After messing up two 
cables, I used the wonderful aid of the
world wide web and found recommendations for soldering the PL-259, and 
occasionally SO-239, connectors
to the co-ax cable with a large soldering iron. In cold weather, I use a 
small propane torch made for soldering,
if I was working outside. I started using this method for all PL-259 
connections, but I found the heat hard

to control without overheating the coax jacket:
http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Amateur%20Radio/Experimentation/SolderCoax.htm

So now I use this method (unless it is very cold outside):
http://www.pituch.net/ARES/training%20docs/Coax%20Connectors%20%28Color%29.pdf

All the articles recommended using a multimeter to check the cable with 
the soldered connectors for continuity
by measuring resistance (you should get a short circuit if everything is 
at zero DC resistance).  My  digital
multimeter, a Fluke 110, also allows me to measure capacitance. Even 
when you have a zero resistance DC circuit,
I suppose the connection could be so poor (at least in my case) that 
there could be some capacitance on the line.
So this can be checked as well. I didn't check for capacitance, but I 
did check for DC conduction in both directions,

shield to shield and pin to pin as well as pin to shield short circuits.

I finally ended up using a large soldering iron to heat the entire 
connector while it the cable was held in a small
Panavise with padded jaws. I got the iron at Hobby Lobby. It was made 
for working with stained glass and melting
lead solder for the glass panes. The iron is large, with a large heat 
mass and is about 175-200 watts. The large
amount of thermal mass was necessary to heat up the connector to allow 
solder to flow by melting into the holes
in the shield portion of the connector. The center pin was very easy to 
solder. The weak point for me was the

soldering of the shield braid to the outer portion of the connector.

I also found a tool sold by DX Engineering which is wonderful for 
preparing LMR-400 and RG-213 for accepting the
connectors. it is called a _coax cable stripper_, model number DXE-UT 
and is found at
http://www.dxengineering.com/Products.asp?ID=240&SecID=104&DeptID=30 
. 
DX Engineering has a lot of good

tools for sale for working with different antenna system components.

Now, all my coax cables work well, although I bet I can find a way to 
make them fail ( I seem to be good at this).


I hope this helps you find and solve the problem(s). By the way, I am 62 
years old and just received a prosthetic total left hip
replacement 8 weeks ago. So I, too, no longer climb up towers or onto 
roofs, or even very tall ladders into a tree.

Unfortunatley, I still have to go up  a short ladder to clean the gutters...


Brad A. Steffler, MD
KE4XJ




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[Flexradio] new setup..

[Bob W5RG]

Thanks Dale very much..Bob

Re: [Flexradio] NEW SETUP..

[Dale Richardson]

Bob,
I have used 2 amps with my SDR1K, an old Icom IC-2KL and a Ameritron
Al-1500. In both cases the key line is wired to the external control
connector X2 using pins 7 and 15. Pin 7 is the preferred pin for
amplifiers and pin 15 is ground. Note: You MUST enable pin 7 on the
Setup/General/Options page. You should also set the X2 Delay. I have
mine set at 30 msec. Pin 7 allows for sequential timing of the
amplifier, ie, the amp keys first then the SDR, then when you unkey,
the SDR unkeys followed by the amp. Saves from transmitting into
nothing. The pinout is located on page 12 of the manual which you can
download from the website. It is on the main page at the top.
73,
Dale AA5XE
Bob W5RG wrote:

  Fellows.. A little help here please..I have the radio all setup
and working..I need help as to the pin out for a amp on the plug on the
back of the rig..Thanks Bob
  

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[Flexradio] NEW SETUP..

[Bob W5RG]

Fellows.. A little help here please..I have the radio all setup and working..I need help as to the pin out for a amp on the plug on the back of the rig..Thanks Bob

Re: [Flexradio] new setup

[John L Merrill]

What was the cure? 

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bob W5RG
Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 1:05 PM
To: FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz
Subject: [Flexradio] new setup

GOT IT!!

[Flexradio] new setup

[Bob W5RG]

GOT IT!!

[Flexradio] new setup

[Bob W5RG]

Hi Fellows..My new radio came yesterday and I'm having trouble installing the Delta software..Its all connected right..board is in pc..I've download the Radio software OK..But after downloading from the Delta wewb site and I click the Icon it comes up.dpIniterfacefailed..I click OK..Then I click OK and it says..There is presently no Delta hardware active in this system.I have been to MS web site and download all updates also..any help..Bob