• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

my new radio has problems

AE5RD

Reformed CB'er
May 4, 2005
136
1
28
62
I finally got a 52 amp power supply and my Yaesu puts out 100 watts on CW, 30 on AM, but when i go to sideband i only get 20 to 30 watts. I have to yell into the mike to get the power meter to move. Also my speech processor doesnt seem to be working anymore. Is it posible to turn up the audio inside the radio? I have already tried another mike, but i fear i have a problem with my modulation circuit. Thats what drives the radio on SSB right. It makes it harder on the 80 meter nets to get out there without being able to drive the radio to the full potential. My Elmers needle jumps up easily when he uses my mike on his radio and i hav tried another mke on mine. Anybody know which adjustment pot adjusts the mike gain? FT 840
 

VR1010 is your high power or 100 watt setting and S1001 is your 50 watt or low power setting. VR1020 is your AM output adjust this should be set at no more than 25 watts Deadkey with RF Power fully clockwise or wide open.

Forgot to add as far as audio sounds like you have an internal problem if there really is one you mess with that audio your going to throw it even further out of adjustment it needs a good tuning. My service manuals dont have a straight audio adjustment its all tuneup procedures involving voltages and lengthly directions performed by certified tech.

Before doing anything take the top cover off carefully and with radio facing you look towards the front right center of the board theres a high low (100W - 50W) switch be sure its on the 100 watt setting and not halfway inbetween.
 
Last edited:
I finally got a 52 amp power supply and my Yaesu puts out 100 watts on CW, 30 on AM, but when i go to sideband i only get 20 to 30 watts. I have to yell into the mike to get the power meter to move. Also my speech processor doesnt seem to be working anymore. Is it posible to turn up the audio inside the radio? I have already tried another mike, but i fear i have a problem with my modulation circuit. Thats what drives the radio on SSB right. It makes it harder on the 80 meter nets to get out there without being able to drive the radio to the full potential. My Elmers needle jumps up easily when he uses my mike on his radio and i hav tried another mke on mine. Anybody know which adjustment pot adjusts the mike gain? FT 840

Since there's no carrier on SSB, the meter is responding to your voice peaks. The problem is, no regular mechanical meter can move that fast. If you want to use SSB and you just have to see the meter move, you'll need a true PEP meter. I'd bet, however, that there's nothing wrong with anything; you're seeing the average power on your meter. Don't turn everything to the right.
 
You are likely not using a true peak reading watt meter.

Most meters are avg reading and on SSB it is totally normal to see 20-40W output on a "100W" radio.
 
audio

OK, I'm reading the meter on the radio, I 've also tried a radioshack meter on pep, and the meter on my LDG tuner. My Elmer said something like it was common to see readings like I got. But why does his radio drive up to 100 watts with talking normally. Also when i turn the speech processor on and turn the mike gain fully right the needle on the radio barely moves. It should be centered in the blue area. This leads me to believe I have some sort of problem. It just seems like i have to yell into the mike or talk abnormally loud, sort of like the parameters are a little too low for the audio mike gain.
Does anyone have the same radio? and what kind of meter readings do they get on ssb.
 
Last edited:
Just curious here, the FT-840 has a 50 watt and 100 watt switch on the inside of the radio, I wonder if it is set on 50W ?????
 
My hf radio is set at 120 watts for ssb and with a whistle that's shown no problem but under normal conversation it show output peaks of 80 to 90 watts on an mfj power meter which is common and as accurate a reading as I can expect from this meter.
 
I am using a G5RV being matched with an LDG 1000 antenna tuner. The tuner gives me a 1:2 to 1 match. Readings are taken with the meter on the Yaesu ft 840, and on the LDG tuner and with a radioshack pep reading meter. I have bird meters but no slugs yet. My friend looked at the radio and measured with a peak reading bird. He got about 30 watts on a strong whistle. Is my antenna resonant. Beats me as I do not have a MFJ 259b. I will try the radio at my Elmers house this weekend as he has better antennas, better meters, and more experience. I have two or three options. Get a diffrent radio, send this radio for repair, leave it alone. It almost performs well. Just needs a little stronger something. What really bothers me is when i'm transmitting and i watch the meter on the radio and on the pep reading meter and it is not moving forward except on strong pops or high sound pressure. Then the net control says " I couldnt copy that does anyone have a relay". I bought the radio on Ebay. BTW I am using a 1:1 balun to couple my feedline, as per instructions in my tuner manual concerning coupling balanced lines (twin feed)to an unbalanced line(coax). Does everyone have all the same kinds of problems i've had? It seems there are way more mistakes that can be made than getting it right by just hooking up some equipment.
 
Last edited:
First, I have to agree with you, things don't seem normal with your radio. The second thing I'd say is that you bought it off of eBay. Having said that, I think you should let your 'Elmer' take a look at it to see if there's something obviously not right, or set right.
(Absolutely nothing wrong with a bargain, but be sure it is a bargain first. I'm afraid I've seen more "un-bargains" on eBay than I've ever seen real bargains.)
If your 'Elmer' is stumped, just count it as a lesson learned and get it fixed.
Not what you wanted to hear, is it. Sorry...
- 'Doc
 
The low end rigs unfortunately wind up victims to the golden screwdriver. You may have soft finals as a result of someone hammering it on AM.

Have it bench aligned per the factory service manual by a skilled tech with the proper equipment to do the job. Then see what you come up with.

Sometimes things are just out of whack from someone randomly twisting pots. The older radios are more tolerant of being hammered on like that than the new ones, so it may be an easy fix with an alignment.

One more thing too...lose any 'watt obsession' you may have picked up over the years ;-).

Think of noticeable power differences in orders of 10. 20 -> 200W, now you have a big diff. 40 -> 400W etc, yes there are differences in-between, but far less than you would get if you spent time on the antenna instead of driving the hell out of the audio. Lots and lots of hams just don't understand this and there are a lot of cooked radios and cooked amplifiers on the market as a result.

In short, to squeeze a rig from 40-100W will kill it faster and isn't worth the effort to strain to get there, but then again, your rig does sound like something is not quite right.
 
YAESU

Does it have adjustments on its menu, like ft 857 etc., and if your elmer finds it low on output, the other writer is pobably right soft final. A fast turn around if you have to send it would be burghardt radio, they are fast and reasonable.

Not being an as.... hole, but next time buy from a dealer even if it is used.....it is tested etc., before offered for sale.

DOCTOR/795
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated