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Re: Every Day is Field Day
Brian Frobisher
I brought my FT-817 and MP-1 to work with me and went out behind the
building in a park and setup yesterday at lunch time. I did not make any contacts, but I was hearing some stations on 17m. I hope to someday work some stations from my lunchtime ?Field Day? position somewhere along the ?Miracle Mile? on Wilshire. on 7/12/01 9:49 AM, kr8l@... at kr8l@... wrote: Taking a break from the heat of the battery and fuse discussions, I [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
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Re: MP-1 lower section extension
IIRC from Vern's impromptu presentation to '817 users at Dayton, he
uses 3/8"-24 tpi construction pretty much throughout. So, you could pick up a section of 3/8" aluminum round stock (at Lowe's/Home Depot/etc.) and thread it yerself (or ask the folks at the hardware store to do it). S/B around $5 for the aluminum stock. |
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MAHA MH-FNB-72 1.7Ah Fused -- NOT
Chuck Carpenter
Folks,
I removed the outer shrink sleeve from my MAHA FT-817 battery pack. There are no fuses in this version. (I'm installing Pico fuses.) There is a device of some sort connected between the middle sets of 4 cells. It is marked: IP405BC-B 70C T. ISUZU 0G The first line seems to be the device type and maybe a thermal rating. The second line is the manufacturer and possibly a date code. Anyone know what this device actually is? Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ, Point, Rains Co., TX - EM22cv, NETXQRP #1 ARCI #5422, QRP-L #1306, SOC #57, Six Club #201, SMIRK #6275 Zombie #759, RARA #3, Visit NETXQRP Web Site: |
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Re: At least one MP-1 which is not so hot.
Michael Melland
Hi Brian,
The MP-1 as it is now shipping according to Vern comes with a 4 ft telescoping mast and 8 inch lower section. There is a "mobile kit" available for $15 that consist's of the 2 foot lower mast and a solid 4 foot upper mast. Perhaps the older and soon to be discontinued PW-1 version had a 2 foot lower as stock..... or earlier MP-1's did ??? Glad you are getting good results with the antenna..... as you should. It is actually a very efficient antenna when tuned properly and I really liked the one I tried out. Mine should be here any day now !!! Regards -- Michael Melland, W9WIS QRP-L #1656 QRPARCI #9875 SOC #142 FPQRP #244 IPARC #252 EN54pc Winnebago Cty, Wisc. |
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Every Day is Field Day
Taking a break from the heat of the battery and fuse discussions, I
reflect on the joy of sitting outside in the shade, talking on the radio. I look up at the antenna and visualize the tiny QRP quantities of RF eminating from the wire... I put up a temporary dipole at home so that I could operate Field Day from the back yard (Reference: Message #8285). I decided to leave it up for a while. Yesterday evening was beautiful with temperature in the high 70's, partly cloudy, with a light breeze. What a joy to be able to pack my entire station into a small camera bag (well, except for the 7 AH gel cell) and carry it out to the back yard where I set it up on a small patio table. From 6:45 PM to 8:00 PM I had four pleasant SSB QSOs with stations in Maine, Ontario, Wisconson, and North Dakota on 17 and 20 meters. The Op in Maine wants to get an '817 to take on a backpacking trip to the UKoGBaNI. The Wisconson station was W9C on 14.240. He took time for a chat, despite being a special event station. I tried to bust a couple of DX pileups without success. I'm sure I could have done it, but didn't want to spend the time. Later, around 9:00 PM, I worked a couple of southern california stations on 6m Es. When I was done, everything went back into the camera bag, and then back into the shack. What a radio! 73 de Bill, KR8L/7 |
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Re: At least one MP-1 which is not so hot.
Brian Frobisher
This is a strange report
I visited another local Ham the other day and he had the ?2 foot? extension you talk about. But I do not think he had purchased the mobile kit for his MP-1. Is it possible that is now coming as part of the standard antenna kit? My MP-1 did not come with this 2 foot bottom rod, but I have also worked Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic with what I have from Los Angeles! on 7/12/01 9:34 AM, Michael Melland at w9wis@... wrote: Vern at Super Antennas tells me you get better performance with the 2 foot [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
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Re: At least one MP-1 which is not so hot.
Michael Melland
Vern at Super Antennas tells me you get better performance with the 2 foot
lower that comes with the mobile kit. I am waiting for my MP-1 to arrive. I had tested one a friend had and was impressed with it's performance. Several things that may be affecting some of those who report poor performance... Poor ground radials (counterpoise).... make em longer if you want to work 40 meters, antenna not properly tuned... these "screwdriver" types really tune sharp (touchy) and performance expectations way out of line with what one can expect with a portable field antenna. Don't expect the performance of your triband, GAP vertical or dipole at 40 feet. (although the MP-1 I used with the 2 ft lower and additional radials was at least as good if not better then the inverted V I pack along in the field and generally put up low.) Regards -- Michael Melland, W9WIS QRP-L #1656 QRPARCI #9875 SOC #142 FPQRP #244 IPARC #252 EN54pc Winnebago Cty, Wisc. |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
The information sheet that came with my MAHA pack says: "Maha battery
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pack has a built-in thermostat for avoiding overcharging/overheating. The charging circuit will be automatically shut of at 55 degree C, as a safety precaution." Reference: www.mahaenergy.com/download/pdf/nimh_battery-twoway.pdf 73 de Bill, KR8l/7 --- In FT817@y..., w4wb@a... wrote:
... Hi Hans,"fondled" only two Maha packs and could not feel any fuse. Perhaps they areor thermal - on the Maha web site. |
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Re: At least one MP-1 which is not so hot.
... but the MP-1, with (what I think is the key to thatCan anyone suggest what a more appropriate length would be for the lower mast section? What seems to produce better results? Tnx, Gene |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
Mike,
The OPP was my first choice but after 2 weeks, Gigaparts still doesn'thave any stock of them. Heck, we're all in the same town too!I ordered mine direct from W4RT Electronics and had it in a few days. Have you checked with GigaParts recently? I talked to George at GigaParts Tuesday on another matter and understood that they were either in stock or expected shortly. Would be curious to know what kind of failure you had. I'd bought the MahaMy Maha C777plus goes to 22.3 volts within seconds after the termination of the 3 minute surface charge application with several different NiMh packs. I didn't wait around for the smoke :-) It is now on the way back to Maha for warranty repair. The worst part of charging in the radio is that is time-based and doesn'tbattery door to pick up the sharp temperature increase that occurs when thebattery is fully charged. A temp sensor and a piezo beeper might work as well.Mike, I'm just too impatient and short of time to watch labels on the door. Even a piezo beeper triggered by a temp sensor means that I have to be on the scene to hear it. I guess this is an individual value judgment and others may or may not share my views. 72, Bill W4RK Nashville, TN USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Murphree" <w4lna@...> To: <FT817@...> Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 10:09 AM Subject: Re: [FT817] Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!! On Thu, Jul 12, 2001 at 09:30:24AM -0500, Bill Gerth wrote:both battery leads plus overtemp protection. balance of message deleted to conserve bandwidth***> |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
Trevor Lewis
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-----Original Message----- since neither Yaesu nor Maha ... worry about >fusing, why should we? . . .is this a matter >of theoretical problems overshadowing the >reality?companies worry about lawsuits, punitive damages, etc., from personal injury or property destruction if a device is claimed to be "defective" or lacks available safety features that could have prevented these hazards. Overcurrent/ temperature, etc., can quickly toast cicuitry but at these power levels aren't likely to escalate to loss of life, limb, or home.... a rig owner may want to do what they can to avoid risk of zorching their rig [to which the manufacturer may turn a deaf ear, on the basis that the user caused the damage with un-official accessories or mods]; absence of death or destruction will offer only so much consolation to the owner of a defunct $700+/- rig thus the [IMHO BIG] difference between really good engineering and the way most electronics are actually built [in order to meet what the customer is willing to or can pay or what competition sells a similar product for] if you're careful or willing to take your chances to try creative or more economical innovations on your own, go for it! I have no affiliation with any manufacturer. |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
--- In FT817@y..., yahpboo@y... wrote:
Hi Hans,The resettable fuses are large enough that you can feel them (orevensee the slight bluge they may form in the shrink wrap) if you runHi I have a Maha pack, and under the shrink wrap there is a bugle. Interesting. Where did you purchase your Maha pack? I have "fondled" only two Maha packs and could not feel any fuse. Perhaps they are now including it. There is no mention of any fusing - overcurrent or thermal - on the Maha web site. 73 de Barry - W4WB |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
Mike Murphree
On Thu, Jul 12, 2001 at 09:30:24AM -0500, Bill Gerth wrote:
The OPP was my first choice but after 2 weeks, Gigaparts still doesn't have any stock of them. Heck, we're all in the same town too! Would be curious to know what kind of failure you had. I'd bought the Maha drop-in charger (C888?) for my HTs before and used it to charge one of the RS packs last night. There was a little bit of smell that made me believe that it was getting hot inside. Afterwards I carefully removed the wiring harness from the alkaline holder (useless) and attached them to the RS pack. It works fine and I will probably add some polyfuses when I can get them. Thus far I only have $25 invested, so that's half of the alternatives. In most cases, I don't think that I will be fast charging with the Maha charger because the batteries were pretty hot afterwards (3 hr charge). For a few dollars more and a trip through my junkbox, I can add the features of the OPP easily. The worst part of charging in the radio is that is time-based and doesn't give an indication of when the batteries are fully charged. I'm wondering if some of the temperature sensitive labels could be applied to the battery door to pick up the sharp temperature increase that occurs when the battery is fully charged. A temp sensor and a piezo beeper might work as well. 73 Mike W4LNA Madison, AL |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
The resettable fuses are large enough that you can feel them (oreven see the slight bluge they may form in the shrink wrap) if you runHi I have a Maha pack, and under the shrink wrap there is a bugle. I assumed that there is a fuse (thermal type) in the pack. The size of it, feels like thermal type fuses you see in most commersial battery packs. (manny have 2 types) I'am not shure if they only cut thermaly, or if they sense current. Have anyone seen the specs for this fuses. If they only cut on pack temperature, the thin wires from the pack will melt long before the "fuse" opens. LA9KW Hans Petter |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
Thankfully, in this case, the competing battery choices for the 817Not really. Maha/Yaesu/W4RT all are ~$60. RS pack is $24.99 (was on sale for $19.99). I found an older RS NiCd pack for $9.97(1000 mAh) & if I cannibalized the AA-holder connector, I'd be in business for a total of $10.52, including tax. Ok, throw in a connector from Tim O'Rourke for $5 & we're up to $15.52.... Still nowhere near |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
So, since neither Yaesu nor Maha -- both of whom, one presumes, would
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face potential liability if their battery packs fried a rig (or a person) -- worry about fusing, why should we? Not asking about the technical reasons; I understand those. But is this a matter of theoretical problems overshadowing the reality? To my knowledge, the Yaesu, RS, and Maha packs don't have any fusing. |
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Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!!
Modest W4WB refrained from mentioning that theW4RT Electronics One Plug
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Power NiMh pack includes as standard features: overcurrent fuses in both battery leads plus overtemp protection. As one who has just experienced a failure of my newly acquired Maha C777plus charger, I was comforted by the independent safety features of the One Plug Power system in my 817. Not to criticize those who have concluded that such protection is overkill. Just an illustration of the great diversity of choice available. Brings to the mind the old saying: "You pays your money and you takes your choice" Thankfully, in this case, the competing battery choices for the 817 are quite close in cost. 72, Bill W4RK Nashville, TN USA ----- Original Message -----
From: <w4wb@...> To: <FT817@...> Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 8:44 AM Subject: [FT817] Re: Do NiMH packs come with fuses? Nope!! Questions ) seeHow do you know there's no fuse? Couldn't it be packed inside theplasticwrap ( that I assume holds it together ) and not visible fromoutside? Oneof those auto-resettable breakers we are talking about?Hi Pres, Please note that your messages and files sent to this group become publicdomain upon submission and may appear anywhere on the Internet or in print without notice or compensation.
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Re: FT-817/ Power Protection
Trevor Lewis
Re: recent word of a fried FT-817 from automotive starting surges; plus the
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817's lack of reverse- polarity protection; plus the fact that it's been noted that the DC socket on the back of the 817 isn't very robust and the conductors of Yaesu's cord that comes with the 817 are under-sized: It'd be an ingenious accessory if someone could come up with a base/ mobile connector or cord assembly with a compact surge/ polarity protector built right in. Better still if it could compactly and sturdily piggy-back on the 817's rear panel in a way that attaches into the 817's DC input and then offers some more robust connector or conductors for DC input. Perhaps it could be a small "box" that uses the 817's ground screw as a means of mechanical attachment to the 817; this power-filter unit could then also "sport" a small binding post for more ready RF ground connection. How's that for a wish list...? [If only I were an engineer or could practically get into designing and making such a unit; it's hard enough to find time to work on my own equipment] [I'm all for home-brew, and the NOGAPIG looks like it fits the bill electrically; it would just be nice if someone like W4RT could engineer up something that would also be ultra-compact/ sturdy/ mechanically elegant that would keep the compact "one small box" appeal of the 817, rather than having an armful of dangling appendages....] -----Original Message-----
From: Michael Melland [mailto:w9wis@...] Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2001 1:38 PM To: FT817@... Subject: [FT817] FT-817 and Power Protection Idea With all the woe from reverse power, over voltage and current glitches it might be a good idea to take a look at the North Georgia QRP Club's NoGAPIG project (power indicator and guard). This kit provides over current, over voltage (crowbar) and reverse voltage protection along with a low battery voltage indicator for $15 including shipping. The kit includes board and board mounted parts except a NO pushbutton switch and enclosure. I ordered one yesterday... that little gem of a FT-817 is just too good to take a chance on frying ! Price is right and I know others who have built this into their QRP rigs and say it works great. I plan cut the board down to just the PiG and put it in a very small case.... Check it out here and let me know what you think: click on projects and then the PiG link and view the construction manual btw: I'm not a member of NOGA QRP Club nor do I think I know any members..... just trying to save some grief for us owners that "may" someday goof and apply power backwards or have some other glitch with a power supply. Of course we can fuse both leads with pico fuses and put a Zener diode across the leads now.... but this is a bit more secure. Mike, W9WIS -- Michael Melland, W9WIS QRP-L #1656 QRPARCI #9875 SOC #142 FPQRP #244 IPARC #252 EN54pc Winnebago Cty, Wisc. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: FT817-unsubscribe@... and for a great FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions ) see Please note that your messages and files sent to this group become public domain upon submission and may appear anywhere on the Internet or in print without notice or compensation. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to |
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Re: RTTY and the FT-817
I use my FT-817 on PSK31. The software that I use is DigiPan v. 1.6,
which is sound card based. My interface is homebrew, based on the documentation provided with DigiPan, and is basically two audio patch cables plus a 2N2222 keying transistor driven from the COM port. I connect directly to the 6-pin mini-DIN jack on the rig for audio in, audio out, and keying. I run the '817 in the DIGital mode, and have the digital menu selection set to PSK-U (upper sideband). I run the software on a Toshiba laptop. Everything works fine, and the only operational adjustment required is the laptop audio output volume, which I adjust for two or three bars on the ALC display. The only problem I have encountered is RF getting into the computer via the mouse, which I solved by winding the mouse cord throug a big toroid three or four times. Please let me know if you need additional information. 73 de Bill, KR8L/7 --- In FT817@y..., smbertuzzo@h... wrote: Hello everyone.up to a Sound Card RTTY program. I would like to use the 817 and my |
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