VK Logger Ham Radio Forum Archive

A fractional PLL would do the job OK and as it's still using the OEM reference oscillator, there would be very little, if any, impact on the phase noise characteristics.

I think they had the Vac student working on this!

Yes, the XRef-VS for a TS-2000 has been used on a TS-590S. The rig didn't have the optional TCXO but the XRef was to be always used with 10MHz supplied. Just change the output coupling capacitor to 47pF, inject at the TCXO output and you should get the right level. You'll need to break the power fee...

XRef-VS Modification Under certain conditions, some XRef-VS boards can generate a spurious output when the XRef is supposedly disabled (i.e. no 10 MHz applied). The XRef-VS is mainly used for the TS-2000 and the IC-910H fitted with a hi-stab OEM oscillator. The mod is applicable to XRef-VS boards d...

Hi Kevin, There was an issue with some of the earlier boards where, under certain conditions, the divider chip could "take off" when the synthesizer was disabled (i.e. running the rig without 10 MHz connected). This then interfered with the standard Kenwood reference oscillator causing som...

Biggest load of rubbish I've seen in a long time. So called experts contradicting themselves and giving wildly ridiculous and fear-mongering explanations for some things. The credibility of Catalyst has gone down the toilet as far as I'm concerned. The whole premise seemed to be "They can't pro...

Hi Lou, I'm glad I dragged the chain on this as Chas/David/Lou's lateral thought about re-using the Tx filter has simplified things even further. Better get onto it now though. BTW, one minor comment. You mention at the end of the conversion notes that "bricking" the ATMega8 with dodgy cod...

Hi Leigh,

The manual says the unit can take between 10 mins and 1 hour to lock.
Does it have an LCD display and, if so, what is it saying?
I'd probably start by looking if there's a faulty antenna connection somewhere.

Regards,
Dave
VK3HZ

Another option is a servo from an RC plane. Arduino has a standard library for handling them. Here's a version of my 24 GHz setup: WG Switch Driver v2.jpg To explain, the WG switch has springs and stops of its own. So, the spring and (loose) rod in the servo linkage provide a bit of give so that the...

If the FSK you are referring to is FSK441 in WSJT10, then it uses the same interface between radio and PC as JT65b.
So, if you can run JT, you should have everything you need to run FSK.

Regards,
Dave
VK3HZ

I stand corrected - cutoff is about 9.5 GHz

I think you'll find it's beyond cutoff at 10 GHz so losses will be EXTREMELY high.

Regards,
Dave
VK3HZ

I've compared the hex files from the disassembled source code and the original. A couple of minor corrections were needed.

The source code below produces a hex file which is equivalent to the original downloaded from the chip.

(rename it to .asm)

Regards,
Dave
VK3HZ

Oh, I forgot. I've added a bit of information to Tim's spreadsheet, so here it is.

How to Change the PLL Frequency PLL1 generates the first LO frequency of 1478 MHz. If we could change that, then we may be able to bring the IF down to 432 MHz or even 144 MHz, depending on VCO, filters ... The code that sets the PLL1 frequency is this subroutine: // Subroutine - set up PLL1 Label_...

How to read/write the firmware? First you need an SPI programmer. I'd recommend the USBasp: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/141504643208 Make sure you get the 6-pin cable. Then you need a socket for the board: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/281500048314 Yes, you get 10. Share. I'd recommend Jaycar but they ...

Some comments on the firmware. Firstly, it does more than just setting up the PLL chips. So the option of trashing the original firmware and writing a simple program just to set the PLL(s) may not work. It does set up the two PLLs in a standard manner, writing three register values to each. The PLLs...

Thanks Lou.

Still doesn't quite work though. I calculate PLL2 should be on 448 MHz.

And for those who talk hexy, here's the raw hex dump that I got from the chip.

Except apparently .hex (and .asm) aren't permitted attachments, so I've renamed it to .txt

Regards,
Dave
VK3HZ

I picked up a set of modules at Ballarat last weekend and have been doing a bit of fiddling. I've managed to read the code from the ATMega8 - it seems the manufacturer didn't bother to set the security bits. The 6-pin socket pattern on the PCB is a standard SPI interface for programming the chip. I'...

... FT817s ... won’t go down to 142.xxx easily. It's simply a matter of resoldering some links on the front panel PCB as described in a link in my posting a bit earlier in this thread. For some who might think doing this is a no-no, please refer to the WIA web site: http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents...

If you're after GPS-locked precision, this is what one guy is doing: - purchase a VCXO to replace the TCXO in the radio. Here's one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/171604007573 - use a PLL to lock the VCXO to 10 MHz. The XRef-PLL can be supplied on that frequency: http://www.vk3hz.net/XRef/XRef_Hom...