Re: #qmx #firmware 1_00_020 released: minor stuff and bug fixes
#qmx
#firmware
On Thu, Jul 11, 2024 at 10:48 PM, Bojan Naglic wrote:
But again why would you like to listen to the jam of the Digi modes signals?
Niche case maybe but some of us like to listen to the digital sigs for sensory reasons. I find the warble of FT8 very soothing and when I operated the mode I always listened to it as it was very comforting.? It's nice to have options in life :)
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Re: 10w HF Linear PA current consumption does not change after installation
#10W_PA
Hi,
Did you ground the tx before measuring current drawn?
Also does the voltage on the drain pins vary as the potentiomer is turned?
Check these first.
Andy
--
The universe is made up of Protons, Neutrons, Electrons but contains only one M0RON.
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10w HF Linear PA current consumption does not change after installation
#10W_PA
Hello everyone
I ordered and assembled this PA. I followed every step as carefully as I can while assembling.
When the pots closed fully (to counter-clockwise) current consumption is 140mA stable (TX is grounded, no RF) when I apply 12 volts. When I start to turn one of the pots, it is still 140mA stable. Same with the other pot. Nothing is changing. So I cannot adjust them to 125mA (total of 250mA).
I checked transistors (IRF510) and their reading is fine. I cut the power and I touched them first (against static) and checked thier resistance measurement from their legs and their readings are same. They seem OK.
I think I am missing a point. I am newbie about PAs. I send some detailed pictures. Any help would be appreciated.
?
73 TA2CCN
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Hello,
I would advise you to visit local grocery story into food storage section to look for food containers. They are waterproof, good and solid plastic and the most important - you could get an idea and affordable experience on how big you actually need. I store a lot of "not only electronics" in them, as they being 'retired' from kitchen. Any brand is good, as far case has glued silicon strip in a cover and all-perimeter locks.
73 de OH2DZ
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Re: QMX+ Diagnostics Voltage Measurement Question
Hi Jim
Don't worry about it. A bit low, borderline, but acceptable. Device component variations... there will hopefully in future be a calibration function which evens out all these variations by measurement.
On Fri, Jul 12, 2024 at 8:08?AM Jim Bennett / K7TXA via <w6jhb= [email protected]> wrote: My QMX+ "seems" to be working OK, although 20-17-15 meter power is a bit lower than I'd hoped - just under three watts.
?Anyway, tonight I fired up PuTTY and was looking at the diagnostics screen and came across results that puzzle me. The QMX manual indicates that under the Transmitter section, the measured PA voltage should be "a little less than the supply voltage measurement." My supply voltage shows 11.8v receive and 11.5v in transmit. However, on ALL bands in the transmitter section the PA voltage shows either 9.6v or 9.7v when I press "T". Further, that measurement sometimes shows in green, but mostly it is either red or alternating between red and green.
?
?Anyone know what is happening here? The manual says "red or green depending on whether it is within a reasonable operating range or not."
?Thoughts? Should I be seeing more than 9.6 or 9.7 volts on the PA with a supply voltage of 11.8? If so, a good starting point to debug it?
?OK - just before I was ready to send this message, I connected up my mid-band QMX and ran the same tests. The mid-band radio is showing about 9.8 or 9.9 volts on transmit and in each case it is GREEN. So it appears to me that the QMX+ is giving me a bit less PA voltage than it should. Where to look, OR just boost supply voltage a bit?
?Tnx, Jim
--
Jim / K7TXA
Eagle, ID
SKCC 10447T
BUG 301
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QMX+ Diagnostics Voltage Measurement Question
My QMX+ "seems" to be working OK, although 20-17-15 meter power is a bit lower than I'd hoped - just under three watts.
?Anyway, tonight I fired up PuTTY and was looking at the diagnostics screen and came across results that puzzle me. The QMX manual indicates that under the Transmitter section, the measured PA voltage should be "a little less than the supply voltage measurement." My supply voltage shows 11.8v receive and 11.5v in transmit. However, on ALL bands in the transmitter section the PA voltage shows either 9.6v or 9.7v when I press "T". Further, that measurement sometimes shows in green, but mostly it is either red or alternating between red and green.
?
?Anyone know what is happening here? The manual says "red or green depending on whether it is within a reasonable operating range or not."
?Thoughts? Should I be seeing more than 9.6 or 9.7 volts on the PA with a supply voltage of 11.8? If so, a good starting point to debug it?
?OK - just before I was ready to send this message, I connected up my mid-band QMX and ran the same tests. The mid-band radio is showing about 9.8 or 9.9 volts on transmit and in each case it is GREEN. So it appears to me that the QMX+ is giving me a bit less PA voltage than it should. Where to look, OR just boost supply voltage a bit?
?Tnx, Jim
--
Jim / K7TXA
Eagle, ID
SKCC 10447T
BUG 301
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Re: #qmx #firmware 1_00_020 released: minor stuff and bug fixes
#qmx
#firmware
Thanks Hans. All the fixes worked for me. Love the radio. Moving on to development board. You actually got me in digital modes finally, because.I can hear the audio. That humanized the feel and allows for instant band condition assessment as well as
SSB for now. The WSPR beacon mode works. Internal GPS and battery work. And practice mode works as code oscillator. Combined?
with my WolfWave a $3000 radio!
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Hello Hans,
Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. I found the document very useful. I'll keep exploring until my QMX gets home :-)
73,
Gabriel
LW2DVL
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Re: QCX Mini WSPR Without a GPS
GPS is more vital when untethered from a PC connected to the internet.?
The U3S does wspr standalone because of the GPS. If you operate your rig somewhere remote without any connection to the web nor assured time calibration, an attached GPS will make wspr practical.?
Curt
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I have proven that it is possible to fry IC402 with too much RF on the input side. :(
Did you have an antenna connected to your QMX while you were transmitting with another radio ?
73,
Steve, N2IC
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Re: QMX Low Band - TX problem
How are you powering it? I had an issue similar to this when the buck-boost converter that I was using to limit input voltage was silently clipping the input current (due to a bad setting on my part)
Greg, KB1UGP
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Re: QMX Screen Showing Nothing after Building and Loading Firmware
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Just a quick update regarding my issue with the LCD:
I ended up sending the rig to Jeff Moore, W1NC, for further inspection. He did an AMAZING job of troubleshooting and fixing the LCD data connection. There was a broken PCB trace which he substituted with a jumper wire. Not only did he resolve the LCD issue, but he also spotted and fixed a couple of other issues with the TX and SWR meter capabilities of the rig.
I have made several QSOs with the QMX and I cannot emphasize enough what a great piece of kit it is.
I would like to note that Jeff Moore provides this service at no cost, only charging for shipping and parts. Out of kindness and emphasizing the notion of "Hams helping Hams," he does not demand any money for the valuable time he puts in. Please, if you end up sending him a rig, consider donating, as he dedicates all donations to maintaining a reliable inventory of parts to continue this great service for the ham radio community.
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Re: QMX Screen Showing Nothing after Building and Loading Firmware
Just a quick update regarding my issue with the LCD:
I ended up sending the rig to Jeff Moore, W1NC, for further inspection. He did an AMAZING job of troubleshooting and fixing the LCD data connection. There was a broken PCB trace which he substituted with a jumper wire. Not only did he resolve the LCD issue, but he also spotted and fixed a couple of other issues with the TX and SWR meter capabilities of the rig.
I have made several QSOs with the QMX and I cannot emphasize enough what a great piece of kit it is.
I would like to note that Jeff Moore provides this service at no cost, only charging for shipping and parts. Out of kindness and emphasizing the notion of "Hams helping Hams," he does not demand any money for the valuable time he puts in. Please, if you end up sending him a rig, consider donating, as he dedicates all donations to maintaining a reliable inventory of parts to continue this great service for the ham radio community.
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Re: #qmx #firmware 1_00_020 released: minor stuff and bug fixes
#qmx
#firmware
"why one would need to have audio on in Digi modes?"
I disagree, though I agree that some would not!
My ear can't decode the signals, but I can hear how everything is
going. Agree, that it's elsewhere in the displays. But if I'm
listening, I don't have to search it out.
Just sayin'. OK that YMMV!
73, Paul -- AI7JR
--
Paul -- AI7JR
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Re: #qmx #firmware 1_00_020 released: minor stuff and bug fixes
#qmx
#firmware
On Thu, Jul 11, 2024 at 05:32 PM, Bojan Naglic wrote:
A thought: I wonder why one would need to have audio on in Digi modes? Just mute it.
I find it useful if I am trying to debug another radio setup (listening to the signal coming from the other radio).? Definitely prefer that audio remain available for listening in digi modes.
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QMX Low Band - TX problem
I have 2 factory built QMX's, a Hi & a Low Band. They are used for DATA comms only.
Recently the Low Band radio has been acting strangely.
When it begins to TX it gives a pulse - the TX bar graph goes full for a second or so, then back to nothing, then back to transmitting as normal.
It is doing this on all bands though the worst seems to be 40M.
Power out is showing as 4.9W (The same as on the factory test paperwork)
Occasionally the TX bar graph & output "stop" at around 4 seconds into the TX cycle.?
My antenna is less than 1:1.3 across the bands - but the operation is the same when connected to a dummy load.
Changing between battery & different power supplies makes no difference.
The Hi Band radio does not have this "stutter"& works flawlessly.
I have tried different USB ports, Software, Cables, RF Chokes, Clip on Ferrites, etc.
The radio is still making FT8 contacts - it is just that it has this "stutter" at the start of the transmission & sometimes drops out part way through the TX sequence.
Anyone have a suggestion..??
Cheers
Rob
VK5ZIK
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WB0ZJJ-Alan via groups.io wrote: I managed to build my QMX successfully, and in
two days of playing with it fried the receive
function. W1NC Jeff Moore diagnosed and
returned the radio to full function: [Quoting W1NC e-mail:] IC402 was destroyed. I used to see this
frequently in Rev 2 QMXs. But this is a first
for a rev 4 unit. It's hard to say why this
happened. Usually it is from back EMF when
switching from TX to RX mode. But there is a
protection diode in place for that after Rev 2.
For those of us who have early QMX units with Rev 1 or Rev 2 circuit boards, is it wise to modify the board to install the protection diode that is now included on current Rev boards?
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Re: #qmx #firmware 1_00_020 released: minor stuff and bug fixes
#qmx
#firmware
Hi Ludwig,
I think the time sync has to be done correct and not just at the about right maner. Bseides one can observe the spectrum to get the information about the start.
For the use of the wide band audio for the RX I proposed to introduce the third mode which would than also switch the frequency to the last heard SSB signal and not stay on the Digi band.
--
73 Bojan S53DZ
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Re: RSGB Tonight at 8 video - going for record?
Thanks for putting that on Hans! Learned a few things from your slide show as well as some insider info I didn't know.
If you are a QRP Labs fan (as most here are) this is a must watch if you aske me!
Been running the pants off my QMX+ for several weeks on ft8 around 3.5 watts into an OCFD. It worked right off the bench but I didn't HIHI! Numerous low Z between the headset moments and RTFM issues...
73
-Mike
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I managed to build my QMX successfully, and in two days of playing with it fried the receive function.? W1NC Jeff Moore diagnosed and returned the radio to full function:
IC402 was destroyed. ?I used to see this frequently in Rev 2 QMXs. ?But this is a first for a rev 4 unit. ?It’s hard to say why this happened. ?Usually it is from back EMF when switching from TX to RX mode. ?But there is a protection diode in place for that after Rev 2. ?I tested that and it seems ok. ?Your power out is high compared to many other QMX rigs. ?Maybe if you backed down the voltage to 11 volts or less, it might help prevent that in the future.
?
...
Here is what I found and did:
?
1) Disassembled all boards, cleaned with 99% IPA
2) Inspected under 10X stereo microscope
3) Tested on bench AF, image scan and rf scan functions - all found to be very poor
4) diagnosing on the bench found IC402 bad - replaced that chip
5) retested on the bench AF, image scan and rf scan functions - all found to be 100% now
6) Tested TX functions on all bands at 12V.? At 12V power out is 3.6 - 5 watts depending on band - no attempt was made to optimize beyond that
7) reassembled into case and retested everything one last time - now 100% RX, TX all modes, all bands
?
Total time spent - about 2 hours
I had fun this morning snooping on tons of FT8 on 17m using a z-matched random wire indoors.? Weather is a bit wet to string up my outdoor antenna just yet. Thank you Jeff. 72s?
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M0RON
Kaufman, Matt - N3AR
Paul - AI7JR
Dj Merrill
Rob VK5ZIK
WB0ZJJ-Alan