OK2BCK
Member
Very pleased to see this!
Thanks for sharing.
Jan
Thanks for sharing.
Jan
My shack/shop and other goodies
- Thread starter ElroyJetson
- Start date
- Status
At the moment I'm also using three Orion system model mobiles in desktop enclosures. They're set up
at my work location. It's likely that at least one will be sold soon.
Several radios will be sold before too long, actually.
Elroy
at my work location. It's likely that at least one will be sold soon.
Several radios will be sold before too long, actually.
Elroy
radionerd13669
Useless Contributor
Very nice set up nice radios....
Astro25
Member
Trunking, actually (or simplex, too!)
I'd love to get an Orion some day. I hear those are teh bomb on Low Band. :lol:
I'd love to get an Orion some day. I hear those are teh bomb on Low Band. :lol:
Notice that one of them doesn't have your USUAL keyboard backlight color.
Elroy
CanesFan95
Active Member
So Many Questions
How hard is it to change out LED backlights in radios like that? Wouldn't you have to be really skilled at soldering to pull that off? Do you have some kind of specialized equipment? Do you have a degree in electrical engineering?
How hard is it to change out LED backlights in radios like that? Wouldn't you have to be really skilled at soldering to pull that off? Do you have some kind of specialized equipment? Do you have a degree in electrical engineering?
The LEDs are surface mount, 1206 size, I think. It does require good but not outrageous soldering skills
to change them out. I remove them with tweezers and a heat gun, wick the excess solder off, tin
ONE of the two pads, and sweat down the new LED on that one pad, then solder the other pad. It's
really not tough but you should practice on low value stuff first.
A good small tip soldering iron (I use a Hakko 937) is essential, and a hand-held Ungar heat gun
is highly recommended. Fine point tweezers required. I buy the LEDs off of ebay.
I'm not a formal EE but I can do things most EEs can't. I have practical, hands-on, take it apart,
fix it, and put it back together experience. I don't design complex circuits, I repair them.
Elroy
to change them out. I remove them with tweezers and a heat gun, wick the excess solder off, tin
ONE of the two pads, and sweat down the new LED on that one pad, then solder the other pad. It's
really not tough but you should practice on low value stuff first.
A good small tip soldering iron (I use a Hakko 937) is essential, and a hand-held Ungar heat gun
is highly recommended. Fine point tweezers required. I buy the LEDs off of ebay.
I'm not a formal EE but I can do things most EEs can't. I have practical, hands-on, take it apart,
fix it, and put it back together experience. I don't design complex circuits, I repair them.
Elroy
Trak Systems GPS clock, used as a timebase reference for all other equipment,
ensuring that all time-based signals and measurements are highly accurate.
HP 8828a 1.3 GHz frequency counter
HP 8901B modulation analyzer, includes power meter, frequency meter, metering
of AM, FM, and phase modulation signals.
Tektronixt 2565B 400 MHz 4 channel oscilloscope, one of the best scopes ever
made. It's an analog scope under digital control and I never liked digital
scopes, not even the newest ones.
Rohde & Schwarz SMY 02 signal generator, 50 KHz to 2.08 GHz. AM, FM, and phase
modulation, works down to -140 dBM.
HP 3325 audio/function sweep generator, has a variety of uses including
analyzing the performance of a modulator circuit with varying waveforms.
RDL multi-tone generator, intended for GSM cellular use. It generates up to
16 different signals, with up to 8 being generated at the same time,
8 being in the 800 MHz band and 8 being in the 1900 MHz band. Though I
have no use for the 1900 MHz band capability, I use the capacity to generate
up to 8 800 MHz range signals for evaluating intermodulation rejection and
adjacent channel rejection performance on recently repaired radios in the
800/900 MHz band. It's a pretty esoteric piece of gear for a radio shop
to have, but I got it for almost nothing, and having the capability to test
intermod and adjacent channel performance is VERY nice and can be extremely
profitable. My service rate when using THIS gear is 10x my usual service rate.
Patch bay. The back side connections are routed to other pieces of gear to
allow me to use their back panel connections without having to pull the rack
out and crawl inside the back.
HP 3566A dynamic signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer for the audio frequency
range. I'm not using it yet because it has to be connected to a PC via a
GPIB interface card and I just haven't gotten around to setting it all up yet.
An HP microwave signal/sweep generator, I forget the model number. I have
two of them, covering from 2 GHz to 14 GHz in total. They are useful for
testing some wireless networking equipment such as antennas and signal
strength meters.
Another RDL signal generator, I got it for almost nothing and haven't used it
for some time because it needs a new fan and the other RDL generator is
a lot better. I should ebay it.
I'm REALLY glad that I didn't have to buy all this equipment at new prices,
because it all probably cost the original companies that first bought it a total
of maybe 150,000 dollars.
Several pieces of equipment in this rack were retired from GE's Lynchburg facility,
as a matter of fact. The GPS clock, the modulation analyzer, the frequency counter,
those for sure and I think the 3325A function generator came from there as well.
Elroy
ensuring that all time-based signals and measurements are highly accurate.
HP 8828a 1.3 GHz frequency counter
HP 8901B modulation analyzer, includes power meter, frequency meter, metering
of AM, FM, and phase modulation signals.
Tektronixt 2565B 400 MHz 4 channel oscilloscope, one of the best scopes ever
made. It's an analog scope under digital control and I never liked digital
scopes, not even the newest ones.
Rohde & Schwarz SMY 02 signal generator, 50 KHz to 2.08 GHz. AM, FM, and phase
modulation, works down to -140 dBM.
HP 3325 audio/function sweep generator, has a variety of uses including
analyzing the performance of a modulator circuit with varying waveforms.
RDL multi-tone generator, intended for GSM cellular use. It generates up to
16 different signals, with up to 8 being generated at the same time,
8 being in the 800 MHz band and 8 being in the 1900 MHz band. Though I
have no use for the 1900 MHz band capability, I use the capacity to generate
up to 8 800 MHz range signals for evaluating intermodulation rejection and
adjacent channel rejection performance on recently repaired radios in the
800/900 MHz band. It's a pretty esoteric piece of gear for a radio shop
to have, but I got it for almost nothing, and having the capability to test
intermod and adjacent channel performance is VERY nice and can be extremely
profitable. My service rate when using THIS gear is 10x my usual service rate.
Patch bay. The back side connections are routed to other pieces of gear to
allow me to use their back panel connections without having to pull the rack
out and crawl inside the back.
HP 3566A dynamic signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer for the audio frequency
range. I'm not using it yet because it has to be connected to a PC via a
GPIB interface card and I just haven't gotten around to setting it all up yet.
An HP microwave signal/sweep generator, I forget the model number. I have
two of them, covering from 2 GHz to 14 GHz in total. They are useful for
testing some wireless networking equipment such as antennas and signal
strength meters.
Another RDL signal generator, I got it for almost nothing and haven't used it
for some time because it needs a new fan and the other RDL generator is
a lot better. I should ebay it.
I'm REALLY glad that I didn't have to buy all this equipment at new prices,
because it all probably cost the original companies that first bought it a total
of maybe 150,000 dollars.
Several pieces of equipment in this rack were retired from GE's Lynchburg facility,
as a matter of fact. The GPS clock, the modulation analyzer, the frequency counter,
those for sure and I think the 3325A function generator came from there as well.
Elroy
Last edited:
chrismol1
P25 TruCking!
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,180
As I glance through all the pictures, my eyes glanced to the bottle of Mountain Dew, as I mind was spinning looking at all that equipment, all I could spot at that moment was the bottle of Mountain Dew http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/cmjohnson65/DSC_0004-1.jpg
You're weird.
Would you be more or less concerned if it had been a bottle of Jack Daniel's?
Elroy
Would you be more or less concerned if it had been a bottle of Jack Daniel's?
Elroy
MOTORHEAD3902
Member
For me, the biggest smile came from the Delta Rangr control head. My first work vehicle at my current job had one of these. Controlled two mobile radios and all my emergency equipment with it. The radio shop at our headquarters had the G-Star "talkback" turned up way loud on mine, so there were no inadvertent key-ups...had the dual PTT on the mic to that radio, come to think of it.
Dammit, I sound like an old-timer....
Dammit, I sound like an old-timer....
CanesFan95
Active Member
Dang. You should get your electrical engineering degree and then you'll be all that.
That S850 control head is connected to the Rangr below it. It's fully operational, but for a programming issue, and I have more of them.
The programming issue is that any time I try to change the program, the talkgroups get scattered all over the place. I read it back and it's not the same thing I programmed in.
I'm thinking it's actually a Y2K problem and I need to attempt to correct it by resetting the PC's calendar
to some year earlier than 2000 and trying again.
The only reason that I'm not using that radio all the time is that scrambled talkgroups issue. Rangrs
are great radios with great performance specs, superb build quality, and the S-800 series control
heads were an absolute stroke of genius. They hold huge numbers of channels or talkgroups but
the Rangr has very limited memory, so the control head reprograms the Rangr on the fly as needed.
That was SMART.
For an in-car scanner, I STILL think I like the Rangr/S-850 combo better than even an Orion.
Elroy
The programming issue is that any time I try to change the program, the talkgroups get scattered all over the place. I read it back and it's not the same thing I programmed in.
I'm thinking it's actually a Y2K problem and I need to attempt to correct it by resetting the PC's calendar
to some year earlier than 2000 and trying again.
The only reason that I'm not using that radio all the time is that scrambled talkgroups issue. Rangrs
are great radios with great performance specs, superb build quality, and the S-800 series control
heads were an absolute stroke of genius. They hold huge numbers of channels or talkgroups but
the Rangr has very limited memory, so the control head reprograms the Rangr on the fly as needed.
That was SMART.
For an in-car scanner, I STILL think I like the Rangr/S-850 combo better than even an Orion.
Elroy
I'm too busy working at what I love and making good money doing it to be bothered going to school I'd hate
learning a lot of extraneous side subjects that I don't care in the slightest about. An EE degree would
almost literally do me no extra good anyway. I'd much rather fix things than do component-level design
work, and I already do system level integration on customized applications.
Elroy
It must be pretty nice to enjoy your hobby while at work. NICE SETUP!
Very Nice, Thanks
I really do feel pretty lucky. My job and my hobby are almost exactly the same thing. I get paid to play, almost literally.
I use all this equipment in place of a typical service monitor, though we do have a couple service monitors
on the bench. Since my equipment is more accurate, when I have a large run of radios to process
for customers, I do a reference-grade calibration on the first radio with my gear and then read back
the settings via the service monitor, and use the service monitor to match those adjustments on
all the other radios in the order. It's all a matter of compensating for errors that you know exist.
My shop has dealerships for Kenwood, Icom, Vertex Standard, RELM, and now, Motorola Radius line
radios. M/A-Com is another one we're applying for. We hope to upgrade to a Motorola Professional
radio line dealership, too.
I'm looking forward to the training opportunities that these dealerships provide.
I'm getting hands-on experience with all kinds of radios in a pretty short period of time, and have
formulated a lot of opinions on various radios based on what I've seen come across my bench.
In general, Motorola's radios are tops. Period. Their only flaw is that their weather sealing gaskets
on some models of radios are unreliable and not to be trusted. I've opened up several Pro series
radios that were utterly destroyed due to water intrusion.
I've seen similar damage on EVERY radio brand, but the number of Pro series portables that
have come in with that sort of damage is alarmingly high when you consider that there are fewer
Pro series portables in service than virtually anything else. Motorola really needs to take a good
look at their gasket designs.
I do not like any radio that has accessories that use a jack on the radio where water can easily get in.
This also applies to antenna jacks.
I think every radio should be rated to withstand immersion in water for a short time, with all accessories
disconnected and the antenna off. It's not that tough a design challenge!
I've seen a lot of Kenwoods with gasket problems, too. But in general, Kenwoods are built better than
Icoms. But I see fewer water damage issues with Icoms, and both brands are reliable and work well.
What I really hate to see come in for service is Maxon, Midland, or other minor brand portables.
I'm not saying anything about Vertex right now because Motorola now owns Vertex and this could
be very good for Vertex in the near future. My very limited Vertex experiences so far have led me
to believe that they're solidly built radios and good performers, but I have yet to see more than a
few cross my bench and they were only in for batteries. I learn more about a radio from how it
breaks than how it works.
Elroy
I use all this equipment in place of a typical service monitor, though we do have a couple service monitors
on the bench. Since my equipment is more accurate, when I have a large run of radios to process
for customers, I do a reference-grade calibration on the first radio with my gear and then read back
the settings via the service monitor, and use the service monitor to match those adjustments on
all the other radios in the order. It's all a matter of compensating for errors that you know exist.
My shop has dealerships for Kenwood, Icom, Vertex Standard, RELM, and now, Motorola Radius line
radios. M/A-Com is another one we're applying for. We hope to upgrade to a Motorola Professional
radio line dealership, too.
I'm looking forward to the training opportunities that these dealerships provide.
I'm getting hands-on experience with all kinds of radios in a pretty short period of time, and have
formulated a lot of opinions on various radios based on what I've seen come across my bench.
In general, Motorola's radios are tops. Period. Their only flaw is that their weather sealing gaskets
on some models of radios are unreliable and not to be trusted. I've opened up several Pro series
radios that were utterly destroyed due to water intrusion.
I've seen similar damage on EVERY radio brand, but the number of Pro series portables that
have come in with that sort of damage is alarmingly high when you consider that there are fewer
Pro series portables in service than virtually anything else. Motorola really needs to take a good
look at their gasket designs.
I do not like any radio that has accessories that use a jack on the radio where water can easily get in.
This also applies to antenna jacks.
I think every radio should be rated to withstand immersion in water for a short time, with all accessories
disconnected and the antenna off. It's not that tough a design challenge!
I've seen a lot of Kenwoods with gasket problems, too. But in general, Kenwoods are built better than
Icoms. But I see fewer water damage issues with Icoms, and both brands are reliable and work well.
What I really hate to see come in for service is Maxon, Midland, or other minor brand portables.
I'm not saying anything about Vertex right now because Motorola now owns Vertex and this could
be very good for Vertex in the near future. My very limited Vertex experiences so far have led me
to believe that they're solidly built radios and good performers, but I have yet to see more than a
few cross my bench and they were only in for batteries. I learn more about a radio from how it
breaks than how it works.
Elroy
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