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Re: Why would anyone want a digital frequency display on a FRG-7? Please debate!
That's true Mike! Pity there's no space on the front panel for all those cool controls we want, but if you remove the speaker you can drill the grille full of holes and add loads, starting with Treble, Mid, Bass and Stereo Balance, and then drill loads more holes in the top to relocate the speaker.
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Functionally a digital display is a nonsense: the elegant use of a single 1MHz tuning range for the main tuning dial means that it is calibrated in 10kHz increments which can be adjusted at the ends against the 1MHz spurs so the frequency can be read within at worst 2kHz, or roughly 10% of the IF Bandwidth. So, if you want to keep a watch for a transmission such as 6628kHz you can set your FRG so the full channel is within the receiver bandwidth. A nice challenge is the NCDXF International Beacon Project which has sequential transmissions on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930, and 28.200 MHz and you can challenge yourself further to see if you can chase one of the stations up the bands, which should just be possible for 20, 17, 15 and 10 metres! As for broadcast stations, there is no problem tuning to the 5kHz channels.
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Aesthetically it seems like sacriledge to me to spoil a classic and simple design. It's like hot-rodding a classic car except you'll never get this one to go any faster: its limitations are all inherent to the technology used at the time. To do a proper job you should remove all the innards from this 70s model and graft in an 80s model with LED readout thereby ruining two different receivers! Better perhaps to get an 80s receiver to use and keep the FRG-7 on display. This will save trashing not only the appearance but also the resale value.
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?- Julian |
Moderated
Re: Why would anyone want a digital frequency display on a FRG-7? Please debate!
because it's cool dude !!!!
every receiver does better with more controls and displays and lights !!!!! |
Moderated
Re: Why would anyone want a digital frequency display on a FRG-7? Please debate!
Why would anyone want a digital frequency display on a FRG-7? Please debate!
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Re: modern digital readout
The original manufacturer of these cheap readouts is SanJian Studio. The problem with the Chinese is that they don't just pirate from other countries but also from each other! As long as they are getting good feedback they should be OK.
It's too bad that they don't have a 3/8 " digit version as they would be easier to fit into the FRG-7. When I buy from China using Standard SpeedPak it usually takes 2 weeks to Canada. But with Covid delays Amazon would be faster. I did search for the cases as well. They are probably coming from one of the USA Electronics surplus companies. |
Re: modern digital readout
I started looking on ebay and discovered better deals on amazon for US vendors, avoiding possible a one month wait
I have narrowed it down to two choices, one of them being that model you recommended I really like that display box that the $150 counter uses, I haven't come across one like that on ebay or amazon yet |
Re: modern digital readout
Hi Mike,
How about a counter for about $10 delivered? Take a look at eBay item # 121239170838 . Quite a few people have had success with these cheap counters. Red, Blue and Green versions available. Look at the eBay opportunist that is putting these displays in a case and selling them for $150! See item # 353595762412. He actually started off at $250! Display Dimensions: Length — width — height : 91 mm — 28 mm — 20 mm. You may want to put black tape over the digits you don't want to see so the 91 mm would be reduced for the FRG-7 window. The FRG-7 VFO works backwards. The low end of a band is 3.455 MHz and the high end is 2.455 MHz. The display allows count direction and offsets to be programmed in. 3.455 MHz in would read 00.000.0, 2.555 MHz would read 00.900.0 and 2.455 MHz would be back at 00.000.0. There is a lot of info on the net about programming. Even some uTube videos. 73 Roger VE7LB |
Re: modern digital readout
Allowing that I am an ideas man who never actually gets
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on with anything .... I wondered about replacing the MHz selector with a variable resistor, and then using a PIC or Arduino to measure the resistance and use that to control a digital VFO to replace the Wadley Loop? Not really thought that through, but converting to a single conversion superhet. On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 10:03 PM, MikeM wrote:
Interested in adding digital readout to the FRG-7 |
Re: modern digital readout
Hi Mike,
Quite a few digital readouts will work on the FRG-7. The problem is in getting an accurate readout down to 100 Hz. Info on several counters can be found in the Files section folders 5 & 6. An offset counter counting the VFO frequency will be at the mercy of the H. GEN. accuracy. If the HG 1 MHz crystal is off by 100 Hz the H.GEN output will be off by 300 Hz on the lowest band and 3,200 Hz on the highest band. This inaccuracy will carry through using most offset frequency counters. The ESP DD-103 can hold corrected offsets for 32 bands so it could be set to be accurate on an FRG-7. I would check your H.GEN for accuracy before buying a display. If it is dead on any of the counters in Folder 6 would work well. My plan is to see if the HG crystal can be modified to use a trimmer to net it to 1 MHz. If it can't I intend to replace the crystal with a TCXO module that can be netted to 1 MHz. The TCXO may not work properly with the Harmonic Generator (HG) circuit as is. 73 Roger VE7LB |
Re: File Notifications
#file-notice
Hi Roger, Lex,
I think the operation is much simpler. The pick-off point in the H.GEN will have a comb of frequencies and the FRU-7 has no way of determining which one is selected in the receiver; that depends on the setting of the MHz dial (55.5-84.5 MHz 1st oscillator). Also, from the photos the display electronics looks like some pretty simple CMOS - probably presettable counters plus decode and display chips. There doesn't appear to be a crystal on the display board either. What this points to is using the H.GEN as the timebase for the FRU-7, with probably a simple LPF to suppress everything above 1 MHz. The only way to determine what the MHz reading should be is to measure the 1st oscillator and calculate as follows; MHz(set)? = [freq (1st osc) - 55.5] MHz. Round to nearest MHz as the Wadley loop takes care of any fractional MHz ( over +/- 100 KHz say). I have been thinking of a "full" digital display for the FRG-7 for a while. So far? I have a 'Blue Pill' board (STM32F103C8 micro) driving a 6-digit led board (TM1637- based) working. Total cost is under AUS $10. A bit of programming and a few transistors should take care of the KHz part of the display (the micro has some neat counters but the insane complexity of configuring them has me on a steep learning curve). Then a few more transistors and a HCMOS decade counter (to divide the 1st oscillator down to something the micro can handle) should take care of the MHz side of things. Will report back when I have the whole working. |
Re: File Notifications
#file-notice
Hi Lex,
Thanks for adding to the information about the FRU-7 display. I have previously contacted you off list about buying the unit. I gave to much credit to the 70's technology in my first post. The MHz digits could be derived by subtracting 3 from the H.GEN MHz signal. Looking at the Block Diagram on page 8 of the FRG-7 manual. The FRU-7 must be counting the 3 - 32 MHz output of the H.GEN and subtracting the VFO frequency. Then the counter circuit must have a preset of .455 MHz that adds to the sum above. For example when tuned to 10 MHz: H.GEN output is 13 MHz and the VFO is 3.455 MHz (13 - 3.455 = 9.545). Then add the IF frequency of .455 MHz to the above and you have 10 MHz. The FRU-7 doesn't display the MHz digits and shows .000 on the LED's. It should be a more accurate display, on the upper bands, because the 1 MHz crystal doesn't have a calibration trimmer and any inaccuracy will show up as you increase the receive frequency. For example if the 1 MHz is off by 100 Hz the H.GEN output would be off by 300 Hz on the lowest band and 3,200 Hz on the highest band. Because the FRU-7 counts the H.GEN and VFO frequencies and the VFO can correct for the H.GEN offset the FRU-7 should show .000 when tuned to WWV. 73 Roger VE7LB |
Re: File Notifications
#file-notice
Hello Roger, I used to have one in a FRG-7 which I got from a OM (the FRG-7 belonged to his father (SK OM Joop PA0JPC) and was in a bad shape). The counter worked, but I didn't like the look of it (and the jumping last digit made me nervous HI). So when I got my hands on a donor FRG-7 (which was in even worse shape), I removed the counter and restored the original drum.? Now having the name I googled around and found a ad in a magazine ( ) 1978. Indicating it's from B.Brookes Electronics from Norwich UK. Scrolling through the video's on my mobile phone and I found 2 video's I made when I started the restoration of this FRG-7. So I uploaded them to YouTube the public can see them. ?&?? When I removed the Brooks FDU7 counter I documented how it was installed in the FRG-7. When you look a the photo's you can clearly see that it's digital technology from the 70's (reminding me of the components my father used for his electronics experiments in the 70's).? I believe the aluminum case isn't original (it looks hand made). For those who are interested, I don't use it and have it on sale on my website :??(?price is negotiable HI ) Lex PH2LB? |
Re: File Notifications
#file-notice
Hi Lex,
Thanks for uploading the Brooks FDU-7 display install instructions. Looking at the instructions I see that it uses two coaxes to count the MHz frequency and the VFO frequency for a 5 or 6 digit readout (EG : 10.000 or 10.0000?).? I have never heard of the Brooks unit and there is nothing on Google. Were they sold in Europe? If you happen to have one in your FRG-7 I would appreciate a picture. 73 Roger VE7LB |
File Notifications
#file-notice
[email protected] Notification
Lex PH2LB <lex@...> added folder /Brooks FDU-7 - logic counting device The following files have been uploaded to the Files area of the [email protected] group. By: Lex PH2LB <lex@...> Description: |