AR-DV10 Firmware 1810A - Serious Problems Still

[mrkelso]

How can you enjoy digital signals when it sounds so poor? Its a decent analoge reciever but verry buggy. Definitely not what you expect from the self claimed leaders in digital receivers.

I agree it does sound like CRAP in a bucket with corn.

 

[grosminet]

I'm using again my MD380 DMR, my kenwood NXDN, my DSD+ .
1115 € for dPMR ...............

 

[mrkelso]

I'm using again my MD380 DMR, my kenwood NXDN, my DSD+ .
1115 € for dPMR ...............

I am waiting on a new Icom R30

 

[mancow]

I wonder how they stay in business.

 

[mrkelso]

I wonder how many are selling and how many are staying with it?

 

[SigIntel8600]

CTCSS/DCS is not working on memory channels when loaded with AOR Data editor. Anyone else have this issue? Thanks.

 

[c0ne]

CTCSS/DCS is not working on memory channels when loaded with AOR Data editor. Anyone else have this issue? Thanks.

I never used it, i was hoping for AOR to fix the remote control so some proper software could be made but that doesn’t have much priority as is seems.

 

[KM6CQ]

After almost 3 months of waiting, firmware 1810A has finally appeared for the DV10, using the cumbersome I/Q feature where you have to keep removing the SD here are some initial measurements.

With the "new feature" of being able to adjust the XTAL offset (something a user should never have to do) I still can only get my DV10 to within 180Hz of being on frequency.

Radio warmed up, 452.000 MHz AM signal 30% modulated with a 1kHz tone fed into an RSP1A and DV10 at the same time.

The RSP1A reads 20Hz off frequency, excellent.

The DV10 with an XTAL offset of:-

0000 is 1.1kHz off frequency
+5000 is 640Hz off frequency
+9990 (max available) still 180Hz off frequency

There are 1 set of measurements at 1 ambient temperature not across the -10 to +50C operating range.

The attached images show the 3 offsets selected and the resulting frequency error in sdr#

In each image the top is the RSP1A, below the DV10 I/Q recording.

If this is the best they can come up with in 3 months, its clear they cannot fix it with firmware.

The take away is a $100 radio is 20 hz off frequency, the $1000 DV10 is 180 hz off frequency at best.
The mmdvm $39 hat I use required me to adjust the offset 250 hz. It works just fine.
I’m starting to have pity for AOR. It’s very unfortunate.

 

[Andy3]

I've not been here for some time and haven't read all the posts, but has anyone suggested that AOR might like to fit a hi-stab xtal? I don't mean an ovened one obviously, but xtals come in various grades from the cheap 50ppm types used for clock oscillators to the super stable ones intended for UHF multipliers. I'm sure they could get the drift down to something reasonable if they went for a higher-spec one.

 

[woodpecker]

I've not been here for some time and haven't read all the posts, but has anyone suggested that AOR might like to fit a hi-stab xtal? I don't mean an ovened one obviously, but xtals come in various grades from the cheap 50ppm types used for clock oscillators to the super stable ones intended for UHF multipliers. I'm sure they could get the drift down to something reasonable if they went for a higher-spec one.

What they should have done was fit a high grade TCXO or OCXO, instead they used some low grade XO and when the unit heats up it drifts all over the place. They tried to cover up the design error by measuring the cpu temp and jumping the XO around every few ms, this created the mess we now have with a warbling oscillator and the radios way off frequency.

 

[Andy3]

Yes I know that, but I'm wondering why they haven't fitted a better xtal, as it would be a much easier solution than trying to get the software to track the internal temperature. They are obviously aware of the problem. A TCXO would be good, but an OCXO has to run hot and the power consumption would be embarrassing. I'm sure it wouldn't need an ovened one to stay within about 1 kHz. I once built a transverter using a non-ovened high-stab oscillator. The xtal ran at 96 MHz and was multiplied up to 1152 MHz. It was always within a kHz no matter what the temperature was. At lower frequencies it would be proportionately better, so at 450 MHz it would be within about 400 Hz and at 160 MHz it should be well within a couple of hundred Hz.