maxlog M8900

Seems like it doesn't take much nowadays. Doesn't seem like it's going to change either.

Just take an Optima board and add a copied CW circuit from a 2950. I'd be happy and buy 3.

Mine should be here by the end of the week or into next week. I'll give it a good going over and focus on CW. I operate code pretty good but not much more than 18 wpm, had to pass 13 wpm to get my general about 20 years ago and was working on my extra at 20 wpm. CW is fun but it has barriers for some.... :blink:
My AT-6666 is a prototype sample with problems but I can receive CW pretty good on it. The tone is not pure and using SSB as the receive mode makes for a wide window, but it does fairly good. To transmit CW I would have to figure out a way to key the AM mode with no modulation as that IS MCW or Modulated Carrier Wave. Modulated carrier wave means to key on and off, no tone is included. I have done this with an old Cybernet 23 channel CB converted to ten meters. It was an AM rig but I keyed the AM mode on and off with no modulation to get CW. On receive I used a homebrew BFO to hear the CW station and also a bit into the SSB part of the band.

73 mechanic

I posted a couple of videos but my first thoughts on the radios are -

- holy crap it's small
- receive sensitivity is good
- power output seems good for a small radio
- audio is full sounding but definitely not as punchy as the Anytone AT-6666 which still is the best of the bunch with stock microphone so far
- bands/tuning setup is a little weird, not your standard A-G
- not as easy to flip around as the AT-6666 or M8800 but that's because it's small and the knobs have to be smaller
- dual displays are easy to read and large for such a small radio
- tuning steps are great
- passband tuning for RX/TX is cool, not sure how effective it will be in different scenarios but interesting it was added
- display is easy to read at different angles
- noisy in the mobile, seems to pick up more noise from other cars, streetlights, etc than the other new radios. Still can hear stations fine but if you have someone with an engine that needs new spark plug wires right next to you you'll hear it
- awesome and quiet on the base
- holy crap again...it's that small

cbradiomagazine.com said:

I posted a couple of videos but my first thoughts on the radios are -

- holy crap it's small
- receive sensitivity is good
- power output seems good for a small radio
- audio is full sounding but definitely not as punchy as the Anytone AT-6666 which still is the best of the bunch with stock microphone so far
- bands/tuning setup is a little weird, not your standard A-G
- not as easy to flip around as the AT-6666 or M8800 but that's because it's small and the knobs have to be smaller
- dual displays are easy to read and large for such a small radio
- tuning steps are great
- passband tuning for RX/TX is cool, not sure how effective it will be in different scenarios but interesting it was added
- display is easy to read at different angles
- noisy in the mobile, seems to pick up more noise from other cars, streetlights, etc than the other new radios. Still can hear stations fine but if you have someone with an engine that needs new spark plug wires right next to you you'll hear it
- awesome and quiet on the base
- holy crap again...it's that small

Click to expand...

I had read somewhere an operator had modified the mic and/or replaced it for better sounding output audio, so that may be the answer. Most times a good mic can do wonders.
Passband tuning is something I did not know about, if it is as it should be then working stations on crowded bands will be much more fun! The IF pass band can be moved away from the offending signal.
Being that small I wonder how they fit all the 'works' in the rig!? Maybe they are using similar circuitry used in the Baofeng and Wouxon hand helds, typically the Si series of 'radio on a chip' ICs? Several Tecsun receivers use the Si chips and they incorporate DSP, filtering and digital audio....

73 mechanic

Double sided board by the look of it...

magnuman said:

Double sided board by the look of it...

Click to expand...

No views of the PC (trace) side of the board but some of the other views show there to be some depth to it on the PC side.

73 mechanic

Both sides of the board here:

M8900 Internal pictures | 91DD018

I don't think I've ever seen blue soldermask on a circuit board before. I know it doesn't make any difference, just thought it was interesting.

Another cool feature is what happens when you change bands.
The norm is if you are in ch 12 on one band then all bands will show ch 12.
Not this puppy...If you are in 27.555 in one band and you move down a band to find ch 38 for example...and then decide to go back to 27555 when you flick up to the next band then you will be on 27555 right where you left off..flick down and ch 38, Side bands/mode need adjusting but heck that saves a bunch of channel flicking. 10 adjustable memories! The 8900 continues to impress..Its little, it has 40w PEP, it heats up, it needs a bigger heat sink and perhaps a fan.
And the receive does sound good. Have not fully played with the PBT and not sure just how much it will improve the experience. To the best of my knowledge Anytone and maxlog are using a 4.2khz wide crystal filter and a change to 3khz or 2.6khz filters may show more improvement. More on this later but we are testing... The 8900 is not a prototype but we didn't want to wait for the printing of the logo boxes and manuals. This radio does break new ground. Programming is via the rear RJ45 ext mic socket. I programmed mine from the clarifier cos win 8.1 don't like the prolific drivers. It's a heck of a little set. Very easy to use. Hard not to like this thing.

The transmit PBT seems nothing more than an anemic gimmick.

vkrules said:

Green blue orange gold. been there saw that.Well my radio has left Auckland and is in transit to Australia somewhere.Be nice if it arrives by Friday afternoon. Watched cb radios utube vids, very interesting.Band pass is new and you could hear the difference it was making to the tx audio Looking forward to giving this radio a shakedown.

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I have seen red and clear solder mask.... every colour imaginable! What You Tube vid showed the use of the pass band tuning?

73 mechanic