I'm still kinda new to the radio scene and learning. Please bear with my lack of experience. If this question is not in the right area of the forum, I apologize. I need some help.
I think my radio broke tonite. I have an ICOM 718, and a MFJ Versa Tuner II antenna tuner, and a couple antennas.
The story:
I just got a free second hand receiver from a guy I know. Its an old Realistic DX-200. I wanted to test out the receiver and see if it was working. I got on the icom, and was doing some very low power call-outs (to myself really) at like 5watts. I could hear myself thru the tuner but it was distorted. I figured the distortion was because it's so physically close to my radio (right next to it), so I called my buddy across town on the phone to have him get on the air, to see how he sounded. He got on, and started calling out to me, but when I tried to call to him via the ICOM 718, I was no longer transmitting. He, and the other fellow that happened to be on the frequency couldn't hear me at all....though I could hear them perfectly. I could also no longer hear myself on the Realistic receiver that I was trying to test in the first place.
I tried a few different bands, at a few different power levels. I also tried bypassing my MFJ antenna tuner, and going straight from my ICOM 718 to the antenna.....no difference. Nobody can hear me.
I DO see the radio kick over into transmit mode when I key off. The integrated power output meter on the ICOM 718 reads nothing though. Also, the needles on the MFJ antenna tuner don't even twitch when I key off.
I figured it could possibly be that my microphone busted since it gets banged around. I don't have a spare mic on hand, but I do have a home made PC interface box that I've used successfully in the past for sending SSTV, and CW Type from the computer thru my radio. I tried that. It didn't solve the issue, though I CAN hear myself (barely) on the receiver if I try to TX from the PC. It still doesn't twitch the needles on the tuner, or the onboard radio meter though.
I've tried TXing on 10m, 11m, 15m, and 40m....thru an Antron A99, a homemade 40m wire antenna, and into a dummy load, with and without the tuner, and tried 2 different power supplies for the radio. Results haven't changed.
Am I screwed? Any helpful advice would be welcome. There is no stupid way to accidentally disable transmitting on an ICOM 718 that my inexperienced self is unaware of....is there? Something in the software menus? I've looked, but I'm still learning. Or does it sound like my rig just spontaneously gave up the ghost, as I suspect?
Thanks,
KD2HQK
I think my radio broke tonite. I have an ICOM 718, and a MFJ Versa Tuner II antenna tuner, and a couple antennas.
The story:
I just got a free second hand receiver from a guy I know. Its an old Realistic DX-200. I wanted to test out the receiver and see if it was working. I got on the icom, and was doing some very low power call-outs (to myself really) at like 5watts. I could hear myself thru the tuner but it was distorted. I figured the distortion was because it's so physically close to my radio (right next to it), so I called my buddy across town on the phone to have him get on the air, to see how he sounded. He got on, and started calling out to me, but when I tried to call to him via the ICOM 718, I was no longer transmitting. He, and the other fellow that happened to be on the frequency couldn't hear me at all....though I could hear them perfectly. I could also no longer hear myself on the Realistic receiver that I was trying to test in the first place.
I tried a few different bands, at a few different power levels. I also tried bypassing my MFJ antenna tuner, and going straight from my ICOM 718 to the antenna.....no difference. Nobody can hear me.
I DO see the radio kick over into transmit mode when I key off. The integrated power output meter on the ICOM 718 reads nothing though. Also, the needles on the MFJ antenna tuner don't even twitch when I key off.
I figured it could possibly be that my microphone busted since it gets banged around. I don't have a spare mic on hand, but I do have a home made PC interface box that I've used successfully in the past for sending SSTV, and CW Type from the computer thru my radio. I tried that. It didn't solve the issue, though I CAN hear myself (barely) on the receiver if I try to TX from the PC. It still doesn't twitch the needles on the tuner, or the onboard radio meter though.
I've tried TXing on 10m, 11m, 15m, and 40m....thru an Antron A99, a homemade 40m wire antenna, and into a dummy load, with and without the tuner, and tried 2 different power supplies for the radio. Results haven't changed.
Am I screwed? Any helpful advice would be welcome. There is no stupid way to accidentally disable transmitting on an ICOM 718 that my inexperienced self is unaware of....is there? Something in the software menus? I've looked, but I'm still learning. Or does it sound like my rig just spontaneously gave up the ghost, as I suspect?
Thanks,
KD2HQK
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