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TS-990 on 5MHz or 60M

August 17, 2018, 7:36 am
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Well,

I finally decided to open up the TS-990 so I could use it to TX on the 5MHz UK allocation. The only way I am aware of is to perform the "TX Anywhere" mod. So here it is:

We start with the radio upside down:


And remove the base:


The we remove the "L" shaped metal RF cover:


And now close up, we are looking for R335:


and even closer:


and we whip it out:


and thats it!

NO NEED to reset the radio, I found it just worked once this was removed.

Simple, egh?

Here's the very beautiful Miss Luna cat:


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New Antennamabob!

August 23, 2018, 11:29 pm
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Well,

For quite some time, I have thought that I would like to have gain and front to back on the 12M and 17M bands. Currently my MA5B is only a rotatable dipole on these band. The MA5B is an excellent antenna and overall I have been delighted with its performance.

You may recall I tried this antenna for a while and found it to be a load of dingos kidneys.

So, Cushcraft (or MFJ as they are now) have introduced a new variant of the MA5B called (yes you guessed it) the MA6B. It adds a reflector for the 12M and 17M bands plus an additional driven element and reflector for 6M.

So I have purchased on from my ever helpful chums at LAM Communications.

Now, here's where the fun started. The first problem I noticed was that the main boom tube insert was missing completely from the pack; I had three of part number MA6B-BC when there should only be two and part number MA6B-BE was missing completely. This made this stage of the manual challenging:


The part I have circled above was missing. So, rather than wait for a replacement to get sent and damaged in the post, I headed to a local metal stockist and get a longer tube of the same outside dimensions for GBP 24. Now, holding these four bits of metal together with only worm clamps (in the UK we call these Jubilee Clips) in my opinion is not going to hold. The leverage of the elements is going to make this spin in windy conditions, so I have modified mine either side of the junctions with some bolts through the boom to stop any spinning:


So, I then noticed whilst constructing one of the elements that the tube wouldn't fit together, here is the end of one of the components:


Hopefully you can see that it's kind of swagged at the end and didn't fit into the slightly larger pipe it is meant to slot into. So some filing was in order.



I found that the 6M reflector insulator plate as shown in the diagram below was missing, I had to make something from some sheet PVC I had here:



I also found great confusion over the dimensions of the 12M and 17M driven element and reflector. Now this is where it gets complicated. This is the dimensions for the driven element from the manual:


So if we first look at the dimension from the centre of the boom to the trap, this is listed above as being 74.5". Now, the individual parts are:

  • 2.25" from the centre to the start of the metal - this is the exposed part of the insulator.
  • Part ED is 46" long
  • Part EB is 36" long but inserted 5" into ED so we have 31" in length
So that's 2.25 + 46 + 31 = 79.25" which is definitely NOT the 74.5" as above.

The trap is 11" and the end piece is 12" with some adjustment so we will call that 13".

So the element is 79.25" + 11" + 13" = 103.25" - the manual says 98.5". I wonder.

The reflector dimensions are:




Now, this one is better, the individual parts are:

  • Half the reflector centre piece (EF) is 42"
  • the element insert is 41.5" in the manual but is actually 47.5" in reality - it says to insert 5" (I think) but it doesn't actually say in the manual - that bit seems to have been deleted in a recent edit. So lets call that 42.5"
  • The trap is 11" 
  • The end is supplied as 7" but MFJ have already said thats an error and the part should be 13.5" with some adjustment so we will call that 14.5" for now.
Note that I have manufactured my own parts for the end piece EJ and they are 13.5" as stated in the on-line manual. The paper manual that came with mine says 7" and the supplied part was 7".

So we have 42" + 42.5" + 11" + 14.5" = 110" - the manual says 102.5"

Now, I've built it as described by the individual element construction instructions, and here are the SWR curves, starting on 20M:


17M:


15M:


12M:


10M:


So it looks very much, like the 12M and 17M elements are too long - so perhaps the manual is correct in the overall dimensions but not the individual element instruction?

The other fairly odd thing is that the 17M bit of the antenna is capacitance loaded on the reflector but not the driven element - so you can't really compare the two against each other.

If I look at the instructions for the OLD MA5B antenna, the 12M/17M driven element dimensions are centre to trap 79.25 then 11" trap plus 12" end - so the same as the driven element in this one when built as per the element construction - not as described on the "element length" diagram.

So I suspect the first thing to try is to build the antenna to the "element length" diagram and see what happens. This will mean inserts of 9.5" on the driven element and a stunning 12.5 on the reflector instead of 5" on both as per the manual!

I just wish MFJ would tell me how long the elements are supposed to be! I opened a ticket with them on 20th August; they have offered to send me the correct 13.5" parts, but have not commented on the lengths of the elements that are wrong in the manual:


So I'm not sure which way to go now.

More to follow!

** UPDATE 1 **

I have set the antenna dimensions to the overall measurements on the diagram "element length diagram" and ignored the previous dimensions for how far to insert the tubes together. So the antenna is configured like this:

And here are the SWR curves now, starting with 20M (I took 1 inch of the 20M adjustment so mine is now set at 8.5"):


17M:


15M:


12M:


10M:


and finally 6M:


is't much better - still some minor adjustment to go, but it seems much closer now.

Most confusing!
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IC-7610 IQ Output

August 24, 2018, 11:52 pm
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Well,

Icom have just released new firmware for the IC-7610 which includes activation of the second USB port on the back of the radio (USB2) as an SDR I/Q output.

You need version 1.2 of the firmware from here.

Once you have updated the firmware (and before using ANY USB cables) install this package from Icom.

Once that package has successfully installed on your PC you can connect the USB2 port and the following devices will install:



Now you can install and run HDSDR from here.

Once running you can select the Icom DLL as the radio and this gives you the following control when you select the ExtIO button in the software:


And, hey presto, it just works:


There is huge potential now for interfacing with other applications like CW skimmer and leaving the radio monitor an entire band using the SUB band whilst using the MAIN band for normal operations.

This is a most excellent move, well done Icom!



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FT-DX5000 ALC - issues?

September 10, 2018, 11:39 pm
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Well,

I wanted to use the FT-DX5000 with the SPE Amplifier from here. And rather than constructing another attenuator; I thought I would try and use the ALC to reduce the power output.

I made this circuit:


and have powered it from the 13.8V RCA socket on the back of the radio.

Now, the output of the device is adjustable from about -0.2V to -4V but no matter what voltage I set it too, the output power of the radio doesn't change.

I'm beginning to think there is an issue with the rig, or alternatively I am doing something quite dumb.

Any ideas?
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TS-890 - really?

September 22, 2018, 6:06 am
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Well,

I'm one of the first in the UK to receive a new Kenwood TS-890.

ML&S have made a lot about being the "dealer of the year" (which I suspect is a bit made up) and also selling more Kenwood than other people (I wonder how they know that unless Kenwood UK have released sales figures from other dealers; undoubtedly in breach of GDPR).

Anyhow, mine came from my chums at LAM Communications and I collected it yesterday, 21st September 2018, the price was lower than ML&S and its conveniently close by. It was at the dealer the day before, but Kenwood asked them to hold the radio until they released an "emergency" firmware.

So here it is:


Unbelievably (as was the case with the TS-990) there is NO microphone supplied with the radio (LAM have kindly given me one).

Here's a few screen shots of what I've done with it so far:


Now, it DOESN'T transmit on 5MHz out of the box - that's a shame.


It's going to be a good radio for Meteor Scatter on 4M (above) and 6M below:


I have connected a MicroKeyer II to mine, and in turn interfaced the CI-V output from the uHam device to the linear for automatic band switching. The linear covers all HF and 6M plus 4M so we are in good shape.

Initial impressions of the waterfall are that I think its a bit clunky compared to the IC-7610:


and I really can't figure out what the "Expand" button does, that seems to just make it more chunky.

Anyhow, some time with the radio is needed before drawing any conclusions, but so far, so good.

Here's Miss Luna Cat keeping one eye on me from high up in the shack:


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TS-890 - 5MHz Mod

September 23, 2018, 12:26 am
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Well,

My new shiny TS-890 didn't transmit on 5MHz out of the box. Kenwood have released a modification procedure to the dealers explaining how to rectify this - it is marked as not for public release so I don't have a copy. I do, however, know what needs to be done. You would imagine that the dealers will apply this mod to any they have before shipping or it will be performed by Kenwood themselves on the UK models. But mine is an early one, so here we go:

Step 1 - turn radio upside down and disconnect all DC supply:



Step 1 - remove bottom cover:


Step 3 - remove the smaller of the two cover plates:


Step 4 - for 5MHz coverage you need to snip the R58 link highlighted below before and after:



There are also clearly 4 chip type 0R resistors (or space for) on the board that determine the version of the radio:


Local conditions.
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TS-890 - CW Decode

September 25, 2018, 9:47 am
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Well,

I've had my TS-890 a few days now and I am more than impressed.

I've used it as low in frequency as Top Band and made a few CW QSOs last night using this antenna. Nothing very special at all but its nice to work the band from time to time.

I'm trying very hard to improve my CW skills, but this radio does loads to help me with this.

It has a built in CW decoder which actually seems to work extremely well:


The other thing that the rig does, is that it also decodes my sending - so this is excellent for practice and also to check that my characters and more importantly spacing is correct when I send.

You can also ask the radio to log the decoded text in both send and receive and you end up with a text file that looks like this:


Once you are done with your log file, you can open it up on the radio or ask the radio to make the files available to the connected PC. The PC then alerts you to the fact that there is a new device connected and you can copy off whichever files you want.

In my case I am saving the radio config and copying it into my cloud storage for safe keeping - it couldn't be easier:


I've also bought a very cheap wireless USB dongle keyboard from Amazon (its this one) and it works perfectly with the radio with the dongle plugged into the front panel USB socket. I can use the keyboard for sending PSK, RTTY and even CW.

Simply fantastic!
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TS-890 - RTTY Time!

September 30, 2018, 7:17 am
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Well,

This weekend is the CQ WW RTTY Contest - perhaps the grand daddy of all the RTTY tests.

The TS-890 has built in tuning and decode features that are really neat. You can have a number of different selections on the screen at any one time, but this is my preference:


I very much like the X-Y scope above, but you can also have the more traditional mark and space audio peak display:


Note the clear "dip" in between the mark and the space in the image above; that's the APF in RTTY mode creating a perfect notch between the two tones. The OPTIONAL 270Hz roofing filter will also help a little more in very strong signal rejection in RTTY mode.

Now, let's do a quick comparison with the IC-7610 in a similar configuration:


So I very much like the fact that only the spectrum scope is visible above; the TS-890 displays both the spectrum and waterfall - the spectrum is so small it's quite useless. You are going to use this visual indicator to hunt signals on the band; the TS-890 is a bit harder to see what's where.

I happen to use WriteLog for windows as my contest software, the TS-890 works perfectly with the software configured as "Kenwood" - note that I can't get the IC-7610 to talk to the software without changing it's Hex address to make it mimic another radio.

This is part of the WriteLog screen for RTTY contesting:


Above I am just running in search and pounce mode, but you will see there are 2 RTTY decoders (one is MMTTY and the second 2Tone) plus I have the monitor connected to the 890 as a 3rd screen of decoded text.

Unfortunately I've been at the Newark HamFest this weekend so not much time for the contest. But still, another tick in the box for the Kenwood.
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TS-890 - Optional Roofing Filter

October 15, 2018, 9:31 am
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Well,

You may have spotted my horror in an earlier post that the shiny new TS-890 has an optional narrow roofing filter - 270Hz to be exact.

Well, my radio had it fitted today:

Step one, remove the base:


Step two, remove the larger of the two cover plates:


Step three, install the new filter in the empty slot:




Step four, stick the supplied 'cushion' to the underside of the cover plate as clearly marked:


Step Five, bung it all back together.

Simples!

Here's our two enjoying a bit of winter sun (Elmo is lazy and leaning):


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TS-890 - JARTS RTTY time!

October 20, 2018, 1:15 am
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Well,

Today and tomorrow is the JARTS RTTY test; now band conditions are not favorable to be working many JAs, but its a good opportunity to try the new 270Hz roofing filter in crowded RTTY conditions.


So, with the radio configured for decode, I still think displaying BOTH the waterfall and the spectrum scope is unhelpful - I would like one or the other. I am using the visual indication to hunt stations and the spectrum scope is just too damn small to be any use at all.

The 270Hz roofing filter with the APF (its really I notch in RTTY mode I think) selected seems to be exceptionally good at close signal rejection however.

Time will tell.....

I've also got the new Icom radio, the IC-7610 and this is also an excellent S&P RTTY rig:


The spectrum scope is better for signal searching without the waterfall as well....

It's quite hard to draw any conclusions; both the TS-890 and the IC-7610 are both fantastic at close signal rejection in crowded RTTY band conditions. The TS-890 needs the 270Hz roofing filter for very close strong signals, but the IC-7610 is excellent out of the box.

The waterfall and spectrum scope being displayed together on the TS-890 when in decode mode (CW, PSK or RTTY) is an issue for me; the spectrum scope is just too small to be of any use. I very much like the fact that I can play with the spectrum scope on the IC-7610 including the colours, fill, averaging et cetera. The TS-890s ability to set output power by band is a very big plus for me when using the linear. When using the IC-7610 I keep having to manually tweak the output power when I change bands.

I am no contester, but swapping between these two over the last day or so in the JARTS test has shown me that they are both a pleasure to use. I was never going to do anything than casual participation, but the station works:


Interesting, don't you think?
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IC-7610 with Writelog

October 21, 2018, 3:45 am
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Well,

I am no contester, but I do like to dabble.

Generally I use WriteLog for Windows as my contesting software application.

I could,t find a way to use my IC-7610 with the software 'out of the box' so here's what I did.

Step 1 - change the IC-7610 so it uses the hex address of the 7850/7851 which is CI-V address 8E, thus:


Then configure WriteLog for one of these rigs:


I tend to manually swap between the IC-7610 and TS-890 (I never run them at the same time) but the TS-890 works as a TS-990 in the WriteLog software.


I've only been dabbling in the JARTS test this weekend, but both the IC-7610 and the TS-890 are a pleasure to use in crowded RTTY band conditions. When I first started dabbling in RTTY I was using a FT-920 - the difference in technology and filter/signal rejection capabilities is simply staggering.


I worked VK early Saturday morning on 40M - it must have been a grey line propagation mode as the signal disappeared nearly as fast as it appeared. I was surprised to make the contact, but it was certainly a good QSO.

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TS-890 (and TS-990) with WSJT-X

November 2, 2018, 12:19 am
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Well,

I've been asked if I can help out someone who can't get the TS-890 (or maybe TS-990) to work with WSJT-X; they are running Windows 10.

So here goes:

Step 1: Download and install the driver from Kenwood from here:


It's the "Virtual COM Port Driver" we are after.

Download the software and install it BEFORE connecting the radio to the PC.

It comes as a ZIP file and (a little confusingly) you need to select the appropriate installer, assuming you have a 64bit version of Windows, then use "CP210xVCPInstaller_x64" - you need to double click on the file to run it.

Once the software has installed correctly, we can now connect a USB cable between the radio and the PC:

Now, Windows 10 is very good (or bad) at trying to do everything seamlessly and failing. So once you have connected the radio to the PC and the computer has finished emitting its various pings and bongs, the easiest way to check for a successfull connection is to open device manager. If you type "device manager" into the search box you should see the option to open it.

Here's mine after the radio has been connected, we have three new and exiting things! We have an Audio device called "USB Audio CODEC" and also two new COM ports. Note I have had to expand the Audio section and the Ports section to see these devices. By default working devices are not immediately visible - only their groupings.


So, now we can go and download WSJT-X from here. At the time of writting thats version 1.9.1 but it is updated frequently so you need to keep on top of the versions.

I've installed with the default selections - I didnt change anything in the installer except selecting for a desktop icon:



Once installation completes, the software will run and we need to make changes in the "setup screen" by pressing F2 or using menu File -> Settings.

Here's mine, in this screen we just need to add callsign and locator:


So now, lets configure the radio on the "Radio" tab of the setup window - and this is where it got a bit complicated. I couldn't get the radio and WSJT-X to talk, so I cheated. I installed OmniRig from here.

Once you have OmniRig installed you need to configure it like this:


Please NOTE that the COM port selected above (in my case COM 4) may not be the same as yours - you need to select the Standard port (details of how to identify the port in Win 10 are listed on page 1-5 of the TS-890 manual). It's probably easier to try both and see which one works!

You MUST also match the Baud Rate setting above with the setting in the Radio menu item 7 - 01 "Baud Rate (Virtual Standard COM Port):


Then in the WSJT-X setup window "Radio" tab, I have this configuration.


You then press the "Test CAT" button and it turns green when all is successful.

Finally, we need to configure the Audio tab of the WSJT-X settings to use the "USB Audio CODEC" we installed earlier.


Now, on WSJT modes (and all other AFSK modes) it's important to set the Audio levels correctly.

On receive we want the greed audio bar graph to be at about 30dB with no signals (i.e. just background noise) and we can adjust that in the radio using menu 07-08 "USB: Audio Output Level".

On TX we want to make sure we have NO ALC and we can adjust that using the menu 07-06 "USB: Audio Input Level".

It's also ESSENTIAL that you set your PC clock correctly for these modes, installing Dimension 4 for clock synchronisation would be a most excellent idea.

Happy WSJT-X ing.
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TS-890 - Max PO Feature

November 3, 2018, 8:47 am
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Well,

There's been a few posts recently about the "Max PO Feature" on the TS-890; I have been using this extensively since I got the radio so that it plays nicely with my linear.

Here is the result of pressing and holding the "Max-Po" soft key on my rig:


So, in this screen you can set the tune power and also the max power out on each band. If you look at the image above you can see that the power output in the very top centre is 11W and is Yellow. The yellow indicates that its been restricted by the Max-PO setting.

You also need to be aware of the setting of menu 6-04:



Now, the only confusion I can see (and it isnt intuitive at all!) is when you press the "Max-PO" soft key with just a short press, you would expect the feature to turn on and off. Well, almost; here's what the radio does when the power restriction is already ON and you press the soft key with one short press:


So, the radio is telling me that the "TX Power Limit is turned Off" BUT IT ISNT!

Only once you press the "OK" soft key at the bottom centre does the feature actually turn off, if you press escape to suppress the on-screen message, then the feature remains ON.

So, once you press "OK" then the soft key changes to:


So here the feature is Off and the soft yes "MAX_Po OFF" actually turns the feature ON with a single short press.

A bit confusing, but easy when you know how!

An excellent feature for people like me who need different drive levels for different bands due to amplifier oddities.

NOTE: The power output limits are DIFFERENT by different mode, so here we have limits for CW:


and here a DIFFERENT set for FSK:


They aren't all listed on the same screen at the same time, so that had me confused for a while too!

All good.
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TS-890 and IC-7610 Panadapter and Waterfall - side by side

November 8, 2018, 11:02 pm
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Well,

There's been lots of discussion on the TS-890 vs. IC-7610. So I've done a quick video of them side by side. The settings on the waterfall and panadapter are all customisable so there are many changes from the "out of the box" settings, and the radios are configured how I like them (which may not be your choice).

Anyhow, the reference levels are the same and I've configured the settings to be as similar as I think I can:



And here is the output of the DVI connectors on the radios:




Here's a third video with some more detail:



What do you think?
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WAE RTTY time!

November 11, 2018, 4:05 am
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Well,

I've been fiddling in the WAE RTTY test this weekend; only dabbling - nothing serious about my contesting.

Here's my log as a map:


I used the IC-7610 yesterday and the TS-890 today.

I run with Writelog and have the MMTTY and 2Tone decoders on screen, plus I have a monitor connected to the Rig and have my eyes on a third decoder provided by the radio.

Here is the IC7610 as I have it set up in RTTY mode.


And this is the Kenwood:



Sorry, Kenwood, but the spectrum scope is just useless when it is that small - I really don't like this about the TS-890. The Icom only displays the spectrum when in decode mode, but on the TS-890 you have the spectrum scope and the waterfall on screen - both too small to be of any real use.

They are both fantastic RTTY radios though, the filtering capabilities of both rigs is second to none.

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Morse Proficiency

November 21, 2018, 5:17 am
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Well,

One of the challenges I set myself for 2018 was to re-learn CW.

I passed a 12 wpm Morse test in 1989 to obtain my current licence; I didn't use the mode since and as a consequence was completely clueless.

I used the FISTS audio course plus some great help from a number of individuals on-air, and here is the result:


I'm rather chuffed.
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A complete waste of time?

November 21, 2018, 11:42 pm
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Well,

I decided it would be a good idea to buy this from eBay:


Its an old HP DVM and Frequency counter; with a glorious Nixie display.

Initial testing revealed some issues with the frequency counter part of the functionality which I traved to an IC that was basically a set of NOT gates, so I removed it and replaced it with a good old 7404:


So, now the frequency counter is working, but the digit in the image below shouldn't be a 4 but a 0:


It works when the digit is supposed to be displaying a 4, 5, 6, 7 or blank:


So the rules of BCD tell me that the line that represents "4" is always stuck LOW no matter what the actual signals tell it to do.

There's a bunch of logic in the system, but there's basically a 4-bit latch that seems to have appropriate signals coming into it for this digit, but the "4" line is just stuck low.

The part is labeled a HP  1820-0116, and I think it's one of these:


So I've ordered some - the "2" on the end of the display also seems to be a similar problem so more to investigate.

Is it normal to buy test gear, to fix the test gear you just bought on eBay?

I think I've got a bad case of TEA. I'm told there is no hope or indeed cure.
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Yet more Nixies!

December 2, 2018, 12:54 am
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Well,

My TEAS (Test Equipment Acquisition Syndrome) condition seems to worsen; I have acquired another Nixie frequency counter from that great auction site.

I've fiddled around with it considerably to get the internal clock to stabilise - some bright spark, maybe even the designer, has stuck a block of polystyrene (Styrofoam) over the crystal to try and maintain some temperature stability - but alas its all over the shop.

So, I've basically hacked two holes into the back of the unit and added an external reference clock input - this can be supplied by my ever faithful shack frequency reference.

So this is the unit; albeit on its side:


And here the small modification I've made:


The circuit forces whatever signal is on the input to be +ve DC - I've built it dead bug style on the back of the input BNC socket:


This is where I was poking about to find the clock output:


Using some of my other ancient test gear acquired through my TEAS condition:


Here's the result:


Lovely Jubbly.
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And for my next trick...

December 16, 2018, 11:36 am
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Well,

You will remember back here where I was talking about a complete waste of time?

So, I've persisted with the referb and finally I have a working unit. It's now permanently installed in the pile of test gear.


Not bad, is it?
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Test Equipment Anonymous

December 21, 2018, 8:33 am
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Well,

My name is Mark and I am suffer with Test Equipment Acquisition Syndrome (TEAS).

It starts quite mildly but soon creeps up on you; symptoms are said include:


  1. Buy some broken test gear cheap
  2. Buy service manuals for the broken test gear (often costing more than the gear)
  3. Troubleshoot broken test gear
  4. Seek obsolete components to repair the broken test gear
  5. Buy more test gear to help with the repair of the test gear you are working on
  6. Build shelving and storage for test gear
  7. Buy second and third same items as "spares" and find they are better condition than that you already have
  8. Go to 1 and repeat
You get the idea.

There is help available here, but the condition is quite hopeless.

My latest acquisition is a Tek 466"storage" scope.

Its in very good condition for its age and notably has "LEDs" instead of "indicator lamps" so is a more recent one of these models:





I've fiddled about with it and given it a good clean, replaced some caps and transistors in the PSU and also a (socketed - thanks Tek) IC regulator and bingo:


There seems to be very little wrong with this. Now all I need is another for spares....

Miss Luna cat is become slightly less timid, but not much:

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