[TenTec] Argo 6
Howell, D. Haney
howellh at winthrop.edu
Tue May 12 06:16:52 EDT 2015
I, too, am very impressed and am truly enjoying this radio. One caution. When the supply voltage from my battery drops to 12 volts, the receive goes dead. I actually sent it back to TT and there were no problems. Just the low voltage.
Haney
k2xn
> On May 12, 2015, at 5:54 AM, "tentec-request at contesting.com" <tentec-request at contesting.com> wrote:
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: TT Orion 2 and Yaesu CM-500 - RF problem sorted! -
> classic Pin 1 issue (Steve Ireland)
> 2. Re: TT Orion 2 and Yaesu CM-500 - RF problem sorted! -
> classic Pin 1 issue (Jim Brown)
> 3. Argonaut VI...first impressions (Lee WA3FIY)
> 4. Re: Argonaut VI...first impressions (Duane Calvin)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 09:30:19 +0800
> From: "Steve Ireland" <vk6vz at arach.net.au>
> To: <tentec at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] TT Orion 2 and Yaesu CM-500 - RF problem sorted!
> - classic Pin 1 issue
> Message-ID: <17436C481B134801B9AB6F4090FCFE9F at StevesHPpcPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> As Jim K9YC says, a Misconception Alert? here is very important ? and part of the problem is about what we name things.
>
> In the TT Orion 2 manual, as per what seems the general convention in electronics today, the ?ve connection from a mic element is the connection called ?MIC GND (mic signal ground ? pin 7).
>
> As checked by my ohmmeter, there is no direct connection between the MIC GND at the rig and the actual rig ground (labelled GND (pin 5).
>
> The good news is the Orion 2 manual says: ?Keeping the chassis ground and mic signal ground separated are done to reduce the possibility of inducing stray hum or RFI into the transmitted signal? and gives a nice diagram to help ensure you do this.
>
> What I said in the previous email was what I physically did, but the idea and the end result was to avoid a path for RF current flowing on the shield of the microphone cable (which runs from the TT Orion 2 to the interface box) into the electret microphone element.
>
> As K9YC points out, this was achieved by connecting the shield/chassis ground to the interface box, which kept the RF outside the box. The so called MIC GND (microphone -ve) travels through the interface box without any connection to chassis ground.
>
> The CM-500 enclosure is made of plastic and so (of course) offers no shielding to the electret element. As one of the antennas I now use ? a 40m Moxon Rectangle ? has feeders which come into the shack, so I can vary the amplitude and phase of the current in the reflector for maximum gain/F to B and its tuning unit currently has no cover, there seems to be a lot more RF in the shack than there used to be...
>
> Despite this situation, I was grateful (and a little surprised) that doing the above to the interface worked OK without the need for any further RF suppression.
>
> Sorry for any confusion caused ? and thanks to all who helped.
>
> Vy 73
>
> Steve, VK6VZ
>
>
> On Fri,4/10/2015 12:44 AM, Steve Ireland wrote:
>>> Isolating mic ground from the rig ground, along with making sure the interface aluminium box was connected to the rig ground, stopped the RF from getting into the CM-500 electret element.
>
>> Misconception Alert!
>
>> We are not talking about a connection to Mother Earth. That is NOT part
> of a solution to RFI. What we are talking about is avoiding a path for
> RF current flowing on the shield that goes THROUGH the box. When we
> connect the shield to the chassis, we keep the RF outside the box.
>
>
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
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>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:43:00 -0700
> From: Jim Brown <k9yc at audiosystemsgroup.com>
> To: tentec at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] TT Orion 2 and Yaesu CM-500 - RF problem sorted!
> - classic Pin 1 issue
> Message-ID: <5528A654.6070807 at audiosystemsgroup.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>
> Steve,
>
> No matter what the manual says, much of what Ten Tec and other ham mfrs
> do is WRONG, including much of what you are describing. CAPS added for
> emphasis.
>
> The ONLY proper connection for a cable shield is the CHASSIS at the
> point where it enters the box. PERIOD. Not "rig ground." What IS OK is
> for an overall cable shield to go directly to the chassis and a signal
> pair within that shield to go to Mic and Mic return, but I seriously
> doubt that's what they're doing.
>
>> On Fri,4/10/2015 6:30 PM, Steve Ireland wrote:
>> As Jim K9YC says, a Misconception Alert? here is very important ? and part of the problem is about what we name things.
>>
>> In the TT Orion 2 manual, as per what seems the general convention in electronics today, the ?ve connection from a mic element is the connection called ?MIC GND (mic signal ground ? pin 7).
>
> It's a common mistake, called the Pin One Problem.
>
>> As checked by my ohmmeter, there is no direct connection between the MIC GND at the rig and the actual rig ground (labelled GND (pin 5).
>>
>> The good news is the Orion 2 manual says: ?Keeping the chassis ground and mic signal ground separated are done to reduce the possibility of inducing stray hum or RFI into the transmitted signal? and gives a nice diagram to help ensure you do this.
>
> Again, this is a CAUSE of hum, buzz, and RFI, not a solution to it.
>
>> What I said in the previous email was what I physically did, but the idea and the end result was to avoid a path for RF current flowing on the shield of the microphone cable (which runs from the TT Orion 2 to the interface box) into the electret microphone element.
>>
>> As K9YC points out, this was achieved by connecting the shield/chassis ground to the interface box, which kept the RF outside the box. The so called MIC GND (microphone -ve) travels through the interface box without any connection to chassis ground.
>
> See above. The only way that this would be good circuit is if the two
> mic wires (mic and mic gnd) are a twisted pair inside a braid shield
> that is bonded to the chassis at the point of entry, and the circuit
> inside the box is some form of balanced input.
>
>> The CM-500 enclosure is made of plastic and so (of course) offers no shielding to the electret element.
>
> Like most hams, you are fixating on shielding, when the problem is
> almost never a lack of shielding, but rather improper connection of
> cable shields.
>
> Here's a tutorial I've done on proper power, bonding, and audio for ham
> radio.
>
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__k9yc.com_GroundingAndAudio.pdf&d=AwICAg&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=qLRr3eMSdgHqtZiPnK6NYt_TFH3FwDzD-b4QQg-nAZI&m=xscY19--ywQeNMQt6a1QxidpZywfneyDC-lDttGkbxU&s=PTgwar259RYaAUmwCbBnokjmeK8mlrGpUI0GhwzH5Q0&e=
>
> Soon after I moved to CA, I was invited to guest-op at N6RO, a
> superstation about 70 miles east of San Francisco. The power there had
> been very well installed, but lots of dumb stuff had been done with
> power strips, MOV boxes, and interconnects for computers and other gear,
> and the buzz from power system leakage currents were absolutely awful on
> the air. In an afternoon, I applied the principles outlined in that
> tutorial to Ken's six legal limit stations, each with its own computer,
> interface boxes, etc . By the end of the afternoon, buzz had gone from
> awful to inaudible. And all without a single audio transformer anywhere
> in the station. Just proper bonding of both power and the gear.
>
> 73
>
>> As one of the antennas I now use ? a 40m Moxon Rectangle ? has feeders which come into the shack, so I can vary the amplitude and phase of the current in the reflector for maximum gain/F to B and its tuning unit currently has no cover, there seems to be a lot more RF in the shack than there used to be...
>>
>> Despite this situation, I was grateful (and a little surprised) that doing the above to the interface worked OK without the need for any further RF suppression.
>
> Part of it is that you got lucky. :)
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>>
>> Sorry for any confusion caused ? and thanks to all who helped.
>>
>> Vy 73
>>
>> Steve, VK6VZ
>>
>>
>> On Fri,4/10/2015 12:44 AM, Steve Ireland wrote:
>>>> Isolating mic ground from the rig ground, along with making sure the interface aluminium box was connected to the rig ground, stopped the RF from getting into the CM-500 electret element.
>>> Misconception Alert!
>>> We are not talking about a connection to Mother Earth. That is NOT part
>> of a solution to RFI. What we are talking about is avoiding a path for
>> RF current flowing on the shield that goes THROUGH the box. When we
>> connect the shield to the chassis, we keep the RF outside the box.
>>
>>
>>
>> ---
>> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.avast.com&d=AwICAg&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=qLRr3eMSdgHqtZiPnK6NYt_TFH3FwDzD-b4QQg-nAZI&m=xscY19--ywQeNMQt6a1QxidpZywfneyDC-lDttGkbxU&s=phJfHdnH5TBEJvqB7v0ZUm9MEZks0NHCmmbBb7-Ij90&e=
>> _______________________________________________
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>> TenTec at contesting.com
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>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 10:29:23 -0400
> From: "Lee WA3FIY" <wa3fiy at radioadv.com>
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec at contesting.com>
> Subject: [TenTec] Argonaut VI...first impressions
> Message-ID: <55292FC3.4191.91D8C0F at wa3fiy.radioadv.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
>
> Argonaut VI first impressions...........
>
> WOW! :-)
>
> That's my first impression of my new Argonaut VI (A6). This is without a doubt one
> of the nicest most enjoyable radios I have owned in my 50 years of ham radio, and I
> have owned many. It has exceeded (nearly) all of my expectations.
>
> It is easy to learn and easy to use and provides top notch receive performance. I'm
> unable to comment on voice mode operation as I'm nearly deaf and don't do voice,
> but CW and digital operations are absolutely outstanding. The signal quality on my
> digital signal is the best I have seen from any of my rigs, even at full power output
> which is where I run it most of the time. More on output power shortly. All the
> controls have a solid feel. I especially like the tuning knob. No cheap plastic here.
> :-) Although the radio is small, I find it easy to operate each control. Every function
> I need is available and works well. The output transistors are very robust and
> should hold up well under most any operation. The output stage does not fold back
> under high swr conditions from what I can tell.
>
> Ten watts is enough power for most of my operating but there are times when I
> need a little more. For those times I use a HR50/AT amplifier for fifty watts output
> or a Hercules II for around 200 watts output. This combination, A6 and Herc II,
> make an extremely low distortion 200 watt station, virtually bullet proof and with a
> little work on my part making an interconnecting cable, the Herc will automatically
> follow the A6 from band to band.
>
> I intended to use the A6 for battery operations since it is rated to operate down to
> 9.5 volts, but I am so impressed with this thing that it may well become my primary
> station radio along with the Hercules II.
>
> It may sound like I have found the perfect radio. Not quite. One issue I have is
> zero beating the incoming signal on CW. I've not yet found a way to do that with
> the radio only. Currently I use my computer running a spectrum analysis program
> and tune to the frequency setting of my CW offset. That works well but it's another
> piece of equipment that may not always be available. If anyone knows how to zero
> beat using some built-in radio function, please speak up.
>
> Well....those are my first impressions. Ten-Tec has a winner in the Argonaut VI. I
> hope they keep it in the line-up for many years to come. There are seven hams in
> my family and we try to have similar rigs. Maybe the Argonaut will be that rig in the
> future.
>
> I'll keep you posted on how things go.
>
> 73 from a happy camper,
>
> -Lee-
>
> WA3FIY
>
>
>
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.avast.com&d=AwICAg&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=qLRr3eMSdgHqtZiPnK6NYt_TFH3FwDzD-b4QQg-nAZI&m=xscY19--ywQeNMQt6a1QxidpZywfneyDC-lDttGkbxU&s=phJfHdnH5TBEJvqB7v0ZUm9MEZks0NHCmmbBb7-Ij90&e=
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 10:30:18 -0500
> From: "Duane Calvin" <ac5aa1 at gmail.com>
> To: <wa3fiy at radioadv.com>, "'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'"
> <tentec at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Argonaut VI...first impressions
> Message-ID: <027d01d0746c$6b789920$4269cb60$@gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Thanks for the positive review, Lee. I purchased one, used, last year and
> have not had much opportunity to use it yet. What little I have done really
> surprised me on how well it operated, and the strength of the receiver. I'm
> setting mine up for portable use. Many of your comments captured what I had
> discovered too.
>
> 73, Duane
>
> Duane Calvin, AC5AA
> Austin, Texas
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.ac5aa.com&d=AwICAg&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=qLRr3eMSdgHqtZiPnK6NYt_TFH3FwDzD-b4QQg-nAZI&m=xscY19--ywQeNMQt6a1QxidpZywfneyDC-lDttGkbxU&s=LWsazZpT8Dqp7z8laRiUjGKTYvcCLaY2cjrBoKZUFhg&e= ??
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Lee WA3FIY
> Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 9:29 AM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: [TenTec] Argonaut VI...first impressions
>
>
> Argonaut VI first impressions...........
>
> WOW! :-)
>
> That's my first impression of my new Argonaut VI (A6). This is without a
> doubt one
> of the nicest most enjoyable radios I have owned in my 50 years of ham
> radio, and I
> have owned many. It has exceeded (nearly) all of my expectations.
>
> It is easy to learn and easy to use and provides top notch receive
> performance. I'm
> unable to comment on voice mode operation as I'm nearly deaf and don't do
> voice,
> but CW and digital operations are absolutely outstanding. The signal
> quality on my
> digital signal is the best I have seen from any of my rigs, even at full
> power output
> which is where I run it most of the time. More on output power shortly.
> All the
> controls have a solid feel. I especially like the tuning knob. No cheap
> plastic here.
> :-) Although the radio is small, I find it easy to operate each control.
> Every function
> I need is available and works well. The output transistors are very robust
> and
> should hold up well under most any operation. The output stage does not
> fold back
> under high swr conditions from what I can tell.
>
> Ten watts is enough power for most of my operating but there are times when
> I
> need a little more. For those times I use a HR50/AT amplifier for fifty
> watts output
> or a Hercules II for around 200 watts output. This combination, A6 and Herc
> II,
> make an extremely low distortion 200 watt station, virtually bullet proof
> and with a
> little work on my part making an interconnecting cable, the Herc will
> automatically
> follow the A6 from band to band.
>
> I intended to use the A6 for battery operations since it is rated to operate
> down to
> 9.5 volts, but I am so impressed with this thing that it may well become my
> primary
> station radio along with the Hercules II.
>
> It may sound like I have found the perfect radio. Not quite. One issue I
> have is
> zero beating the incoming signal on CW. I've not yet found a way to do that
> with
> the radio only. Currently I use my computer running a spectrum analysis
> program
> and tune to the frequency setting of my CW offset. That works well but it's
> another
> piece of equipment that may not always be available. If anyone knows how to
> zero
> beat using some built-in radio function, please speak up.
>
> Well....those are my first impressions. Ten-Tec has a winner in the
> Argonaut VI. I
> hope they keep it in the line-up for many years to come. There are seven
> hams in
> my family and we try to have similar rigs. Maybe the Argonaut will be that
> rig in the
> future.
>
> I'll keep you posted on how things go.
>
> 73 from a happy camper,
>
> -Lee-
>
> WA3FIY
>
>
>
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
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>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
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>
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