Hi Doug,
My "Present Machine" is a Mac. I can download the new firmware most probably but to the best of my understanding the transfer into the 5105 is a Windows only operation. I would love to find otherwise.
I had some small success last night in going on line for tutorials on Windows. Small steps but I¡¯ve regularly solved worse puzzles. Hell, the guy I borrowed this Windows machine from is convinced that the cell phone tower down the road is going to fry his brain (too late!). If he can figure out how to deal with this beast then surely I can.
His theory is that weaker the signal the stronger the effect. Sort of like homeopathy. In that case those cell towers on the east coast are the ones to fear. I told him about the homeopath who overdosed by not taking his medication. He was unamused. But we get along. He knows I¡¯m not laughing behind his back.
The thing I¡¯m more concerned about is this. I¡¯ve never used this USB to RS232 1/8¡± jack cord before. Bought it new just for this attempt. I hope it isn¡¯t faulty. If I do the power-on followed by the flash erase and then the cord is no good, I¡¯ll be dead in the water. The ¡®fear sweat¡¯ is upon me. Is there a way to try interrogating the 5105 from a terminal program to check functionality? CAT stuff? I¡¯ve never done any CAT controlling.
Mike
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 01:06 PM, Mike Colyar wrote:
I¡¯ll bite the proverbial bullet and learn how to run a windoz machine.
Can't your present machine copy/upload the firmware file into the X5105? ?(My radio already has the current version, so I haven't tried any uploading.) -- Doug, K8RFT
|
On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 01:06 PM, Mike Colyar wrote:
I¡¯ll bite the proverbial bullet and learn how to run a windoz machine.
Can't your present machine copy/upload the firmware file into the X5105? ?(My radio already has the current version, so I haven't tried any uploading.) -- Doug, K8RFT
|
Doug,
Personally haven¡¯t had the problems with MFJ that are reported by others. Yes, the stuff is sometimes lightly constructed but, like Harbor Freight, price reflects quality. And so far my interactions with them over the phone have been fine.
Other than this current problem with the settings changing, my most disliked aspect of the 5105 is the poor of feedback when I push a button and the slowness of the reaction when the button takes effect. I push a button and wait. Maybe I pushed it long enough and hard enough but I wait. I heard a rumor of a button beep function included now.
It surpasses understanding why an electronic device should not react in milliseconds to a human command when it doesn¡¯t require anything more than acknowledging the command. Yes, go ahead and perform the function but first say, ¡°Yes sir!¡± "Are you deaf?"
I have looked over the changes to some degree. My operation above 30 mHz. comes at intervals of years so I won¡¯t miss the PLL tones. I don¡¯t have any serious need for any of the demodulation functions so I won¡¯t be upgrading to get them. All of the new modes beyond PSK leave me cold. I have no interest in contesting or counting coup of any sort. I want to talk to a human being and not just swap signal reports. My wife, exposed to ham radio on long driving trips refers to it all as, ¡°A bunch of old guys bragging about how long their antennas are.¡± Too true.
After I get some firewood in today the rains are predicted to move in for a week so I¡¯ll bite the proverbial bullet and learn how to run a windoz machine. Kicking and screaming. But between this firmware installation and needing to program a telescope mount servo driver I am forced into groveling servitude. But then this borrowed computer goes in a body bag and back to its owner!
Speaking of operating, I hope to run into some of you on Straight Key Night. There was a very small but rather evil looking spider living in my J-38 but I moved him to the windowsill so peace and good will are restored.
Thanks for ALL of the input. I mean it.
Mike
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 07:08 PM, Mike Colyar wrote:
When I sit down in front of my Mac, I know where to look for the important functions like quitting the program and printing. They will always be under the file menu.
From what I've seen/read, you might not be too happy with the new firmware!? There seems to have been a lot of changes, at least in the menus, between the various, judging by the differences in the various versions (ages) of the instruction manuals available.? I've only had mine since late June, so there hasn't yet been a new firmware for comparison.? Older manuals are still lurking on the web, if you care to investigate the changes (improvements??) There are newer Xiegu dealers than MFJ, and it may be well to check with them for support.? Radioddity, the source for my X5105, is known for good support, and there's another, even newer, seller mentioned & recommended in one of the earliest threads in this group (but I forget the name).? MFJ's reputation for support is not admirable. ? -- Doug, K8RFT
|
On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 07:08 PM, Mike Colyar wrote:
When I sit down in front of my Mac, I know where to look for the important functions like quitting the program and printing. They will always be under the file menu.
From what I've seen/read, you might not be too happy with the new firmware!? There seems to have been a lot of changes, at least in the menus, between the various, judging by the differences in the various versions (ages) of the instruction manuals available.? I've only had mine since late June, so there hasn't yet been a new firmware for comparison.? Older manuals are still lurking on the web, if you care to investigate the changes (improvements??) There are newer Xiegu dealers than MFJ, and it may be well to check with them for support.? Radioddity, the source for my X5105, is known for good support, and there's another, even newer, seller mentioned & recommended in one of the earliest threads in this group (but I forget the name).? MFJ's reputation for support is not admirable. ? -- Doug, K8RFT
|
David, Rick et all,
You won¡¯t get any serious flame from me. I somewhat understand the problems that face a programmer when trying to serve the Mac community. But look at it from the point of a user who really could not care less about those problems.
I go and get in my car. What is right and what is wrong? The things that are right are the common stuff. I know that the throttle and brake will always be in the same spot. I don¡¯t have to think about it at all. Likewise the steering wheel. No weird assed levers or push buttons. No super quick or super slow steering either. I¡¯m not a motor head even though I made a living racing two, four and no wheeled stuff (hydros) in the 60¡¯s and 70¡¯s. Nowadays just want to get in and drive off.
What¡¯s wrong and drives everybody nuts is trying to figure out the lights and windshield washer controls. Let¡¯s leave the stinking music system for now lest I have an episode!
And maybe they could make it easier to adjust the seat and get the trunk open without having to read the manual.
When I sit down in front of my Mac, I know where to look for the important functions like quitting the program and printing. They will always be under the file menu. Not because you couldn¡¯t write a program arranged oddly but because no Mac user would buy such a beast. And the vast part of the time I don¡¯t need to even be aware of the manual. Any more than I read the manual for my old Ford Ranger. Huh?
I have a Mac program called cocoaModem. It has never given me a moment¡¯s disquiet. When I download it from the developer¡¯s web site it just sits there on my desk top. If I want to I can put it in my applications folder but that would be my choice. I just double click on it and away we go.
I sat down in front the my friend¡¯s Windows 10 machine and what do I see? A whole bunch of complicated stuff and not a bit of it is even remotely intuitive. ¡°Where is the steering wheel?¡± I asked him and he went off into a bunch of command line stuff. I¡¯m not going there. And who chooses their fonts? Did they steal them from a Selectric ball? Looks like the printed instructions for a claw hammer I bought at Harbor Freight.
The best planetarium program ever written is a Mac program. Called Voyager. Somehow the programmer and owner of the company has managed to survive for thirty years under the oppressive thumb of Apple. As you know, Mac OS is just a really good G.U.I. built on top of UNIX. Talk about solid.
I¡¯ll go and see what I can do. I watched several YouTube videos and took notes. The one from Xiego was the worst. And every one of the videos was recorded by a sufferer of A.D.D. The curser jumping around and the guy saying things like, ¡°Oops, I didn¡¯t mean to do that.¡±
Given all of that, where do I look for the latest version? I think that version 3.0 build 8 is current? I understand that XMODEM is the right protocol. Is Teraterm already on a windows machine? Argh!
I¡¯ll go quietly now. Maybe. Please tell me that I don¡¯t have to go back to my FT-817with that awful little display! I really want to like this little rig.
Mike
|
In over 40 years in IT, I've supported Intergraph, IBM. Cray, Univac, Sun, HP, DEC, Unix, DOS, Atari,Windows, IOS, Android, Linux, Kobol, Fortran and more stuff that would fill a book..
IMHO the problem with Apple is that it is a closed cult system under micro-management.
And, from a lot of experience, is unable to support the Scientific Community.
It managed to Survive by donating machines to schools and universities..
Just my opinion.. Flame suit is ON !
I will not take part in any war started bythis email..
|
Well Mike with your nieghbors help I'm sure you can do it. I did it and if I did it you can also. Ive found it impossible to brick the radio during firmware updating. If it goes wrong just start over again, but to avoid that follow the instructions to a "T" and you wont have any issues.
Best 73s,
Rick/ K9ete
On Monday, December 28, 2020 Mike Colyar <[email protected]> wrote:Not very confidence inspiring that the firmware got corrupted in some way. It has run for two years just fine until now.
Well, I¡¯ll look into it. I have a neighbor who has a windows laptop.
I think I¡¯ll wait until after Straight Key Night in case I end up with a brick. I mean, the first stage is to erase the flash memory. So then if the loading fails I¡¯m without a rig. There is no going back.
Part of the problem is that I have zero idea how to run a windows machine. I jumped to a Mac in about 1984. My last contact with uSoft was around DOS 3.1. I tried using my neighbor¡¯s machine to download some astronomy firmware a while back and could never find it again on his machine.
I did find a browser on his machine and it said it downloaded it and I found it once but then when I closed the lid and came back after dinner it was gone. I wrote it all off as just bad energy. I¡¯m not looking forward to going that route again. We¡¯ll see about the download first. As far as I can tell, windows is pretty much a Mac with an extra chromosome.
The ham community is getting increasingly isolated from the rest of the computing world. Writing stuff for a single platform is not a very good idea. If not Java, then something like that.
We¡¯ll see. Wish me luck.
Mike
On Dec 28, 2020, at 9:14 AM, David KK7SS < d3j452@...> wrote:
Mike, Updating the firmware is not that hard... Anyhow - it's about the Memory Battery.., But here's a quote from the FB group... " My gut feel is that the battery does not need to be replaced. Obviously people were possibly losing their settings but you won't easily see things like that being publically displayed. In my case I've proved beyond any doubt that the reason for my radio constantly losing its settings was due to the firmware. It simply doesn't happen anymore!!! Of course I'm a lot happier than I was"
But he could be the exception !
Dave G. KK7SS On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 12:15 AM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: I didn¡¯t expect that they would do a repair but they did offer to load the latest firmware for free.
I¡¯ll check with my wife about the Facebook thing. I don¡¯t grunt, tweet, fart, face or any of that stuff. Is the facebook thing about the main battery or a memory battery?
Mike On Dec 27, 2020, at 10:22 PM, David KK7SS < d3j452@...> wrote:
Check the FB X5105 files section. There is a .pdf on battery replacement... I wouldn't hold out too much hope on MFJ offering a fix ! FWIW On Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 9:45 PM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: Is there a memory maintenance battery in the X5105?
I¡¯m having a problem with the parameters in the Systems Setup Menu changing when the rig has been turned off for more than perhaps a minute. I have worked out a sequence to get things returned to a usable place and then can operate as long as I like without a problem. But short of leaving the rig on and charging all of the time, I have not yet come up with a solution.
The symptoms are these:
I turn on the unit and there is no sound from the speaker or headphones. None of the keys have any effect except for turning the power off and on. It is always displaying ~14.250 mHz and in PSK demod (DATA ON) mode. Oh, yeah. The PTT button seems to work. Nothing else.
To regain control I have to first push the lock button a time or two to unlock the rig. The lock symbol is NOT on when I first turn the unit on.
Then I go to the setup menu and I find that the squelch has been change to level 5. I set it to 0. Now we have sound.
Next I find that the DATA setting (PSK demodulate) is on. I turn it off.
Then the sound is way too loud. I change the SPKR setting in the menu.
Now I find that the frequency step for tuning with the rotary knob is set to the tens of mHz. Easily changed.
Now I can use the rig. But if I turn it off for a while it reverts to those SAME settings.
Things I have tried:
Went to the the Multi Function Menu and did a reset. Doesn¡¯t fix the problem. Turn it off for a few minutes ands it¡¯s all scrambled in the same way again.
Turned everything off and walked back to the house grinding my teeth.
It¡¯s serial #839 (I think) and has never had the firmware up graded. I don¡¯t own a windoze machine (I¡¯d ratter eat a bug) and will probably ship it back to MFJ to have it zapped with new firmware..
I have had other equipment act up like this before and installing a new memory battery fixed things. Before I start pulling it apart I though I¡¯d ask the group.
Mike K7ITL
Lopez Island, WA
|
Not very confidence inspiring that the firmware got corrupted in some way. It has run for two years just fine until now.
Well, I¡¯ll look into it. I have a neighbor who has a windows laptop.
I think I¡¯ll wait until after Straight Key Night in case I end up with a brick. I mean, the first stage is to erase the flash memory. So then if the loading fails I¡¯m without a rig. There is no going back.
Part of the problem is that I have zero idea how to run a windows machine. I jumped to a Mac in about 1984. My last contact with uSoft was around DOS 3.1. I tried using my neighbor¡¯s machine to download some astronomy firmware a while back and could never find it again on his machine.
I did find a browser on his machine and it said it downloaded it and I found it once but then when I closed the lid and came back after dinner it was gone. I wrote it all off as just bad energy. I¡¯m not looking forward to going that route again. We¡¯ll see about the download first. As far as I can tell, windows is pretty much a Mac with an extra chromosome.
The ham community is getting increasingly isolated from the rest of the computing world. Writing stuff for a single platform is not a very good idea. If not Java, then something like that.
We¡¯ll see. Wish me luck.
Mike
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Dec 28, 2020, at 9:14 AM, David KK7SS < d3j452@...> wrote:
Mike, Updating the firmware is not that hard... Anyhow - it's about the Memory Battery.., But here's a quote from the FB group... " My gut feel is that the battery does not need to be replaced. Obviously people were possibly losing their settings but you won't easily see things like that being publically displayed. In my case I've proved beyond any doubt that the reason for my radio constantly losing its settings was due to the firmware. It simply doesn't happen anymore!!! Of course I'm a lot happier than I was"
But he could be the exception !
Dave G. KK7SS On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 12:15 AM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: I didn¡¯t expect that they would do a repair but they did offer to load the latest firmware for free.
I¡¯ll check with my wife about the Facebook thing. I don¡¯t grunt, tweet, fart, face or any of that stuff. Is the facebook thing about the main battery or a memory battery?
Mike On Dec 27, 2020, at 10:22 PM, David KK7SS < d3j452@...> wrote:
Check the FB X5105 files section. There is a .pdf on battery replacement... I wouldn't hold out too much hope on MFJ offering a fix ! FWIW On Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 9:45 PM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: Is there a memory maintenance battery in the X5105?
I¡¯m having a problem with the parameters in the Systems Setup Menu changing when the rig has been turned off for more than perhaps a minute. I have worked out a sequence to get things returned to a usable place and then can operate as long as I like without a problem. But short of leaving the rig on and charging all of the time, I have not yet come up with a solution.
The symptoms are these:
I turn on the unit and there is no sound from the speaker or headphones. None of the keys have any effect except for turning the power off and on. It is always displaying ~14.250 mHz and in PSK demod (DATA ON) mode. Oh, yeah. The PTT button seems to work. Nothing else.
To regain control I have to first push the lock button a time or two to unlock the rig. The lock symbol is NOT on when I first turn the unit on.
Then I go to the setup menu and I find that the squelch has been change to level 5. I set it to 0. Now we have sound.
Next I find that the DATA setting (PSK demodulate) is on. I turn it off.
Then the sound is way too loud. I change the SPKR setting in the menu.
Now I find that the frequency step for tuning with the rotary knob is set to the tens of mHz. Easily changed.
Now I can use the rig. But if I turn it off for a while it reverts to those SAME settings.
Things I have tried:
Went to the the Multi Function Menu and did a reset. Doesn¡¯t fix the problem. Turn it off for a few minutes ands it¡¯s all scrambled in the same way again.
Turned everything off and walked back to the house grinding my teeth.
It¡¯s serial #839 (I think) and has never had the firmware up graded. I don¡¯t own a windoze machine (I¡¯d ratter eat a bug) and will probably ship it back to MFJ to have it zapped with new firmware..
I have had other equipment act up like this before and installing a new memory battery fixed things. Before I start pulling it apart I though I¡¯d ask the group.
Mike K7ITL
Lopez Island, WA
|
Mike, Updating the firmware is not that hard... Anyhow - it's about the Memory Battery.., But here's a quote from the FB group... " My
gut feel is that the battery does not need to be replaced. Obviously
people were possibly losing their settings but you won't easily see
things like that being publically displayed. In my case I've proved
beyond any doubt that the reason for my radio constantly losing its
settings was due to the firmware. It simply doesn't happen anymore!!! Of
course I'm a lot happier than I was"
But he could be the exception !
Dave G. KK7SS
On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 12:15 AM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: I didn¡¯t expect that they would do a repair but they did offer to load the latest firmware for free.
I¡¯ll check with my wife about the Facebook thing. I don¡¯t grunt, tweet, fart, face or any of that stuff. Is the facebook thing about the main battery or a memory battery?
Mike On Dec 27, 2020, at 10:22 PM, David KK7SS < d3j452@...> wrote:
Check the FB X5105 files section. There is a .pdf on battery replacement... I wouldn't hold out too much hope on MFJ offering a fix ! FWIW On Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 9:45 PM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: Is there a memory maintenance battery in the X5105?
I¡¯m having a problem with the parameters in the Systems Setup Menu changing when the rig has been turned off for more than perhaps a minute. I have worked out a sequence to get things returned to a usable place and then can operate as long as I like without a problem. But short of leaving the rig on and charging all of the time, I have not yet come up with a solution.
The symptoms are these:
I turn on the unit and there is no sound from the speaker or headphones. None of the keys have any effect except for turning the power off and on. It is always displaying ~14.250 mHz and in PSK demod (DATA ON) mode. Oh, yeah. The PTT button seems to work. Nothing else.
To regain control I have to first push the lock button a time or two to unlock the rig. The lock symbol is NOT on when I first turn the unit on.
Then I go to the setup menu and I find that the squelch has been change to level 5. I set it to 0. Now we have sound.
Next I find that the DATA setting (PSK demodulate) is on. I turn it off.
Then the sound is way too loud. I change the SPKR setting in the menu.
Now I find that the frequency step for tuning with the rotary knob is set to the tens of mHz. Easily changed.
Now I can use the rig. But if I turn it off for a while it reverts to those SAME settings.
Things I have tried:
Went to the the Multi Function Menu and did a reset. Doesn¡¯t fix the problem. Turn it off for a few minutes ands it¡¯s all scrambled in the same way again.
Turned everything off and walked back to the house grinding my teeth.
It¡¯s serial #839 (I think) and has never had the firmware up graded. I don¡¯t own a windoze machine (I¡¯d ratter eat a bug) and will probably ship it back to MFJ to have it zapped with new firmware..
I have had other equipment act up like this before and installing a new memory battery fixed things. Before I start pulling it apart I though I¡¯d ask the group.
Mike K7ITL
Lopez Island, WA
|
I didn¡¯t expect that they would do a repair but they did offer to load the latest firmware for free.
I¡¯ll check with my wife about the Facebook thing. I don¡¯t grunt, tweet, fart, face or any of that stuff. Is the facebook thing about the main battery or a memory battery?
Mike
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Dec 27, 2020, at 10:22 PM, David KK7SS < d3j452@...> wrote:
Check the FB X5105 files section. There is a .pdf on battery replacement... I wouldn't hold out too much hope on MFJ offering a fix ! FWIW On Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 9:45 PM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: Is there a memory maintenance battery in the X5105?
I¡¯m having a problem with the parameters in the Systems Setup Menu changing when the rig has been turned off for more than perhaps a minute. I have worked out a sequence to get things returned to a usable place and then can operate as long as I like without a problem. But short of leaving the rig on and charging all of the time, I have not yet come up with a solution.
The symptoms are these:
I turn on the unit and there is no sound from the speaker or headphones. None of the keys have any effect except for turning the power off and on. It is always displaying ~14.250 mHz and in PSK demod (DATA ON) mode. Oh, yeah. The PTT button seems to work. Nothing else.
To regain control I have to first push the lock button a time or two to unlock the rig. The lock symbol is NOT on when I first turn the unit on.
Then I go to the setup menu and I find that the squelch has been change to level 5. I set it to 0. Now we have sound.
Next I find that the DATA setting (PSK demodulate) is on. I turn it off.
Then the sound is way too loud. I change the SPKR setting in the menu.
Now I find that the frequency step for tuning with the rotary knob is set to the tens of mHz. Easily changed.
Now I can use the rig. But if I turn it off for a while it reverts to those SAME settings.
Things I have tried:
Went to the the Multi Function Menu and did a reset. Doesn¡¯t fix the problem. Turn it off for a few minutes ands it¡¯s all scrambled in the same way again.
Turned everything off and walked back to the house grinding my teeth.
It¡¯s serial #839 (I think) and has never had the firmware up graded. I don¡¯t own a windoze machine (I¡¯d ratter eat a bug) and will probably ship it back to MFJ to have it zapped with new firmware..
I have had other equipment act up like this before and installing a new memory battery fixed things. Before I start pulling it apart I though I¡¯d ask the group.
Mike K7ITL
Lopez Island, WA
|
Check the FB X5105 files section. There is a .pdf on battery replacement... I wouldn't hold out too much hope on MFJ offering a fix ! FWIW
On Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 9:45 PM Mike Colyar < mike@...> wrote: Is there a memory maintenance battery in the X5105?
I¡¯m having a problem with the parameters in the Systems Setup Menu changing when the rig has been turned off for more than perhaps a minute. I have worked out a sequence to get things returned to a usable place and then can operate as long as I like without a problem. But short of leaving the rig on and charging all of the time, I have not yet come up with a solution.
The symptoms are these:
I turn on the unit and there is no sound from the speaker or headphones. None of the keys have any effect except for turning the power off and on. It is always displaying ~14.250 mHz and in PSK demod (DATA ON) mode. Oh, yeah. The PTT button seems to work. Nothing else.
To regain control I have to first push the lock button a time or two to unlock the rig. The lock symbol is NOT on when I first turn the unit on.
Then I go to the setup menu and I find that the squelch has been change to level 5. I set it to 0. Now we have sound.
Next I find that the DATA setting (PSK demodulate) is on. I turn it off.
Then the sound is way too loud. I change the SPKR setting in the menu.
Now I find that the frequency step for tuning with the rotary knob is set to the tens of mHz. Easily changed.
Now I can use the rig. But if I turn it off for a while it reverts to those SAME settings.
Things I have tried:
Went to the the Multi Function Menu and did a reset. Doesn¡¯t fix the problem. Turn it off for a few minutes ands it¡¯s all scrambled in the same way again.
Turned everything off and walked back to the house grinding my teeth.
It¡¯s serial #839 (I think) and has never had the firmware up graded. I don¡¯t own a windoze machine (I¡¯d ratter eat a bug) and will probably ship it back to MFJ to have it zapped with new firmware..
I have had other equipment act up like this before and installing a new memory battery fixed things. Before I start pulling it apart I though I¡¯d ask the group.
Mike K7ITL
Lopez Island, WA
|
Is there a memory maintenance battery in the X5105?
I¡¯m having a problem with the parameters in the Systems Setup Menu changing when the rig has been turned off for more than perhaps a minute. I have worked out a sequence to get things returned to a usable place and then can operate as long as I like without a problem. But short of leaving the rig on and charging all of the time, I have not yet come up with a solution.
The symptoms are these:
I turn on the unit and there is no sound from the speaker or headphones. None of the keys have any effect except for turning the power off and on. It is always displaying ~14.250 mHz and in PSK demod (DATA ON) mode. Oh, yeah. The PTT button seems to work. Nothing else.
To regain control I have to first push the lock button a time or two to unlock the rig. The lock symbol is NOT on when I first turn the unit on.
Then I go to the setup menu and I find that the squelch has been change to level 5. I set it to 0. Now we have sound.
Next I find that the DATA setting (PSK demodulate) is on. I turn it off.
Then the sound is way too loud. I change the SPKR setting in the menu.
Now I find that the frequency step for tuning with the rotary knob is set to the tens of mHz. Easily changed.
Now I can use the rig. But if I turn it off for a while it reverts to those SAME settings.
Things I have tried:
Went to the the Multi Function Menu and did a reset. Doesn¡¯t fix the problem. Turn it off for a few minutes ands it¡¯s all scrambled in the same way again.
Turned everything off and walked back to the house grinding my teeth.
It¡¯s serial #839 (I think) and has never had the firmware up graded. I don¡¯t own a windoze machine (I¡¯d ratter eat a bug) and will probably ship it back to MFJ to have it zapped with new firmware..
I have had other equipment act up like this before and installing a new memory battery fixed things. Before I start pulling it apart I though I¡¯d ask the group.
Mike K7ITL
Lopez Island, WA
|
Re: new X5105 user manual
Ken,
THank you and downloaded..
1 comment.
On page 12, 3rd line The comment about "charging the battery fully for long term storage", goes against current recommendations that Li-Ion batteries should be stored with a 50% charge. Specifically emphasized in my Inogen battery manuals. FWIW...
On Sun, Dec 27, 2020 at 9:05 PM Ken Talbott < ktalbott@...> wrote: At the risk of spamming this group, here is an updated version of the X5105 Manual. Early feedback identified omissions and formatting errors. Enjoy!
|
Re: new X5105 user manual
Thanks again.
Now I REALLY have some incentive to update my firmware.
Mike K7ITL
|
Re: new X5105 user manual
Ken,
THank you and downloaded..
1 comment.
On page 12, 3rd line Quote:
On Sun, Dec 27, 2020 at 9:05 PM Ken Talbott < ktalbott@...> wrote: At the risk of spamming this group, here is an updated version of the X5105 Manual. Early feedback identified omissions and formatting errors. Enjoy!
|
Re: new X5105 user manual
At the risk of spamming this group, here is an updated version of the X5105 Manual. Early feedback identified omissions and formatting errors. Enjoy!
|
Re: XGGCOMMS USB Soundcard for X5105
My pleasure Doug.
I feel I need to add an addendum. The Sabrent soundcard is still a very good card and for the price you can¡¯t beat it¡¯s value. I didn¡¯t mean to diss the Sabrent, just so I am clear with everyone.
Brian
K0FBS
--
Brian
K0FBS
|
Re: XGGCOMMS USB Soundcard for X5105
Thanks very much for the careful, detailed review.
I've been wanting to get my X5105 set up for FT8 too.
--
Doug, K8RFT
|
Re: X5105 charger type question
On Mon, Dec 21, 2020 at 12:05 AM, <A.PRECIOUS@...> wrote:
I'm guessing this is for when running the unit while charging.
The manual for the X5105 sold by MFJ - now an earlier firmware - says: Xiegu X5105 QRP Transceiver 5 The X5105 comes with a built-in 3800-mAh battery pack. When no external power source is connected to the power jack, the battery supplies power to the radio. When a power source is connected, the radio senses the external voltage and switches over to it. Charging Procedure: You may listen to the X5105 while it is charge mode -- but avoid transmitting while charging is taking place. The combined current required to simultaneously transmit and charge the Lithium ion cells could exceed the capacity of the radio¡¯s power-management components. To initiate a charge cycle while the radio is operating: Scroll to Menu-7, select [CHG] (charge), then select CHG ON (charger on). To ensure a full charge, apply at least 13.5 volts from the external power source (normal charge range is 13.5¨C14.0 volts). Charging begins automatically and is monitored by the charge controller. The maximum charge time required for a fully depleted battery is 12 to 15 hours. When the battery is fully charged, the charge controller automatically terminates the charge cycle. When your radio is turned off with external power connected, the battery automatically recharges, as needed, to restore a full charge. ? I don't see that in the new V3.0 manual, though. Since the internal hardware won't have changed, this information will still apply. Also, I noticed you asked about the suitability of your charger but did not mention its output voltage.? That makes it hard for anyone to provide a meaningful opinion. -- Doug, K8RFT
|
XGGCOMMS USB Soundcard for X5105
My XGGCOMMS USB soundcard came in on Christmas Eve. ?I got the chance to work with it today on the X5105 and compare it to the Sabrent USB Soundcard. ?Here are my observations?
1st - I thought I was ordering as Soundcard and CAT Control device ($88 USD). ?However, I did not read the descriptions closely enough and only got the Soundcard without CAT Control (Digimode -3 $66 USD). ?Bummed because I was really excited about having a single USB cable connection that did both Sound and CAT Control with a single 8 pin DIN going into the radio. ?This way I would have computer activated PTT instead of relying on VOX. ? ? ?So if you order one be sure you are getting the one you want.
2nd - Performance of the Soundcard is excellent. ?One USB cable into my computer, one 8 pin DIN cable into the radio. ?No CE-19 or other cables. ?The soundcard is a very good digital mode soundcard. ?In my view it performed better than the Sabrent soundcard. ?I realize digital mode propagation is fickle and changes by the second. ?However, I was able to switch back and forth between the Sabrent and the XGGCOMMS quickly (during one FT8 cycle). ?Consistently I decoded more stations with the XGGCOMMS than with the Sabrent. ?Additionally I would adjust the audio coming into the Sabrent soundcard from the radio to read 51 dB on the input scale of WSJTX. ?When I switched to the XGGCOMMS the meter jumped to 75-80 dB for input. ?So no question in my mind the XGGCOMMS is a better soundcard on RX. ?
3rd - TX I could not tell a difference between the two soundcards. ?My output on the X5105 seemed to be the same from both soundcards. ?Additionally I could not tell that other stations were hearing me better with one or the other. ?By not getting Soundcard and CAT Control in one, I had to use VOX to activate PTT with FT8. ?However, I did not discern a significant time difference between the start of a new cycle and the activation of the TX using VOX. ?I made 4-5 contacts thru a Mag Loop Antenna (Alex Loop) with 4-5 watts. ?
Overall I am very pleased with the Digimode-3. ?All I needed was for it to perform as well as the Sabrent soundcard. ?The ability to have one cable to my computer and a 8 pin DIN going into the radio with no CE-19 between them is such an advantage that doing just as well as Sabrent makes it a better choice for portable/mobile operations. ?The digimode box is nice and tight, appears reasonably dust & water resistant. ?It also appears to be satisfactorily shielded from RFI. ?I have no hesitation encouraging fellow X5105 users to buy one, and if they are looking at mobile/portable ops definitely get one to use instead of the CE-19 in the field. ?
I may bite the bullet and get the Digimode-4 that has both Sound and CAT control in one box. ?
--
Brian
K0FBS
|
David KK7SS
Ken Talbott
Brian Smith