Saber II no audio on TX however does TX....

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OCSD117
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Saber II no audio on TX however does TX....

Post by OCSD117 »

I have a Saber II when I bought it and programmed it, it seemed to work great. Then I noticed that when I pressed the TX button I could hear the radio on my mobile key up but there was little to no audio actually coming through. Other than that the radio works flawlessly. There is a bypass module in the radio which is correctly installed. I checked RSS and the volume on the mic is turned up...any sugestions?

Mike
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williamh
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Post by williamh »

mic on the radio is bad or clogged with debri .
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Saber TX audio problems...

Post by AEC »

Hello:

Try runnign your service alignment, the VCO modulation directly affects transmitted audio and if the setting is too low, the VCO can't properly modulate the transmitter, just don't set the level too high.

Check the output on a service monitor to ensure your deviation is within limits and not clipping when used on a repeater pair, keep the deviation at or below 4.5 Khz.

As suggested previously, you could also have a defective mic element, those do go bad as they are the electret type and require a +3.3 Volt source to derive audio from when in transmit.

The level you would see directly from this would be less than 1mV AC, so you need a sensitive meter to see a response.

Pin 21 of U102 is the audio input line, and pin 11 of the same IC is the audio output into C23, there should be 0.5 VAC on this line in transmit.
This line also feeds pin 11 of U101 audio filter, where you should be able to take a direct reading if you can do so with the rear cover removed while keeping the modules retained on the board, if this is not done, the radio will squeal, hum and not work properly, the modules MUST be securely fastened to the controller board for the radio to function properly.

I hope this helps you resolve your TX audio troubles, I've run across this many times in the past myself, and many times it can be resolved with a softpot adjustment within the RSS.

The softpots work in proper order...

-------> = higher
<------ = lower

Happy RFing!


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OCSD117
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Post by OCSD117 »

Unfortunately I do not have a service monitor availible. I will check the VCO though.

Thanks,

Mike
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OCSD117
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Post by OCSD117 »

Would someone be willing to look at this radio for me. It is in great shape and would love to be able to use it! PM me if you would be willing to look at it and let me know who much you think it would cost. As far as I know this was a backup radio and barely got used!
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Tom in D.C.
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S2 audio problem

Post by Tom in D.C. »

Before you go any further, take off the front shield and check
where the mic/speaker flex from the shield plugs into the main board with the small four-pin connector. If that's okay then move on to checking the mic element etc.
Tom in D.C.
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kb0nly
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Post by kb0nly »

Pull the secure bypass module and check to make sure the pins are clean and making good contact. You can even remove the bypass module and solder a jumper in on the back side of the radio board.

It might just be a bad connection on the bypass module.
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Post by AEC »

Little to no audio dictates a defective mic element only.

I've had to replace 4 of them this past month alone...

Sabers are now 'old' radios, time for the mic elements to start dying, as I have noticed they are, and in growing numbers too.


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Post by va3wxm »

Is this a do it yourself job or something for a radio shop?
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OCSD117
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Post by OCSD117 »

I checked the Mic. It is plugged in correctly and seems alright in RSS! So I guess the mic needs to be replaced!

Is there any one that knows where to get on and if so how much???


Mike
Carlwood Lipton: [real life interview with Lipton where he recites a quote from William Shakespeare] From this day to the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered. We lucky few, we band of brothers. For he who today sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
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Saber built-in mic replacement...

Post by Tom in D.C. »

Mike,

Probably the most common way to change the mic on a Saber is to
change the entire shield, using another good radio as donor, then
picking up another shield later to put the donor radio back into operation.

Remember that you need the longer shield for a Securenet radio.
Tom in D.C.
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that children may not be sent by parcel post.
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Post by larryepage »

I bought a NOS VHF Saber III a couple of years ago and had the same problem. Upon investigation with RSS, it had never been set up initially by the dealer...deviation was set to zero. So based on my own experience, I'd say that's one of the first things to check. Can't tell from the thread whether you have been able to do so or not.

Saber deviation is a little more complicated to get right than some other radios...there are three separate adjustments, one for lower voice frequencies, one for higher voice frequencies, and a third for the squelch encoding signal.

Good luck with your radio...

Regards,
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OCSD117
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Post by OCSD117 »

Interestingly i put my Saber II inot the SVA and it does the same thing the recieve radio keys up but i get no other audio, recieve is great!
Carlwood Lipton: [real life interview with Lipton where he recites a quote from William Shakespeare] From this day to the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered. We lucky few, we band of brothers. For he who today sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
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Post by AEC »

As for the radio's TX audio, the mic. element is the same as the ones for the GP300/P110 as well as the Genesis radios, I've used those with great success.

As for the SVA, I would check the accessory connections in the unit, and burnish them with a hard rubber eraser, and if there is no oxide buildup on those, then open the unit and inspect the flex cables that plug into locking headers, they work lose after years of use, yours may be loose as well.

If all of those do not return your TX audio, I would be willing to bet the SVA main board is defective as this controls all aspects of the unit.

Does your SVA have the display mic or standard hand mic by the way?
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OCSD117
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Post by OCSD117 »

display mic! I know There is noting wrong with the sva as i have used my saber III in it and it was brand new when i bought it
Carlwood Lipton: [real life interview with Lipton where he recites a quote from William Shakespeare] From this day to the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered. We lucky few, we band of brothers. For he who today sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
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Post by AEC »

RPDM313:

If all other Sabers are working fine in your SVA, I would suspect then, the radio is the cause of the trouble as it's not allowing the SVA to control the audio into or out of the radio somewhere.

Probable cause would be the radio's main board has a poor solder connection of U102 (audio) chip as this is controlled by the SVA for internal/external speaker/mic routing.

On U102, pin #20 is Mic. select, pin #23 is audio PA select(5 VDC enabled, 0 VDC disabled), and pin #24 is speaker select with internal spkr being 5 VDC and external spkr being held at 0 VDC.

That's the best I can do for now, I hope this helps.
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