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Ubitx V3 Please Help, ANTENNA Pins on PCB have SHORTED no Receive #ubitx #ubitx-help


 

Hello,?
?
My Name is Fabian and 31 years old from Meiningen in Germany and a have HAM Licence Class E since 5 Weeks and my English is not the best so i hope you can forgive me my writing and spelling mistakes and can unterstand my problem. I need really your help and i i really thankfully for any help so i can cry when my Ubitx receive at one day..
?
I have not much money and a have many health problems so a have only a little job and can't buy a Transceiver like a Yaesu or Icom in this price class.. My big Dream was to have a little SSB Transceiver for 80m and 10m, bescause in Germany with my HAM Class E onky 160m,80m,15m,10m are allowed.?
?
So a other HAM from my town sell a Ubitx and i was very lucky to think for 130€ my big Dream was come true.. He says its the best for me and not really difficult to construct, only little bit of soldering an than i can have my QSO a few our later.. So i trust him because i think its a friend, but he knows that i was a beginner of HAM.. I do not want to blame him, only I am a bit out of tune because many said a kit was not for a bloody beginner.?
?
But now to my problem..
?
I have been trying to get the transceiver running for a month but unfortunately without success. I have tried many things including the updates of the CEC versions and the Ubitx version v4 but all you hear are rushing and sounding like digital beeping. I've also tried the audio NF chip, the TDA2822 is the version FCI and does not seem to be the problem. Then I tried everything again with other antennas and also outside to avoid disturbances of the house. but again no success.
?
By chance, I then checked everything for short circuits and suddenly I see with the continuity tester, the multimeter tester, between the 2 pins on the board where you connect the antenna cable, which has a short circuit just these two !!! I did not know any further .. Then I was in the Ubitx chat from the forum here and David said that's just not good and that must be the error that I'm not receiving properly .. By the way, thanks again to david if you read it, You are really nice and I would like to say thank you again !!
?
that's exactly my big problem. I need urgently your help to repair the antenna pin short circuit. I'm really really thankful for any help I can do now or check something. or if it is possible that you had this error before and know what needs to be repaired. I am really very sad to have not had a single QSO for my test for ham... but maybe everything will be alright, I always hope so...
?
I say thank you very much!

Best regards Fabian


 

Fabian:
If you look at he schematic, you will see that the antenna connects to T2 through the relays and a Low pass filter. It should present a DC short. However for RF this is OK since the transformer is normally not a short. If you could describe your problem in more detail maybe we can help you. Does your Raduino work? Do you hear any signals? Etc.

Howard
Quoting sdr freak <sdrfreak55@...>:

Hello,?
?
My Name is Fabian and 31 years old from Meiningen in Germany and a have HAM Licence Class E since 5 Weeks and my English is not the best so i hope you can forgive me my writing and spelling mistakes and can unterstand my problem. I need really your help and i i really thankfully for any help so i can cry when my Ubitx receive at one day..
?
I have not much money and a have many health problems so a have only a little job and can't buy a Transceiver like a Yaesu or Icom in this price class.. My big Dream was to have a little SSB Transceiver for 80m and 10m, bescause in Germany with my HAM Class E onky 160m,80m,15m,10m are allowed.?
?
So a other HAM from my town sell a Ubitx and i was very lucky to think for 130€ my big Dream was come true.. He says its the best for me and not really difficult to construct, only little bit of soldering an than i can have my QSO a few our later.. So i trust him because i think its a friend, but he knows that i was a beginner of HAM.. I do not want to blame him, only I am a bit out of tune because many said a kit was not for a bloody beginner.?
?
But now to my problem..
?
I have been trying to get the transceiver running for a month but unfortunately without success. I have tried many things including the updates of the CEC versions and the Ubitx version v4 but all you hear are rushing and sounding like digital beeping. I've also tried the audio NF chip, the TDA2822 is the version FCI and does not seem to be the problem. Then I tried everything again with other antennas and also outside to avoid disturbances of the house. but again no success.
?
By chance, I then checked everything for short circuits and suddenly I see with the continuity tester, the multimeter tester, between the 2 pins on the board where you connect the antenna cable, which has a short circuit just these two !!! I did not know any further .. Then I was in the Ubitx chat from the forum here and David said that's just not good and that must be the error that I'm not receiving properly .. By the way, thanks again to david if you read it, You are really nice and I would like to say thank you again !!
?
that's exactly my big problem. I need urgently your help to repair the antenna pin short circuit. I'm really really thankful for any help I can do now or check something. or if it is possible that you had this error before and know what needs to be repaired. I am really very sad to have not had a single QSO for my test for ham... but maybe everything will be alright, I always hope so...
?
I say thank you very much!

Best regards Fabian


 

Hello Fabian,

If you trace the circuit from the antenna it will lead you through several relay contacts to an inductor to ground. That is a piece of wire that wraps around and around with or without a core. Your meter uses direct current to measure resistance and continuity. Direct current sees any inductor as a plain old piece of wire - a short. So it sees that inductor to ground as a dead short. At RF frequencies however, it is NOT a short. Most - maybe all - radios will have this:) So you should continue looking elsewhere for the problem.

Have you completed the "alignment" steps? If the oscillators are far off frequency the radio will not work very well if at all. Do you have a more experienced ham there who can help you?

Fabian, we all have or had different 'starting' places. It is not reasonable to assert that a kit is not for a beginner! At one time if hams did not make their own radios from scratch (not even a kit) they had no radio at all. The uBitx is not really so much of a kit. Building your own gear from scratch or from a kit is 'learning by total immersion'. Sometimes that method can seem frustrating but eventually we all get where we want to be. Just relax and enjoy the 'journey'. After you have finally sorted out the trouble and corrected it you will find it more satisfying than that Kenwood or Yaesu:) Those have their own rewards and can be an appropriate starting place for somebody else.

I started out building radios from a pile of old junk harvested from dead radios. At times it was discouraging but in the end it doesn't seem to have hurt me:)

And now about your English. Your English is very usable for a non native English user. I know only a few German words and not very much about the grammar or syntax. If I was suddenly transplanted to Germany I would experience 'total immersion' and would soon be speaking, reading, and writing German. It would sometimes seem frustrating but eventually I would fit right in :) For now your English is substantially better than my German.

73,

Bill KU8H

On 08/25/2018 07:00 AM, sdr freak wrote:
Hello,

My Name is Fabian and 31 years old from Meiningen in Germany and a have
HAM Licence Class E since 5 Weeks and my English is not the best so i
hope you can forgive me my writing and spelling mistakes and can
unterstand my problem. I need really your help and i i really thankfully
for any help so i can cry when my Ubitx receive at one day..

I have not much money and a have many health problems so a have only a
little job and can't buy a Transceiver like a Yaesu or Icom in this
price class.. My big Dream was to have a little SSB Transceiver for 80m
and 10m, bescause in Germany with my HAM Class E onky 160m,80m,15m,10m
are allowed.

So a other HAM from my town sell a Ubitx and i was very lucky to think
for 130€ my big Dream was come true.. He says its the best for me and
not really difficult to construct, only little bit of soldering an than
i can have my QSO a few our later.. So i trust him because i think its a
friend, but he knows that i was a beginner of HAM.. I do not want to
blame him, only I am a bit out of tune because many said a kit was not
for a bloody beginner.

But now to my problem..

I have been trying to get the transceiver running for a month but
unfortunately without success. I have tried many things including the
updates of the CEC versions and the Ubitx version v4 but all you hear
are rushing and sounding like digital beeping. I've also tried the audio
NF chip, the TDA2822 is the version FCI and does not seem to be the
problem. Then I tried everything again with other antennas and also
outside to avoid disturbances of the house. but again no success.

By chance, I then checked everything for short circuits and suddenly I
see with the continuity tester, the multimeter tester, between the 2
pins on the board where you connect the antenna cable, which has a short
circuit just these two !!! I did not know any further .. Then I was in
the Ubitx chat from the forum here and David said that's just not good
and that must be the error that I'm not receiving properly .. By the
way, thanks again to david if you read it, You are really nice and I
would like to say thank you again !!

that's exactly my big problem. I need urgently your help to repair the
antenna pin short circuit. I'm really really thankful for any help I can
do now or check something. or if it is possible that you had this error
before and know what needs to be repaired. I am really very sad to have
not had a single QSO for my test for ham... but maybe everything will be
alright, I always hope so...

I say thank you very much!

Best regards Fabian
--
bark less - wag more


 

Fabian
you will always get a DC short across the antenna terminals.
If you follow the circuit from the two antenna connectors one is earth, on receive the other goes from K3 contact 12 to 14 to K1 contact 12 to 14 to L1, L2, L3, L4 of the Low Pass Filter to T2 winding one side marked number 1 through the coil marked side number 6 to earth.
On Transmit the winding of the output transformer T11 marked number 2 is earth, the other side of the winding marked number 6 goes to KT1 contact 12 to contact 16 and then through the respective Low Pass Filter depending on which band you are transmitting.
As you can see there is always continuity through the various coils and you will always get a DC short across the antenna terminals both on receiving and transmitting.
As for not receiving anything, did you connect an antenna to the transceiver?
Regards
Lawrence

On Sat, Aug 25, 2018 at 1:00 PM sdr freak <sdrfreak55@...> wrote:
Hello,?
?
My Name is Fabian and 31 years old from Meiningen in Germany and a have HAM Licence Class E since 5 Weeks and my English is not the best so i hope you can forgive me my writing and spelling mistakes and can unterstand my problem. I need really your help and i i really thankfully for any help so i can cry when my Ubitx receive at one day..
?
I have not much money and a have many health problems so a have only a little job and can't buy a Transceiver like a Yaesu or Icom in this price class.. My big Dream was to have a little SSB Transceiver for 80m and 10m, bescause in Germany with my HAM Class E onky 160m,80m,15m,10m are allowed.?
?
So a other HAM from my town sell a Ubitx and i was very lucky to think for 130€ my big Dream was come true.. He says its the best for me and not really difficult to construct, only little bit of soldering an than i can have my QSO a few our later.. So i trust him because i think its a friend, but he knows that i was a beginner of HAM.. I do not want to blame him, only I am a bit out of tune because many said a kit was not for a bloody beginner.?
?
But now to my problem..
?
I have been trying to get the transceiver running for a month but unfortunately without success. I have tried many things including the updates of the CEC versions and the Ubitx version v4 but all you hear are rushing and sounding like digital beeping. I've also tried the audio NF chip, the TDA2822 is the version FCI and does not seem to be the problem. Then I tried everything again with other antennas and also outside to avoid disturbances of the house. but again no success.
?
By chance, I then checked everything for short circuits and suddenly I see with the continuity tester, the multimeter tester, between the 2 pins on the board where you connect the antenna cable, which has a short circuit just these two !!! I did not know any further .. Then I was in the Ubitx chat from the forum here and David said that's just not good and that must be the error that I'm not receiving properly .. By the way, thanks again to david if you read it, You are really nice and I would like to say thank you again !!
?
that's exactly my big problem. I need urgently your help to repair the antenna pin short circuit. I'm really really thankful for any help I can do now or check something. or if it is possible that you had this error before and know what needs to be repaired. I am really very sad to have not had a single QSO for my test for ham... but maybe everything will be alright, I always hope so...
?
I say thank you very much!

Best regards Fabian


 




?OHH!! I look here at this post and can see many answers !! First I must say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU @ all 3 People here who helps me so much!


On Sat, Aug 25, 2018 at 04:38 AM, Howard Fidel wrote:
Fabian:
If you look at he schematic, you will see that the antenna connects
to T2 through the relays and a Low pass filter. It should present a DC
short. However for RF this is OK since the transformer is normally
not a short
Ah Ok thanks now i understand this.. Yes ok i know now again: you will always learn new things in life.

If you could describe your problem in more detail maybe we can help you. Does your Raduino work? Do you hear any signals? Etc.Howard
Yes the Raduino works,.. I think it works when the LCD screen works and the menu is operable, just as I see it in youtube videos in others, so should work it??

Sound works, the TDA2822 FCI Chip seems to be ok and not blowed when i can hear a rushing sound. and i only heared somethime a am radio station from a few thousend km far away.. lol, on this day i thought, it goes be alright and i can hear ssb signals in next time but no ssb signal ever heared.. and i can hear tones like a jt65 sound or so at 10.098 Mhz a few times.. all others that i heared was only "piep pieeep" like a space computer sound, sorry for my description but i think you know what i mean..


On Sat, Aug 25, 2018 at 04:41 AM, Bill Cromwell wrote:
Hello Fabian,If you trace the circuit from the antenna it will lead you through several relay contacts to an inductor to ground. That is a piece of wire that wraps around and around with or without a core. Your meter uses direct current to measure resistance and continuity. Direct current sees any inductor as a plain old piece of wire - a short. So it sees that inductor to ground as a dead short. At RF frequencies however, it is NOT a short. Most - maybe all - radios will have this:)
Ok thank you, too now i am know this and i'm verry happy to know everything new from HAM and Radio technics.

So you should continue looking elsewhere for the problem.Have you completed the "alignment" steps? If the oscillators are far off frequency the radio will not work very well if at all.
I tried to set the BFO in the menu by display and the IRF510 (RVF2 + RFV3) current to measure and adjust with a screwdriver, but I still needed help. And I would have to readjust the Raduino on the knob (P2) but I would also need some tips for that.

Do you have a more experienced ham there who can help you?
Not really.. But today, later he say, a Ham would help me to test a few transmissions from him to me and i should say when receive..

Fabian, we all have or had different 'starting' places. It is not reasonable to assert that a kit is not for a beginner! At one time if hams did not make their own radios from scratch (not even a kit) they had no radio at all. The uBitx is not really so much of a kit. Building your own gear from scratch or from a kit is 'learning by total immersion'. Sometimes that method can seem frustrating but eventually we all get where we want to be. Just relax and enjoy the 'journey'. After you have finally sorted out the trouble and corrected it you will find it more satisfying than that Kenwood or Yaesu:) Those have their own rewards and can be an appropriate starting place for somebody else.I started out building radios from a pile of old junk harvested from dead radios. At times it was discouraging but in the end it doesn't seem to have hurt me:)
Sorry i unterstand and this is real you say. I didn't mean to say it was bad. I even collect a lot of bulky waste myself, such as radios and other electrical appliances and then solder them together and really like to make things. And doesn't want to be a "plug socket - amateur". So I have something to apologize for with the wrong wording.

And now about your English. Your English is very usable for a non native English user. I know only a few German words and not very much about the grammar or syntax. If I was suddenly transplanted to Germany I would experience 'total immersion' and would soon be speaking, reading, and writing German. It would sometimes seem frustrating but eventually I would fit right in :) For now your English is substantially better than my German.73,Bill KU8H
ok Thank you!

On Sat, Aug 25, 2018 at 05:14 AM, Lawrence Galea wrote:
Fabian
you will always get a DC short across the antenna terminals.
If you follow the circuit from the two antenna connectors one is earth, on receive the other goes from K3 contact 12 to 14 to K1 contact 12 to 14 to L1, L2, L3, L4 of the Low Pass Filter to T2 winding one side marked number 1 through the coil marked side number 6 to earth.
On Transmit the winding of the output transformer T11 marked number 2 is earth, the other side of the winding marked number 6 goes to KT1 contact 12 to contact 16 and then through the respective Low Pass Filter depending on which band you are transmitting.
As you can see there is always continuity through the various coils and you will always get a DC short across the antenna terminals both on receiving and transmitting.
Thank you too i would say to you for your help, thanks! i did the measurement but in the switched off state and in the switched on state and measured the board for short circuits and at both times the short circuit... but i think this is then immediately explainable as you and the other 2 HAM had explained it...?

As for not receiving anything, did you connect an antenna to the transceiver?
Yeah Antenna is Dipol for 10m ans Dipol for 80m and i should say that i never have transmit, only receive..

Regards
Lawrence
Thank you very much!!

So...ok
Now I hope my answers have bring new Ideas and tips.. thank you all for new help again


 

Hello again :-)?

Sorry for asking again,.. But are there no answer for the new message that i wrote??

I am happy for read some new help, so we can work together for the ubitx and i'm hope it works at on day..

Are there any Ideas? What should I do next? Where are things to check for the receiving to optimize?

Best regards Fabian


 

Hi Fabian,

I must have missed your new question. Will you repeat it?

73,

Bill KU8H

On 08/29/2018 02:28 PM, sdr freak wrote:
Hello again :-)

Sorry for asking again,.. But are there no answer for the new message
that i wrote?

I am happy for read some new help, so we can work together for the ubitx
and i'm hope it works at on day..

Are there any Ideas? What should I do next? Where are things to check
for the receiving to optimize?

Best regards Fabian
--
bark less - wag more


 

On Sat, Aug 25, 2018 at 04:41 AM, Bill Cromwell wrote:
Hello Fabian,If you trace the circuit from the antenna it will lead you through several relay contacts to an inductor to ground. That is a piece of wire that wraps around and around with or without a core. Your meter uses direct current to measure resistance and continuity. Direct current sees any inductor as a plain old piece of wire - a short. So it sees that inductor to ground as a dead short. At RF frequencies however, it is NOT a short. Most - maybe all - radios will have this:)
Ok thank you, too now i am know this and i'm verry happy to know everything new from HAM and Radio technics.

So you should continue looking elsewhere for the problem.Have you completed the "alignment" steps? If the oscillators are far off frequency the radio will not work very well if at all.
I tried to set the BFO in the menu by display and the IRF510 (RVF2 + RFV3) current to measure and adjust with a screwdriver, but I still needed help. And I would have to adjust the Raduino on the knob (P2) but I would also need some tips for that.

Do you have a more experienced ham there who can help you?
Not really.. But today, later he say, a Ham would help me to test a few transmissions from him to me and i should say when receive..

Fabian, we all have or had different 'starting' places. It is not reasonable to assert that a kit is not for a beginner! At one time if hams did not make their own radios from scratch (not even a kit) they had no radio at all. The uBitx is not really so much of a kit. Building your own gear from scratch or from a kit is 'learning by total immersion'. Sometimes that method can seem frustrating but eventually we all get where we want to be. Just relax and enjoy the 'journey'. After you have finally sorted out the trouble and corrected it you will find it more satisfying than that Kenwood or Yaesu:) Those have their own rewards and can be an appropriate starting place for somebody else.I started out building radios from a pile of old junk harvested from dead radios. At times it was discouraging but in the end it doesn't seem to have hurt me:)
Sorry i unterstand and this is real you say. I didn't mean to say it was bad. I even collect a lot of bulky waste myself, such as radios and other electrical appliances and then solder them together and really like to make things. And doesn't want to be a "plug socket - amateur". So I have something to apologize for with the wrong wording.

And now about your English. Your English is very usable for a non native English user. I know only a few German words and not very much about the grammar or syntax. If I was suddenly transplanted to Germany I would experience 'total immersion' and would soon be speaking, reading, and writing German. It would sometimes seem frustrating but eventually I would fit right in :) For now your English is substantially better than my German.73,Bill KU8H
ok Thank you!


This was the text i have wrote for you..

Now are the question are:

-what i can do for better receive?
-what i should adjust at the points on the board: RVF2 + RVF3 and the other varable resistor near there?
-what software you think is the best for good receive, i would think of installing now the cec1.08?

ok this are my question at the momment..


thank you for helping me !

hope for answer, thanks

best regards Fabian, DO6FAB


 

Hi Fabian,

have you been able to perform the above mentioned test QSO?

I¡®m still not sure which sound you meant with ?....?all others that i heared was only "piep pieeep" like a space computer sound?.

Was it Morse Code or something else? maybe you can record an audio sample to make it clear.

Armin, DJ2AG


 

Hello ! Hello ! Thank, very cool to meet a german HAM here !

Ok the Test QSO, was like an test Receive ..hahaha ..ok let me tell you the situation..

An other HAM from the same town helps there, we talk over VHF with mobile transceiver to manage this test..

When it starts, from about 500m near to my home QTH he was sending on 29.000Mhz and at the beginning i don?t hear anything..? (an other HAM has give the information he hear this test on 29.000 and so it was mostly correct Frequency, i would say..or better would think was it.. with the word "say it was 100% this frequency" it is a little bit "lifted up" when i don?t really see the other people sending on, but i hope he was correct.)

Then i adjust in the Raduino's Menu the "Calbration" and the "BFO" to look for the right Frequency nearly comes to 29.000Mhz and the NF Sound was not at least like an alien.(ok i don't have heard a real alien, but i would decribe it whit this imagination)

Whit this adjust i coming to a point, where i can say that was it was unacceptable to work with it. Ok you could hear the voice somewhat, but the problem was that the frequency was not right and the tuning was not successful anymore, so of course it does not make fun of it.

To be able to start something with the ubitx and be able to send, too much is still missing!
However, the transmitting should I address again here ... until now, it was just crap, but there must I be able to repair something else or?

I tested the first time to send(tx),.. and as soon as I plugged in the microphone and pressed ptt, it started as if there were a lot of clicks, but in a way like when a relay plays crazy and cracked it weird and followed in fast again and again these crack/clicks!!! (it sounds like a more difficult problem, what can it be??)
Ok..that went in the second almost 10 times or more so that I immediately after 1-2 seconds, the ptt button let go and the microphone pulled out again.
So this was the next problem and i think, this "tx-problem" was became an important look at next time when the receive works fine and have time for this station...

..now, at the least must it should be receive for the first time, because for me the ground of the housing and the right grounded-circuit diagram and then receiving the first ssb stations...this was recommend in the first place. I do not count the test with the ssb reception of 500m distance. I would like to hear something with the ubitx from thousands of miles away. And I would like to transmit too, if it works, also around the world.

Yes a big construction site is the device what I got there ...


I would be glad again very much if somebody can help me!! Thanks!

best Regards Fabian, DO6FAB


 

Hi Fabian,

Yes concentrating first on fixing the receive part ?Baustelle¡° is a good idea. From what you¡¯ve described it looks to me that you possibly have changed already too much calibration ?screws¡°. If you cannot do the calibration with help of an AM radio station, you maybe can ask your local DARC ham club for help. They for sure have some frequency generator to help with the alignment and are willing to support a new ham doing his first steps in the ham radio world.

One other thing regarding the relais clicks in tx mode. What type of power supply are you using? Is it able to handle the amount of power your uBitx consumes in transmit mode? RV2 and RV3 aligned as described in documentation?

73 Armin


Guy WB7SZI