[TenTec] Fwd: Topband: More About Clix

[Duane A Calvin]

Hmmm....   This doesn't match the ARRL/QST Labs results as printed in
their review of the VI+.  The keying waveshape was textbook perfect.  In
monitoring my own signal both in my shack and at a friend's QTH about 10
miles away, there are no discernable clicks.  (Yes there is the
microchirp, which I consider a minor annoyance.)  So, has something
changed, or what's the real story?  

        73,  Duane

On Tue, 29 Jan 2002 09:29:45 -0600 Ron Feutz <feutz@wctc.net> writes:
> How about this, guys?
> 
> I have always been under the impression that my signal was clean and 
> the 
> Yaesu guys were screwing up the bands.
> 
> Ron - WA9IRV   Omni 6+
> 
> 
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> >Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 14:41:16 -0800
> >
> >Virtually all of today's modern rigs have a key click problem.  The 
> stock
> >FT-1000MP and Mk V CW signal rise time is 2.4 ms and the fall time 
> is 1.0
> >ms.  This is on every dit and dah.  The ARRL criteria for "clean" 
> keying
> >is a rise and fall time of 5.0 ms.  After the INRAD keying 
> improvment
> >mod, the rise time is 4 ms and the fall time is 2.2 ms.  It 
> certainly
> >improves the keying, but not enough, which is why I'm going to do 
> the
> >W8JI key click mod on my MP.
> >
> >A friend has an IC-756 PRO which has clicks extending out at least 
> +/- 1
> >kHz.  Another has a late-model IC-775DSP which has clicks as bad or 
> worse
> >than the FT-1000MP.  Additionally, you can hear a "thump" on his 
> first
> >dit or dah when he is operating split.  Earlier model 775s have 
> the
> >additional problem of generating a signal from the receive VFO 
> when
> >operating split (becoming worse as the split frequency is smaller),
> >clearly an FCC violation.  Icom knows about this problem because 
> they
> >will upgrade the early version if the owner complains, but they 
> won't
> >publicly confirm this problem.
> >
> >Many topbanders prefer the Omni VI+ because of its superior QSK 
> and
> >excellent receiver.  But even it has bad clicks.  INRAD has thus 
> far
> >unsuccessfully tried to develop a mod to correct this.  George, 
> W2UVG
> >(owner of INRAD) told me, "I have spent many hours working on the 
> Omni
> >VI+ keying and ALC loop as it has a similar problem.  The keying 
> waveform
> >out of the first mixer is text book perfect, 5 mS up and down.  
> Then it
> >goes through the ALC loop and the output has 1 mS rise time and 5 
> mS fall
> >time.  This loop has a very slow decay time, and it doesn't change 
> the
> >input shape.  If I disable the ALC loop the radio puts out 100 
> watts and
> >the keying is perfect.  But there is no power control, etc."
> >
> >Jim, N7JW has overcome the Omni VI+ click problem by using an 
> FT-1000MP
> >with the W8JI key click mod to transmit and an Omni VI+ to receive. 
>  It
> >would be nice if all hams (especially topband contesters) were as
> >concerned about having a clean CW signal as N7JW is.
> >
> >I'm not sure how the modern Kenwood radios are as far as clicks 
> go.
> >
> >73, de Earl, K6SE
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> 
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Duane Calvin, AC5AA
Austin, Texas