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Re: [TenTec] Omni VI problems, continued

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Omni VI problems, continued
From: Steve Hunt <steve@karinya.net>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 09:20:43 +0100
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Ken,

I had to make similar measurements on my Omni VI when I had temperature-dependant XTAL OSC instability problems. I found that the best place to measure the control voltage is across R25; you can't get a sensible measurement on connector 84 because that's carrying a mixture of the oscillator RF output to the Logic Board plus the returned DC control voltage.

I asked TT Service for a recommended loop control voltage setting, but I didn't get a reply. In the end I simply monitored the DC voltage across R25 with a 'scope and adjusted the inductor cores until the loop lost lock. I noted the upper and lower voltages where it lost lock and then set it mid way.

Hope that helps.
Steve G3TXQ

Ken Brown wrote:
Hi all,

Changing C19 on the XTAL OSC LO MIXER BOARD did not make any big change in the power output, and I can still hear a periodic "relocking" sound when on 30 meters (maybe on other bands too). By scoping the output of the LO board, I can see that on bands with low TX power output, the output of the LO is also low (relative to other bands, I don't know what it should be), so I am suspecting the that the last TX mixer, U1 on the BPF/FRONT END BOARD is starved for LO power. I also see on some bands there the LO signal appears on the scope as multiple tones. I am doing this all in CW mode, so I don't expect to see anything but constant amplitude sine waves anywhere in the transmit signal path. I am not too concerned if they are not pure sine waves, but if they look like multiple tones, or modulated it seems like something is wrong. Maybe the carrier balance in the LO MIXER is off, letting some of the 5 MHz VFO signal through.

The next things I'll try is to get all of the XTAL OSCillators adjusted for "minimum stress", which is to have the PLL correction voltage as close as possible to nominal, whatever that is, and I'll check the LO mixer carrier balance. Based on the values of R25 and R26 (which are 1k and 470k) I think I can connect a 10 Meg scope probe at connector 84 to monitor the DC voltage there, without severely disrupting the circuit. Does anyone know what the DC voltage at 84 is supposed to be? I guess I can determine the full range of DC voltage there, and then set the XTAL osc tuning coils for the center of that range. I'd sure rather have a specification to aim for.

By the way, if anyone is wondering why I don't just sent the rig to Ten-Tec for service, there are a number of reasons. Shipping cost both ways from Hawaii would be many times the cost of any parts that need to be replaced. If I had Ten-Tec fix it I would not learn much.

DE N6KB

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