[TenTec] Omni 6 Plus: No RX or TX on 10 meters (Intermittent)

[k8mp at aol.com]

Your comments were very eye-opening for me Allen. I had no idea that RoHS compliance has such a down side. Is it the lead-free solder that's causing the problem?
Later, Joe, K8MP
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-----Original Message-----
From: A R <raf_3 at msn.com>
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Mon, Jul 6, 2015 01:25 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Omni 6 Plus: No RX or TX on 10 meters (Intermittent)



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<pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt>
QSL. In my former life in military and space electronics, I spent many
hundreds of hours chasing RoHS-induced problems (today they're called "issues"),
including the microscopic fracturing of solder connections between component
leads and board conductors/traces, AND the growth of unintended conduction paths
on board surfaces called "dendritic whiskers". In industries where reliability
is absolutely critical and essential, the solution is generally an "exemption"
from RoHS compliance. 

 

73,

Allen--W7GIF 


----- Original Message
----- 

From: Jim Allen<<a href="mailto:jim.allen at longhornband.net?">mailto:jim.allen at longhornband.net</a>> 

To: Discussion
of Ten-Tec Equipment<<a href="mailto:tentec at contesting.com?">mailto:tentec at contesting.com</a>> 

Sent: Monday, July 06,
2015 9:55 AM

Subject: Re: [TenTec] Omni 6 Plus: No RX or TX on 10 meters
(Intermittent)



So the new radios have a built in failure mode that the
"boat anchors" did not?

That's unnerving?

73 de W6OGC Jim Allen 

Sent
from my iPad

> On Jul 6, 2015, at 10:25 AM, A R
<<a href="mailto:raf_3 at msn.com">raf_3 at msn.com</a><<a href="mailto:raf_3 at msn.com?">mailto:raf_3 at msn.com</a>>> wrote:
> 
> 
> Welcome to the lead-free
world of RoHS. Your spools of 60/40 solder are NOT RoHS-compliant...but will
likely improve reliability of solder connections which are subjected to the
stresses of expansion/contraction of dissimilar materials due to thermal
excursions. Sn-Pb is more ductile, and as a result more tolerant of the thermal
excursion stresses, than the RoHS-compliant solders. 
> 
> 
> 
> 73,
> 
>
Allen--W7GIF
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> 
> From: Jim
Allen<<a href="mailto:jim.allen at longhornband.net<mailto:jim.allen at longhornband.net?">mailto:jim.allen at longhornband.net<mailto:jim.allen at longhornband.net</a>>> 
>

> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec
Equipment<<a href="mailto:tentec at contesting.com<mailto:tentec at contesting.com?">mailto:tentec at contesting.com<mailto:tentec at contesting.com</a>>> 
> 
>
Sent: Monday, July 06, 2015 5:46 AM
> 
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Omni 6 Plus: No
RX or TX on 10 meters (Intermittent)
> 
> 
> 
> I'm glad you found the
fix.
> 
> Why is it there are so many re-solder fixes these days.  I don't
recall ever hearing about resoldering on the old gear.  Anybody ever have to fix
a 75A4 or SX101, etc. by resoldering some connections?
> 
> 73 de W6OGC Jim
Allen 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>> On Jul 6, 2015, at 7:39 AM, Joe Papworth
via TenTec
<<a href="mailto:tentec at contesting.com">tentec at contesting.com</a><<a href="mailto:tentec at contesting.com<mailto:tentec at contesting.com%3Cmailto:tentec at contesting.com?">mailto:tentec at contesting.com<mailto:tentec at contesting.com%3Cmailto:tentec at contesting.com</a>>>>
wrote:
>> 
>> It appears to be fixed and in repairing it, I fixed another
annoying problem, which was spurs and floaters on ten meters only. Those had
been plaguing me for several years.
>> 
>> 
>> First, thanks to Paul at Ten
Tec for pointing me in the right direction and to Mark, K8VF, and others for
their suggestions.
>> 
>> 
>> Paul was right. The problem was on the Xtal
Osc/LO board. The repair process went like this:
>> 
>> 
>> 1) I looked at
the schematic of the board and saw there are 4 separate xtal
>> ? ? oscillators
for ten meters (I assume one for each 500 Khz band segment)
>> ? ? Since I was
losing the entire band, I knew it wasn't one of those circuits.?
>> ? ? That
eliminated a lot of circuitry as a possible cause.
>> 
>> 
>> 2) After
reading the theory of operation, I pretty much narrowed things down ? ? to the
L9, L10, and L11 circuits, plus the Q4 and Q5 circuits.
>> 
>> 
>> 3) I
resoldered every component in those areas and voila, no more spurs or
>> ? ?
floaters and so far, RX and TX are fine. (I'm fairly certain the rig would
>> ?
? have failed?by?now)
>> 
>> 
>> Later, Joe
>> 
>>
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