Pro-2006: Is there such a thing as a Pro-2006 addiction?

[918Dave]

No need to do the cell mod on either the Pro 2006 or Pro 2006A at this point in cellphone technology. Back in the 90's both units could restore cellular by removing a diode (D502?) I highly recommend replacing the display light with those Ebay EL strips as well as powering the unit with 12v DC to keep the heat down.

 

[JDKelley]

No need to do the cell mod on either the Pro 2006 or Pro 2006A at this point in cellphone technology. Back in the 90's both units could restore cellular by removing a diode (D502?) I highly recommend replacing the display light with those Ebay EL strips as well as powering the unit with 12v DC to keep the heat down.

Oh, I know there's far less going on in the CMT bands than there was before. I just don't like having things blocked off from me for asinine reasons. It's like running a POTS trunkline through my living room and expecting me to not tap circuits to listen to what's going on - if you put it where I can trip over it, I want to know what's going on. If you're beaming it through me, you'd better not tell me I can't listen to it, because then I'll find a way to do just that.

Don't want me to listen to it? There is this little principle of a "tight-beam transmission" or a "high-speed packet" transmission, where you minimise my exposure to your message. Or you could go to the trouble of getting your own bloody encryption, instead of pushing Congress to pass an ultimately useless and unenforceable law (and yet another one we don't need - then updated it and make it even more useless four years later!)

 

[Napalm]

I have four or five 2006s that are just sitting. Some are nicer than others but I just don't use them. The three I'm keeping all have PC control compatibility ranging from the full OS456 to the lite to the basic Bill Cheek RS-232 board.

I really should list the other ones for sale some of these days.

 

[sprman1955]

I have a PRO-2006 works very well it has everything that came with it.Did the diode mods.Has a worn volume knob and the pot needs cleaning.I still use it for any analog signals out there.I even have the box it came and the receipt for it.

 

[N8YX]

I have five at the moment. Three with the OS456 Full boards and two OEM - but I have two Lite boards to put in them.

Also have questions for the OS456 users. I'll start off with: What's the HIGHEST RSSI reading you can get from yours? Here it's right around -100; this across three samples. Tried both Spectrum Commander IX and Probe v7 for this test. Doing A/B comparisons of a NOAA WX Radio station or nearby railroad transmission will result in higher level readings with, say, my OS-535/Pro-2035 or a PCR-100. Not the OS456. Half scale is it.

Feedback welcome.

 

[Napalm]

I have five at the moment. Three with the OS456 Full boards and two OEM - but I have two Lite boards to put in them.

Also have questions for the OS456 users. I'll start off with: What's the HIGHEST RSSI reading you can get from yours? Here it's right around -100; this across three samples. Tried both Spectrum Commander IX and Probe v7 for this test. Doing A/B comparisons of a NOAA WX Radio station or nearby railroad transmission will result in higher level readings with, say, my OS-535/Pro-2035 or a PCR-100. Not the OS456. Half scale is it.

Feedback welcome.

I get -60dBm on stronger signals - It's comparable to the Icom 8600. That's on the OS456 full. I have OS456 envy though lol - I trawl ebay for any 2006's with RS-232 ports on the back,

 

[N8YX]

I get -60dBm on stronger signals - It's comparable to the Icom 8600. That's on the OS456 full. I have OS456 envy though lol - I trawl ebay for any 2006's with RS-232 ports on the back,

That's something we have in common, though the one I'm searching for at the moment is a 2042 w/ OS-535.

As far as received signal strength and the numbers you're getting: Which program?

I have the 2006 Service Manual and a lab full of test gear by which to adjust the receiver and measure the AGC level into the OS456's RSSI chip. Apparently that's next on my agenda.

Next question (for you or any other OS456 users): Do you ever experience COM port lockups with yours?

 

[JDKelley]

That's something we have in common, though the one I'm searching for at the moment is a 2042 w/ OS-535.

As far as received signal strength and the numbers you're getting: Which program?

I have the 2006 Service Manual and a lab full of test gear by which to adjust the receiver and measure the AGC level into the OS456's RSSI chip. Apparently that's next on my agenda.

Next question (for you or any other OS456 users): Do you ever experience COM port lockups with yours?

I'd appreciate copies of your notes to correlate with my own scanners - I don't have "lab test" gear, but I've got some useful gear floating around that I could check against my own scanners with (I could either verify your readings or find out what may be amiss - I need to retest my units first. A '2005, a '2006, and a '2006A. . .)

 

[N8YX]

I'd appreciate copies of your notes to correlate with my own scanners - I don't have "lab test" gear, but I've got some useful gear floating around that I could check against my own scanners with (I could either verify your readings or find out what may be amiss - I need to retest my units first. A '2005, a '2006, and a '2006A. . .)

The main thing I'll be checking when I get to it:

For a given set of input signals at a certain frequency (say, 162.000MHz and 50uV/1000uV, respectively), what does the RSSI level out of the IF IC look like? It's the pin which the OS-456 taps for display of signal strength.

I have 5 of these to check and will post the results when I'm done. Probably use a high-accuracy Tek DMM to get exact readings. Then I'll see if I can figure out which the 456 derived S meter isn't reading right of center on stronger signals.

 

[tbzep]

I feel your pain. My addiction is the Pro-2001. I have 6 working (three actually in use right now) and a few more for parts.

 

[JDKelley]

The main thing I'll be checking when I get to it:

For a given set of input signals at a certain frequency (say, 162.000MHz and 50uV/1000uV, respectively), what does the RSSI level out of the IF IC look like? It's the pin which the OS-456 taps for display of signal strength.

I have 5 of these to check and will post the results when I'm done. Probably use a high-accuracy Tek DMM to get exact readings. Then I'll see if I can figure out which the 456 derived S meter isn't reading right of center on stronger signals.

I'd appreciate your notes on that - and anything else you dig up. Once I get a bench to work on (after this move - which we are doing because some dumb )($#@ insists on smoking. In violation of California law, Milpitas ordnance, and the lease - and the solution is for us to move!

(Ah well, we're hoping to move into a house with a garage. Be nice to get out of living in a flat. Gives me somewhere to work on the truck and get her back on her wheels, somewere to put a workbench, and somewhere to set up my benchtop machine shop that I can get to it. . .)
Then, I'll have room to have a workbench with some clear space to work in, and I can do some digging around, starting with what you find and go from there. . .

Sparks

 

[N8YX]

Thread bump:

New installation of Spectrum Commander IX on a Win11 VM. Have a PCR-100 and a Pro-2035/OS-535 connected.

There's a big disparity in signal level readings between the two when tuned to a nearby NOAA WX frequency. This is akin to what I was seeing in the XP-Pro VM with a Pro-2006/OS-456 (multiples tried) and a PCR-1000 connected.

Oddly, a true Optocom receiver does not behave this way. I've studied the schematics and all three types use a TLC548 (analog to serial converter) for RSSI data.

So it -may- be a setting in Spectrum Commander's config files/Registry to account for meter weighting. I have a question out to their support staff for comments.

 

[eagle2046]

The Radio Shack series 2006 is and still is a classic and great radio. If I had one I would never sell it. There are so many mods for it too. Keep them alive.

 

[eagle2046]

The Radio Shack series 2006 is and still is a classic and great radio. If I had one I would never sell it. There are so many mods for it too.

 

[consys]

Not a lot to add that hasn’t been said. Mine is fully “Optomized”. Still in use for aircraft.

 

[JDKelley]

The Radio Shack series 2006 is and still is a classic and great radio. If I had one I would never sell it. There are so many mods for it too. Keep them alive.

I knoe - I've got a 2005, 2006, and 2006A. And I've got all three Cheek books (they're digitized, in the Archive. . .)