d-star problem

[jazzboypro]

Hello all,

i have a strange problem using d-star. I have 2 transceivers. The first one is an ID-5100, the antenna is directly connected to the radio and everything is ok, i can consistently hit 4 UHF repeaters and 1 VHF repeater in DV mode.

The second radio is an IC-9700 and it appears to have a problem working on d-star. I disconnected the antenna from the ID-5100 and i connected the antenna on the UHF connector on the back of the IC-9700. As far as i can tell both radios are configured identically. I can't hit any UHF repeaters in DV mode. i have the same problem if i connect the antenna on the VHF connector. Also the radio is totally def in DV mode. The radio works fine on VHF/UHF FM so i can safely rule out the antenna as the problem.

Another thing, on the ID-5100 the squelch is working in DV mode. On the IC-9700 the squelch is not working, no matter what i do with the squelch knob position i can't hear a single sound in DV mode.

Any ideas ?

thanks

73
Sylvain

 

[KE5MC]

I'm not sure about the squelch and my ID-51 using the side button opens the radio when pressed in DV mode. Maybe your two radios behave different. For YourCallsign, RPT-1 and RPT-2 it easy to overlook the white spaces needed to fill the field to 8 characters. In a programing software setting I use the keyboard forward and backward arrow to count characters to make sure I have 8.
Good Luck,
Mike

 

[jazzboypro]

I'm not sure about the squelch and my ID-51 using the side button opens the radio when pressed in DV mode. Maybe your two radios behave different. For YourCallsign, RPT-1 and RPT-2 it easy to overlook the white spaces needed to fill the field to 8 characters. In a programing software setting I use the keyboard forward and backward arrow to count characters to make sure I have 8.
Good Luck,
Mike

Thanks KE5MC. I reprogrammed the IC-9700. Now i can hit 2 repeaters on UHF but it still does not work on VHF. Reprogramming has not change the squelch behavior and i still wonder if it's normal or not. It is strange that i get better results with the ID-5100 since it's maximum output power is much less than the IC-9799.

 

[tweiss3]

Thanks KE5MC. I reprogrammed the IC-9700. Now i can hit 2 repeaters on UHF but it still does not work on VHF. Reprogramming has not change the squelch behavior and i still wonder if it's normal or not. It is strange that i get better results with the ID-5100 since it's maximum output power is much less than the IC-9799.

I've found VHF is much more picky on D-Star than UHF. I have trouble getting into DX Engineering's repeater, but have no problem hitting a UHF one nearby that is the same distance from me.

 

[KE5MC]

Two things come to mind, not all repeaters are created equal and some radios the power settings are per band. On UHF you might be high power and when you go to a VHF thinking it's staying high and it might be different as in low. Progress has been made, that's important.

 

[tweiss3]

Thanks KE5MC. I reprogrammed the IC-9700. Now i can hit 2 repeaters on UHF but it still does not work on VHF. Reprogramming has not change the squelch behavior and i still wonder if it's normal or not. It is strange that i get better results with the ID-5100 since it's maximum output power is much less than the IC-9799.

What is your power set at on the 9700? Also, go to Menu --> Meter where it lists power draw, SWR, etc. Check the power draw is normal (>22A at 100W) and SWR is reasonable. That could identify a problem with your Type N adapter and/or antenna.

 

[jazzboypro]

What is your power set at on the 9700? Also, go to Menu --> Meter where it lists power draw, SWR, etc. Check the power draw is normal (>22A at 100W) and SWR is reasonable. That could identify a problem with your Type N adapter and/or antenna.

Thanks tweiss3, the power is set to 100 watts on VHF and 75 watts on UHF. The current draw on VHF is about 15A at 100 watts and there is definitely an SWR issue. i did not try on UHF as my actual antenna is not really suited for that band. It's winter over here and i cannot installed my brand new antenna until April if i'm lucky. In the meantime i will have to work with what i have but i am mainly listening until i can install a decent antenna with good coax. I will revesit this and test some more once the new antenna is installed.

Thanks a lot, this was an excellent suggestion.

73
Sylvain

 

[jaspence]

If your SWR is bad, it is a good idea to operate at as low a power as possible or even not transmit at all.

 

[tweiss3]

Thanks tweiss3, the power is set to 100 watts on VHF and 75 watts on UHF. The current draw on VHF is about 15A at 100 watts and there is definitely an SWR issue. i did not try on UHF as my actual antenna is not really suited for that band. It's winter over here and i cannot installed my brand new antenna until April if i'm lucky. In the meantime i will have to work with what i have but i am mainly listening until i can install a decent antenna with good coax. I will revesit this and test some more once the new antenna is installed.

Thanks a lot, this was an excellent suggestion.

73
Sylvain

One of the perks of the 9700, you can check more on the radio than most can.

If it's SWR related, you were probably getting cut off by the circuit protection. I would try down at 20% and see if you can make it out. Also, recheck your connections, could be something silly.

Didn't you know, winter is the only time you should do antenna work, jk.

If your SWR is bad, it is a good idea to operate at as low a power as possible or even not transmit at all.

Agreed with that.

 

[jazzboypro]

One of the perks of the 9700, you can check more on the radio than most can.

If it's SWR related, you were probably getting cut off by the circuit protection. I would try down at 20% and see if you can make it out. Also, recheck your connections, could be something silly.

Didn't you know, winter is the only time you should do antenna work, jk.


Agreed with that.

After testing a bit, i need to go down to 5 watts in order to get a decent SWR. I will check the connections again. As for doing antenna work in the winter, i don't see myself working with 70 feet of LMR400 under below zero temperature and much less going on the roof of my house

73
Sylvain