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New IC 7000. How to tune with the MFJ 941E?
- Thread starter Palex9
- Start date
UPDATE
Just got off the phone with Icom customer support. The guy that I spoke to actually told me that they only support Icom brand antenna tuners (... saying you can damage the radio with other tuners!) and could not come up with an intelligent way to use other brands! When I used a trick question to ask if I can use the microphone as a keyer has said no, which of course is not correct. Great job Icom! So now I am hoping for the more senior tech person called Fred to return my call. The 7000 is a pretty awesome radio though.
Just got off the phone with Icom customer support. The guy that I spoke to actually told me that they only support Icom brand antenna tuners (... saying you can damage the radio with other tuners!) and could not come up with an intelligent way to use other brands! When I used a trick question to ask if I can use the microphone as a keyer has said no, which of course is not correct. Great job Icom! So now I am hoping for the more senior tech person called Fred to return my call. The 7000 is a pretty awesome radio though.
Can't you throw a low power carrier on AM or use a key?
What's your MFJ manual say?
You could also buy an auto tuner.
What's your MFJ manual say?
You could also buy an auto tuner.
I've found that the simplest way with almost any radio is to put it in CW mode, run the lowest power possible then use that CW tone to tune a tuner. The mic button has worked as a 'key' on almost any radio I can remember owning. Never owned your radio so can't say that would work for you.
- 'Doc
- 'Doc
Problem solved... .not thanks to ICOM!
A guy a MFJ said to just try keying the mike in all modes. CW did not work properly but FM did! No need to talk into it or do anything. Took me 10 seconds to get the antenna tuned. Why was this so difficult or the 'pros' at the manufacturer?
A guy a MFJ said to just try keying the mike in all modes. CW did not work properly but FM did! No need to talk into it or do anything. Took me 10 seconds to get the antenna tuned. Why was this so difficult or the 'pros' at the manufacturer?
Well, then how come the almighty Icom didn't solve that in like 10 seconds? Never mind the false information that the mic can't be used as a keyer!
Final update and end of story.... Fred the guy in the know at Icom just called me. He said the way to do it with the 7000 is to set the mode to RTTY and key the mic. Yep, this works good. His excuse for the wrong info is that 4 guys now support 150 different models of radios.
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Beats me, maybe he wasn't familiar with the 7000's many features.
You can always get one of these. I used one on my 706. Pretty handy.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5336136228&icep_item=230716007757
You can always get one of these. I used one on my 706. Pretty handy.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5336136228&icep_item=230716007757
Well first off if you used those exact words especially the word "keyer" then the guy at Icom was 100% correct. A keyer is used for sending CW and not as simply "something to key up a radio". Sometimes the proper terminology means all the difference in the world. Right words = right answers.
Second if the above was indeed the case he may not have fully understood what you were trying to do. If all you wanted was a carrier to tune with then you should have simply used a carrier mode like CW or FM.CW mode would require the addition of a CW key to close in order to switch to TX mode. Transmitting in FM mode using the microphone to "key up " the radio and send a carrier works great however the microphone is NOT being used as a keyer in this case. As for possibly harming the radio usinfg non-Icom tuners I suspect he was referencing non-Icom auto-tuners as the band switching and tuner protocols may very well be different as well as the pin-outs. Yaesu only recommends Yaesu auto-tuners with their radios as well so no difference there. Sounds to me like it is a case of misunderstanding due to communications issues rather than not knowing their stuff at Icom.
I have an Icom 7000 and (like you found out) use the RTTY mode to tune a screwdriver antenna when mobile. Works great! As far as auto tuners go, I use the LDG AT7000 (replaced by the LDG IT7000) which works all bands 160 thru 6 meters. The IC7000 is a great radio after you master the menus.
Mike
Mike
as soon as I read post #2, I suspected where the real problem was**Jump_im****Jump_im**
I would be REAL careful before using anything that plugs into the tuner port on a MKII on a 7k,...........
the pinout and voltages are NOT the same
I miss the good old TX or MOX switch on radios. You could throw the radio into CW mode and hit the TX or MOX switch and have a full carrier for tuning. No menus to search through and back then everyone knew how to operate their radios and generate a carrier. Nowadays radios have so many features accessible via menus and sub-menus that people rarely know what the radio will do until long after they have used it for some time. Some never know all it will do.
I would be REAL careful before using anything that plugs into the tuner port on a MKII on a 7k,...........
the pinout and voltages are NOT the same
It works on both. The only difference is that the 7000 won't read and display SWR and RF out like the 706. It only initiates a 10 watt CW carrier. Doesn't uses voltages from other pins to initiate and power a tuning cycle.
It's actually a decent gadget to have or make yourself. I believe mods.dk has the schematics.
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I wasn't particulary refering to this gizmo,..... as long as it does NOT ground pin 1, it should be safe.
many automatic tuners that work fine on a 706 will smoke a 7k.
The port on the rear apron of the IC-7000 designed to interface with the AH-4 auto coupler is configured differently than the IC-706 series. Pin 1 (TKEY) input is shared internally with the temperature control circuitry. This pin MUST be left floating. If it isn't, the fan may not come on as required, which can lead to failure of the final transistors!
Many devices used to mimic the AH-4, and trick the IC-706 into transmitting 10 watts of carrier are not compatible with the IC-7000. This includes the suggested circuitry from SGC, at least one of the older model screwdriver controllers, and most small tuner modules. The only US made one known to work correctly is from Better RF, and designed specifically for the IC-7000. Their older IC-706 model is not compatible.
read K0BG's post here: http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG...60823928/**http://www.eham.net/articles/14553