ok, so I got this Visar VHF model #H05KDH9AA7AN, and it seems to have an interesting problem. I want to know if it would be worth it to sink a few bucks into THIS radio. I'm not looking for someone to tell me, "junk it, get an HT1000", I like a variety of Moto radios and this is one i'd like to add to my personal collection, not to see any abusive use.
Basically, I turn the thing on, and I get an "88" message. I'm in the process of getting the programming cable for it (already have the RSS), so it may be a day or two before I can see if it reads or writes.
One interesting problem it has is a high pitched noise coming from the speaker. It's a very high tone, kinda like what doctors do hearing tests with. It's constant and very annoying. I took the radio apart and connected power to it again, and it stopped. Put the cover back on, it did it again. It seems to be a problem right beneath the # sign on the keypad, if I apply a small amount of pressure there it starts with that noise again. Does anyone have any idea what it could be? I looked and it seemed like the board inside is fine.
Visar problems.... Yeah, I know, Visar....blah
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Well, if you have the service manual and are reasonably good at working with multilayer PC boards....by all means go to it! By far the biggest problem with all Visars is people sitting on them and damaging the controller boards which are inside the front[cheesy] housing. Probably the second biggest problem is the SMA antenna connector loosening up where it's pressed into the chassis casting.
Many people advise not repairing because it's not economical unless you have access to a spare known good controller PC board. A new replacement controller will cost about as much as a used complete unit.
Many people advise not repairing because it's not economical unless you have access to a spare known good controller PC board. A new replacement controller will cost about as much as a used complete unit.
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I got this unit really cheap, figured i'd give it a shot at trying to fix it, and if I mess it up, no biggie. Everything on the board seems to be fine, I don't see any loose or missing connections. I'm gonna pick myself up a nice magnifying glass to take a look inside and see if I missed something. I know what you mean about flimsy too, these definitely were not designed with the average user in mind.
Well, worse case, i'll have a decent shape VHF Visar DTMF case for sale
..... and a new battery.....
Well, worse case, i'll have a decent shape VHF Visar DTMF case for sale
..... and a new battery.....I had my hands on a controller board (for a UHF radio, I think) that did the exact same thing. The display said 88 or perhaps other jibberish, and a terribly ear-piercing high-pitched noise came out of the speaker. As Al advised, unless you can round up a spare controller board, it looks like you're out of luck.
"88" on the display is a general error indicating a controller board failure. The cause is usually the result of broken solder connections underneath the ompac IC's on the board. Because the board is very thin & flexible, the connections are prone to failure. These can be fixed with a hot air flow station such as a Chipmaster, or even with a low-flow hot air gun in the hands of an experienced technician. Sometimes, the actual internal traces within the multi-layer board have broken, in which case it's pretty well beyond hope & requires replacement.
Todd
Todd
No trees were harmed in the posting of this message...however an extraordinarily large number of electrons were horribly inconvenienced.
Welcome to the /\/\achine.
Welcome to the /\/\achine.
So then the "88" display isn't by chance a programming error then? I did some searching on the board and found that in some cases it was a low battery, or the result of using the wrong RSS to attempt to program the unit.
When I took the unit apart, there was a piece of velcro in the middle, holding the two boards together. is this a Motorola thing or is it someone else's attemp to fix a problem the unit may have had? it also has a barcode taped across the board, see picture:
When I took the unit apart, there was a piece of velcro in the middle, holding the two boards together. is this a Motorola thing or is it someone else's attemp to fix a problem the unit may have had? it also has a barcode taped across the board, see picture:
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Lake Effect
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2005 9:47 am
The barcode looks right. Most have them about that position. The controller board doesn't appear to have the metal clip just below the speaker to hold it tight to the flex circuit underneath. That is probably the reason for the velcro. Someone tried to create some pressure there to make the connection.
L.E.
L.E.
The spring clip is there to retain the board against the speaker and microphone, that's all.
The accy. connection is a Kapton trace affixed directly to the board and also retained bya steel clip on the inside, which also provides tension and firm backing to allow accessories to be attached without cutting out or failing in service.
The '88' error is 99% a controller failure, and as many have stated, these boards are extremely thin and overly flexible, and so is the tiny display, which is cheesily soldered to that controller board.
The tiny multi-pin header on the lower left of the main board is a trouble spot as the small connections easily break, so you may wish to take a look at those under a good lens to see if those connections are still good, and if not, retouch them with clean solder and try the radio again, you may get lucky.
Just be VERY careful if you have to retouch the pins with solder, if you lift up on the header, you run the risk of delaminating the board and causing even more headaches.
The accy. connection is a Kapton trace affixed directly to the board and also retained bya steel clip on the inside, which also provides tension and firm backing to allow accessories to be attached without cutting out or failing in service.
The '88' error is 99% a controller failure, and as many have stated, these boards are extremely thin and overly flexible, and so is the tiny display, which is cheesily soldered to that controller board.
The tiny multi-pin header on the lower left of the main board is a trouble spot as the small connections easily break, so you may wish to take a look at those under a good lens to see if those connections are still good, and if not, retouch them with clean solder and try the radio again, you may get lucky.
Just be VERY careful if you have to retouch the pins with solder, if you lift up on the header, you run the risk of delaminating the board and causing even more headaches.
Maybe it would just be better to get a different one or try to find a different controller. This is indeed way beyond my current capabilities.
Well, even if I mess it up, no major loss. Maybe i'll rig it up with lights in the keypad and such and have it as a really cool paper weight.
If anyone has a controller that could work with this, please contact me. I kind do want to get this thing working.
BTW, AEC, What is your avatar? I keep on looking at it, trying to figure out what it is.....
Well, even if I mess it up, no major loss. Maybe i'll rig it up with lights in the keypad and such and have it as a really cool paper weight.
If anyone has a controller that could work with this, please contact me. I kind do want to get this thing working.
BTW, AEC, What is your avatar? I keep on looking at it, trying to figure out what it is.....
