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Uniden 980 off frequency.

R

red97k1500

Well-Known Member
Nov 26, 2012
359
291
73
texas
What is the best way to center up the clarifier at 12 o’clock on a uniden 980? Mine is the old version made in 2014. I’ve always had to have the clarifier at the 11 o’clock position to hear people on frequency.
The radio was transmitting on 27.383.02 MHz on 38lsb which is to far off frequency people will just ignore you.

I let the radio warm up over night with clarifier centered at 12 o’clock, and adjusted l217 till the radio transmits on 27.386 MHz in usb mode, and adjusted l216 till it transmits on 27.384mhz in lsb mode. It worked the radio tx’s on frequency but I still have to have the clarifier at the 11 o’clock position to hear people on frequency.

Any advice is appreciated.
 

IIRC, there are a few videos on how to unlock the clarifier on YT.
Might check those out; think one was done by 'Lester's CB Shop' for that radio/clarifier in particular - IIRC.
But buying a freq counter and DIY alignment is a bit risky, in the sense that the freq counter may not be calibrated.
Or just send the radio to a shop where they keep the equipment calibrated.
 
red97k1500 said:
It worked the radio tx’s on frequency but I still have to have the clarifier at the 11 o’clock position to hear people on frequency
Click to expand...

red97k1500,
It sounds like the receiver needs to be aligned. If the clarifier were "unlocked" (or locked to the receive frequency-a terminology pet-peeve*) your problem would be solved by the adjustments you made.

73
David

*
Much like the often used phrase "unthawed". As in "When this roast gets unthawed, I'm going to put it in the crock pot".
 
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I guess I will try unlocking the clarifier using the old video Lester posted back around 2013. The radio is usable as is now but I want the clarifier centered.

This is the only alignment info I can find on the internet.

https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/uniden-980-alignment-notes.165450/

Robb said:
IIRC, there are a few videos on how to unlock the clarifier on YT.
Might check those out; think one was done by 'Lester's CB Shop' for that radio/clarifier in particular - IIRC.
But buying a freq counter and DIY alignment is a bit risky, in the sense that the freq counter may not be calibrated.
Or just send the radio to a shop where they keep the equipment calibrated.
Click to expand...

I’m using a little Mfj 886 frequency counter with cheap bnc to alligator clips.

To me a uniden 980 is not worth sending off to a shop. There kinda throw away radios imo.with that being said my goal is not to destroy it or throw it away. But spending a 100 bucks, shipping it to a shop and waiting weeks if not months for it to be aligned kinda takes the fun out of it for me.For as cheap and popular as they are, I’m kinda surprised that some 8 years later, there’s still really not much info about them on the internet.
 
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Then, I'd buy a used freq counter, like a Fluke 1900 or a Hp counter, and DIY.
At least, you will be close and when the clarifier is unlocked, you can still get it on freq.
Spending a little bit, but less than $100, and you learn more about radio than you did before.
Personally, I consider it all a win/win situation if you are willing to do a good job.
Not just for the 980; but every radio you might get too.
 
Last edited:
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581A142F-59C7-4791-8788-84C62C2589DD.jpeg This is what I’m using for a frequency counter. At times I was having trouble getting a stable reading from it. I wonder if I need to add a resistor to the positive lead.
 
I have one frequency counter with clip leads. I wrap the wires around the coax in opposite directions and clip a capacitor between the leads. Cheap coax I use has enough leakage that I get steady readings.
 
Without using proper test gear how do you know receive is off frequency? I got told I was off frequency once by people in the town next to me. They were using CBs, I was using an Icom 7000 with a TXCO. Turns out that everyone on CB in that town had their rigs aligned by the local rig doctor. He did it not using test gear and signal generators but his own radio, tuning them "until they sounded right". Turns out his radio was off so therefore everyones who was tuned was also off by the same amount but to each other they sounded OK so thought they were all OK.

With SSB though tuning is kind of subjective as people clarify in by ear until it sounds right to them which may not mean they're actually on the spot frequency of the channel.
 
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98ADDFC1-FE54-48E8-B64D-6DE1BB9588B0.jpeg I know that this uniden 980 was taxing far enough of frequency, that people will ignore me. The clarifier is locked on it. I would listen to it on both my icom ic718, and my old 8719 president mckinley which was aligned by a professional, using proper test equipment and doing a by the service manual factory alignment.
I think the little Mfj frequency counter is close enough for what I’m doing which is only working on my own cheap cb radio.

I use an rf sampler and play a 1000hz tone to see what frequency the radio is txing on.
The counter is kinda jumpy when I connected it to tp401
 
referencing my previous post #8, I was partly in jest. However, the part that wasn't had to do with Earl. Well into his eighties before he passed he earned a reputation locally as a nice enough old fellow, but eccentric. He could drive you crazy chasing you around jumping into a QSO to score a contact. Nevertheless, I was always gracious toward him no matter how irritating he could be. Earl, Rembrandt on 11m, was useful. He had 2 radios he switched out using, and loved SSB, sometime using a Washington CB, which was low on transmit, and sometimes using a RCI 2950, which was perfectly on frequency. Unknowingly, Earl helped me numerous times get some radios aligned as well as one might do without the proper instruments. I don't miss Earl too much, but I do his 2950...
 
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HomerBB said:
referencing my previous post #8, I was partly in jest. However, the part that wasn't had to do with Earl. Well into his eighties before he passed he earned a reputation locally as a nice enough old fellow, but eccentric. He could drive you crazy chasing you around jumping into a QSO to score a contact. Nevertheless, I was always gracious toward him no matter how irritating he could be. Earl, Rembrandt on 11m, was useful. He had 2 radios he switched out using, and loved SSB, sometime using a Washington CB, which was low on transmit, and sometimes using a RCI 2950, which was perfectly on frequency. Unknowingly, Earl helped me numerous times get some radios aligned as well as one might do without the proper instruments. I don't miss Earl too much, but I do his 2950...
Click to expand...

I’ve heard some ex-wives also mention not really “missing” their ex-husband except for some equipment owned.

I’ve had dispatchers get me on the phone to start rambling on some subject (imagine that), as it allows them some space to do a computer search or whatever.

Sailing under a false flag.

.
 
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