Back to the end-of-week pre-work visits today. Didn’t have much of a window due to needing to collect a parcel from the sorting office, which didn’t open until 7am. Recognised Steve G1INK’s car at the Cloudside parking spot, and sure enough there he was on summit with his HF multiband dipole. He wasn’t having much joy though on SSB with the microphone. It’s like shelling peas up there at that time on 40 CW! Go on Steve, you know it makes sense
Only two stations worked me on 2m FM, but I needed to get to work now anyway, what with the later start today. I will try to be earlier tomorrow.
In reply to 2E0HJD:
Couldn’t today Mick. I only had a ten minute window for radio on the summit. Most of the bits and pieces for the SLABs (and the SLABs themselves) have arrived, but not all. I collected my OPP817 internal battery from the sorting office, presumably repaired under warranty (it looks like the pack has been cut open and taped back together), so I should/could be OK for the weekend even if I don’t get a SLAB up and running by then.
Steve always looks far too involved when operating to ask for lends of equipment or even engage in conversation. You’ve been on activations with him Mick - don’t you think he has that look of “Do Not Disturb” about him when operating? I didn’t, other than to shout “See ya, I’m off to work” as I disappeared.
If I have any charged batteries by tomorrow, I may try 40 CW. I certainly hope to be on this band/mode over the weekend, while Jimmy will be on 2m FM, so no-one should miss out.
Great to hear that your Lauren M3HJD is maturing properly and finding that an activation of Easington Fell with her dad is more interesting than going out with boys! Will it last? In my case, it is funny looking back at my SWL logbook from the 80s/90s and seeing where the activity thins out at the times I started going out with a girl. And also where, after a couple of years of marriage where the radio activity increases back to its proper level!
My 1st activation of the Cloud this year - so at least I get a point. Todays experiment was to see what shape the HF bands were in early on. I arrived on summit 0520 utc & was operational by 0530 after finding the geocache. 40m was very flat,60m had nobody listening & 20m had lots of W6/W7 west coast stations but I couldnt compete with the QRO EU stations. I was answered by KH6QR in Hawaii but couldnt complete due to an IT9 sparking up 50hz down 10 was dead as well. After about an hour Tom showed up & got Mike DSP to spot me. Cheers Mike - not exactly a pileup but 12 in the log. May try again from Gun or Kinder Scout.
I was running a little late this morning, but wanted to set up properly on The Cloud to see if the internal 2.3Ah battery, now returned from the retailer, had been fixed and was working. Well, the displayed voltage certainly didn’t plummet from 11.4V to 7.1V with a single push of the PTT, causing the set to switch itself off! It seemed to work OK, and allowed me around 40 minutes of using 5 watts on 2m FM, with seemingly plenty of charge left at the end. I did notice the occasional momentary drop to 7.9V on the displayed voltage while keying the microphone, soon restored back to 9V+. Does anyone know what is going on when this happens?
Anyway, I should have a 7.2Ah SLAB ready for this weekend’s activating. The 40 minutes on 5 watts today did not actually reap much reward. Just three stations, and most calls unasnwered. I couldn’t even raise anyone on the Stoke repeater, and the Manchester repeater seems unusually inoperational. Calls on 70cm produced nothing, and so just before 8am, I packed up and went to work.
Definitely back to 40m CW for next week’s early-bird activations!
Glad you are up and running again! I have noticed the voltage dip you describe with my '817 when using an external 7.2 Ah SLAB. Voltage from the battery (measured on the radio side of the power supply lead fuses) was rock steady, I first suspected the power connector, as I have heard reports of trouble with these, but there was no apparent problem. So is there a current surge on keying the mic that causes a voltage drop within the radio? or is it an artefact produced by the meter circuitry? I’m mystified by it at present, maybe someone out there has the answer…
73 de Paul G4MD
PS will catch you for one of your early activations soon - perhaps see if I can get out extra-early and fit in a summit on the way to work!
…I first suspected the power connector, as I have heard reports of trouble with these <
Yes Paul, I believe that the connector can break away from the connection to the PCB. John GW4BVE has had to resolder his, as I believe others have. I strapped the power lead to the case by a bolt-through cable tie so that the plug takes no strain.
is there a current surge on keying the mic <
I don’t get an indication of voltage drop on keying the PTT on my 817, but the voltage read-out swings downwards on SSB modulation peaks. I haven’t checked the volts at the SLAB or at the power connector, but from what you say that should be rock steady. However, I have noticed less swing being shown when using my 12AH SLAB than when I use the 3.3AH ones, so maybe the small SLABs are actually dropping down. I will need to do some tests.
After reading some recent posts, I have decided to raise the charging voltage for my SLABs from 13.8V to 14.4V. The small SLABs I use have a note on them advising of a maximum 14.4V for cyclic recharging. I just don’t feel 13.8V is sufficient to provide full capacity for SOTA use. After last weekend my number 3 battery is “under investigation” anyway and is likely to get a dose of 16V kill or cure for a few hours this weekend!
I had exactly the same problem with my ft857 - voltage drop to 7v with associated “dirty transmission”. Mike BLH suggested I look at the fuse holders. Sure enough the rigours of /p operating had corroded the fuse holders. I got rid of the offending articles & have never looked back. If I blow the rig then it`s a good excuse to get an IC7000 ;-))
All interesting stuff, and a good reference for me as I embark into the world of SLABs. However, whenever I have noticed this effect has been today or previous - ie pre SLAB! I have been using only the internal battery. So power plug connector and fuse holders don’t come into it.
To paraphrase Obi-Won again… “Use the circuit diagram Luke!”
T1035 is part of the external supply filtering. This component has quite a high DC resistance. It’s the reason the voltage display on the 817 is different to a voltmeter connected to the external supply. The front panel display is measuring a different thing!
Don’t forget, the clever guys at Yaesu have designed the PA to give the rated output at the specified linearity with that voltage drop across T1035 allowed for. This is why using software to redefine the limits on the PA and hence get more output is a really bad thing. You get more power but the linearity has a huge degree of suckage when the supply starts to fall as your battery discharges as you cannot get the current needed.
IIRC, you can get 5W out as long as the front panel display (FPD) is 11.7V or greater (dont have specs to hand). If the FPD voltage is greater, the ALC backs off the PA to 5W.
Ah, but those 807’s are labelled 5B254M. That’s what fooled you Paul! And you couldn’t find the vibrator pack in the circuit diagram could you? Seems that you’re like me - having to use a magnifying glass to read the diagram as well!
Have you seen how much they sell for nowadays? Frightening. Turns out that they have become a popular output tube for high-end audio amps in the Far East. Still not as silly as PX4 or genuine 300B prices though.
SLAB is ready to go tomorrow. Couldn’t find any Lobster & Sausage soup at the supermarket. Where did you get it from Mick? We want some. As it is we are stuck with Blue Dragon Chicken & Sweetcorn soup and Baxters Carrot, Onion & Chick Pea for our two days…
Perhaps you could treat J & L and myself to some before, during or after a joint activation of Easington Fell sometime???
7th consecutive daily activation of The Cloud this morning. Very quiet on 2m, first contact was into Nuneaton. He couldn’t believe I was using 2.5 watts from a HH with RD! A few more trickled through after that.
Cloud inversion this morning, my first. Beautiful blanket of cloud either side of the summit through the valleys, and 100% cover as far as the horizon to the West and North. Right, I have bags to pack…
Yes indeed, and it would appear that both Gerald and myself are challenged by such new-fangled miniaturised devices. I wouldn’t like to try them with 1200V on the anodes like I have with the real thing…
And I do have to admit I’ve been forced to adopt newer technologies since my family have started refusing to carry the car batteries for the heater supplies up the hills.
…it would appear that both Gerald and myself are challenged by such new-fangled miniaturised devices <
Yes Paul, when it gets hard to see the devices with the naked eye, then I lose interest.
I used to love watching my AM modulation on the anodes of the QQV06/40A, QQV03/20A and QQV03/10 PA stages that I built.
…carry the car batteries for the heater supplies up the hills <
The last car battery I hauled up a sizeable hill was a 34AH unit and that was up Ruabon Mountain near Llangollen back in 1982. I worked the Telford Club who were up on The Old Man of Coniston on 10GHz WBFM just to get the 150km award! The rain was horizontal, running off the dish in copious amounts during the QSO - it took 5 days for my car seat to dry out.
But that’s progress I suppose <
Hmmm, yes. Nostalgia is all well and good, but it is easier to haul an 817 up a summit than a Pye Cambridge or even a Trio TR7010… and yes, I do still have the latter.
As for 5B254M’s, I sold a set of 4 on eBay earlier in the year. They didn’t command much of a price.
Doh. I had intended to keep the run going, but I was exhausted on Sunday night after driving back from our NP activations, still exhausted early Monday morning, and had a SOTA talk to deliver to the Macc & District RS on Monday night. So, shamefully, I took two days off from The Cloud. I’m sure it was glad to see the back of me for 48 hours.
This morning the spirit was a bit more willing and the flesh a bit less weak, so got up at 6.20am and made the early start to work, after a quick elicit graze through some of the food set aside for Liam’s 10th birthday party later.
The summit was shrouded in cloud, and there was no view, just four walls of thick grey. At least it wasn’t raining. Six stations worked on 2m FM, all known SOTA chasers. Special thanks to John GW4BVE who assured me he would be thinking about me having to work, while he was spending a day activating on the Lleyn with M0COP. Cheered me up no end that did.
I got up a bit earlier this morning, the intention being to do a 40m CW activation. This all went well until I started on the key, which was making no sound at all. I checked the plug, the 817 keyer settings, the paddle, but I couldn’t fathom what was wrong - until I noticed the mode was set to LSB and not CW!
Many calls on 7.032 MHz remained unanswered, apart from a “SOTA?” that came back once. I answered this, but no further response. I noticed the SWR has crept up a bit, so perhaps the dipole is now suffering where it has broken and been reconnected several times on one leg. Perhaps conditions were not favourable either; the band was rather quiet, and when I started to hear the static crashes, I started to pack away, even though there was no visible sign of impending storm activity.
Three stations were worked on 2m FM, before I retreated to the car slightly disappointed. The 7Ah SLAB is working really well, and providing a much less stressful source of power! Now to start thinking about having everything charged back up for Saturday…
10 was dead as well. After about an hour Tom showed up & got Mike DSP to spot me. Cheers Mike - not exactly a pileup but 12 in the log. May try again from Gun or Kinder Scout.