Last update: Monday, 10-Mar-2014 15:33:41 GMT

September 28, 1997

I just gave up on the CQWW RTTY contest. What a blast. 300+ contacts and the 920 really did well. The INRAD 400hz CW filter really made a difference. It took a lot less effort to hear signals than in the last contest I did. And I got 18 new countries to boot. The radio is going to get packed up for the trip to Yaesu tomorrow, and as soon as I hear about the ATU, I'll put more up here.

September 22, 1997

Yaesu says about a week to get the tuner repaired, so I will wait until next week to return it to them. This will also give me a chance to think of anything else I want them to look at.

September 20, 1997

Ok. My power supply has been eliminated as well as any other hardware failure. This is one of the dumbest things that I could have ever done. The Kam plus has a hardware watchdog timer. It is controlled by a jumper that either enables it or disables it. Thankfully, someone (I lost the callsign) was kind enough to mention it last night. I have been chasing my tail around in circles trying to figure this problem out, and it turns out to be something simple.

So, there is nothing wrong with my FT920 as far as RTTY goes, or the PTT cutting out. However, the antenna tuner bit the big one again. This time it appears to be something more serious. I opened up the radio and looked, but no loose connectors this time. And I really doubt if I will be able to get the radio repaired in time for next weekend's CQWW RTTY contest.

The last time the tuner went out, it was due to a connector between one of the motors, and variable capacitors. That was an easy fix. This time the tuner will not tune better than infinity into my dummy load. I'd really like to use the tuner, as my tri-band beam has been a little detuned due to my new 6m beam above it. The options appear to be 1) take down the 6m beam, or 2) get the tuner fixed in time for the contest.

More to follow after I call Yaesu on monday morning.

September 15, 1997

Boy do I feel stupid... It seems that my problem with the radio cutting out when transmitting FSK may not be the radio after all. I decided to respond to a CQ from a station in Texas on friday, and after a few minutes the cut-out problem reappeared. But this time I noted a buzzing from my power supply. Since I was going to the ARRL Southwest Division convention anyway, I decided to ask the Yaesu people about the power supply, and the first comment was a description of a possible problem that I might have.

The buzzing I heard sounds like a relay coil just before it loses power, and an apparently common problem with this power supply is a large 10w resistor near that relay. So I have replaced the resistor, and we shall see if it solves my problem. In any case, I have borrowed another Yaesu PS from a friend, just in case I continue to have problems. Once I can confirm that the PS is/was the culprit, then I will replace it if necessary.

I did have a chance to work VK9WY on Willis Island twice yesterday. 20m phone, and 15m RTTY. Next up is CW. The 400hz CW filter is great with RTTY, and really cuts noise, along with nearby signals. I should have picked up a filter when I bought the radio, but then I was primarily a phone operator up to that point. The good side of this is that I learned what the radio is capable of doing without filters....

September 08, 1997

I have received the 400hz CW filter from International Radio. It is a very nice looking piece of work. It plugs in, in place of the the Yaesu filter, next to the AM filter (or pass thru board). The cutoff is very sharp and with the DSP, makes a great filtering combination. Now the shift really works well; A turn of the shift knob, and the nearby signals completely disappear. There is a slight ringing in this filter (could be just my ear), however, I am very pleased with the results. This filter is just wide enough for great RTTY performance and should work very well for CW contesting as well.