TK-760h audio clipping

[bob-the-scanner-man]

I've got a strange issue with a TK-760. With a normal speaking voice the audio seems to cut out randomly. For example, if I transmit and count to 4 three times the audio cuts out so that all that is transmitted is "1..2..3..4,..2..3..4,..3..4". It almost sounds like when a music CD is scratched and skips

However if I yell into the mic or practically shove it into my mouth and talk into it the transmit audio is fine.

Any ideas what would cause this? I've already ruled out antenna and microphone.

 

[mmckenna]

Deviation set incorrectly?
Squelch set too tight?
Off frequency?
Could be any number of things with a radio that old.

 

[dryfb]

Doesn't sound like a priority scan issue, do you by chance have the compander turned on for either radio?

 

[bob-the-scanner-man]

There's no compander enabled on the radio. I can see the deviation settings on the test mode in the programming software but without a service monitor it seems like there's no way of knowing if its set right or not so I haven't touched it.

I should also note that the RX audio is great. It's just the TX audio gets choppy unless I've got my mouth directly against the mic and speak in a loud voice.

I know it's an old radio but it was a perfect fit for a cubby hole in my truck's dashboard.

 

[mmckenna]

without a service monitor it seems like there's no way of knowing if its set right or not so I haven't touched it.

Good plan. Avoid the temptation.

I should also note that the RX audio is great. It's just the TX audio gets choppy unless I've got my mouth directly against the mic and speak in a loud voice.

I know it's an old radio but it was a perfect fit for a cubby hole in my truck's dashboard.

three options:

1. Don't mess with it and deal with the short comings.

2. Take it to a shop and have them adjust it. Might have a challenge finding a shop that would have the software. An alignment might fix the issue. Or, it may be components drifting and starting to fail. It's a gamble with these old radios.

3. They are old radios and not very expensive. Sell that one as a "tech special" (explain the issue) and get a few bucks back, or keep it for parts. Spin the wheel again and see if the next one works better.

 

[bob-the-scanner-man]

Good plan. Avoid the temptation.



three options:

1. Don't mess with it and deal with the short comings.

2. Take it to a shop and have them adjust it. Might have a challenge finding a shop that would have the software. An alignment might fix the issue. Or, it may be components drifting and starting to fail. It's a gamble with these old radios.

3. They are old radios and not very expensive. Sell that one as a "tech special" (explain the issue) and get a few bucks back, or keep it for parts. Spin the wheel again and see if the next one works better.

That's pretty much what I was thinking. Usually if I have something that has issues I can't fix I'll put it on eBay as parts or tech special. I'm going to try some more basic troubleshooting, like double checking antenna, etc. and go from there.

As often as I run across deals on older commercial gear I really do need to invest in the gear for tuning them.

 

[tweiss3]

Just out of curiosity, could this be a programming issue of narrow vs wide? Receiving radio set for wide (25kHz) and transmitting radio set for narrow (12.5kHz) could cause this issue. But yea, other than that, sounds like it needs some bench time with proper equipment.

 

[wd8chl]

Could be as simple a bad microphone, or a bad jack. Wiggle the cord around a bunch, especially at each end. Then try another mic.

 

[tlemke940]

Could be as simple a bad microphone, or a bad jack. Wiggle the cord around a bunch, especially at each end. Then try another mic.

I was about to say the same thing. due to the age of the radio and probably the mic i am thinking the cable went bad i see that all the time and is normally the first thing i check when someone says there audio is chopping on TX. hopefully it is a 8 pin mic and not the old wide band only radio with the 6 pin mic. if it is the wide band only 6pin i would suggest going on eBay and looking for an updated one with the 8 pin mic if you wanted to stay with that model or updating to a newer radio. if it is an 8 pin it is an easy mic to find.

 

[wd8chl]

I was about to say the same thing. due to the age of the radio and probably the mic i am thinking the cable went bad i see that all the time and is normally the first thing i check when someone says there audio is chopping on TX. hopefully it is a 8 pin mic and not the old wide band only radio with the 6 pin mic. if it is the wide band only 6pin i would suggest going on eBay and looking for an updated one with the 8 pin mic if you wanted to stay with that model or updating to a newer radio. if it is an 8 pin it is an easy mic to find.

Yeah, if it's a normal 760, it's the 6-pin. Nothing wrong with them, but they are getting a bit harder to find. And no, you can't convert it. Someone might make an adapter cable/plug, or you could get adventurous and make one...

 

[KevinC]

If this was an EFJ 8700 I'd say bang the mic on the dash and loosen up the carbon.