Another one, Really?

Well,

Some of you may remember the radio I bought a while ago on a "definitely no warranty implied, given or otherwise" basis back here:

http://g0mgx.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/theres-life-in-old-dog.html

Well, that radio ended up with my chum Vince, G0ORC, he has added some filters and uses it from time to time and enjoys the radio very much.

Well, it just so happens that I have found another one, this time rather than the PSU being broken, this one doesn't have a PSU at all! When I brought this home I had no idea if it worked or was a complete pile of junk:

So it's a 2003 FT1000 MP Mark 5 (200W) with a missing PSU! I've connected 13.8V to the appropriate place on the back connector and the radio lights up and makes all the expected noises, I've also had a look inside and it looks very clean and tidy.

To be friends with this radio, I've ordered one of these from ebay to provide me with the 30V rails needed for the PA:

This is 28V rated at 500W, I've also built a 13.8V 5A ish PSU today for the other power requirements of the radio:

This is based on a transformer I found in the clearance pile in Maplin a few years ago for £5. There's a 723 linear regulator feeding a 2N2053 then a pair of 2N3055s:

I'll have to wait for the SMPS from ebay to complete this project, but I'm off back to A71 land next week so hopefully it should be here when I return.

Florrie cat isn't overly impressed and is currently asleep in a US Postal Services box:

Fun, egh?

5MHz Short Dipole

Well,

Having had my 5MHz NoV renewed in early January, I decided to have a go a fitting a dedicated (shortened) dipole into the garden.

I started with my preferred on-line calculator here:

http://www.k7mem.com/Electronic_Notebook/antennas/shortant.html

A truly magnificent tool, and ended up with this design:

 

I've managed to fit this antenna into the back garden today without getting it too close to anything else. My MFJ Antenna Analyser thingamabob suggested that the SWR and impedance of the antenna was good at the target frequency; after getting some RG58 and running it back to the shack, the radios seem to agree also. Time will tell, but it seems that I have a dipole for 5MHz!

 

 

I also payed a visit to Lam Communications today, rummaging through their shop a FT-1000 took my eye, the PSU for the radio was described as broken and the radio was sold with "no warranty implied or given"... so I've had a punt. Here's what I found inside the PSU:

 

 

 

 So I very quickly concluded that the PSU is all sorts of broken.

 

The radio requires 13.8V at 3A and 30V at 15A (for the PA), so a replacement shouldn't be so hard to manufacture from something.

 

Watch this space, I'll keep you posted.

 

Here's the Geddy cat mid tea munching the other night:

 

 

All good fun though, egh?