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Hi everyone,
Has anyone done the MARS mod on the TX500 radio?
I heard that Lab599 has a US-based service center that will do it, BUT despite repeated calls over a few months, no one?ever answers or responds to voicemails.? ?Frankly, I am a bit skeptical of sending my radio to this place.? Has someone had better luck?
Mark
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I truly hope they are legit as they have my TX-500 for repair. ? However, they did respond timely but have not heard back from them for the last 3 weeks since they have my TX-500.
Regarding MARS mod is there no information online to perform the modification? And what frequencies does the MARS mod give?
? Matt N3VAN ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Mark Tellez Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:37 To: [email protected]Subject: [Lab599] MARS mod on TX500 ? Has anyone done the MARS mod on the TX500 radio? I heard that Lab599 has a US-based service center that will do it, BUT despite repeated calls over a few months, no one?ever answers or responds to voicemails.? ?Frankly, I am a bit skeptical of sending my radio to this place.? Has someone had better luck?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.] ?
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I just got a call back - right after I sent the message - I think that the main engineer there has been ill for the past few weeks.??
All is good now.
Mark I truly hope they are legit as they have my TX-500 for repair. ? However, they did respond timely but have not heard back from them for the last 3 weeks since they have my TX-500.
Regarding MARS mod is there no information online to perform the modification? And what frequencies does the MARS mod give?
? Matt N3VAN ? ? Has anyone done the MARS mod on the TX500 radio? I heard that Lab599 has a US-based service center that will do it, BUT despite repeated calls over a few months, no one?ever answers or responds to voicemails.? ?Frankly, I am a bit skeptical of sending my radio to this place.? Has someone had better luck?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.] ?
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Great to hear! They usually are very responsive. Lot of bugs going around. Luckily they missed me so far. ? Thanks for the update Mark ? Matt N3VAN ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Mark Tellez Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:54 To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [Lab599] MARS mod on TX500 ? I just got a call back - right after I sent the message - I think that the main engineer there has been ill for the past few weeks.?? ? I truly hope they are legit as they have my TX-500 for repair. ? However, they did respond timely but have not heard back from them for the last 3 weeks since they have my TX-500.
Regarding MARS mod is there no information online to perform the modification? And what frequencies does the MARS mod give?
? Matt N3VAN ? ? Has anyone done the MARS mod on the TX500 radio? I heard that Lab599 has a US-based service center that will do it, BUT despite repeated calls over a few months, no one?ever answers or responds to voicemails.? ?Frankly, I am a bit skeptical of sending my radio to this place.? Has someone had better luck?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.] ?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.] ?
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I think that might need to recruit another tech as the main guy seems to be ill quite regularly and people have waited for weeks for repairs to be turned around. It doesn't give a very good impression. Two weeks is about the maximum before my patience would be tried!
73 M3KXZ
I just got a call back - right after I sent the message - I think that the main engineer there has been ill for the past few weeks.??
All is good now.
Mark I truly hope they are legit as they have my TX-500 for repair. ? However, they did respond timely but have not heard back from them for the last 3 weeks since they have my TX-500.
Regarding MARS mod is there no information online to perform the modification? And what frequencies does the MARS mod give?
? Matt N3VAN ? ? Has anyone done the MARS mod on the TX500 radio? I heard that Lab599 has a US-based service center that will do it, BUT despite repeated calls over a few months, no one?ever answers or responds to voicemails.? ?Frankly, I am a bit skeptical of sending my radio to this place.? Has someone had better luck?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.] ?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.]
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using the term "main guy" or "primary tech" gives an impression that you're dealing with a service center. there is one person that from my experience does not have the ability to communicate "no updates" due to a variety?of reasons. Illness, other work requirements.? This seems to be a side job, and he stated he was out of town for work. My experience: sent in a defective unit in July of last year. No updates or response to my emails requesting updates.? I sent registered mail? and then received an update explaining the nature of the problem? and that a replacement board needed to come from Russia, but that was slow. I got my unit back? repaired and functional last month.? Don't expect expediance or communication.? Just hope nothing happens to the one guy who fixes this stuff here in the states, or there will be a pile of hopes and dreams on a workbench in Nevada. I will say that it was worth the wait and add that I am not at all upset with the lack of support from lab599, you can only supply so many parts through backchannel sources. However, if us support is overwhelmed with communication, that might be a signal of a bigger issue.? What is the failure rate?
I think that might need to recruit another tech as the main guy seems to be ill quite regularly and people have waited for weeks for repairs to be turned around. It doesn't give a very good impression. Two weeks is about the maximum before my patience would be tried!
73 M3KXZ
I just got a call back - right after I sent the message - I think that the main engineer there has been ill for the past few weeks.??
All is good now.
Mark I truly hope they are legit as they have my TX-500 for repair. ? However, they did respond timely but have not heard back from them for the last 3 weeks since they have my TX-500.
Regarding MARS mod is there no information online to perform the modification? And what frequencies does the MARS mod give?
? Matt N3VAN ? ? Has anyone done the MARS mod on the TX500 radio? I heard that Lab599 has a US-based service center that will do it, BUT despite repeated calls over a few months, no one?ever answers or responds to voicemails.? ?Frankly, I am a bit skeptical of sending my radio to this place.? Has someone had better luck?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.] ?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.]
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Rodney, you just hit on a subject that I was
very concerned about before I purchased my radio. The ongoing Russian
supply issue is a concern, failure rates, and lack of support. It's a
great radio and I purchased it anyway. I'm just hoping nothing happens
to mine anytime soon.
Larry, WG9U
Rodney N3XG wrote on 3/16/2023 11:16 AM:
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using the term "main guy" or "primary tech" gives an
impression that you're dealing with a service center. there is one
person that from my experience does not have the ability to communicate
"no updates" due to a variety?of reasons. Illness, other work
requirements.? This seems to be a side job, and he stated he was out of
town for work. My experience: sent in a defective unit in July of last
year. No updates or response to my emails requesting updates.? I sent
registered mail? and then received an update explaining the nature of
the problem? and that a replacement board needed to come from Russia,
but that was slow. I got my unit back? repaired and functional last
month.? Don't expect expediance or communication.? Just hope nothing
happens to the one guy who fixes this stuff here in the states, or there
will be a pile of hopes and dreams on a workbench in Nevada. I will say
that it was worth the wait and add that I am not at all upset with the
lack of support from lab599, you can only supply so many parts through
backchannel sources. However, if us support is overwhelmed with
communication, that might be a signal of a bigger issue.? What is the
failure rate?
I think that might need to
recruit another tech as the main guy seems to be ill quite regularly and
people have waited for weeks for repairs to be turned around. It
doesn't give a very good impression. Two weeks is about the maximum
before my patience would be tried!
73 M3KXZ
I just got a call back - right after I sent the message - I
think that the main engineer there has been ill for the past few
weeks.??
All is good now.
Mark I truly hope they are legit as
they have my TX-500 for repair. ? However, they did respond timely but have not heard
back from them for the last 3 weeks since they have my TX-500.
Regarding MARS mod is there no information online
to perform the modification? And what frequencies does the MARS mod
give?
? Matt N3VAN ? ? Has anyone done the MARS mod on the TX500 radio? I heard that
Lab599 has a US-based service center that will do it, BUT despite
repeated calls over a few months, no one?ever answers or responds to
voicemails.? ?Frankly, I am a bit skeptical of sending my radio to this
place.? Has someone had better luck?
[NOTE:? This E-Mail
message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized
review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If you are not
the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and
DESTROY all copies of the original message.] ?
[NOTE:?
This E-Mail message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s)
and may contain FOUO, confidential and privileged information. Any
unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is PROHIBITED. If
you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply
e-mail and DESTROY all copies of the original message.]
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Mark
Mine is currently at the service center for the MARS Mod and warranty service on a power issue.? Won't know how it is going to work out? until I get it back, but from the center, you will have to sign a wavier of any further warranty.
When I inquired about the MARS Mod he sent this:
"It (The MARS Mod) allows the TX-500 to transmit safely within the constraints of the output bandpass filters. The general description would be 1MHz above and below the normal amateur bands.? But never transmit below 1.5 MHz as damage will occur."?
For the MARS Freq's that are outside of 1MHz of the Amateur bands, I'm not so sure if it will really be usable without damaging the radio.
Fred
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I just talked to the service center in NV, the guy who picked up said it's usually a good idea to wait until the 1 year warranty is over as doing the MARs mod will void the warranty. He also mentioned that it's not wise to transmit anything 1 MHZ below the HAM band, it will quickly fry the radio.?
I was hoping they can do a software/firmware update that would prevent that kind of damage from happening ??
They charge 30 bucks plus shipping and handling, average turn over is a few days
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That’s still on my to do list. So wait, even though the mod would be carried out by a factory trained tech (right?) it would still void its Warranty? That would make it pointless no? Might as well do it myself then as I have done it for all my other radios. Does anyone know which resistor needs to be taken out or bridged? I can’t find anything online.
Also, 1Mhz off of which band? All of them? Like +/- 1Mhz max per band??
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Which branch of MARS is most active nowadays? Army MARS? Navy MARS? Air Force MARS? Seabee MARS? I didn’t realize there were still so many active MARS volunteers these days.
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Sorry for all the posts guys. I was doing it through outlook and it was putting links to my business etc. I deleted it. anyway, here is what I posted:?
Hey Johnny so I guess they are considering CB the ham Band because they have that opened up to us. And if they are doing the MARS Mode for customers then I think it would be safe to transmit on those frequencies.?
?
Also, I would think as long as your SWR is good, why would anything fry on a frequency your transmitting on?
?
Not being argumentative, just trying to figure this out so I don’t fry my radio.
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There are only two branches of MARS, Army and Air Force.? The rest shut down years ago.??
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Which branch of MARS is most active nowadays? Army MARS? Navy MARS? Air Force MARS? Seabee MARS? I didn’t realize there were still so many active MARS volunteers these days.
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Randy, Army and Air Force MARS are the only MARS programs currently in existence.? the Navy shut all of theirs down.? Both ARMY and Air Force MARS are very active for those involved.? Things going on every day throughout the day.
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From what I remember in the conversation yesterday with the rep, I think when you unlock the MARs capability, it might be removing some of the parameters to transmit in ranges where damage to the radio may happen if you go too far into the deep end. The rep said anything beyond 1 MHZ up or down of any of the HAM bands can cause damage to the radio, so maybe that's partially the reason why the warranty gets voided??
As far as factory trained tech, I couldn't tell you other than it's an approved service shop for 599 lab
I really don't see why they can't just have a firmware update that limits the transmit within the 1 MHZ + or - of the HAM band to prevent such damage to begin with.?
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Beats me on why it would fry the radio, just repeating what the Rep told me and thought I would share that with you guys, I had that convo with he Rep yesterday.?
I've heard about the CB thing, it was in one of the firmware updates right? Would be nice if we could do the same for MARs in future firmware but I guess that might require a physical modification? I would hope that if a MARs mod was done that they would include a firmware update that limits transmitting to the 1 MHZ + or - to prevent screwing up the radio.?
I'm rather new to HF, in fact i just got my license updated a few weeks ago and picked up this sweet radio as my first HF radio. Ive always wanted to do MARs stuff as a former service member wanting to help the boys out whenever I can. I usually just screw with motorola portable radios, even then only on the software level. A lot of this stuff is beyond my pay grade
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Yeah I think Navy and Marine are now using Army and Air Force for MARs now
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No I appreciate the info John! Yes the CB was a firmware update so I would think Mars would be software to. On other radios it’s really just removing a diode or two. If they are having you send it in I would think they probably have to remove a diode.?
Have fun Brother!!!
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Oh you mean opening up freqs could possibly be a software only matter? That would be great but also a first: All three HF radios I’ve modded so far were a soldering job. Two needed a resistor removed and one needed bridging. Interested to hear what the mod entails with this radio.
EDIT: I might add that my hardware modded radios cover ~1-50 Mhz seamlessly without turning into toast. Not sure why this radio would have a HAM band +/-1Mhz restriction. Maybe that’s the limits when modding by software only? Maybe a hardware mod is not possible with this radio?
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I think the MARs mod is hardware based, which is why we probably have to send it in for 30 bucks plus shipping. It would be nice if it was a software update.?
Which radios did you mod to get the full HF coverage? I was looking for something that is mobile to modify to do the MARs stuff eventually. As much as I love the TX500, I don't want it to melt down on me if I accidentally key the mic on the wrong frequency?
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Larry Guillot
Randy K7RAN