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Message |
    
747
Intermediate Member
Username: 747
Post Number: 225
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 11:37 am: | 
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I have a Virage VX-129CN that has been supermodded to do 2 watts, swinging 18, with an AD-203 stinger board installed. With the stinger turned on, it does 4 watts swinging 60.
I am powering by way of a heavy-duty 12 gauge power cable w/ 10 amp fuse (because of the stinger).
I am using a Wilson 1000 mag-mount on the roof of the truck, and usual SWR is 1.1:1
The radio has been running VERY well, as has the stinger - until yesterday!
On the way to work, it was fine. Yacked with truckers and locals the whole 30 miles down I-95...
When I left work, it stopped working. It would receive fine. I could hear myself in the talkback fine. The meter worked fine with the receive. When keying the mic, radio would go quiet as it should, heard myself through the talkback, but the meter showed no modulation. Stinger board relay would not click as it normally would. When turning off the power to the stinger, same thing kept happening. I was unable to get any responses from anyone that I tried talking to, and I even tuned my scanner to 27.185 AM and heard nothing when I keyed up.
This morning I got into my truck, and proceeded to drive to work. A truck driver cut me off on the highway, and without thinking about the transmit problem I picked up the mic and proceeded to give him a piece of my mind... I was a bit shocked when he responded!
I switched over to another channel and did some quick testing - everything was working as it should - I was seeing modulation on the meter, the stinger was keying...
So I went back to 19 and spoke with a few locals and got good reports...
Anyone have any ideas? One of the locals mentioned the mic, or one of the connectors in the plug. I can understand that, but why would I be getting audio through the talkback if that was the case?
Any feedback would be appreciated! |
Vanillagorilla
Advanced Member
Username: Vanillagorilla
Post Number: 913
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 3:19 pm: |
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Hmmm..well I doubt it was the mic because as you stated your radio would get silent (TX mode) when you pushed the PTT button...that rules out the TX wire AND you say you could hear your audio in the TB Sooooo that rules out the audio wire.
You had NO power output when keying the radio although you did have modulation through the mic.
I'm not familiar with your radio but I have to ask if the mic is powered through the radio? That might be the only other clue as to it being the mic or mic jack.
What your explaining seems to be a cold solder joint or malfunction in the stinger board. Although you switched it OFF your signal still has to travel through it to get to the PL259 on the radio.
I'll go wrap my head against the wall in a little while and see if I can think of anything else.
When stuff like that happens to me...you know...when things repair themselves? I pretend it never happened. I get to keep my hair longer 
Good luck! |
747
Intermediate Member
Username: 747
Post Number: 226
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 6:31 pm: |
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I'm posting from my blackberry so I don't know my my name will show... It's 747.... The mic is a standard 4 pin cobra setup, so it's not powered at all.. And yes, I hate when things fix themselves even thought I'm glad it works again!! I just dread the next time it does happen! |
Tecnicoloco
Intermediate Member
Username: Tecnicoloco
Post Number: 102
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 9:20 pm: |
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Maybe cold solder joint or bad solder due to vibration.
If I where you,I will take it apart and do a close inspection on the conection from the stinger board to the radio output circuit.
Hope this help
Tecnicoloco
CEF-117
Sonora,Mexico
73's |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 2337
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 - 5:41 pm: |
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im gonna guess something to do with the temperature when you experience the problem.
does it seem like it happened when the radio was extremely cold?
is there much of a temperature difference from when you get in your truck in the morning, and when you leave work at night?
just a thought,
matt |
747
Intermediate Member
Username: 747
Post Number: 227
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 - 8:56 pm: |
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Kid_Vicious,
Since I live in Florida, there is hardly ever a huge temperature difference from day to day...
I'm thinking maybe 68-70f in the morning that day, and at the lowest, maybe 60-62 that evening. |
Hotwire
Senior Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 2102
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 6:42 pm: |
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I would inspect the antenna and coax for damage. Other than that possibly a cold solder joint in the amp or radio and or poor installation of the stinger. See inside the radio the Stingers input micro coax attaches to the radios rf output wire. This connection is bare and will move around a little. It is possible that this connection jiggled around enough to ground out against another componet or bare wire ( possibley the micro coax shield) shorting out when you key the mic. Since it would just lightly touch something the problem would come and go on occasion. Check this connection and if it is bare I would wrap it with a little bit of electrical tape. This is the only thing I can imagine wrong. Hope I'm right and a help! Good Luck.
kenny
cef491 |
747
Intermediate Member
Username: 747
Post Number: 228
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, December 08, 2006 - 1:50 pm: |
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Gonna look at it this weekend - it crapped out again today on the way in to the office.
Antenna Coax is perfectly fine... I played with the mic plug and connection at the mic - made no difference...
BUT...
It was a bit cold this morning (For Florida at least) - low 40's - I did run the heat in my truck.... Doubt that made any difference but ya never know! |
