Quantar intermittent PA failures; non-fatal

[kb4mdz]

I have a couple VHF Quantars, just straight analog, at a site in a main/standby configuration (tho not the Quantar-manual offered main/standby config; for a couple other reasons).

I've got a site monitoring system set up for RF Forward & reflected, PTT Status, COR, and sensing the PA FAIL/GOOD signal thru the 50 pin telco connector; plus a couple environmental points, and can force PTT, or swap between repeaters.

Occasionally, one or the other will toss out the PA FAIL alarm; but it only lasts for about 3 seconds, then resets to GOOD. Esp. aggravating when it's the standby unit that's doing it. Not frequent, When I log into the monitoring system, everything is clear, I just acknowledge, check PTT & Power output, log off & put it up to Chupacabra dancing in the Sonorran desert (hey, it's as logical as anything else I can think of).

Anyone else have this happen on monitored equipment? I'll say, it's a somewhat remote site, and power may not be as clean there as a sister site done the same way.

Thanks, & have a great Independence Day!

[RFguy]

What do the station log files show?

[kb4mdz]

RFguy -

OK, I'll admit I just lost brain cells on that; totally forgot about station logs. OK, time for a site visit ASAP. Any special ones I should look at first?

Hmm, since I've got network access there for site monitoring, maybe I could put an ethernet-to-serial device to log in remotely... Ahhhh, excitement!

[kb4mdz]

OK, i've visitied my stations that gave the odd "PA Fail" signals, nothing seems amiss, they just wanted Daddy to pay attention to them during the holiday weekend.

FWIW, when I connected to them I saw the Date & Time in the stations were blank, or rather defaulted to 1900/01/01 or some such. I set them it seemed to take, but when I was back several days later, (for something else) I looked at them again; defaulted back to 1900/01/01. What gives? What am I missing?

And I still haven't figured out how to look at the station logs. Where are they?

Thanks,

[Bill_G]

If the date and time are resetting, then the station(s) are resetting which would make sense - they are posting pa fail alarms during self test. The station logs are in the service section towards the bottom left of the rss. I don't recall the actual title of the line, but it's something like station status. It's not in the alignment screens. You can enter and exit the log screens without resetting the station.

[kb4mdz]

Yeah, think I'm gonna have to tie a P.S. status line into site monitoring, maybe the +5VDC, to try to track things. That, and some delay on the PA Fail; it always self-clears in 3 seconds. Never more, never less.

Yup, I had found them alright, you're right, and they were blanked, too. Another sign of a reset. Short term write-only memory, eh?

Site power might be the problem; it's at a water tank, which of course has its own genny, but if the feed is a little flaky.... trouble with a lowercase "t" Ever heard of anyone retrofitting the battery backup hardware to an existing Quantar P.S.?

Thanks for the clues, Bill. Oh, well, it can wait until I come back from vacation. Like I said, non-fatal; just a nuisance false positive.

[kcbooboo]

The Nucleus transmitter has a battery on its control board. If that's bad, then a lot of things will be forgotten during a reset, including the date/time. Perhaps the Quantar has a similar "feature".

Can you run the Quantar on a UPS to smooth out the incoming power? The switching power supplies in the Quantar probably won't care about relay switching in the UPS.

Bob M.

[kb4mdz]

Hmmm, good thought, Bob M.

I'll worry about it week after next. For now, I think I've forestalled nuisance alarms.