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XTS5000 putting out 10mW?
- Thread starter KN6GRJ
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MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
Bad PA most likely failure. You're best bet is to find a replacement RF board.
Another thing to check is the SMA connector jumper. Sometimes, it will become loose and will show very low output. The SMA will be tight, but the little jumper will not make contact. Not the connection to the board, but inside the SMA. You have to dissect it a little to see what I'm talking about. This is usually from radios that have been abused, i.e., dropped a lot, or from a radio being opened a lot. Flexing that jumper over and over will break the connection. I saw this a lot on the bench.
K2NEC
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Or radios that have been carried or handled by the antenna. Unfortunately that is a lot more common than people think.
On the 5000, it's usually not from carrying it by the antenna as the SMA is part of the chassis. The jumper that I'm referring to has to be unplugged from the board when disassembling the radio. When you do this, it flexes inside the SMA connector. If you do this too much, the jumper will break loose from the SMA itself. It can be fixed, but most people would just replace the part (SMA). I have fixed numerous 5000s with this problem. The 2500 on the other hand can be damaged by using the antenna as a handle, because the SMA is soldered directly to the board.
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The jumper that I'm talking about is the blue coax jumper that goes from the SMA to the RF board. The connection can come loose on either the RF board or the inside the SMA itself. If it's the latter, then it takes a steady hand to re-seat the coax cable into position. As noted, the SMA is part of the chassis and using the antenna as a handle rarely causes damage to the SMA/chassis. It is usually the antenna that breaks.
Now on the 2500, using the antenna as a handle is a bad idea, which usually results in the SMA breaking completely off of the main board. A new SMA needs to be soldered back onto the board.
Now on the 2500, using the antenna as a handle is a bad idea, which usually results in the SMA breaking completely off of the main board. A new SMA needs to be soldered back onto the board.
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Thank you. I sent a query to the seller asking if they have RF boards. I also started to re-diagnose it. I'm getting a range of readings:
This unit is supposed to be 6 Watts according to the model number. I am in ASTRO 25 TUNER and trying the Tx Power High, and I get this:
"TX Power High" (6W radio):
136.025MHz @ 69 softpot =~ 7mW (eyeballing my MFJ-874 logarithmically)
142.125MHz @ 72 softpot =~ 15mW
154.225MHz @ 67 softpot =~ 100mW
160.125MHz @ 62 softpot =~ 100mW
168.075MHz @ 56 softpot =~ 300mW
173.975MHz @ 52 softpot =~ 400mW
"TX Power Low":
173.975MHz @ 28 softpot =~ 400mW
I already took a look inside, using the Service Manuals to take it apart. I'm wondering why there's no "C016" test point but it says to check TXRF so I could try that. They say to use a "Motorola 81-80384M64" "Housing Eliminator Fixture" "Special fixture that allows radio’s internal board to be mounted externally. Provides easy access to electronic circuits, required for board-level troubleshooting." which can be had at some online stores for $16,000 plus or minus a few thousand dollars, and I want to spend less than $100 on that (I asked for a quote to see if they can be more realistic).
While I had it open I tried to seat that coax connector on both ends really well. I'll take it apart again right now and see if I can sneak a coax out of the board directly to see if I can get a more accurate measurement and see if the connector is bad.
This unit is supposed to be 6 Watts according to the model number. I am in ASTRO 25 TUNER and trying the Tx Power High, and I get this:
"TX Power High" (6W radio):
136.025MHz @ 69 softpot =~ 7mW (eyeballing my MFJ-874 logarithmically)
142.125MHz @ 72 softpot =~ 15mW
154.225MHz @ 67 softpot =~ 100mW
160.125MHz @ 62 softpot =~ 100mW
168.075MHz @ 56 softpot =~ 300mW
173.975MHz @ 52 softpot =~ 400mW
"TX Power Low":
173.975MHz @ 28 softpot =~ 400mW
I already took a look inside, using the Service Manuals to take it apart. I'm wondering why there's no "C016" test point but it says to check TXRF so I could try that. They say to use a "Motorola 81-80384M64" "Housing Eliminator Fixture" "Special fixture that allows radio’s internal board to be mounted externally. Provides easy access to electronic circuits, required for board-level troubleshooting." which can be had at some online stores for $16,000 plus or minus a few thousand dollars, and I want to spend less than $100 on that (I asked for a quote to see if they can be more realistic).
While I had it open I tried to seat that coax connector on both ends really well. I'll take it apart again right now and see if I can sneak a coax out of the board directly to see if I can get a more accurate measurement and see if the connector is bad.
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
really starting to smell like a cooked PA. You can always swap the coax jumper if you have another spare XTS5K around. Sounds like an Ebay gem, if it was advertised as "fully working", seller owes you a replacement or a full refund. Good luck.
If you checked the coax jumper for short/opens and it checked good, then MTS2000des is on point. You should see continuity from the center pin of the SMA to the center of the connector that snaps onto the board. If that is good, then I agree with MTS2000des and the PA is shot and the seller owes you a refund.
Thank you. I figured out a way to keep the radio open while I tested that 1" coax thoroughly using the battery eliminator to power the radio while the case was off. One of the middle pins of the 1" coax from the RF board to the antenna connector was not the greatest, but it worked, and I confirmed that the radio would not transmit any stronger by bypassing the antenna connector in any kind of way, and by every test I could do, that 1" coax from the board to the connector worked fine (I took it out and tested it from both ends for continuity and lack of short many many times).
I'll see what the seller says. The radio worked well for almost three weeks, then no more.
I'll see what the seller says. The radio worked well for almost three weeks, then no more.
Now you know for sure that the PA is bad.
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