Still Kicking after 40 Years ...
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I ran my FT-980 through the recent ARRL DX CW Contest. No sweat, Primary fan never came on, no issues. Love that. Used a K1EL keyer, drove it with my ACLog contest software (logger was the keyer memory, not the K1EL) via USB. I used a signalink USB to capture the audio out and ran it into MRP40 as a decoder. With most of the contestors running at 35-35 wpm, I was in over my head without it. I could get the exchanges, but the MRP40 really helped with the call signs.
I have the optional 300Hz 8-pole xtal filter (XF-455.8MCN) in the FT980 as well as the 600Hz filter. The300 Hz filter makes all the difference in a contest: I can switch that on and listen to everything else fade out. -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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I can chime in to this conversation... while Mat was operating ARRL contest I did some work on Dave's faulty FT-980.?? Dave has one that is fully operational and I took his second 980 home for a repair.? I can report quite a bit of progress.? I think Dave's radio qualifies to be buttoned up and returned to him soon.? This radio had several problems like no CW sidetone, no FSK tones (related), bad HAM/GEN relay and non-operational APF/NOTCH controls.? That part donor radio that Dave mentioned came in really handy. As far as the Morse character truncation... I have never positively confirmed that my keyer board fixed the problem. This issue was present when I got the rig from Dave and then disappeared when I replaced the Curtis board with the Pico-keyer (also mounted inside the radio).? Maybe the keying device (FET) works better with the 980 QSK circuit.? But this is just my speculation... Mat, I hope you did not have such issues with QSK.? Or, maybe you have not used it.? Congrats on having this radio put in such a good use! .? I myself usually shy from contests and prefer chasing DX.? My FT-980 has proven itself to be a competitive rig despite the age!? Check out my video clip that I recorded after having worked JT1CO, barefoot: I have two 600 Hz filters in this radio (low and high IF). 73, Wald N4PL
On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 10:42:22 AM EST, Dave Thompson <thompson@...> wrote:
Mat, Great on running the FT-980 in the ARRL CW DX.? I have had a 980 since 1983.? My first is now at N4PL.? Have you run into the first character truncation.? I found this years ago and never got it fixed.? K7JA chip was the VP for Yaesu worked with me on this.? Wald N4PL fixed this by installing a?? keyer in place of the old curtis keyer. I worked and confirmed 167 DXCC on 160 SSB with the original FT-980.? My second FT-980 was one converted to GEN TX by Phil K4DPK.? I ran this on 60 meters.? This one died and N4PL and I use this as a parts radio.? I was gifted 2 more by a silent key family and N4PL who is a great tech has gotten fully working for me.? BTW K7JA said the 980 had a great receiver. 73 Dave K4JRB -----Original Message----- |
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I was operating barefoot for the contest, so no QSK. My Henry linear doesn't have QSK capability natively. I've thought about adding it, but it would be expensive and a good-sized project.
I use an external keyer (K1EL). I don't even own the FT-980 curtis keyer pcb. I'm so used to the K1EL that it would be issue to swatch, I think. WIth the K1EL I've never received any feedback on a shortened initial dit, and I haven't noticed any miscopies that would indicate it. I also suspect it might be a curtis interaction with the FT-980. I note that it looks like the board was upgraded for later radios (FT-902, etc), and maybe they fixed this issue. The PCBs are backwards compatibile I believe. -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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Hi Mat, OK, thx for the update.? If you had any problems with the character truncation you would have known that right away... I did figure that out the hard way.? My first QSO with the FT-980 was ZL2AIM who replied to me as I4PL and turned his beam to EU HI.? I quickly realized what was going on and switched to MOX. As far as the Curtis keyer board... you have nothing to regret for not having it.? That IC requires a perfect paddle timing otherwise it immediately cancels the current character and starts a new one.? It is an art to master this keyer, especially if your expectations were set by, say, WB4VVF and later versions that had the "last character memory".? FYI, I ended up ordering the Pico-keyer kit and built it on my own PCB that mounts inside the radio.? Connects via the same header.? I added a DC switching circuit so when the rig powers up the keyer uses the +9V internal supply line and cuts off the Lithium battery.? The front panel pot wiring required a small surgery though.? I have it all documented.? If you are interested I can upload it all to the server. 73, Wald N4PL
On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 8:32:45 PM EST, Mat Breton <i.m.n8tw@...> wrote:
I was operating barefoot for the contest, so no QSK. My Henry linear doesn't have QSK capability natively. I've thought about adding it, but it would be expensive and a good-sized project. I use an external keyer (K1EL). I don't even own the FT-980 curtis keyer pcb. I'm so used to the K1EL that it would be issue to swatch, I think. WIth the K1EL I've never received any feedback on a shortened initial dit, and I haven't noticed any miscopies that would indicate it. I also suspect it might be a curtis interaction with the FT-980. I note that it looks like the board was upgraded for later radios (FT-902, etc), and maybe they fixed this issue. The PCBs are backwards compatibile I believe. -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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Mat, It is a great idea to document the different board vintages.? Going forward, I will take pics and add them to the Files section, with serial numbers for ID. However, Dave's radio is done and I put the cabinet on.? All I have is the FSK board top and bottom side.? I added these photos to the PCB folder. 73, Wald N4PL
On Saturday, February 27, 2021, 12:50:16 PM EST, Mat Breton <i.m.n8tw@...> wrote:
Hi Wald, I forgot to ask earlier: can I get a picture of the backside (trace side) of one of the IF boards while you are doing the repairs? I would like to compare to mine. Many thanks, -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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Just an update: I ran the ARRL DX Phone Contest 1.5 weeks ago. Not nearly as successful as the CW contest; band conditions weren't as good, and there was a lot of noise on 40M. I fired up the linear, but ran it lightly at only 700W or so output.
The FT-980 did great again of course. Without the sunspots it really helps to have the great receiver sensitivity. -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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Hi Phil, There are two interfaces to the PC I can discuss ... the Audio Links, and the CAT control.
Audio: I personally use a USB Signalink to interface because: 1. It has a built in VOX that creates a PTT function, so I don't have to worry about setting up RTR/DTS in every SW program 2. It is galvanically isolated (audio rx, audio tx, and PTT): no grounds loops or noise transfer. 3.? However, you can always direct connect everything up w/o isolation if you PC has a line in/out jacks. Have to get PTT somehow though. CAT HW: My rig came with a Yaesu FIF-232 which I use mostly out of habit (and it matches the rig). Some in this forum have bought the USB cables and have them working ... but I will defer to them for advice on this. CAT SW: For compatibility, the software doesn't need to directly support the FT-980 anymore: Hamlib has a "translator" software that will convert FT-980 into FT-2000 ... so if the software supports the FT-2000 you should be good to go. I tested this with a couple programs and it seemed to work. See the files section for instructions and advice on this ... but I bet you could get N1MM logger working if you tried :) -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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Hi Fred,
That VCO trimmer is a known problem: I replaced mine about 5 years ago for exactly that symptom. Anecdotal evidence says that the flux bath Yaesu used before wave soldering results in contamination of the ceramic, which eventually causes the value to go out of range of adjustment. Not sure if that is true or not, but it matches the symptoms for sure. I don't see that issue with other older ceramic trimmers ... so I suspect it was something yaesu did ... or maybe another component value going out of range (unlikely). If you know the approximate cap range the VCO wants, I recommend getting a smaller trimmer value in that range ... makes it easier to find the sweet spot. The stock value requires a bit of patience and skill sometimes. Just my thoughts ... -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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Thanks Dave,
Great news:?Roger VE7LB (the group owner) has already loaded all the FoxTango articles dealing with the FT-980 into the FIles section. Look for "Files->06 - FT Club FT-980 Index and Information", and then open either the article index, or the articles themselves. Hope these help ... they are great reading regardless ... -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
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I'll be running my FT-980 on RTTY for the NAQP contest this weekend. I use AFSK w/ fldigi via a SignalinkUSB interface.?
The setup works well (also use it for FT4/8), and I have no fear running the RTTY signal to 80W+ ... the FT-980 finals aren't going to burn out :) It is rare that both fans kick in even in digital contesting. The only thing I don't like is that I can't kick-in the 300Hz filter when in a SSB mode. That would help somewhat with strong adjacent signals ... more than the notch and PB filters allow. -- -Mat Breton, N8TW |
Mat Breton N8TW
N4PL