开云体育

I have two venerable VX-150s (opened up for CAP use) and an FT-60R and have been charging them on the SBH-13 battery charger. Of late, I have noticed that in high power mode, all three are only putting out about 1.5 to 2.0 watts. The batteries are about 1400-1650 mAh and are very old -- about 4-5 years though little used.

Could I reasonably expect better performance and higher power with similar batteries (i.e., 1400-2000 mAh) and otherwise what would be the recommended course of action to restore the three HTs?

Thanks in advance.
--
William, K6WHP
"Cheer up, things could get worse..so I cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse!"

I know on my 60R there a a auto power saver
?that when you are hitting a repeater on high (5W) power, and you don't need 5W it cuts the power level back. Maybe when you measure your output with a watt meter this auto feature is kicking in. Just a thought.
Gary
KY8M
Macomb, MI.

This is nothing so sophisticated, I far. I am measuring the power out with a watt meter. (Technically, a scope and a voltmeter; so O am reasonably certain sure of the accuracy.? In fact, the issue that brought this up was the HTs not hitting repeaters.?

Thanks for the response.

William, K6WHP
"Cheer up, things could get worse..so I cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse!"

So what readings do you get when you use the ext power jack?
--
Gary
KY8M
Macomb, MI.

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your assistance. I have determined that the packs are fine -- well, as fine as one can expect for their age -- and the radios put out between 4 and 5 watts. The problem was pilot error. And whoda thunk you could measure their output power with a Tek 7704A scope?? (Any scope, actually so long as it has a band width of approximately 200 MHz.)?

Power = (Vpp^2)/400

.. for 50 ohm systems, of course.? ?

The two VX150s are spare to my needs and was checking them out.?
--
William, K6WHP
"Cheer up, things could get worse..so I cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse!"

Glad you got it sorted.
--
Gary
KY8M
Macomb, MI.

William - double those packs' longevity: purchase a Smiley 270 or Diamond SRH-320a?
antenna, and turn TX power DOWN to 2W.

If you're not making it FM voice on 2m/440 line-of-sight with 2W, odds are you won't
make it with 4-5W.

Smiley: ?

Diamond: ?

Clint K6LCS

PS By the way, of those two great antennas, the one that is $20 LESS expensive is the?
better performer on 2M ...
?
--
Clint Bradford K6LCS
http//www.work-sat.com

Clint,

Thanks for the heads up and I saw your recommendations in earlier posts. (I hate stumbling into a group or thread unless I research the subject first and your group here is fraught with excellent information -- a lot of it your tips.)

The two VX150s were modded for CAP and are being used in that capacity. Shhhhhh! don't tell anyone; CAP requires NTIA compliant radios and these ain't. The irony is that one of them I bought from the AZ Wing DC (director of comm) at the Yuma ham fest a few years ago. They are used as emergency backup for ground teams or to contact a CAP aircraft where line-of-sight is not affected to terribly much by terrain.?

But, in general, you are correct, Back in the day, when NASA first put that Motorola HT into the hands of Owen Garriott, W5LFL, on the Shuttle. During a pass, just after he broke above the terrain and announced, I was listening to the downllink with my IC-255 (remember them?) set to 5w and gave him a call. He responded and surprised the crap out of me!

Sadly, Owen went SK and left us in 2019. I am still grateful for him giving me one of my greater thrills in amateur radio -- on five watts to boot.

Oh and measuring the HTs with the scope, thanks fo the heads up, Dale. I transmit into a 50 ohm dummy and measure the voltage across that. I go the same with the QRP radios I build. It's more accurate than my Bird.



--
William, K6WHP
"Cheer up, things could get worse..so I cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse!"