May I request an urgent change to the implementation of band data in WL.
Sadly, the current implementation cost me my TS870 in the Commonwealth
Contest over the weekend.
I have set up an SO2R installation using WL with an FT1kMP and a TS870. I
use Band Data to select antennas, bandpass filters and stubs. The Yaesu
provides Band Data and that works just fine. The Kenwood does not, so I
used Band Data generated by WL from the radio interface data of the 870.
The problem is this:
WL defines the start of the next band down as the lower frequency edge of
the one above it. So for example 80m starts at 6999.99 kHz and 30m starts
at 13999.99 kHz.
You can imagine what happens if you are running on 80 metres and mult
hunting on 40m and you accidentally tune below the band edge on 40m. Bingo
your low loss band pass filters for 80m flip straight in and your front end
is exposed to more rf than makes good sense.
In my case I was mult hunting on 20m. I tuned below the band edge and at
13999.99 kHz WL returned 30m Band Data. My Dunestar filters are for the 6
contest bands only, so as far as they are concerned 30m is an alien concept.
When my band decoder doesn't get valid contest band data it switches the
filters out of circuit.
It all happened in a millisecond and my TS870 went deaf!
Fortunately, Kenwood build good high rf field protection into the TS870 so
all I had to do was replace a pico fuse on the rf board. That was after the
contest was over of course!
What needs to be done?
Band edges for Band Data purposes need to be redefined well away from real
band edges.
How about it Ron?
73
Bob 5B4AGN/ZC4ZM
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