PSR 800 & BNC Design

[Ensnared]

Easy to Move

IMHO,

the BNC is far from the issue,

i had to do my own repair,to my 106

the problem lies in the anchoring of the BNC
to the radio,
its held in place by a 1-1.5mm thick metal(a poor grade-soft makeup)
material.
secondly,that metal is directly anchored to the PCB when it should be
attached at the chassis..

the rigid connection from the BNC to the board becomes stressed,due to
the flex that occurs,as a result of the poor design of the 3 piece radio case,
front-back and top/knob plate.

the back and top should be made from 1 piece,maybe a a die cast metal,charge an extre 15 bucks
and make the radio more rugged,,

i fixed mine,i cut the metal shielding ,then ran a wire from the BNC center pin to the pcb,so now if theres flex,the soft wire provides me with all the leeway needed..

I am not as knowledgable about the interworkings of said radio, but I have read about how flimsy this part of the radio is and how it can go south.

I would agree on a point made, that it starts out with a mechanical failure which leads into an electrical. I even thought someone at GRE mentioned a short eventually happens, but I could be very wrong on this.

Sometimes, I am like a radio junkie when my main squeeze has had to go to CA. LMAO.

Hopefully, changes will be made in this design. If you were able to bypass the regular wiring, thus making it more flexible with the soft wire, why can't GRE? I truly don't understand why this modification could not be made at GRE when repairs were made. I would even pay to have this fixed right!

But, the PSR 800 seems to have the same BNC plague based on what has been written.

 

[ratboy]

Yeah, I once tried to solder my guitar cord. Those are larger input jacks too. I suppose if I was trained on how to do it, had decent equipment with a magnifying lens/lamp, and had practice, I might be all right.

At present, I am dangerous.

Oh well, one day.

One thing I see over and over again since I was a little kid and learned to solder (Age 6, it's not hard!) is people don't understand a couple of basic things:

1. For almost all electronic work, a small 25 watt iron is all you need. Don't use a gun.
2. Clean the iron tip! A wet rag works fine.
3. Heat the JOINT, then put the solder on it! Don't put a blob of solder on the iron, and then try to put it on the joint. I see that again and again.
4. When the solder flows into the joint, after there is enough solder on it, remove the solder, then the tip of the iron. Let it cool before you move anything. When it sets, you can easily see the texture change when it sets up.

Practice on a few pieces of wire, and you can have it down in a half hour, tops. I see amazingly bad soldering all the time. Sometimes I have to laugh. The worst I ever saw, that didn't destroy the radio, was on an old BC950XLT scanner where one of the local "CB shops" attempted to do the cell mod that was popular back then. After the mod was done, the radio would only scan one bank, and searching didn't work. The owner gave it to me to see if anything could be done with it. I didn't expect much, but I decided to try anyway. I took the top off the radio, and there was a huge blob of solder, about the size of a quarter, and a 12 gauge wire sitting on top of the blob. I got my solder sucker out and started sucking the giant blob up, and after it was all gone, I noticed the big wire was jumping the wrong pins, so I cut it. I hooked up the wall wart, and fired it up and the scanner worked fine! The owner was thrilled, and I made some cash and got a big laugh out of it. I never would have guessed that a person working on radios wouldn't know how to solder, but....

 

[OCO]

Ratboy:
Great overview.. A couple of small things:
-Clean the tip, but make sure it's tinned with solder (get tip hot, melt solder on it, wipe off with wet rag or sponge per instructions). You get much better heat transfer from the tip.
-What ever you're soldering should be totally void of oxidation - copper should be shiny, not dull - wires should be the same.. Old wire will have oxidation up from the cut end, trim it back till you have shiny strands.

That Heathkit CR-1 was some of my first soldering under the watchful eye of my dad..

 

[Ensnared]

BNC Design, Once Again

I believe my original premise was correct. The "BNC design" of this radio is poor, By this I mean how the BNC is positioned in the case, how it is wired, the quality of materials used, etc.

But, this is not exclusive to GRE. I distinctly recall sending my BC 245 XLT in for the same exact problem. Now, I don't know how the BNC housing was designed on that radio, but I paid for one or two repairs. Yes, I am rough on radios.

Thanks for the many spirited replies.

DWW

 

[KK4HG]

I believe my original premise was correct. The "BNC design" of this radio is poor, By this I mean how the BNC is positioned in the case, how it is wired, the quality of materials used, etc.

But, this is not exclusive to GRE. I distinctly recall sending my BC 245 XLT in for the same exact problem. Now, I don't know how the BNC housing was designed on that radio, but I paid for one or two repairs. Yes, I am rough on radios.

Thanks for the many spirited replies.

DWW

You are, In my humble opinion, spot on. If you compare the center conductor of the GRE female BNC on the radio to say, an Amphenol female BNC, that difference alone will smack you in the face! The GRE like most scanners is just not designed to withstand constant antenna swapping.

 

[Ensnared]

Concur on BNC etiology

You are, In my humble opinion, spot on. If you compare the center conductor of the GRE female BNC on the radio to say, an Amphenol female BNC, that difference alone will smack you in the face! The GRE like most scanners is just not designed to withstand constant antenna swapping.

Yes, you are so correct. My frequent PSR 500 somersaults are not helpful either. I am assuming that is your tractor, right? What kind of a mount do you have for the scanner? I've noticed many truckers have their CB rigs hanging from the roof of their cab.

In my 2008 Nissan (piece of ca ca) Versa, I have: a) Cobra Classic with K40 microphone mounted inside the glove box with a four-pin extender cord to lengthen the distance, holes were chiseled in the bottom of the plastic without regard to cosmetics; b) PSR 500 on dash with suctioned holder; c) 1450 Garmin suctioned to windshield; & d) Beltronics Vector 995 suctioned to windshield.

I am saying this to say this. My wires look like they were routed by a floridly psychotic individual which I'm really not. When someone sits on a wire in the back seat, you never know what is connected.

My PSR 500 wants to be the martyr since it hits the gear shift most of the time. It has taken a nose dive on several occasions. Again, I am really hard on radios. I once remember an Astatic truckers mike that looked like it was made for the physical abuse of an oil rig. It was very stout. I need that kind of housing for my scanner!

Even with the best BNC design, I am apt to screw it up.

 

[Ensnared]

Thanks For Encouragement

One thing I see over and over again since I was a little kid and learned to solder (Age 6, it's not hard!) is people don't understand a couple of basic things:

1. For almost all electronic work, a small 25 watt iron is all you need. Don't use a gun.
2. Clean the iron tip! A wet rag works fine.
3. Heat the JOINT, then put the solder on it! Don't put a blob of solder on the iron, and then try to put it on the joint. I see that again and again.
4. When the solder flows into the joint, after there is enough solder on it, remove the solder, then the tip of the iron. Let it cool before you move anything. When it sets, you can easily see the texture change when it sets up.

Practice on a few pieces of wire, and you can have it down in a half hour, tops. I see amazingly bad soldering all the time. Sometimes I have to laugh. The worst I ever saw, that didn't destroy the radio, was on an old BC950XLT scanner where one of the local "CB shops" attempted to do the cell mod that was popular back then. After the mod was done, the radio would only scan one bank, and searching didn't work. The owner gave it to me to see if anything could be done with it. I didn't expect much, but I decided to try anyway. I took the top off the radio, and there was a huge blob of solder, about the size of a quarter, and a 12 gauge wire sitting on top of the blob. I got my solder sucker out and started sucking the giant blob up, and after it was all gone, I noticed the big wire was jumping the wrong pins, so I cut it. I hooked up the wall wart, and fired it up and the scanner worked fine! The owner was thrilled, and I made some cash and got a big laugh out of it. I never would have guessed that a person working on radios wouldn't know how to solder, but....

Ok, I certainly appreciate the words of encouragement. I might add that I do have a pencil style soldering gun. Yes, I bought one of those Weller guns with the trigger. That was rather dumb of me. I learned that I could really burn things up with that little beast. Actually, I should have maneuvered to wood-burning.

Now, it would be great if someone were overlooking my work. I am a visual learner. So, a DVD might work in the absence of such. But, step three seems to be hardest step for me.

When you have: 1) a loose wire; 2) a connection point; 3) a soldering iron; and 4) two hands it does not work well for me. Why? I cannot anchor what is to be worked on. I have tried alligator clips, but they sometimes become part of the solder joint. Things that are to be soldered don't usually cooperate. I am quite uncoordinated when it comes to fine dexterity.

I would never ever work on a scanner since I value mine. So, I will definitely put your instructions in a Word Document for future reference. I might revisit that guitar cord and see if I can pull it off.

But, most of all, I would appreciate learning how to install a BNC male onto a scanner cable. This would really save me some money because I have even resorted to those truly awful "strip and screw" solder-less connections from RS. They don't work well. I have taken my 1/4 wave scanner antenna in for having this done, but the technicians don't seem to relish the task of putting a BNC on. I don't know why, but it does not look easy.

One day, I might pull it off.

I appreciate you input into the art of soldering. But, I am going to show much more respect for this BNC module since I know it is rather sensitive to trauma. Furthermore, it gets really expensive!

DWW

 

[KK4HG]

Yes, you are so correct. My frequent PSR 500 somersaults are not helpful either. I am assuming that is your tractor, right? What kind of a mount do you have for the scanner? I've noticed many truckers have their CB rigs hanging from the roof of their cab./QUOTE]

Nothing beyond what came from the factory is mounted on the ceiling for two reasons: That is a Freightliner Classic XL which means it has a walk-in sleeper. I can stand up straight from the driver seat and walk to the back, even at 6'4". The ceiling is a bit far away! There is a shallow, horizontal surface above the dash but things mounted on ceilings in trucks don't stay there very long. Plus, lurching vibration can be traumatic to hanging things especially with a full load. After 2 million+ miles I sometimes wonder why organs have not launched from my gut.I have never understood why drivers want their mike cord smacking them in the face all day long from a ceiling mounted radio.

An FT-1000 and assorted hf accessoriess are neatly mounted on top of the dash. No CB as the 1000 doubles as a CB RX.

Sorry for the hijack!

 

[KK4HG]

That's FT--100D, not FT-1000!

 

[Ensnared]

BNC Wrecks

Yes, you are so correct. My frequent PSR 500 somersaults are not helpful either. I am assuming that is your tractor, right? What kind of a mount do you have for the scanner? I've noticed many truckers have their CB rigs hanging from the roof of their cab./QUOTE]

Nothing beyond what came from the factory is mounted on the ceiling for two reasons: That is a Freightliner Classic XL which means it has a walk-in sleeper. I can stand up straight from the driver seat and walk to the back, even at 6'4". The ceiling is a bit far away! There is a shallow, horizontal surface above the dash but things mounted on ceilings in trucks don't stay there very long. Plus, lurching vibration can be traumatic to hanging things especially with a full load. After 2 million+ miles I sometimes wonder why organs have not launched from my gut.I have never understood why drivers want their mike cord smacking them in the face all day long from a ceiling mounted radio.

An FT-1000 and assorted hf accessoriess are neatly mounted on top of the dash. No CB as the 1000 doubles as a CB RX.

Sorry for the hijack!

Are you talking about a Yaesu FT-1000. Wow, I am quite impressed. Where do you mount your scanner? Have you ever experienced flying radios in the presence of sudden stops, etc.? You rig sounds like the Cat's Meow.

If I had a better dash mount on my PSR 500, the BNC module might survive better. I have made modifications at home to avoid these tumbles. I no longer listen to the scanner with the power cord connected. I run off of batteries. Therefore, when I get up, I don't drag it across the room.

In my little pregnant roller skate, 12 foot of coax is not long enough to extend to the dash. I come in through the back door, driver's side. When it rains, it gets wet inside. This is not a good situation.

But, I am still considering the PSR 800 and reading the posts about the problems people are having. When I travel, I tend to go through several states. I am getting tired of programming these radio systems. For the ones I have programmed, I sometimes have to redo them because of rebanding, etc.

The PSR 800 sounds like a great radio given the many features it possesses.

 

[KK4HG]

That's FT--100D, not FT-1000!

Corrected.

 

[Ensnared]

Great Taste

Corrected.

My, you do have good taste in radios. As far I am concerned this brand is top shelf. Thanks for the response. If I had such a nice radio, I would definitely do everything I could to protect it against falls. One day, I might get into HAM. For now, I am headed for the PSR 800.

But, I might put a full frame Digital SLR in front of that too. I cannot afford Leica, so I will go with the PSR 800 until I win the lottery.

More later.

 

[ratboy]

Ok, I certainly appreciate the words of encouragement. I might add that I do have a pencil style soldering gun. Yes, I bought one of those Weller guns with the trigger. That was rather dumb of me. I learned that I could really burn things up with that little beast. Actually, I should have maneuvered to wood-burning.

Now, it would be great if someone were overlooking my work. I am a visual learner. So, a DVD might work in the absence of such. But, step three seems to be hardest step for me.

When you have: 1) a loose wire; 2) a connection point; 3) a soldering iron; and 4) two hands it does not work well for me. Why? I cannot anchor what is to be worked on. I have tried alligator clips, but they sometimes become part of the solder joint. Things that are to be soldered don't usually cooperate. I am quite uncoordinated when it comes to fine dexterity.

I would never ever work on a scanner since I value mine. So, I will definitely put your instructions in a Word Document for future reference. I might revisit that guitar cord and see if I can pull it off.

But, most of all, I would appreciate learning how to install a BNC male onto a scanner cable. This would really save me some money because I have even resorted to those truly awful "strip and screw" solder-less connections from RS. They don't work well. I have taken my 1/4 wave scanner antenna in for having this done, but the technicians don't seem to relish the task of putting a BNC on. I don't know why, but it does not look easy.

One day, I might pull it off.

I appreciate you input into the art of soldering. But, I am going to show much more respect for this BNC module since I know it is rather sensitive to trauma. Furthermore, it gets really expensive!

DWW

Thanks for the kind words. I have to admit, in a way I like the fact that people are unable to solder, have bad eyes, shaky hands, etc, since I make money and sometimes even get a free dead radio that I can bring back to life. As far as making things stable before soldering goes, sometimes you have to use weights on wires, a stick in your mouth (Don't put the solder in your mouth, that's not too smart) to press down on the joint, or some other things to keep the wire in place as you solder. Sometimes another person is the only real solution.

BNC's are a PITA, to put it nicely. SMA's are simple. I try to avoid messing with BNCs as much as possible. If I really need a good cable, say for a mobile antenna, I usually just buy a BNC pre made "jumper", and whack one plug off the end. Last time I needed to replace a crushed cable on my mag mount antenna, that's what I did, and even though it cost me a couple bucks more than doing the BNC myself, I was pretty sure it was going to stay on without any issues, and it has.

I didn't look before I posted this, but I think there are "How to solder" videos online. You might want to look for them.

 

[W2PMX]

BNC's are a PITA, to put it nicely. SMA's are simple. I try to avoid messing with BNCs as much as possible. If I really need a good cable, say for a mobile antenna, I usually just buy a BNC pre made "jumper", and whack one plug off the end.

The best connections (and tests have shown that it holds true to at least 2.4GHz) are made with crimped connectors (and commercial crimping tools). Once you learn to do it, it takes about 10 seconds to put a BNC on the end of a stripped cable. Some connectors take a few seconds longer (especially small connectors for us old guys).

 

[ratboy]

I never had a BNC crimper, but if I remember right, a good one is $$$ and I can buy a lot of jumpers for the price. I need to put a BNC on about once every 3 years.